One day at a time...

I’m sorry I haven’t blogged for the past couple of days. I have been overwhelmed with different emotions of anxiety and desperation the last couple of days and just plain missing my family at home. One thing is to say you have faith in the Lord and trust Him but when you are faced with such a difficult situations not knowing what the outcome may bring it is so difficult. But who else can you turn to only Him. I’m so glad that the Lord is a God who is slow to anger b/c He should be quite frustrated with me right now.
About the immigration process…I hadn’t heard anything so I called the High Commissioner on Thursday early afternoon. She basically gave me the same run down of what still needed to happen:
-verification from the Rwandan adoption authorities
-medical
-Letter of no objection from the provincial authorities
Then she confirmed that there was no way this was going to be completed this week. No denying it, I was very disappointed. I asked why the medical wasn’t done b/c it was sent Tuesday morning. She said that their on staff physician only looks at these forms on a first come first serve basis. To top off the moment Dominic knocked the phone and disconnected the call. I tried to call back and there was no answer. My spirit was crushed. “Now what am I supposed to do Lord” I said out loud in my hotel room with tears. After my childish freak out, I calmly thought of my contact list and e-mailed one by one. First, the head of the adoption unit asking, no begging, for the letter of no objection. Secondly the Canadian consulate in Kigali pleading with them to help verify the legitimacy of the adoption. Last, I e-mailed the Ministry of Family & Gender in Rwanda to see if they could help verify the process. I don’t know how much this is going to accomplish but Praise God the province did FAX their letter of no objection. This victory gave me hope for tomorrow. There are still so many hurdles but as my husband states “one day at a time”. I also had a wonderful surprise “conference call” from some dear friends and then from the love of my life. Only God could have known how much I needed encouragement. Don’t get me wrong, this is great one on one time with Dominic and he definitely needs this but being here alone with a toddler can be a bit overwhelming after 14 days. So now I’ve accepted staying in Nairobi for now. Not much is happening today since the High Commission closes at 1pm on Fridays. Dominic and I have been sticking to the Hotel because he’s had some stomach issues. He puts everything in his mouth, especially bath water…I’m not surprised! The nurse has prescribed him a strict diet so he’s not always happy with me and lets me know it. He really loves milk and every time he sees a teapot he thinks it’s milk. When I don’t let him have it he points and starts babbling with a frustrated tone. I think he’s telling me off in Kinyarwanda!
About Kenya….the gardens here are gorgeous. Because of the climate they have the most beautiful shrubs and flowers. We went to the park and everything is so beautifully manicured and kept…however, they forgot about swings and slide at the park.
People here just LOVE Obama. You see it every day on the news and Kenyians were just having a party here during the inauguration. People are also naming their newborns Obama and Michelle.
People drive like crazy here too. One thing that is interesting…both in Rwanda and Kenya and I think most of Africa the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. But to make things more confusing…in Rwanda you still drive on the right side of the road. In Kenya you drive on the left side of the road…go figure?
Even though I’ve felt quite safe and comfortable walking around in Nairobi (always aware of your surroundings of course) the security is unbelievable. Every Hotel, Bank and most buildings are not only surrounded by walls and a big gate. There is barb wire and electric fences strung in with sharp bars sticking up. Along with that, there are armed security guards everywhere. To get in to the High Commissioners building was worse than the airport. They made the cab driver get out and open his trunk and front hood. The had detectors going around and underneath the car. Then they made me go in to this office which had metal detectors and cameras my bag had to go under. They searched my bag, took my cell phone, camera and umbrella. Then a security guard escorted me and stayed with me the whole time I was there. I only spoke to a person, one being the High Commissioner through a glass window (like at a jail). It was crazy!
Well that’s all I have for now.