Adoption Diary p.19 (by Thom)

We met with the social worker today. This woman has been assigned to look after the welfare of Miriam and Hannah. Honestly, I was really surprised that this happened. I didn't think that the adoption process here in Mali would be so formal. I really think the government and courts are looking out for the best interests of Malian children.
Anyway, the lady came to our house this evening. She brought a lot of paper work that we worked on together. She also needed to see the girls and make sure they were growing and being well cared for. I believe she was really impressed with how much both girls have grown. When she saw them last in Segou that was more than 2 weeks ago. They've both gained a lot of weight, and Hannah has become so much stronger. The Lord has really taken care of them, and guided us through some difficult days! The social worker also wanted to make sure our house was of good enough quality to care after the girls. Many of the questions she asked were rather amusing. Among them:

• How many wives do I have?
• What language(s) do the girls speak? (They're not even 2 months old!!)
• What school do they attend?
• How much money do I make? (Ok, that was more uncomfortable than funny. It's very awkward to talk money when the average Malian lives on less than 70 cents a day)
• To how many family members do I send money each month? (a very common practice in this culture)
• Where were the girls born? (This didn't refer to where they were actually born, but rather where were they first wanted and considered people)
  

Things went very well, though. I have another meeting with the woman Tuesday morning and we'll wrap up this part of the paperwork. Hopefully then I'll have a better idea of the next step in the process. The knowledge and wonder of what the Lord has done for us through these girls hasn't become any less novel. We can't possibly express how much we love these girls and are so glad we've been entrusted with them.