Praise the Lord, I saw my little Nola

Things didn´t go the way I had hoped. I was told by too many people that I would not be able to get in to the hogar if the director knew I was a prospective adoptive parent. I didn´t want to ruin my only chance to see Nola, so..........when all else fails................. get creative. Gloria who works here at the hotel told me about another guest they had recently who entered a different hogar by saying he was with an organization who wanted to support the hogar. It worked for him so I prayed it would work for me...............and it did! Our in country staff person called all of the people required to get me permission to have a tour of the facility. I went in with my Colts folder (that Brittney loaned me) and paper to take notes on and we started the tour. I prayed and prayed and prayed that I wouldn´t cry when I saw Nola. (I think God got a good laugh out of that one) He knows I´m a faucet face and I might as well show the world. I started crying when I went into the first room full of infants. I knew none of them was Nola, but the tears started flowing anyway. The children were divided in the rooms acording to their ages so when we got to the one year olds room, I started looking. All of the little ones were just waking up from their naps. Most of them were still laying down in their beds but one little girl was standing up. She looked at me and I just wasn´t sure. She was so big. Her little face was so round and her hair was cut really short but those eyes. I kept staring at her while the director was talking. It had to be her. I made my way through the room talking to all of the little ones. The director started telling the names of all the children in the beds and then she confirmed it. I was standing right in front of my little Nola. Her eyes were so sad looking but when I walked up to her and talked to her she put her little hand up to my mouth. I kissed her palm. I did that a lot when we visited her so in my heart I felt she remembered me. Then, of course, the tears started to flow.......and flow.....and flow. The director told my interpretor that I was very emotional. He said ¨she just gets like that when she´s around babies¨. I knew I couldn´t spend any more time with Nola than I did with the rest of the kids, so I had to move on to the next little bed and talk to the little boy in it.
It was so much harder than I imagined, seeing her for the first time in seven months and not being able to hold her and love her and spend time with her. I wasn´t allowed to take pictures of the children, but I don´t think her sad little face will leave my mind for a long time.
All of the workers were very nice. The place was clean and they are doing their best to take care of the children but they need help. I have a list of things they need and I´m going to do my best to see they get them. There are 97 children in the building where Nola is and 31 more in another building. I´ll post again soon letting you all know what you can do to support these children if it´s in your heart to do so.
Brittney and I have had a great time. I´ll post pictures when I get home. Kinsey is an absolute doll with hair that is out of this world..............you´ll see when I post pictures. We also had a visit from our blogging friend Eva. It was so nice to meet her in person. She just happened to have a school lab canceled so she had time to come and spend with us. We really enjoyed our time with her.
I´ll close for now. Thank you all for all of the prayers.

And the News Just Keeps On Comin'

Some good and some............well.............you be the judge. We found out today that the PGN has finished their report and found no problems with our paperwork (woo hoo! that's the good news). The report was delivered to the judge and the judge has set the court date when she will rule on our case. Now, here comes the news that I wish were different. The court date is not until August 10th, four months away! That will be a month and a week before Nola turns two. After the ruling, we will still have a long road to travel before we can bring her home.

I am praising God for the progress in our case just wishing things could move..........a little quicker.

Keep the prayers coming and I will keep you all posted.

Oh Yes, I Believe.........

...........There Are Angels Among Us!

(Hogar name has been deleted to protect Nola)

I posted a while back that I had been in touch with an organization who would locate Nola for us for a fee, $500 to be exact. Well, I received a very unexpected e-mail from the person I had been in contact with from the agency. He said he had his paralegal do some checking and found that Nola was only in the first orphanage for about 15 days and then was sent to **** *******. As far as he knows, Nola is still there. **** ******* is an hogar specifically for babies and toddlers overseen by the First Lady in Guatemala City. I haven't been able to get any information about the hogar yet. I have read that orphanages overseen by First Lady's in the past have not been very well managed but hopefully this one is an exception to the rule. Did I mention, the man gave me this information out of the goodness of his heart. No money changed hands. He truly is an angel.



Now...........the rest of the story:

The plane tickets are purchased and plans are being made. My friend Brittney and I are flying down to Guatemala on the 26th to see what information we can get for ourselves and hopefully, I'm praying, I'll be able to get in to see Nola. Our angel from Guatemala spoke with Brittney tonight and told her he didn't think there would be a problem with me getting in to see her. Amazing, it's just amazing how kind and helpful this man has been to me and to Brittney. God sent him to us at just the perfect time. Just when I thought I couldn't take any more, God heard the alarm bells ringing and said "better send an angel to Pam with some good news". What a difference it's made in my outlook. Thank you Lord!!!!!

Please pray that the director will allow me to visit Nola. Pray that the time in Guatemala will be productive and enjoyable for Brittney and me.