Please be praying. Our court appointment is at 8:30am on Friday (that’s 2:30 EST for those of you in the US). Our first court appointment on Monday did not go as expected. We really thought that Monday was going to be the day where Charis was officially declared to be our daughter. It was not. The judge did not like the way one of the court filings was worded. He recommended some revised wording and said he would see the case again on Friday. Be praying. This has been the hardest thing we’ve ever done in our lives. We love Charis and want her to be officially declared a Jeantet. She was our rescue mission. We are close, and yet feeling so far away. We want nothing more than to bring her home as our daughter. Again, please be praying!

Along with going to Victoria Falls, the other big thing we wanted to do while in Zambia was go on a safari. We wanted to see the animals! It really was a fun day, but it was the start of our day that is most memorable. I wish Jeremiah could share this story, but I’ll share it instead…

We were picked up from our hotel in Livingstone at 6:30am for the safari. Early morning is the best time to see the animals as they most out and about at that time. Before heading into the park, we stopped at the lodge so I could go inside and pay for day (we went on the safari in the morning and a river cruise on the Zambezi that evening). I was gone for, oh, like, 4 minutes maybe. I get back outside to find out that already I have missed something!

Knowing that we were going to be out early, I had picked up some donuts for us to have for breakfast that morning. Jeremiah had his donut sitting on his bag in the safari truck when a monkey swooped into the truck and stole his donut! Jeremiah was so upset, first that he lost his donut and second, that the monkey was being really selfish and not sharing the donut with his monkey friends! He was upset. We all thought it was funny! When you see him, definitely ask him the story. Very funny.

Here are some pictures from the safari and then from the river cruise. Enjoy.

Safari Game Drive and River Cruise

This whole process has been a complete whirlwind with countless highs and lows, but the past few days have been especially tough as we can do nothing but wait for our court date and want desperately to get home to our family. This morning though I was very encouraged by David’s words to Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28…

20 Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.
21 And behold the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and with you in all the work will be every willing man who has skill for any kind of service; also the officers and all the people will be wholly at your command.

I don’t have to be afraid to go to court and stand before a foreign magistrate who gets to decide the fate of my child because it is the Lord who will be there with me. He ordained Charis to be our daughter a long time ago and will not abandon us in this process now. And, while the timeline we are hoping for to get home is nigh unto impossible, we serve a God who specializes in the impossible. He has sent all kinds of people to us in this process to help us and encourage us just when we needed them and we can rest knowing that just as Solomon had men with every kind of skill available to him, God has provided so many Zambians with all kinds of skills and connections to help us and we know that he will not let us down now.

Thank you Lord that your promises are new every morning and that we can hope in your Holy word.

On our honeymoon in 2004, Kim and I went to one of the natural wonders of the world – the Grand Canyon. Seeing the Grand Canyon was spectacular and majestic. Now, seven years and two kids later, we went to another of the natural wonders located right here in Zambia – Victoria Falls. Measuring at 360 feet high (not that we ever saw the bottom of the Falls!), Mosi-o-Tunya (or as well call them, Victoria Falls) is the largest waterfall in the world. If the Grand Canyon reveals the majesty of God, Victoria Falls reveals the power and might of God. It was truly awe-inspiring. I’m not even sure how to capture in words what it was like to experience the Falls. Maybe the pictures below will capture what I can’t. But I can say this: it was one of the most fun, enjoyable and incredible experiences of my life. Thank you God for the opportunity to experience Victoria Falls.

One quick and funny (now) story. Baboons run free throughout the national park at the Falls. We were just standing there, taking a break, when one of the baboons ran up and tried to rip Kim’s skirt off! She, of course, screamed. Jeremiah panicked that it was after his fruit snacks. With the screaming, the baboon ran off. A few seconds later, park security came up to us, having seen what just happened. One of the guys looked at me and said that if it comes back, and then, with a hand motion, demonstrated a punch. At first, we thought he might be joking. Nope. That was his recommendation. If the baboon came back, he wanted me to punch it in the face! Fortunately for PETA, it never came to that.

PS> My favorite of the pictures below is the one of Kim and I with our feet in the Zambezi. We were, literally, just 30 feet north of the Falls with our feet in the river. What a cool experience.

Victoria Falls

We gave you a few teaser pictures before. But here is a real album of our new family.

Meet Charis

On May 12, the day before we brought Charis to be with us, we officially introduced Jeremiah to his new sister. It was also the first time we shared the name with anyone. Jeremiah, here is your baby sister!