I'm So Happy I Could Kiss A Giraffe!!

Kissing a giraffe in Kenya 2006

I just got word from our adoption agency this morning that we have a number! We are number (drum roll please).... 143!!! Yippie-yahoo. It's a big number compared to what I've read about from other families adopting from Rwanda but I am just so thrilled to finally get a number and "get in line"!

I also have received word that 20 families received their non-objection letters. Which is what we are in line waiting for... it's basically a letter from Rwanda saying that we can adopt an orphan from their country. Congratulations to all those families!! After a family receives their non-objection letter, the nuns at the orphanage are given the family's paperwork and begin the process of matching the them to a child!

All this can still take a while. I still don't really have a good idea of a time frame. But this is still fantastic news! As you know Rwanda temporarily has closed it's doors to accepting more applications for adoption while they transition into a new adoption process (from non Hauge to Hauge). We were not sure how this transition would effect the families who turned in their paperwork before this happened. I had heard they were hiring new staff and training them but didn't know if anyone would be working on the "old" stuff at the same time or if everything would be focused on the new path. Looks like they are starting to process dossiers again in the midst of the changes!! I think in another month we will have a good guess on a time frame. I was told they are renumbering the dossiers ahead of ours so hopefully I will get a new lower number soon! In the mean time I will praise God for the good news this Monday morning! :)