Waiting

The saying goes “the best laid plans…” and you know the rest. Well, you may not know the rest so we will tell you. Up at 7:00 a.m., hike to the internet café (by the way it is 18 degrees while you walk), sit in smoke filled room, check emails and blog, return to the apartment to wait for our facilitator’s call. We were disappointed at message one, and more disappointed when we got to the SDA, expecting our referral for all 3 children only to find that even the government is confused right now. So, we get no referral letter. Why is this a big deal? Because you can’t officially visit the kids or petition for court until you get it in hand along with other documents.

Some wheels were already in motion for us to visit the inspector’s office again where we would meet our friend L. who works with the private orphanage where girl ‘k’ was living until a few days ago. After the typical “Eastern Europe school of driving tour” out to the inspector’s office, we sat with Kole (By the way, God is gracious and Kole was fabulous despite this boring situation for a 10 year old) in an 8’x8’ lobby area with one light bulb for 3 hours while the inspector’s office and the SDA and our facilitator and our friend L. were trying to decide how to unravel this odd situation. Seems simple enough. Not so…basically you can’t get a referral when a child has a guardian, but no official guardian exists since she was recently switched from one location to another and the former guardian is now gone and a new guardian has come-yet when is a guardian not really a guardian? No one seems to know here. Clear enough?? The government says no separation of siblings, yet we can’t see or meet girl ‘k’ sibling without a referral, which puts us back at step one.

There were lots of prayers this day. I think we are being completely transparent when we say that we came to the close of our adventure with no progress in our limited understanding. This is not to say that progress was not made, it may just not be our timetable. We pondered many questions as we walked to the market in the cold darkness tonight, prayerfully trusting God with each one of them.

Please pray with us earnestly for these things:
1) For decision making- that someone can decide if there is a guardian or not for girl ‘k’ and who it is or is not so we can move on with the process
2) For a referral tomorrow morning when our facilitator goes back to the SDA at 10 a.m.
3) For God to get great glory in this difficulty
4) For these children who have been disappointed so many times-more than any of us will ever know-that they will not be discouraged in waiting

We are not worried about the outcome, we just want His best in each moment in this process.

“Tell me how to show love without spending time, energy, or money, and I will gladly sign up. Tell me that love means sacrifice, however, and I become reluctant to commit myself.”-Hybels

God help us to correctly express who You are in the midst of serving others.
Blessings, The Nichols