Home Study Complete!

We just got a certified copy of our home study today, which means it is complete and has been sent to CIS. This completes the U.S. portion of our pre-adoption paperwork. Now we wait...

Some Uganda Video

Check out these videos that some friends brought back last year from the orphanage in Uganda where Micah lives:

Going Nuclear

Today Amy had her radioactive iodine therapy to treat the nodule on her thyroid. Other than the 3 hours waiting around in the hospital, it was pretty painless. There is no glow yet, but we hope that the treatment will be successful without doing any damage to the thyroid itself. She now has entered her time of solitude as Matt and Caesar have moved upstairs for the next couple of days.

In other news, Matt's grandmother, Sylvia Kinnell, passed away early this morning. Her funeral is Thursday, so Matt will be heading up to Detroit soon. After two 4/5 a.m. trips to the airport with New Hope teams, a team member's passport that came a day late, Amy's radiation, many projects at work and around the house, and the funeral in Michigan, this may well be the most eventful spring break we have ever spent that wasn't a mission trip!

Uganda in the News

Several folks have been asking us about reports in the news that there has been some problems with the Ugandan legal system. Here is what we have gathered from the BBC: some opposition members who were accused of plotting a coup were granted bail by a Ugandan judge. The Ugandan security force cme in and arrested the defendants again, beating a lawyer unconscious in the process.

In response to the government interference with the judiciary, judges across the nation went on strike that lasted a week until the Ugandan president issued an apology and launched an investigation. The courts were to resume operation yesterday, dispite a new strike by the Ugandan Law Society (lawyers, pictured at above left).

So....what does this mean for us? We don't know. It seems like the major thing we are waiting on is our court date in Uganda, so any delay in the courts is not good. We don't know what affect the recent issues in the court system could have, but pray with us that the conflict will be resolved and courts can resume normal operations as soon as possible. We hope and pray that this will not delay our adoption process.

Talking Adoption

Tonight we had our first adoption support group meeting. Our social worker asked that we participate in such a group as part of our parent education. So, we got together with some families in town that have adopted to share stories and talk about issues related to adoption. It was a great time to visit with friends and make new friends. (See the picture of Amy with some adoptive moms and their daughters - Abby & Phoebe are from China, and Ellie is from Albania.) We are going to be meeting on the first Monday of each month, and we expect it to be a great time of informal sharing, learning, and information. If you are in the Wilmore area and have adopted, are in the process of adopting, or have thought about adoption and want to learn more without pressure or commitment, we invite you to join us! You can contact Amy at amykinnell@yahoo.com.

Amani Baby Cottage

Today we visited the website for the orphanage where we will be getting our son. It is called the Amani Baby Cottage. "Amani" means "peace" in Swahili. There are lots of cute pictures in the photo gallery, and it is impossible not to think that one of those children may be our son! Please join us as we pray for the children at ABC and their caregivers.