Mavuto

Mavuto, I say. Trouble. The phone lines aren't working in Malawi. Last year, there was a fire at the Celtel headquarters and the phone lines were down for weeks. Let's hope this isn't the case again. I seem to get a different error message each time I call. Sometimes it just rings. Sometimes there's a beeping as though the line is busy. Sometimes a British voice says the subscriber is not answering. And sometimes there's some form of muzak playing in the background. Suffice it to say, there's an issue with the phone network. And to that, I say mavuto.

I'm a bit anxious to know if and when Baby Moses is going for his test. We had to send Margaret some money for various baby expenses: transport, the HIV test, and infant formula. We Western Unioned it on Monday, which means she wouldn't have received the money until Tuesday, which means (if Margaret got the e-mail telling her to retrieve the money) that Wednesday would be the soonest Moses could be tested. (And remember that Wednesday morning there is Tuesday night here.) So as I write this, he may have already been tested or could be on the road to Blantyre to get his chubby little arm pricked.

The initial apprehension around Baby Moses has worn off. We are still incredibly excited and hopeful, but we've mellowed out a bit, knowing that there's little to do for the next few weeks. For us, that is.

Margaret is insanely busy–managing our youth centre and staff, teaching women to read and write, caring for Baby Moses, and running errands for us all over the country. We are so grateful to her and for her. Since welcoming Moses into her life, she has met with the chief, the police, and even the District Commissioner. She is making sure that all legal authorities know Moses' history so that we are in a better position to begin moving toward adoption (should this become possible).

I failed to mention that Dustin is taking his next trip to Malawi rather soon (and without me). He leaves on May 27th and returns on June 19th. We're hoping, if Moses is healthy, that Dustin can begin the paperwork for us to become his foster parents. This process will involve the Malawi government's social welfare department and the courts. So, it's likely that Dustin will extend his stay for several weeks or months. I'm having a hard time being content with not going on this next trip. Especially considering that our potential future son is there.

Some of you have asked if we must stay in Malawi for the entire fostering process. The answer is no. We would have to receive special clearance, but we've been told that we could bring a foster child to the States with us, as long as we return to finalize the adoption. I'm sure there's plenty of red tape to cut through (it's Malawi!), but we're in a better position to deal with it all than most would be. We have many years of experience learning the games that government officials like to play.

Something I may not have yet mentioned, is that foreigners are not allowed to adopt in Malawi. The government requires adoptive parents to be Malawi residents. Our nonprofit (and the house we rent there year-round) allows us to qualify (or so we're told). Officials with the State of Oregon recommended we get everything in writing from the Malawi government however, so we don't get part way through the process to find that we were mislead or misinformed. Only six American families have adopted children from Malawi in the past six years. We would be the first ones in Oregon. So there will be plenty of question marks along the way.

I wish I had more to report on Baby Moses, but I haven't been able to touch base with Margaret due to the phone issue. We are also waiting for a picture of him. It will likely take another three weeks for the photos to arrive in the mail. (Anyone want to donate a digital camera to the nonprofit for the future?)

Thanks for all of your prayers and support. They are deeply felt and appreciated!