We had our court date on Thursday, March 14th, and we kept waiting and waiting for our ruling. We ran into a few obstacles that were very frustrating and truly tested our patience. Most families typically wait 1-2 weeks for a ruling so for us to wait 4 weeks was very unexpected - but as we learned, you have to expect the unexpected.
We were told numerous times that we should hear something "tomorrow" but we learned you can't have faith in "tomorrow" - only in God. And we were reminded time and again that everything would be done in His timing. Our patience and faith were tested like never before and we were beginning to grow very weary - wondering if the adoption would even go through in the first place.
We decided our family needed a break from "waiting" and got away for three days to take a safari in Western Uganda. Steve and I had both been before but we were so excited for the girls to experience it, too.
So, we made the 6 hour journey to Murchison Falls in western Uganda. At the halfway point is Masindi and a good place to eat, stretch & go to the loo is at the Masindi Hotel. The hotel is actually rich in history as it is Uganda's oldest hotel and has had several famous visitors such as Ernest Hemingway, Humphrey Bogart, and Catherine Hepburn. We ate at their restaurant and had the largest pancakes we have ever seen - which was funny because our waiter told us they were "small" but they were so big, even folded in fourths, they were the size of our large plates. Size is relative, I suppose ;-)
Here's a few pics of the hotel...
We then drove another 2-3 hours and caught a ferry to our lodge...
We were greeted in the lobby with passion fruit juice and cold rags to cool us off from our "journey" ;-)
We checked into our room...
Ate an AwEsOmE buffet dinner...
Then went swimming. I would say that's a nice break from "waiting"...
We saw big lizards...
and small lizards...
The girls especially loved the bats that flew above our heads during dinner and on the way back to our room at night. NOT! ;-)
Early the next morning we woke up and went for a safari. Our driver drove us and we hired a tour guide to tell us about the animals & to help us find lions - which we did not see this trip :-/ The girls had so much fun & they took most of these pics...
After lunch, we then took a boat ride on the Nile...
About half way through the ride, a horrible storm hit. The sky turned dark & strong, cold winds came out of nowhere! Thunder and lightning was all around us and then the rain started and the water currents were really starting to pick up. I was getting a little nervous and started praying hard that we would all be okay. After about an hour's ride, the boat stopped at a location where we could get off and go for a hike. By this time, the rain was really coming down which made it pretty difficult to cross over slippery rocks & mud - especially carrying a toddler!
But we survived and it probably ended up being one of our most favorite things we did in Uganda our entire trip. It was a reminder to us, as well, that we have to persevere when times get tough & to not give up. It also reminded us that we are not strong in our own strength & that we must rely on God to get us through those difficult times. And guess what?! We finally ended up getting our guardianship ruling a week later.
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