Just wanted to give an update as to where we are in our journey to Suubi. Our dossier (which is kind of like ALL your info about your family, finances and background compiled into one big ole folder) arrived in Uganda beginning of this week and our lawyer has it. She is beginning the process of developing the case. That is great news! Hopefully within the next couple of weeks we will receive affidavits to sign and then she can file for our court date. Again if she hits any bumps in the road it can take longer but prayerfully she will find all she needs relatively easily and develop a clear and complete file for Suubi.
Then we wait for a court date. That could take 3-6 weeks. Once we have the court date we have to be ready to travel! We could get a date that gives us a week to prepare or our court date could be 6 weeks or more away from when we hear. Lots of variables! If we don't receive a date before July 15th then we won't travel until late August or early Sept. even.
We have applied for 12 different grants, and may apply for others. We are so thankful there are organizations out there willing to serve adoptive families in this way. We have already heard back from 2 with a 'no'.:( However, we are trusting and waiting on Him to provide what we need to travel. It is a huge amount. We really hope and pray we can take the boys with us for at least part of the time. Spending 6-8 weeks in Uganda is going to be challenging but we would love for the boys to experience some of that time with us. Erika will spend the whole time in Uganda and Mark and the boys will return to the US after the first couple of weeks.
So we are praying for some grants to come through. We are also going to have another yard sale in May, hopefully, yea! We are continuing to try and sell some items on line and by word of mouth. We have things like a very nice Medela breast pump, some specialty guitars, a piano, a violin, and Christmas china that we are interested in selling. If you know of anyone that might be interested in any of those items you can contact me at erikachapman74@gmail.com. We are going to work on making a fb page with just those items listed soon so you can send folks there to look and consider purchasing.
We are also still selling our Uganda necklaces. We actually only have a few left at the moment! God has been so faithful at helping us earn funds and share our story through selling the necklaces. We sent a care package to Suubi a couple of weeks ago through another family that is adopting from the same orphanage. We made her a stuffed puppy from Build-A-Bear with a recording of each of us telling her we love her. It was a sweet time doing that. We also sent some toddler snacks and a blanket we chose with different textures on it.
The family actually went to the orphanage today to give it to her and love on her. We are so excited to hear how it went! And so thankful for their willingness to carry it to her and be our hands and feet for a day:)
Ways you can be praying for us are:
- that our lawyer would have insight, favor and wisdom in completing Suubi's case clearly, completely and quickly!
- that we would find favor with grant organizations and fundraising would be successful and the Lord would provide JUST what we need to travel as a family of five and come back as a family of six
- that Suubi would remain healthy and well, that she would feel deep down that she is chosen, loved and secure and the Father would prepare her heart for family
- that we would receive a court date this summer and all details would fall into place
- that Erika would remain emotionally calm and not become a crazy lady as she tries to prepare but not become too anxious
I wish you could hear our boys pray for their little sister and tell people they meet that they have a little sister in Africa. God is so good at how He enlarges our hearts and prepares us for what we do not even imagine. He is truly an Ephesians 3:20 kinda God!
"With God’s power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine." Ephesians 3:20
