Our Adoption Journey

OK, so I haven’t had a lot of time to right over the last 24 hours. In fact it is 7am here in Uganda and I am getting ready for a 2hr dive into Kampala. We have to meet with the Embassy, our attorney,  and Joyce is getting her pins taken out of her arm…keep us both in your prayers for that one!

I just wanted to take a few minutes and tell you that yesterday was one the most amazing days in my life. Most of my trips here have been consumed with hours in the car, visits to the lawyer’s office, doctor’s offices, embassy appointments and more hours in the car! However, yesterday me and another guy who is here with his family to adopt took the day to go do man stuff!  I mean real man stuff!

We went whitewater rafting on THE Nile River, class 4 and 5 rapids all day long. For those that don’t know what a class 4 or 5 rapid is…those are the ones that make you say holy crap…or a few other not so spiritual words!

Then, I bungee jumped from 145ft above the Nile. I have never felt such a rush! Words can’t even begin to describe the felling. It was something I will never forget.

When we were driving back to the orphanage, we drove over the Nile from a very high bridge. As we looked down over the water, there was a big alligator (or croc, not sure what they have here) sitting on a big rock in the middle of the river. To be as big as he was from where we were I would put him at least 6-8 feet long. That put our rafting trip on a whole new level!

Freakin’ Amazing!

It’s official! Today a Ugandan Judge confirmed what Amy and I have known for the last 9 months, that Joyce Nafamba was destined by God to be a Brinkley! Today Joyce and I went to court for the judge’s ruling and he declared Amy and me her legal guardians! Team Brinkley is +1!

I can’t even begin to explain what I am felling right now. It is probably one of the most surreal moments in my life. I thought I would probably cry when I heard the judge rule in our favor, but the feelings that arose where quite different. It was that kind of feeling that just says, “Yeah, this is the way it is supposed to be.” No big rush of emotion, no tears, just a quit sense that this is what God had planned all along.

I talked with Joyce about what happened today and what that meant for her. She seems to understand a little but I am sure she doesn’t comprehend the world of change she is about to enter! None the less, she seems excited about coming to America with me, having brothers and sisters, and a new bed…and she has already started calling me daddy! Yes, my chest is sticking out a little farther right now! I am one proud papa!

Tonight, she gets to spend the night with me in the guest house. We have just been hanging out together having a great time and things are happening very naturally. We are getting ready to cuddle up together and watch a movie on the laptop before calling it a day.

I want to thank every one of you who have stood with us on this journey. I have a lot more I want to say and so much to write about, but for now…I’m going to go enjoy a movie with my DAUGHTER!

Good night from the J’s!

My flights to Uganda always yield some sort of excitement! Weather delays, midflight re-routes, lost luggage…these are just a few we have experienced so far. My flight here on this trip proved to be the most entertaining of the three to date.

The excitement began when a rather “round” guy stood up in the aisle with his head phones in and started dancing! He broke out with some rave dancing mixed in with some classic head bobbing! It was bad…really bad! This guy thought he was the next Usher though! You could just tell he was one of those guys who thought he was the stuff out on the dance floor. After he broke bad in the aisle, he started aggravating some of the passengers. He was basically just being loud and obnoxious. Come to find out…he had been hitting the red wine pretty hard! I and the other passengers in my section (who are now mocking this guy) watched several of the flight crew come and deal with this guy to no avail. Eventually, one of the flight attendants that I would even be afraid to tangle with gave him an official written warning and told him if he did not stay in his seat and keep his mouth shut he would be greeted by Uganda 5-0 at the airport. She was no joke! He put his hands on her one time in that “I love everybody” kind of drunken way and she bout took him out! It made for a good 30 minutes worth of in-flight entertainment!

After they got Mr., “So you think you can dance” settled down, I began a conversation with a woman sitting in the same row across the aisle from me. Actually the conversation got started because we were making fun of the guy together! Don’t worry …I repented later. It was hilarious though! Turns out this lady is personal assistant to Billy Graham’s daughter and lives in Raleigh. She told some really cool stories about Mr. Graham. One of the things that stood out was the fact that at 90+ years of age and having preached all over the world…he is still memorizing scripture. Actually he is memorizing the whole book of Psalms, and because he can’t see well, he has big flip charts with Psalms written out on them in big letters so he can see it. It was really neat just hearing about his character and love for God. The man is the real deal, a true spiritual giant of our day! I can’t wait to see what kind of excitement the trip home with Joyce brings! Please start praying now.

When I got off the plane, I was greeted by the very distinct smell of Uganda. The best way I can describe it is Smokey, probably from all the trash fires and cooking fires. It is very unique and you smell it all the time. I spent the first night at the airport guest house. The guest house is very nice (by Ugandan standards) and I slept great. I woke this morning (we are 8 hours ahead of NC) to all kinds of birds singing outside my window. It felt good to be back. Having been here three times within the last nine months; it really feels like a home away from home. I am so glad to have experienced so much of Joyce’s culture.

I arrived at the orphanage after a three hour drive from the airport. The driving here is the worst part of the experience. It takes forever to get anywhere! When Joyce saw me, she ran up and gave me a big hug. It was so good to see her again. We go to court tomorrow for our ruling, after which I will sit her down and try and explain that she is now my daughter and will be coming to live with the rest of her new family in the States.  I would greatly appreciate your prayers for that discussion…for her and me both!

I also got to meet a new baby here at GSF who captured my heart immediately! I say baby, but he is actually over a year old. I don’t want to give you his real name for various reasons, so I will call him Frank. Frank looks like one of those kids you see on the sponsorship commercials. He is around 17 months old and is severely malnourished. Actually, he is clinically starving. He is just skin and bones. He looks like a little old man! His arm is only a little thicker than my finger and he only ways around 11 pounds. This kid is a real fighter though and has the best smile you have ever seen. Claudia is taking care of him and is a pro at nursing these deathly ill kids back to health. Please keep him in your prayers!

It’s almost 10pm here and I have to be up at six, so I’m going to call it a night! Wherever you are reading this form tonight, I pray you have a great night’s sleep! I pray you grab the ones you love and tell them so. I pray you ask God to give you a true burden for something bigger than yourself, and I pray he answers you!

Goodnight from Uganda.

We have a really slow connection tonight, so this post is going to be really short…just the highlights!!

We had a pretty normal day today (by Ugandan standards) and have really enjoyed our last full day here at GSF. We finished up all we needed to do today in Kampala to prepare for my return trip in January.

We spent the day hanging out with Joyce and had dinner tonight with three girls who are here from the States. Two of them are here on medical mission and the other on teaching mission. They made tacos and apple crisp…it was the best meal we have had since arriving a week ago! They had Texas Pete!!!

There is another family here going through the adoption process too. This morning they went for their ruling and were granted custody of their two boys. It was great news and everyone here was so excited for them. It filled us with much hope looking forward to our ruling date in January.

We fly out of here at 12:40am Wednesday morning, and will have to leave the orphanage at 4pm Tuesday to get there on time. It is going to be hard to say goodbye to Joyce, as well as everyone else here. Since we have been twice now, this actually feels like home when we are here, and we have really settled into life here. There are so many great people here doing amazing work in the name of Christ. I have been blessed to know them.

Before I wrap up tonight, I want to thank everyone who has been following the blog. Yesterday we had over 90 people read our last post. It gives us so much encouragement to know so many people are praying for us and standing with us in this process. I have so much to share about this trip and our adoption, and I will continue to update you guys after our return home this week.

Grateful!

High and low, celebration and mourning… that is how today began an ended.

This morning we went to church here at the orphanage. The church is a very simple yet beautiful building. It is very open and has some beautiful stained glass windows which let in a cool breeze. The service began with some of the older kids leading worship. They had a simple PA and were accompanied by a keyboard player. Then one of the missionary’s fathers spoke. He had a translator speaking with him which really added to the cultural vibe. He spoke on the hope we find during the Christmas season in Jesus coming to Earth to rescue us. As I listened to his message, I was reminded of God’s radical love for us and the extreme measures he took to reveal that love to us. It was a great celebration of hope and life in Christ and a great way to start the day.

The end of the day took a much unexpected turn. When we went to court on Monday, there was a mother there with a little baby who was probably 10 months old. The baby was having a very difficult time breathing and was very lethargic. One of the missionaries with us sent someone to the drugstore to buy some medicine for the baby and told the mom she needed to take the baby to the hospital immediately. It was a very heartbreaking scene, but to be honest I have not thought about that baby again…until tonight. We just got word as we were eating dinner with the missionary that bought the medicine for the baby that the he passed away today.  

I have never had such a surreal experience. It really made me realize how fragile and temporary life truly is, especially here in Uganda.  I mean, I just held this baby’s head on Monday, and now he is gone. The only comforting thought I have as I sit here and type this post is that he is with his creator and will never suffer again. I am also even more grateful for God’s provision in Joyce’s life and for the amazing, selfless work of these missionaries. Having been here twice now, I have gotten a pretty good understanding of just how difficult life here can be, and I will be forever grateful for their sacrifice and commitment to these amazing children.  

So, lessons from today…God came to Earth to give us hope and life. That life (here on Earth) is a temporary gift that God has entrusted to us as stewards. As faithful stewards, we should use that life to make a difference in the lives of others for the Glory of God.

Thankful for life in Uganda.

Our internet service here is really sketchy!! I haven’t been able to get on and update as much as I would like, so here is a rundown of the last couple days!

Yesterday our luggage finally arrived! And it only cost me $60 and 3 hours in the car to go get it. The orphanage is located in a really rural area in the middle of acres of sugarcane fields. Nothing is close and you don’t get anywhere fast! We had to go to Kampala, the capital of Uganda, to go to the Embassy and get Joyce’s medical exam. It’s a good 2 hr drive from the orphanage. Amy stayed with Joyce to get her physical, and I hired a driver to take me to the airport in Entebbe to pick up the luggage. It is normally a 45min drive from Kampala. However, with “Holiday” right around the corner, the traffic was ridiculous! It took me 3 hours to get there and back and about thirty minutes in the airport! We finally got back to the orphanage at 10:30! It was a loooooong day!

We spent a total of about 8 hours in the car yesterday. It’s hard to explain just how much traffic there is here once you get into the city. There are thousands of cars, trucks, buses and vans…not to mention all the Boda-Boda’s (motorcycle taxis). They don’t really have lanes and everybody is zigging in and out trying to get where they are going as fast as they can. Almost every car here runs on diesel, and the exhaust is so thick it looks like a storm is coming in the horizon. It’s really hot and you have to ride with all the windows down. Sometimes you breathe in so much exhaust it literally takes your breath away. I will never complain about having to get my car inspected again!!

While Joyce was getting her physical, she had to get a TB test. When the Dr. stuck her with the needle, she grabbed his arm and yanked the needle out of her arm! She did not want to talk to us for a little while after that!!

Today we finally got a chance to take it easy. We got to sleep in a bit, take a shower and put on some clean clothes!! We just hung out around our house all day and recouped. It was very relaxing! Tonight we went into Jinja, a little town about 30 minutes away and did a little shopping at some of the little local shops. It is absolutely amazing how talented Ugandans are and the street side shops are full of handmade items. Afterwards we ate a cool little pizza place. There were about fifteen of us and we had a great time.

Tomorrow, we get to experience our first African church service. I can’t wait! But right now its 11:30 pm Saturday night and I’m exhausted, as you can probably tell by my very direct, undescriptive writing tonight. So, you will have to read about that tomorrow!

Good night from Uganda.

Wow, our trip to Uganda has been very eventful to say the least. We arrived at the Raleigh airport at 5pm Monday afternoon. As we were walking into the airport, the fire alarm was going off and there was a voice over the PA telling everyone to evacuate. Having been a firefighter for 6 years, added to the fact that no one that worked at the airport was paying any attention to the evacuation instructions, I realized very quickly this was a false alarm and proceeded to check in. Not three minutes after the alarm went off; another voice came over the PA instructing us that the security status in the airport had just been upgraded! This would definitely be a sign of things to come!

We flew from Raleigh into NY. We boarded our plane in NY for London with no problem, but before we could take off, the plane had to be deiced. This delayed our takeoff by about 30 minutes. After we were 2 hours into our nine hour flight, the flight crew captain came and informed me that we had been rerouted because of the snow storm, and due to this delay and extended flight time, we were not going to make our connection in London to our final destination in Uganda, Entebbe. He said they had already rebooked us on a flight to Cairo, Egypt.

Well, our flight to London was also delayed and at the exact time our plane was touching down, our flight to Cairo was supposed to be taking off. As we got off the plane, the crew informed us that they were holding the plane for us (there were several of us that had been moved to this flight) and we needed to RUN to the departure gate. So, Amy and I and the rest of our new late friends sprinted across the Cairo Airport, being directed by airport personnel at every turn! I felt like we were all competing on the show “Amazing Race”!!  We made it to the plane and boarded to angry stares of passengers who were now an hour late taking off thanks to us!

Here’s a friendly heads up to those of you who may be traveling in the near future, if you have to RUN to catch a plane that you were not originally scheduled to be on, you can count on the ground crew NOT RUNNING with you to transfer your luggage onto your new flight!! We finally arrived in Uganda at 5:30am on Wednesday morning. However, our luggage is still sitting in Cairo!! It is supposed to come in at 3am tomorrow morning, so we should have it for the second half of our stay!

Today, we drove into Kampala for our hearing. I had to wear a borrowed suit that was too big and underwear that I washed in the sink with shampoo the night before!! I had packed a couple extra shirts in my carryon but somehow managed to forget a backup pair of skivvies!! Looks like the one pair of underwear I have is going another round in the sink tonight!!

I know you’re all wondering if we got the miracle we have all been praying and believing for. The answer, I am sad to say is no. There were questions about Joyce’s father that need to be answered before a ruling can be granted. Though that seems like a setback, we were scheduled for a ruling on January 25^th. So, as it stands now, Amy and I will return home on Dec. 22^nd, and I will return by myself a couple days before January 25^th and stay for a week to finish up. Then Joyce and I will fly home together.

With that being said, Amy and I still have a strong sense that we need to be praying over this situation surrounding Joyce’s father.  The only way that we can explain it at this point is that there is a strong sense of spiritual warfare surrounding the details of this situation. You all have prayed so faithfully and courageously with us, and I can’t tell you what a blessing and strength that has been. Please continue your fervent prayers for us as we continue to try and bring Joyce home to be a part of our family. This thing is defiantly not over yet!