Nothing.

I actually got an email last week from our program coordinator that I had documents to review and correct, which is what we’ve been waiting for, but she was wrong. She was tired and thinking of someone else.

False alarm.

We’ve been told for over three months now that we should expect progress “any day now.”

That day hasn’t come. Yet.

But it’s coming.

Once we get our court documents, there are still a half a dozen steps to complete, but it seems like we could travel as quickly as about 3 months, or it could be much longer. It really all depends on the government workers both in the Congo and here in the United States.

I’ve been on the fringes of the online discussion boards for all those who are adopting from the Congo through our agency. A few weeks ago, we shared our blog addresses, and I’ve been following the posts of others families. One of those families got word last Thursday morning that her daughter’s visa was being issued, and she flew to the Congo on Thursday AFTERNOON.

Her stories have been fascinating. Her little girl sounds precious, smart, and eager to be a part of her new family. I found out that the orphanage has been having someone come once a week to teach English, and her little girl was already able to count and knew a few basic other words. Otherwise, their daughter did NOT speak French, but Lingala. Oh dear. We still don’t know what language that our children speak, but since we had been told that the language of the orphanage was French, and now that we know it’s not, I think we might want to take the time to learn some Lingala as well.

She has also written a whole list of tips for those of us travelling after her. Things to bring, what to expect, people we’ll meet. It’s been so helpful. We’re excited to know that we’ll have some internet access, and fairly reliable electricity. We’ll be pretty much confined to the convent, for safety, but we will have meals and a courtyard where we can enjoy some fresh air.

The one thing I’m certain we won’t fully grasp until we get there is the level of poverty. Even though she is a seasoned traveller, she has been unable to communicate the gravity of what she has seen. I know that it is the poorest country in the world, and the most hungry nation in the world, but I don’t think anything can really prepare me for what we’ll be experiencing soon.

Any day now.