A lot of people have asked about the adoption process and why exactly we have to be here in Colombia for so long. (By the way, there are no “U”s in Colombia. Just wanted to point that out.) :)
So, here is the deal. We had a one-week legally required bonding period. Yesterday a social worker came to evaluate us, and she decided that bonding and attachment are going well, and she approved us for our interview today with a government official who represents the welfare of children in Colombia. His official title is the Defender of Minors. Doesn’t it sound like he should ride a horse and carry a sword or something?
So, we had that interview today. We needed his official approval in order to enter into the legal process in the courts. He was very kind and the whole meeting was about 5 minutes long. At the end, he gave us approval, and we all had to sign a paper promising to care for and love Luisa and raise her well – even Molly signed!
That is a big step behind us. Now, our lawyer will file our case in the courts for us tomorrow, and from then on we will mostly just be waiting on the legal process to finish up. It can take anywhere from two to six weeks or (rarely) even longer, depending on how crowded the courts are, whether our judge is a “leisurely” person or a more “get-it-done” kind of person, how favorable s/he is towards adoption, etc.
So, please pray for us to get assigned to a court where the judge LOVES adoption, and is QUITE a business-like, get-it-done person, and that the court would be practically empty except for our case! :) The longer we have to stay here, the more expensive this trip will be…not to mention that we just would like to get home to family and friends and our own place.
Here’s one example of a challenging thing about being here: our five minute meeting this afternoon actually took about three hours. From the time we were picked up at our hotel, fought the traffic on the way there, waited and waited for the meeting once we actually arrived (because on-time is an hour late here), and then fought the traffic on the way home, it was almost three hours. We hadn’t packed snacks or anything for the girls, and they were going crazy. And the driver charged about $50 for that trip. It was a somewhat stressful afternoon, to say the least.
Anyway – there’s the latest. Now we are pretty much done with meetings and appointments, at least until the final sentencing in court. So we have weeks ahead to fill with walks, playgrounds, parks, hanging out, and exploring Bogotá, and trying not to spend too much money. : )
Thanks for your prayers and love! We appreciate you all soooooo much and miss you tons!