Our Next Big Thing

This has been a long time coming. Then again, I feel that’s how most things go here. We work at it for a long time, there are a couple steps forward, a couple steps back, and then it seems a lot of the time we are just running side-to-side. But I’m also seeing that fighting so hard for something that not everyone else is, makes reaching that final point, or even a halfway point, all the more joyous, because somehow – even if just a little bit – we are making a difference in standing for something that’s really important.

On October 31^st, (yes, Halloween for everyone else) we spent the day in Kampala presenting to the Alternative Care Adoption Panel. In short, social workers present children and/or prospective domestic adoptive parents to the Panel, who approve the family as a good fit for a child, and then make a referral for a child. Kind of like an adoption agency in the States, but the Panel’s primary goal is to see Ugandans rise up to care for their children, as well as try to rid the adoptive process of some of the corruption that happens all too frequently (it was set up by the Child’s I Foundation – CHECK IT, they’re doing incredible work). To show our support of everything they are doing and stand for, we decided to take our domestic adoption cases through them to get approved.

And that’s what we were doing. Read HERE for Joseph’s, our social worker, account of Panel.

You get most of the story through Joseph’s write-up, but here’s a quick run through. Viola, who is our physiotherapist, has been seeking to adopt Zeke, our twelve-year old, crazy, joyful, hilarious, loving boy, who has Down’s syndrome. Their love for each other is so evident and after hearing Panel’s approval, they get to be a family.

“I get to go home and tell Zeke he can call he Mommy.” These were the first words out of Viola’s mouth when we left. Being a part of this special day for her was really incredible, and such a representation of what adoption is. Just as Viola pursued, was patient for, did not lose hope, and unconditionally loves Zeke, I am reminded of our adoption into our Father’s eternal family. And I am thankful.

There are several conditions that the Panel placed before Viola is able to take Zeke home and finalize the adoption, and we are currently working through these to make them possible. You can be praying for this new family, and that the Lord walks ahead of us and knocks down any more barriers that stand before us. I don’t want to run side-to side any more with this; I want to move forward so that Zeke can go live with Viola and learn what it means to be a part of a family!