“You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
ISAIAH 41:9B-10
Pray for us as we begin the adoption process for our daughter Apio Cynthia!
In April of 2021, soon after our return to Uganda from our furlough in the States, we began fostering a girl from our village. We had known Apiyo Cynthia (nicknamed Ah-peach-ay) since we officially moved to Uganda in 2018, when she was 8 years old. At the start we had thought she was an orphan because she appeared malnourished and severely neglected, not even knowing her real name. We found over time that she was simply rejected from the community. Once we found out she had a family, we tried many times to help reconcile her to them through various means to no avail. We even left provision so that if schools opened up again when we were visiting the States, she could be enrolled as soon as possible (schools were closed for 2 years due to the very lengthy lockdown here). When we returned from our furlough, we began finding her on our porch after dark, sometimes as late as 11PM. We continued trying to reconcile her to her family while looking for options of where she could go that would take better care of her. When we heard rumors that she could be in mortal danger from a relative, we got permission from the officials concerned to keep her in our home until a better living situation was decided.
Since then it has been a true labor of love to teach and train her in every aspect of life. Late nights, long days, and many prayers have brought her from the desperate small form peaking through our window, to the energetic, dreaming teenage girl she is now. It has now been two years, and Apiche is a daughter to us and a sister to all our children. After much prayer and careful consideration of the present situations, we have officially begun the process for legal adoption. There are a few serious obstacles in the way of successful adoption in this instance, but we look to the Lord to make a way, since we know He loves her even more than we do.
Please pray:
–For our lawyer to be “crafty as a serpent but innocent as a dove”, knowing how to bring the facts but not portraying anything untrue.
–For the judges to consider all the present factors and judge in favor of Apiche.
–That God would provide the finances necessary for the legal process.
–For speed and honesty during this process.
–For her family to turn to the Lord.
–For Apiche’s heart to be soft toward the Lord and eagerly listen for and obey His voice.
