Phillipians 4:6 - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to the Lord."

The verse above is on a ring I bought before I came to Uganda. Rachelle has the same one acutally, and it is a good reminder to us.

Oh, friends, today was a rough day. This is a tough message to write and my heart feels sad and a bit broken. We stopped by the Embassy to pay our visa fees and were told there was some bad news. They are questioning some of the information regarding the girls orphan status which could greatly delay our homecoming. It is complicated to explain it all. One thing is for certain though, these girls are total orphans. When Scovia found the girls and their mother in a nearby slum area, their mother was very ill and she took them all home with her. Their mother died shortly after that and Scovia has continued to care for the girls since then.

I don't want to get into much more detail than that in this forum - I will be happy to share all the details at a later date. What I will say though is that it has been very difficult to have someone question your honesty and integrity. Our only intention in this process is to provide these orphans (who by the way are not orphans anymore - they now have parents!) a loving home and a future.

I have a contact at work that personally knows our districts senator and congressman and he has contacted both on our behalf today and they are in the process of helping us expedite this process.

So, what I am asking of each of you tonight is for prayer. Please pray that God will move mountains tomorrow and that these girls will be given permission now to travel to the US with us. Both of these girls have endured so much in their young lives and it is time for them to come home to a loving family and a secure environment.

God has already conquered some big mountains for us here and I know that he can move this one as well. God has taken care of so many details big and small since we arrived and has been orchestrating every move. I do know that He is in control of this and that He has a plan. I guess the scary thing sometimes is that we don't always know the timing of that plan or how it will all come together. I know for certain that I will bring Fiona home and Rachelle will bring Racheal home. God has not brought us this far not to bring these girls home.

I have said this many times now, but lives battles are best turned over to God. WE NEED HIM TO FIGHT FOR US IN THIS WORLD! I pray that He will work through each and every person and through us in what we say and do. Please pray for our congressman and senator that they will have success in their attempts to help us. Please also pray mightily for the Embassy staff, that their hearts will soften for us and for Fiona and Racheal and truly see that what is in their best interest is for this process to be complete and for them to come home. Please pray for Rachelle and I as we go again to the Embassy tomorrow to try and get answers, for our families at home that are ready to have us back home and for Racheal and Fiona.

I also pray that we will be shielded from the devil. I have never been in a place where you feel the presence of good and evil like I do here at times. The pastor at church on Sunday talked about the power of God being "supernatural." I think that is kind of a neat way of thinking about it because He is so much bigger than all this. His power and might can change ANY situation. When this is done, we will give Him all the glory for the work he has done here.

With much love and gratitude for your urgent prayers on our behalf tonight...

Sara