More delays

Peter was told to go to the office on Friday to pick up the approval letter so he did and they asked him to come back on Monday. He went today and they told him that they have been too busy to give the minister the letter to sign. They told him to come back on Thursday. I don't quite understand...I thought it was signed and ready for pick up! I really hope this is not another 2 months of waiting. I am humbled by Peter's determination to willingly take on this burden for us. We are truly resting in the indescribable peace of knowing that God is in control of every detail and things will happen in His perfect timing.

Approved...YIPPEE!!

This morning I got an email from a friend that that encouraged me to stay patient as I waited for some news and she said to look up Psalm 25:25...It reads..."Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land." I clung to that scripture all day and couldn't help myself but to try to contact Peter to see if he had any "good news from a distant land." The email immediately returned with a fatal error...so I decided to call him instead. He said he had checked on the paperwork this morning and was told that the minster was going to sign it today and to call back at 4:00 to find the status. When I called Peter it was 3:45 so he said he would hang up with me and call the office and then email me the news. I just came in from playing outside with the boys and checked and there were 2 messages in my inbox...one from Peter and one from the woman at the embassy. I read Peter's first and he said that she DID sign the approval letter and that he could pick it up tomorrow. PRAISE GOD!!!!! We are finally moving on to the next phase. He will bring the copy of the letter to the orphanage on Monday and get the ball rolloing there. The email from the embassy said the same thing...she too checked on our paperwork for us and was told it was ready for pick up. YAHOO!

Cool Stuff!

I called Rwanda today to see if the papers arrived and they did! Our helper, Peter, called the minister's office when they arrived on Wednesday and they told him to come on Monday so he said that he will email me on Monday and let me know how it goes.

I got an email today from the woman at the embassy who has been stamping all our documents and helping us through all the confusion....she was just checking to see how things were going. I was so touched by that...she remembered us and cared...she also said that she was going to be calling the minister's office soon and she would check on my paperwork for us while she had her on the phone.

Then I got an email from a man who works for an adoption agency in Virginia and said he got my name from the woman at the embassy. He has a client who is adopting from Rwanda and he needed help gathering information...like what paperwork was needed...etc. so that was fun to gather all my notes and be able to help another couple avoid all the bumps and delays we have had. The adoptive mother later emailed me herself, so we got to share stories a little bit.
So fun!!!

Harriman=Rwandese

I am at the ticket counter in Kigali checking in and the gentleman behind the counter asks me with a curious smile, "Your name is Harriman?"
I respond somewhat puzzled, "Yes."
He just laughs at me.
I assume he is laughing at my name because it is strange to him.
He finally says, "You know Harriman is Rwandese."
I said, "What?"
He says again, "Harriman is Rwandese."
I wanted to be sure I understood so I asked, "Do you mean that the word Harriman when translated means 'Rwandese'?"
He says, "Yes" with a big smile!

My Rwandese baby will have a very appropriate surname!

Leaving Home of Hope

It was my last day to volunteer and spend time with the babies at Home of Hope. One of these babies will hopefully join my family some day very soon. I was feeding one of the babies when my friend arrived to pick me up. I layed down the little girl I had been feeding and cried all the way down the hall, up the stairs and to the car. I sobbed for about a minute and I all could do was tell myself that, "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me....even really hard things!"

Dossier update

We stopped by the minister's office today and her assistant said that she just received it this morning. She insisted that it was impossible to get it done before I leave. So I left there feeling a bit discouraged. All in His time!

Dossier is in

Today I dropped off our dossier to the minister's office. We will call tomorrow to confirm that the minister has personally received it and maybe find out when we might expect a response.