Encouragement

Yesterday, I was a bit disappointed that we did not appear to make much headway in coming home. We really hoped for a timeline of sorts, but it did not happen. Every day I was told to check back tomorrow. So frustrating. I wonder how many lessons on patience I must learn, but apparently I still need a few. But in the midst of my disappointment, God sent me loads of encouragement.

Yesterday morning I took Mercy to get her visa medical redone. It expired last month. Crazy, huh? It was a dreary, rainy morning and I was not happy about having to get out in it. I broke down and paid for a driver, instead of a boda boda so that we would not get wet. At least I got my favorite driver, Brian, who always makes me smile. When we got to the medical appointment, I walked in and found three young ladies I met last Sunday. One of them is here adopting. The other two are her friends. I was so glad to see some familiar faces and to have someone to chat with while we waited. Thank goodness…. we waited 3.5 hours. The good news is that Mercy has grown 8 pounds and 6 inches since September. Wow!

After the doctor’s appointment, Mercy and I met some friends for lunch. It was great to get to visit with these women. Two of the ladies have had their own tough adoption journeys and it’s always nice to be with people that understand. And my food was delicious. This may sound simple to you, but for the past few weeks nothing has tasted very good to me. I don’t know if it was a bug or just my desire to be home eating American food, but it’s nice to have food taste good again.

Then last night, I went to meet another woman for dinner. She’s here on a preliminary visit for her adoption, meeting the children and checking things out. We’ve emailed back and forth for a while and so it is always nice to meet face to face. We met at her guesthouse, where I have stayed before. While Mercy and I were waiting for her, we walked around the grounds. It hit me that the last time I was there was just after meeting Mercy for the first time. I had sent Cody an email about her, and it was in their internet café that I read his reply saying “Let’s go for it.” I actually got a little teary-eyed looking at the place. I thought to myself, “Lord, little did I know the wild ride that email would start. But despite all of the obstacles and hard times, I am so glad you’ve brought me this far.” My friend and I had a nice dinner and a great time visiting. I even came on barbecue night, so I really enjoyed the baked potato and barbecued pork. And I didn’t let myself dwell too long on the lack of sour cream. And my friend brought me a few gifts. She was kind enough to bring me razors, makeup, and allergy medicine. All of the important things.

Also staying at this guesthouse was Linny’s mission team from the blog, “A Place Called Simplicity”. I mentioned this blog a few posts ago. I was very happy to get to meet Linny and talk with her for a few minutes. I was even more surprised that she remembered who I was and where I was from. Impressive! Her team is doing great work with orphans and they were a pleasure to meet.

I was a good girl and took a driver to dinner last night. It is a long boda ride to the guesthouse and Friday night traffic in Kampala is horrible. My last bit of encouragement came in that drive, and I would have missed it on a motorcycle. Brian had a praise and worship CD in the car. It played many of my favorite songs and it blessed me to sit and listen and sing the whole way home. I felt God reminding me that He is with me every step of this journey. He gave me a day of meetings with sweet women to encourage me, even in simple ways they probably did not realize. He reminded me of how far Mercy has come since I first met her. As she slept in my arms, I thought back to the baby girl I picked up in August. She is not the same any more. She is strong and healthy and full of life.

It was a long day, but it was a pleasure. I’m learning to find great pleasure in the simple things… a good meal, good friends, good music… razors. While I may not have received the news I wanted this week, I did learn something. God is still my provider and my hope. He loves me and I am not forgotten. All things I think we all should remember every day.