American soil in Kenya

I cannot post again without telling you guys about our day this past Tuesday.  Had our internet actually worked the past week I would have blogged about it Tuesday night.  This blog is meant to update our friends and family back home, but it is also to inform our child(ren) how much they are wanted and loved already.  This past Tuesday only shows a fraction of how much we already love them.  

Wednesday is when all that drama happened with wether or not we can adopt 2 children.  Let me follow that up by saying we have really done some praying together and apart.  I have such a peace right now about the fact that God is in complete control of our family.  And I REALLY do trust him with ALL of this.  Now, I have on my big girl panties and I'm ready for what is next.

Tuesday Chris had his evangelism day in Kawangware then I met him at junction (near Kawangware) to pick him up.  From there we went to pick up a driver.  We had never been to the US Embassy before and would rather someone else just drive our car there.  Less stress, i guess.  I had called the embassy the Wednesday before and talked to the consulate.  After doing some checking he assured me that they were able to do the fingerprints we needed for the FBI on Tuesdays and Thursdays 2-4pm.  (Fortunately I was able to reschedule my individual homestudy for 4pm.  These fingerprints then go to the FBI (in the US) and they check to make sure we don't have a criminal background in the US.  The plan was the get to the Embassy just before 2 so that we could be back for my interview.  We got there and went through extensive security.  Then we waited to talk to a Kenyan lady (weird. we thought that Americans were supposed to work in the embassy) who was SO sure that they absolutely DO NOT do these fingerprints that we needed.  By the 4th time she "assured us" I was getting hot.  Chris was- but he didn't even get a chance to say a word.  I had this one.  She wanted to know what number I found online that I talked to the consulate.  I, irritatedly answered "I wouldn't know because they took everything we own in security including our cell phones."  This went on for a bit and EVERYONE was starring.  (No, I really wasn't yelling.)  Finally, we talked to the head security dude and he had us leave the embassy (some of your mouths have fallen open) so that we could come back in the main entrance.   We went through more extensive security- in which they took our passports this time.  We waiting in the lobby for our security friend and he took us to where we needed to go.  At that point they were treating us like really cool American people.... seriously.  We got fingerprinted and left with about the time my interview was supposed to start.  Thankfully, Steve (our social worker) said he would give us a 20-30minute window.  Plenty of time to get to Little Angels, right?  Ha!  It just so happened that there had been some "rioting" that day and some roads were closed so the police could keep things under control or something.  Needless to say I it took us 3 hours to get from the embassy to junction.  I missed my interview BIG TIME.  As were were sitting in the worst traffic I have ever experienced I was getting nauseated from the toxic diesel fumes and exhaust so i laid my seat back.  About 2 minutes later I felt the van shake.  So I sat up quickly and looked at chris and the driver.  They were still looking straight ahead. So I looked back and there is a matatu (taxi-van) stuck to our bumper telling us to move so he could get unstuck.  I said "Guys, that matatu just hit us!" So they both get out of the car and Chris proceeded to tell him that he can't drive.  He was trying to pass us whilst EVERYONE was sitting still and there was no room to pass!  But really... what are we going to do in ALL this traffic.  So they told him to go on and not to worry about it.  Then they proceeded to pull on the other side of us and yell obscenities out the window in Kiswalhili.  Lucky for us- we haven't learned those words in our lessons. :)  So let me get this straight for you: THEY were yelling at us because THEY hit us.  Yep.  

We finally arrived home about 7pm.  There was talk about dinner, but we just wanted to go to bed.  

Oh Thompson Children,

We would both have done this day over 100 more times if it meant having you as our children.  There will be more struggles to come, but I hope it just shows you how much you are loved and how much you are wanted.  We are STILL so, so excited about your arrival.  We pray for you and think about you ALL the time.