Going to the Palace

In the middle of the first week of school we had a miracle! A Bolivian Snow Day! Just kidding, it was just a day when public transportation went on strike, but it still meant there was no school. It was a huge blessing because it gave me time to plan for school, and time to spend at the orphanage with the girls!

Then Thursday afternoon, I got a call asking if I could take one of the girls (I’ll call her Maria) from the orphanage to court (also known as the Palace of Justice). She is in the process of being adopted, but because it is not certain yet, she does not know. The process to get everything approved is very long and tedious, and the social worker at the orphanage has been working on her case for the last 2 years. As of now, the court has assigned a family for Maria, but in order for the family to adopt her, many other things have to be in place. (I am learning a lot, but I won’t bore you with the details unless you want to know. :))

Palacio de Justicia
(Sorry, there are no actual pictures!)

So Thursday afternoon I picked Maria up in her best clothes to take her to the court building. She was excited to be leaving the house, but immediately had more questions about what exactly we were doing. I did my best to give her honest answers without telling her that her whole life was about to change. At four years old, she is very smart and observant. At the girl’s house she acts like she is about 15 years old, but as soon as we got to the city she immediately returned to a four year old.

When we finally met up with the social worker at the courthouse, Maria had a hundred more questions. She wanted to know where we were, and so I told her we were at the Palace of Justice. Her eyes lit up and she said, “I can’t wait to tell all of the girls we went to the palace!” :) I didn’t bother to explain it was a different type of palace, but I think she figured it out pretty quickly. She became very shy, and hid behind me as we found the courtroom we needed to be in. We waited outside the room for about an hour and a half, and I was very glad I had colors with me to distract her, and myself as well.

 As excited as I am for Maria to have a family of her own, there is another part of me that is nervous for her. I have seen her grow from a toddler to a smart little girl over the last two years. She has so much personality for a four year old, and makes me laugh all the time. Being adopted has always been my prayer for her, but I will definitely miss her when she goes.

After an hour and a half, the judge told us that the court date had been suspended, and that we would have to come back on September 2nd. On the way home, Maria fell asleep on the crowded bus, and a lady asked me if she was my daughter. I smiled and told her she was my niece, which is what the girls call themselves. I couldn’t help but think about the way God has chosen to adopt us as His children.  He cares for us, even when we don’t understand what is happening. Before we knew He existed, He loved us.

Please pray for Maria this week as we go back to court. Please pray that the Lord would give her peace, and help her in the days, weeks, and months ahead. Please pray for wisdom for adults that will be working with Maria to prepare her for this process. Please pray that legal issues would be taken care of quickly, and that this adoption would be a picture of our adoption into God’s family!

Thank you all!