Bon Nuit from Congo

Well, we keep having days that we think are going to be slow yet end up quite eventful! Michael went to the Ambassaor of Foreign Affairs today. He was able to meet with him directly, and fortunately, he speaks good english, although Michael took Francis to translate if needed. The good news is they are going to issue Davina a passport, no problem. The bad news is they are out of passport books, but they are coming in tomorrow, and we should be able to get it on Friday. In Congo currently, that is huge, so we are quite pleased. The trick with that, is that in order for Davina to get her medical exam required for the visa, she needs an ID. 3 year olds generally do not carry id. So, Francis being a jack of all trades realizes he knows the SA school master, and can get her an official school ID made with her remaining passport photo. So, he goes about doing that. Michael takes it to the embassy, and they say ok and issue the medical packet, along with a letter telling the medical folks we need next day results. The embassy continues to be fantastic. So tomorrow we will do the medical (not fun, turns out Davina will need to be caught up to some extent on vaccinations), then friday the passport. Our embassy closes at noon on Friday, so we should be all set to get the visa on Monday, or Tuesday if they need more time. Done just in the nick of time! Praise God, he has moved many mountains in this one!

After that excitement,we went to the station, which is a place for the touristas to buy souveniers. We were walking through the place, and a woman comes up to us and comments about Davina. She looks african, and has an african accent. She proceeds to tell us it breaks her heart to see us with Davina..we are thinking..oh no...but turns out she is from Texas, and has adopted herself, and was just thrilled! We spoke for a few minutes, then parted ways, with her husband (also looks african) saying "It was nice to meet y'all" in a perfect Texas accent! It was quite funny! Anyway, by the time we left the market Davina was feeling a little puny, a little drippy nose, and maybe a touch of fever, so we came home. She seemed exhausted, and really just wanted me to hold her. We noticed she was a little stand offish with Michael even. (note, to this point, no talking, no smiling, no laughing, but she had begun to warm up to us, and prior to this afternoons little sickness, seemed to be getting close to at least cracking a smile). So we are just relaxing here, and the guard from the gate comes to the door to tell us that Davina's parents are here to see her. It is terrible timing, as she is not feeling good at all, but we know it needs to be done.

We come out, and walk to the front of the compound, and Davina and I sit on the front steps of THQ. Michael goes to the gate, and brings her parents. They walk up, and are talking to her, and she is just leaning into me, holding my leg. She will not talk to them either, and eventually just looks down at her shoes. They keep trying to talk to her, with no response. However, she is fading. She begins to scratch her leg, and David (biologicalfather) comes and sits next to her, and starts moving her hand away so she cant scratch, an speaking somewhat sternly to her. Davina loses it, and starts bawling. This is the first emotion we have seen from her, and the first noise really, so this is new. Her parents are standing there, telling her to stop, and I am not sure what to do. Michael then encourages me to pick her up and walk with her to calm her, as David & Suzanne were doing nothing. So I did, and eventually she settled. Meanwhile, they did not leave, they just sat down, so Michael got Francis on the phone to translate what they wanted. They wanted a photo of the five of us together, and thought they could just come back. Wisely Michael said no, we need to do this tonight, and went and got our camera, and found someone to take the photo. And finally they left.

After some time tonight, Davina finally calmed all the way down, and I think the fever broker for good. She is sleeping peacfully now, thank goodness. We are so glad to have this part over with, as they should be completely out of the picture now so we can really connect with her. Based on David's interraction with Davina, we now understand why she is a bit standoffish with Michael. It will not take her long to learn that he is not the same. Please keep praying for her little heart to heal. This is way too much for a 3 year old. We know it will be better for her, but she has no idea what tomorrow holds.

So,another day is done in Kinshasa. Thanks be to God that he is putting all of the pieces of this very intricate puzzle together, we could not do it on our own. Tomorrow, we hope to be able to do some fun things - sponsor some kids for school, buy a cow, and donate the medical supplies Mary Freeman has collected at her hospital. All is well here.

Natey, we love you, ad we know that you are going to be a big help in making Davina feel a part of our family. We think she misses her other brothers and sisters, so she will be happy to see you! We are showing her your picture, telling her that is her oyo yaya Nate. Be good for Grandma & Grandpa, and all your other friends who are taking good care of you! I hope you saw that the Angels smoked the Yankees up last night, 18-9, Garret Anderson hit two home runs, including a grand slam! We miss you, and look forward to seeing you next week.

Thanks to all of you for helping out with Nate, we really appreciate it. It takes a weight off of our hearts to know he is getting so much love and care in our absence. We look forward to seeing you, and introducing you all to Davina next week! Love, Joanna, Michael & Davina