Waiting for Caleb: “Please not next week!”

Please not ‘next week’

Yesterday I said to Mukanga, “Please not next week. Let’s get our son home this week, please”. Our patience is wearing thin. For months we have heard this phrase, ‘next week’ from those handling our case promising that Caleb will come home ‘next week’. However, months have elapsed and we still hear ‘next week’ each new week.

Since June, we’ve been sharing updates about our journey to adopt our son, Caleb Sepo, through our newsletters and on our website. While we’ve hoped and prayed to bring him home soon, the process has been far from smooth. We want to share a little more about where things stand and ask for your continued prayers and support.

Mukanga kindly stepped in to help

The social worker handling our case, Mukanga Nyirenda, has been working hard to move things forward. However, she isn’t actually our assigned caseworker. Georgina, the person officially handling our son’s adoption, has been on extended sick leave for months (June-October). Even when she returned to the office, she did not prioritise our case. This is one of the reasons why there have been so many delays. Mukanga has kindly stepped in to help ensure the process doesn’t stall completely. Without her intervention, even the small progress we’ve seen might not have been possible.

But despite Mukanga’s efforts, the journey has been marked by delay after delay. For months now, we’ve been told that progress will be made ‘next week.’ At first, it was hopeful: ‘next week’, an important document; ‘next week’, a key signature; ‘next week’, a final approval. But as one ‘next week’ has turned into the next, each brings another complication. We’ve learned that ‘next week’ often doesn’t mean what it seems.

Please THIS WEEK

I’m no longer trusting that Caleb comes home next week. I am trusting he will be home THIS WEEK!

These delays are frustrating, but they’re also a reminder of why we need to lean on God. Caleb is already our son in our hearts, but we long for the day when he can be in our home. Until then, we cling to the truth that God is in control, even in the face of human delays and red tape. His timing is never late, even when ours feels stretched thin.

Please pray with us:

• For Mukanga, as she juggles many cases on top of ours.
• Pray that the release form can be signed and delivered this week.
• For wisdom and perseverance as we navigate this journey.
• And most of all, for Caleb, that he may feel loved and secure during this time of waiting.

Thank you for walking alongside us in this. Your prayers and encouragement are such a blessing. We’ll keep you updated as we continue to trust God to bring Caleb home.