A Whole Lot of Waiting & a Merry Christmas

Since last Thursday, we've done a whole lot of waiting. We went to the Passport Office on Thursday and began that process. Now we are waiting on the passport to be finalized so that we can be seen at the IOM for Eli's medical examination. 

Friday we did a lot of running around to our Attorney's Office, the IOM and even had the opportunity to visit the Friday Market where we found some goodies. We ate a coffee shop recommended to us by April Graham. Even enjoyed a strawberry smoothie, which I've been craving the entire time I've been here. Eli ate almost an entire avocado (which avocado's here are nearly 3 times the size of those in the U.S.) 

Saturday we got up early and made our way to Jinja. This town was so amazing. It was like a little vacation away from the hustle and bustle of Kampala. We went with the Goggin's and were able to stay at the Sole Hope Guesthouse, which was really neat to see and meet Asher & Dru, the ones who started Sole Hope. We'll be putting an article about Sole Hope and our experience in the SMM Jan 2014 Newsletter (be sure to check it out!) 

Saturday afternoon we ate at a restaurant called Flavours. We sat outside and the boys were able to play with toys and swing on the swing as we waited on our food. Then it was nap time for the boys. That's when we took the opportunity to visit with the Shoe Makers for Sole Hope and see how the process worked. Then we were off to our dinner cruise down the Nile River. The cruise was absolutely amazing. There was a really nice breeze, it lasted for almost 2 hours and we were able to just take a break from all the paperwork, worries of the process and just enjoy a few hours of relaxation, food & drinks. 

Nile River Sunset

Sunday morning we were off to church at Acacia Community Church, then lunch at 2 Friends. After stopping at another local market in Jinja, we made our way back to Kampala to get ready for another busy week of waiting. Sunday evening we were able to FaceTime with friends & family at church. It was so uplifting to see everyone's smiling faces and to know that so many people are anxiously awaiting our return. 

Acacia Community Church

Monday we waited for our passport phone call, which we didn't receive. We did take the opportunity to visit the IOM office to make sure we had all of our paperwork, so that as soon as we receive our passport we can get that taken care of. 

Today we waited again for our passports, but so far, no news. It looks like we'll be going back on Friday to try and get them. We did get to visit Ms. Elizabeth's and see 2 other boys that are staying there right now, who's families are in the states. We took them a Christmas Basket full of fruit and wished them all a very Merry Christmas. They've not had power since yesterday, please say a special prayer for them tonight that power is restored. 

Tonight we'll be going out for dinner to celebrate Christmas Eve and tomorrow we'll be attending church to celebrate Christ's birth. 

We miss each and every one of you. We're excited that Christmas is tomorrow and hoping that our time of waiting will soon end and we'll begin to move along again towards the end of the week.