I know that this may be a shock to y'all. . . Two posts in two days!  haha! Any way. . .

So last night we found out that Joan and Derrick had to have "imunizations" (I have no idea how to spell that)  so that DHR would approve us to come home.  No one knew where the records were so we were thinking that they would just have to get the shots again.  Well this did not make me happy because last time they had shots, Derrick threw up.  So, that night I prayed very hard that Joan and Derrick would not have to have shots.  The next morning, we got up and drove to the doctor's clinic where Joan and Derrick would get the shots.  Well, mom was worried about them having the same shots twice.  Since we didn't have the records, we had no way of knowing what they had and hadn't had.  She explained all this to the nurse and she said that they couldn't give them any shots because they didn't know what they had already had.  So. . . Joel called his friend, and some how they found both Joan and Derrick's records.  So we went to pick those up.  The only problem was that Joan's name on her record wasn't Joan.  It was Shaquira.  Let me tell ya. . . Joan is not a Shaquira.  Joel thinks that when Joan was born, her mom was living with a man that wasn't Joan's father.  So. . . that man named her Shaquira.  But when Joan's father found out about Joan, he changed her name to Joan.  So we had to get the whole name thing fixed.  Also, The documents were falling apart, so we wanted to just get all the information put onto new cards.  So.  our driver, Kenneth, took the records to be re-written, and my mom Joan, Derrick and I went to the American Embassy to pick up the visas.  We got there and Joan sat peacefully in my lap the whole time, and mom had Derrick.  She was holding him down.  He was being bad, but not as bad as he's been before.  We were actually early to the appointment, which was good because my mom had accidently skipped a part of the paper work.  After she finished that, we all waited outside.  about 20 minutes later, Frita (the lady who works at the American Embassy, walks out holding two very large packets.  We got the visas!!!  We talked to her for about 5 minutes.  She was very nice.  Then we went to the car.  kenneth had gotten back with the new records and we were good to go.  

It was about lunch time, but we wanted to go tell the kids at Rays of Hope good bye.  I got i don't know how many hugs from all of the kids.  And yes. . . i cried.  After telling all of the kids good bye, we went to eat at Cafe Roma.  Before we ate, mom took pictures of the records and emailed them to our social worker.  It was still really early in America so we ate and them mom checked her computer and the social worker said that she had gotten it and she was sure that this would be good, and that DHR would give us the approval letter.  After we all finished eating, we went to the super market and bought a bag of rice, a bag of sugar, a bar of soap, and some tea for each teacher at Rays of Hope.  She had promised them teacher appreciation. After we bought all of that, we went back to Rays of Hope and delivered all of the stuff to the teachers.  Joel also told mom that he would stop caning the kids.  he said that he would find a new, less painful, way to punish them.  So mom got to break the news to the kids.  They were all very excited.  So we left Rays of Hope for the last time this year.

Later today, Joan and I went and got ice cream.  Derrick couldn't come because he was bad at the Embassy.  I really enjoyed my ice cream with Joan.  It's nice not having to find something to talk about.  :)  We are down to two more nights in Africa!  I can't wait for our whole family to be back together again!

P.S.  If you are interested in sponsoring a child, you can contact me on facebook.  :)

Prayer Requests:

1)  That each child at Rays of Hope will not go hungry, or be harmed.

2)  That those being called to help, will have the courage and the faith to help.

:)

Remember. . . God listens to prayers!

Ok. . . So once again. . . It's been a while since I last posted.
Adoption News
In case you didn't know, the judge ruled in our favor!  So my parents are the legal guardians of Joan and Derrick.  J and D aren't Reeves yet. . . my parents still have to do about three months of paper work when we get back home.  Ya.  I know. . . A lot goes into adoption.  So after we got the court ruling from the judge, we started on getting visas for Joan and Derrick.  We have to go to the American Embassy to apply for and eventually get the visas.  I hate going to the American Embassy.  The very first time I went there, my mom was turning in all of her paper work.  I was responsible for keeping up with Joan and Derrick.  At first they were good.  But as soon as mom left to go turn in the papers, they started acting up.  It's hard to keep two kids calm when one can't hear you and is as stubborn as a mule, and the other one can hear you, but he doesn't speak your language so he doesn't know what the heck you are saying.  Any way.  When my mom FINALLY came out of the room where she turned in her paper work, she told me that if we could get J and D's birth mother to the embassy by 2:45, then she would do the interview that day.  it was 1:45 and the mom was about 45 minutes away by boda.  We went to a gas station to wait for the mom and she finally got there.  We went as fast as we could to the embassy, but we were too late.  The person that was supposed to do the interviews has already left.  On Wednesday, when we went back for the interviews, it was worse than the first time.  My mom and Joan and Derrick's birth mom were in the building, and Joan, Derrick, and I were waiting in this little sitting area outside.  They were terrible.  First, Derrick kept playing with an electrical outlet.  I had to stand in front of the outlet until he finally walked away.  Then he tried to get into the building.  You can't get into the building unless a guard lets you in.  So if you can imagine, that was a pain.  So I finally carried Derrick over to a chair and made him sit.  Every time he would try to get up, I would push him back down.  He finally sat there for a while.  Joan was playing with the dirt on Derrick's chair (I know. . . gross).  After a few minutes, Derrick got up and also started playing with the dirt.  Well as soon as he got up, Joan sat in his seat.  I knew that this would cause problems so I pulled Joan out of the chair and told her that that was D's chair, but she could sit in another one.  Well she got mad at me and ran around the corner.  I went after her and then of course Derrick followed in Joan's footsteps and ran away too.  It was terrible.  I couldn't call Joan to come back and Derrick just wasn't listening.  Where they were running makes a big circle right back to where I was, so I went and I waited for them.  They came back around but I couldn't grab them both.  Joan then started playing with the electrical outlet.  I know she was doing it just to make me mad.  Well it worked.  I went over and grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her over to the chair and made her sit down.  One of the security guards had Derrick and he brought him to me.  he sat Derrick down and said a few words in Luganda to him.  I have no idea what he said but it worked because Derrick didn't move again.  In fact. . . he almost started crying.  I really hope the security guard wasn't mean.  Any way.  My mom came outside to check on us.  We were sitting in the sun because that was to only place where there were three seats next to each other.  So she made us move to the shade.  That was fine for about five minutes.  A few men were walking into the building, and when the security guard opened the door for them, Derrick slipped in after them.  It made me so mad.  I just left him in there.  A few minutes later, a few more people were going in, and Joan got up and slipped in after them.  I was VERY frustrated.  I just went inside and simply said to my mom, "I can't do it."  She understood and let me sit inside with them.  Joan and Derrick played with their birth mom.  I think she really does love them.  by this point, my mom had already had her interview. The only thing they asked her was why she wanted to adopt from Uganda.  She said that she didn't want to adopt from Uganda, she wanted to adopt Joan and Derrick.  I thought that that was a very good answer!  So now we just needed for the birth mom to be interviewed.  After waiting for more than 30 minutes, a man told us that the lady that had to do the interview had a meeting.  So we waited for another 30 minutes.  We had to wait outside though because they were cleaning inside.  After the 30 minutes, they called my mom back inside.  So I was sitting outside with J, D, and their birth mom.  After a few more minutes, the man told us all to come inside.  Derrick had found a friend so he played quietly with her.  Joan was still trying to annoy me by blowing in my face.  it worked.  She finally went and played with Derrick and his little friend.  They interviewed the mom and that took about 5 minutes.  After that, my mom went in one more time, and we left.  So all in all, What was really a thirty minute process, too 2 1/2 hours.  By the time I left the embassy, I needed a hot shower, my own bed, some sleepy time tea, and Pride and Prejudice playing from the projector.  We go back to pick up the visas tomorrow.  I can't wait!  : /
Other News
One day, we went to Jinja and six of the SOZO kids, and three muzungus got baptized in the Nile River.  It was amazing.  Unfortunatly, that same night, we got back to find that the dogs had broken into the chicken pen and had mauled all of Esau's chickens.  They hadn't killed them, but there was no way that any of those chickens would have lived.  Esau was SO sad.  I was very happy that the chickens were gone. . . but I'll admit, I cried for Esau.
Joel's grandmother went to live with the Lord three days ago, so please keep him and his family in your prayers.
We are supposed to fly home sunday night.  Joan can't wait.  She is counting down the nights.  I can't wait either.  Not that I'm ready to leave.  I'll probably cry. . . i'm just ready to be home.  Don't get me wrong. . . I'm not saying I want America.  I want My dad and Coleman.  I'll admit.  A hot shower every night will be nice.  But I don't NEED that.  I think that's one thing that I've learned being here.  A lot of things that I used to think that I "needed", I don't really need.  Like a hot shower, or a queen bed, or a dish washer, or a washing machine, or a dryer, or any of that kind of stuff.  Let me tell you, when I'm back in America, unless you want a VERY long speech from me. . . I better not hear you complain about one thing.  Not even school.  These kids are proud to go to school.  And when they get in trouble, they don't get a detention.  They get caned.  It's sad.  So. . . the point is. . . quit your whining!
Whew!!  Sorry. . . that was my rant.  had to have it! :)

Prayer Requests:
1)That everything goes smoothly when we get the visas
2)That Joan and Derrick don't have to get any more shots
3)That Joan and Derrick will behave at least until we get to Alabama.
4)That when we leave on Sunday, there will be no trouble with the flights
5)That Joel and his family will find peace
:)

Well. . . I haven't written in a while, so A LOT has happened. . .
First that happened was the bungee jumping trip.  Yes. . .I did it!!!  I think it was fun.  I don't really remember jumping!  haha!  I wasn't nervous until I put my toes over the edge.  Even though I was nervous, i still jumped!  I screamed so loud too!  Hey, I was plunging 150 (I think) feet down to the nile river!  And yes, I got dunked!  If I was gonna bungee jump over the Nile, I was gonna go all the way.  I really can't believe that I jumped.  My dad and Coleman went to.  Coleman was too light to tough the water, but i'm sure that it was still a cool experience.
After the Bungee jumping, we went to see Victoria Falls, which is really just a bunch of rapids on the Nile.  Before we got to the water, we got a call from the lawyer and she told us that the judge gave us a court date!  So far, it was the best day that we had had.  Then we took a few pictures neaar the water.  We watched this man hold onto an empty water jug, and "float" down the rapids!  It was insane!  After that, we went to eat at this restraunt.  I got the chicken ceasar salad. . .BIG mistake!  I'll tell you about that in a bit. . .
After eating, we began our way home.  In case you aren't familiar with traffic in Africa, it's horrible!  The two hour drive took us four.  We were about 30 mins away from home for about 2 hours.  The whole time the windows were open and all of the fumes were coming into the car, and eventually, into me.  By the time I stepped out of the car, I had a massive head ache!  We walked in and I went straight to bed.
The next day was terrible.  I felt so bad.  I was cold all the time (fever), my neck hurt, my back hurt, and I always had a huge headache!  All were signs of malaria.  That night, I got a fever of 103!  My parents started freaking out.  Imagine if you were in Africa with an unknown disease, a 103 fever, and the nearest doctor's office had no doors or windows. . . ya. . . they were SCARED!  Any way, my dad took me to a hotel that night so he could be close to me and check on me, and I could really get clean and be in the air conditioning.  The next morning, I was feeling much better, but still sick.  I'm not sure what we did next, but after a couple more days, I got better.
Since we got a court date, we had to change our flight days.  My dad and I were scheduled to fly home the day after the court date, and Coleman and Mom about a week after us.  That was the plan, until Coleman got sick.  He had food poisoning.  So now, Coleman and Dad are going back the day after the court date, and mom and I are going home about a 2 weeks after that.
Ok. . . .Now to the court day.
We arrived at the lawyer's office at about 7:30, and Joan and Derrick's biological mom and dad arrived about 30 minutes later.  Meeting them wasn't as dramatic as I had imagined.  All we did was say hello.  Joan greeted them, but Derrick wanted nothing to do with them.  Any way, we made sure that both the mom and the dad had their story straight.  we wanted to make sure that they hadn't thought of anything new.  Everything went fine.  Everyone knew what they were supposed to say and what they were not supposed to say.  We were ready to go to the court.
Well. . . when we got in there, we went to the judge's office and we all sat down.  The dad went first, then the mom.  It was all in Lugandan so I couldn't understand any of it.  They never asked my mom or dad a single question.  Any way. . . The dad told the judge that we had been paying his rent(which is NOT true).  That is considered a bribe.  They don't want us to BUY the kids.  We think that the dad was just trying to help.  He didn't mean to cause any harm.  I felt bad for him because all the Ugandans were yelling at him.  Even complete strangers.  The judge said that he will give us the ruling next Wednesday.  The lawyer felt good about it.  She and the judge have worked together a lot.  I think the judge knows that their dad isn't right in the head.  We'll see. . .

Prayer Requests:
1)That all the teams flying in will get here safely
2)That no one else gets sick
3)That the judge knows that we did NOT pay the dad's rent and he will rule in our favor
4)That Dad and Coleman get home safely
:)

Ok. . . This is kinda awkward to write this all down because I don't really know who I'm talking to.    It might be weird to read too.  Just pretend that I am saying all this directly to you.  Oh, and by the way. . . this is Summer Break, so I'm not going to be writing a descriptive essay.  Alright. . .
When we first stepped off the plane in Africa, we had to wait in this long line to get our visas.  Then we went to got all 18 of our bags.  They were mostly filled with things for Joan and Derrick and the SOZO kids.  Any way. . . After we got our bags, we all walked through these doors into a room where there were a ton of people holding up signs with the names of the people who they were picking up.  We all stopped not sure of where to go, when all of a sudden, I heard two screams! (Don't worry, it wasn't a terrorist!) It was Joan and Derrick!  They all ran up to us (Joan, Derrick, Joel, Allen, and Colby).  Joel almost fell!  I saw Joan first so I picked her up and gave her a big hug, and then I got Derrick from Coleman and gave him a big hug.  My mom got a hold of Joan, and within 5 minutes, Joan was asleep.  Coleman had Derrick.  Colby got it all on video.  I'm sure we all looked terrible.  We had been traveling for 24 hours.  On the car ride home, Derrick fell asleep in Coleman and mine's lap.  He held my hand the whole way home, except for when he reached up to touch Coleman on the shoulder to make sure he was still there.
The next day we went to Rays of Hope, Joan and Derrick's old school.  ROH is in the slums of Kabalagala.  This is how I explained Kabalagala to people.  Africa=North America, Uganda=US, Kampala=Alabama, and Kabalagala=Birmingham.  Any way, The best way to describe ROH is disgusting.  There is litteraly trash EVERYWHERE.  There is raw sewage running through the street.  It smells gross.  The kids are the best kids on the planet though.  They have all been kind and accepting to all of us muzungus (white people).  The first day, the kids put on a show for us.  There was dancing and singing.  Coleman gave his testimony.  At the end of the whole thing, the kids got all of the muzungus to dance with them.  A little girl named Hanifah got Coleman and I.  She is the sweetest girl ever!  She has a crush on Coleman because he is white, handsome, a hard worker, and nice.  We have already decided that when she grows up and moves to America, she and Coleman will get married!  I told her that I would scare away all of his future girlfriends ;)
Africa itself is a beautiful place with beautiful people.  The only problem is the trash and the pollution.  Yesterday, I blew my nose and it was black.  Gross. . . I know.  The drivers are crazy.  There are no lanes, and no traffic lights.  Imagine driving down 280 with no lanes and no traffic lights, except with a lot more cars.  Chaos.  You get within 6 inches of the car next to you.  Kinda scary.
Derrick is crazy.  He never stops talking.  The only problem with that is that he doesn't speak english so you can't understand what he is saying.  Joan is sweet and so smart.  She is very easy to communicate with.  Her signing is very self explanitory.  They are already a part of the family.
Today, a group of us are going bungee jumping over the Nile river.  I haven't decided if I am going to do it yet. . . we'll see.
Today is the big day. . . we find our if we got a court date or not.

Prayer requests:
1)That not a child at Rays of Hope is harmed or hungary
2)That no one dies or gets hurt bungee jumping
3)That God shows favor on us and gives us a court date
:)