Thursday at Court

When we arrived at the court house, we were welcomed by a family

who were there adopting 3 children from the north.

It was their first time to be at court.

They were nervous, 

just like we were

They did not know what to expect, 

just like we did not know what to expect.

With their case, they had to search far and wide to find the children's grandmother

After about 1 1/2 months of no success,

they found her. She lives in a remote part of Uganda, called Karamoja

Uganda, the district of Karamoja is in Red.

Come to find out, the mother had died

and the grandmother began to take care of the children.

She was not able to feed them, so she went from village to village begging for food.

After months of not being able to care for her grandchildren 

she took them, in September, to Kampala and dropped them off

 at an orphanage.

She was there in the room with us and Jethro was rolling his car to her and she was playing with him.

Although she was happy they were getting the care they needed,

you could see real sadness in her eyes, her walk and the way she spoke.

I truly felt for her. 

I wanted to go over to her and talk to here and 

tell her that she is strong.

That she has such love for her grandchildren that she is 

willing to let them go so they can get the care they need. 

I wanted to tell her that Jesus loves her.

Tell her that she is a princess.

But, no one could speak her language 

and she could not speak ours.

I could not imagine the pain she is feeling.

I cannot imagine how much strength a grandmother would have to have to give up her grandchildren

so they might have a future.

To never see them again.

She has been burned into my memory and I truly felt her pain.

Today, please life her up in your prayers.

People of Karamoja praying

 After waiting about 2 1/2 hours to see the judge, 

we FINALLY got to go in

As we walked in, I began to get very nervous

Enough that Shawn had to tell me to calm down...many times

We were the first case he took

As he was reading, I could not hear most of what he was saying 

because Jethro was being very loud

singing, laughing at the chair, making noises with his mouth.

This made me even more nervous

Then he read the ruling.....

"I feel that it is in the best interest of Jethro Isaiah Mukisa to go to a 

family that can provide him with all the necessities of life.

Food, clothing, shelter, love and care,

all of which cannot be provided at an institution.

Therefore, I believe the a Shawn Ray Ferrell and a Sarah D'Aun Ferrell

CAN provide all these things for Jethro."

So, today was the day we received a YES from the judge.

Jethro is now a Ferrell.

He has always been our son and now he is legally.

(minus getting his citizenship and finalizing the

adoption in the states)

Everyone, Jethro Mukisa Ferrell.