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| We started the activity at Sœur Lodi's house, and then the sisters wanted to go to see the lake about 1/2 mile away. They wanted to ride in the truck and had such fun squishing in - most of them here in the back. They laughed and laughed and had so much fun with it. |
Here we are at the lake, which they said has a mermaid......and a pastor who tried to walk on water and was never seen again!
These next 2 pictures show one of the cutest little girls I have ever seen......
I'm not sure what she is telling him, but it seems to be important!
Some of the sisters gathered on the porch out of the sun for a drink of water.
Dear Sister Wheatley,
ReplyDeleteWe are considering adopting a 6 month old girl who is in an orphanage in Kananga. However, we have read so much about fraudulent adoptions in the DCR, and are concerned. Have you had any interaction with those affected by international adoptions? What are there feelings? Thank you so much Sister Wheatley!
Dear Lindsay,
DeleteWe, personally, have only a little interaction with anyone affected by an international adoption. A co-worker in two different offices I have worked in adopted from Africa. One from DRC. I no longer worked there and had only one opportunity to speak with her about her adoption process. I am not sure how long it took, but when she arrived in DRC, the process to finally pick up her son kept taking longer and longer and costing more and more and they finally found out the lawyer was corrupt and he just kept pocketing the money he said was needed. In the end, they did get their little boy, but only with the help of someone who figured out what was happening. I would advise extreme caution. I don't know how you can find someone to trust, but advise that you NEVER believe someone you have never met and don't have collateral knowledge of. It is almost a daily occurrence here to be targeted for money because we are American. The nicest people(you think) will not tell the truth and will take your money and never deliver what you paid for. This country is the same as DRC in that matter. There are many wonderful people here, but it doesn't even seem to even be considered a bad thing when this happens - just means you have money and they don't and they want as much of yours as you will give them because you have more. I cannot express how many times this has happened to us and others. I would NEVER see something online and respond to it about adoption, without finding out many details - I don't even open or respond to email I get that I don't recognize here - I am even more careful about that than at home, and have been targeted a couple of times, for example, when I sent an email request about hotel arrangements for a safari. My other friend adopted, I think, from Nigeria (not sure) and I believe it took almost 3 years, and at least 2 trips to Africa, but she was successful in the end. I don't have either woman's email address any more, I'm sorry. I do have another friend who has an adopted grandchild from Africa. I will email and ask her if they can send you any information. Please send me your email address - I couldn't see an option for email on the page I got when I connected to you through the link you sent. Bottom line, until and unless you can find real solid information from a known source, my advice is to NOT proceed. You are always the one who is wrong and who owes more money when you are in this different of a culture and country and it is difficult to get 'justice' - that is just something that people have to live with here. I do wish for you the desire of your heart and pray you will find success in your adoption desire. Sister Wheatley
A little input on adoptions in DRC. There are many good adoption agencies in the US who out of Kinshasa and have children for adoption out of Kananga and Mbuji Mayi. We've met with a lot of people who have come to Kinshasa and successfully adopted through them. The US is making it a little harder to do, but we've seen more than a dozen successful ones.
ReplyDeleteI can give her the name of one family, but I think that the Smiths can even be more helpful. They've been rather involved with more of the people who've come. You know us, we just visit and run.
ReplyDelete