The rollercoaster never seems to end!  Seriously!  I am so grateful though for the support of friends and family.  Everytime I get a chance to get on the computer and read the messages it brings tears to my eyes to and I feel so strengthened.  This past week was a waiting game. The anticipation of our ruling dashed away my good mood.  I went to my room and spent some time praying and shed a few tears while I was at it.  I think my biggest concerns are that we are going to get stuck here for a long time and how the family back home will cope.  We were so unprepared when I left.  I usually have a full schedule written out and have everything arranged.  This time, not so much.  So, thanks to the help of family and friends everyone is o.k back home, but it is still eating away at me.  This week brought many experiences that were very difficult and hard to deal with.  I went to visit a childrens home that 2 sweet Ugandans have opened. It's their home and they have taken in about 35 children and are raising them.  There was a little boy named Tim.  When I first walked in I could smell him before I saw him.  I'm not sure what is wrong with him, but he was laying in his urine on a bed with flies swarming around him.  He is 4 1/2 and he was about the size of a 6 month old baby.  I'm guessing he is about 15 lbs.  I did not want to take pictures of him as I didn't want to feel like he was getting photographed because he was in such a bad state, but I started showing him photos from my camera and it brought a smile to his face.  I then took a few photos of him and showed him pictures of himself and he was so happy!  I can't get him out of my mind.  We tried to get some diapers for him and are getting them to his caretakers today.  The other kids were so sweet and we spent time playing duck, duck goose and such.  There is one other girl there that especially broke my heart.  Her name is Esther and she has sickle cell anemia.  She would be fine if she lived in a first world country, but because she is in Africa she is now living with this disease as it slowly eats away at her brain functions.  I've also spent some time at  Sanyu Babies Home.  I won't even talk about those experiences.  So, I'm off to get Joseph now and he will be with me through Monday evening.  I can't wait to see him!  Thanks for all the love, support and prayers!~

Today was our court ruling appointment.  Unfortunately the judge would meet with us and told us to come back on Monday.  I am hoping to be able to get Joseph here with me this weekend and the school said I can keep him until Monday night.  So, if we get a positive ruling then I will keep him forever~

So happy I found a new friend!  Yesterday while in the "mall" I saw a group of girls I recognized from the babies home near my guesthouse.  I met a new friend who is here setting up things for her new adoption agency and we hit it off.  She was completely alone and having some trouble so we connected and she is now staying at the guesthouse with me.  She has a wonderful little netbook and I've been able to use WiFi for about an hour and catch up on so much!  I'm so grateful.  Anyway, Monday, we went to do medicals for Joseph.  The embassy is now requiring you to go to IOM.  It was quite the day.  Super long and full of blunders.  Joseph and I are now expert Boda riders, something I swore I would never do!  Hiring a driver is so expensive so we have to ride Boda's once in awhile.
I have been so busy trying to do as much as I can  to stay busy.  I've spent time working in babies homes and orphanages.  Mentally it's been a challenge, but I want to serve as much as I can while I"m here.

Elder Magero and Joseph................
I have a limited time on net (so, so slow too) but wanted to give a quick update.  Had the most beautiful day with Joseph yesterday.  I amazed at how much Joseph and I have to learn about each other.  I pumped him so full of information that I think his head was about to burst.  Funny thing, our last name, Gillies is prounounced Gillis.  Joseph calls himself Joseph Gills.  I had to break him of that, so we practice saying his last name and it was so funny because it's difficult for him to pronounce.  I told him that I wouldn't stand for a son whose last name sounded like a fish!  We are having so much fun getting to know each other and are able to have deep conversations without others around and it's absolutely beautiful.  Also invited Alex ( from 2009 trip) better  known as missionary Alex to dinner.  He stuffed himself full.  He has lost so much weight as he is struggling to hard to get his secondary education ( he is 27 years old) and cannot afford much food.  He is all alone and so lonely.  His dream is to have an Ipod fills with church music so he can listen to music like he did on his mission.  He is so faithful and I adore him.  Off to medical appts, visa photos and much more today, then Joseph has to leave.  So sad.  Also got him 4 shirts and one pair of socks along with 2 shorts.  He barely has anything to wear as so much has been stolen.  He is my son!  This I know and I am so excited to share him with everyone!

Sheesh!  After 1 1/2 of trying to get to blogger I finally did!  I am starting to feel normal again and am doing much better.  Re-cap of yesterday!  In the AM I went to St. Mary's Kitende School to watch Joseph play in a football game.  He is the captain and looked so "smart" in his uniform.  His school is the nicest school I've ever seen in Uganda.  They even had a small soccer stadium with a real grass field!  When we put him in boarding school we had no idea how nice it was!  I was such a proud mom watching him on the field.  Before the game he looked up at me and we gave each other the thumbs up sign.  I'm sure he felt proud to have someone there to watch him.  That was first for him!  After the game his team played in the semi-finals and won and then won the whole tournament.  I didn't stay for the other two games as Hilda needed to get moving.  After that we went to a place called Shalom.  It's a center for children who used to live on the street, often referred to as "street children".  I have a really hard time using that term as I don't see these kids as throw aways and so I've decided to refer to them as "homeless" as they are so much more that street kids.  While there I met the most amazing young man ever.  His name is Abdulah

This morning Joseph is coming to the guest house and gets to stay overnight.  We are going to church and then I'm hoping to get him a few clothes so he has something to where on the way home.  Most of what we've given him (if not all) has been stolen.  Tomorrow we are headed to the doctor and he will have his medical tests done for his visa.  I cannot wait to spend the day with him.  I've also been given a peace that I didn't have regarding my responsibilities at home.  God lifted that burden from me and I'm able to soak up every minute here and serve without feeling like things are going to fall apart at home.  That is such a blessing!

Yesterday was  long, not so fun day.  I'm not sure what it is, but the excitement I usually feel when I'm here is absent this time.  I'm separated from Joseph as he is in boarding school doing exams and it would be disrespectful to take him out.  I have stayed at the two nicest missionaries place for 2 nights, but I need to move on and let them be missionaries.  Red Chili, my famous standby have a hodgepodge or rooms available over the next few days, but each night I would have to move and one night they have nothing.  Some of the nights are in a dorm with strangers.  I want to go and do things everyday, especially serve in schools and orphanages, but the expense of hiring a driver everytime I go somewhere is killing me!  I got totally taken by a driver yesterday and he basically left me and Hilda after giving him money. I was beyond exhausted and tired and wanted to sit and cry.  I am so missing my family, already!  I have this big pit in my gut with worry about them and especially Peanut as she is "addicted" to me (in her own words).  I am so grateful for the help of friends and family, but it is so hard for me to ask and to inconvenience people.  Shawn has already missed 2 weeks of work as we were on vacation when we left.  He has to work when he gets home..................Yesterday I finally got a phone, but of course the battery needs to be changed and there is no charger.  We couldn't find one!  So, today, I will move from the Beachley's and try to have a driver take me to find a charger and battery before this one completely dies today.  I am then hoping to find somewhere to stay besides Red Chili.  I really want to connect with some friends (o.k. I haven't made them yet,) but there aren't too many adopting parents here.  I would be lost without my trusted friend Hilda.  Even with a driver taking me, she refuses to leave me and makes sure the driver gets me home before she has to take a stinky, crowded taxi back to her house.  Hilda is the reason we are here (God provided by using her).  On Friday of last week she had to go to Masaka, 2 hours away to plead for the report from the probation officer.  It had to be done.  On Friday AM I called her to check and see if she was on her way.  She told me that her grandfather had died, but because she had to go to Masaka to get our paperwork she was missing his funeral.  I was heart sick and so was she.  She said, "The lawyer needed it and I had to go".  That paperwork was given to the lawyer and turned in on Monday which resulted in the court date!  What a true friend!  So, I will sign off.  I don't know how much internet I will have, so, I will do my best to update.  Now is the waiting game.  Wait until the 23rd for the verbal ruling, then, the written which could take some time, then, waiting for a visa.  My dream was to have Joseph home for summer, it's looking hopeful that we will at least be home for part of summer and that is soooooo good!  I was talking to him about our religion and bit and let him know that he is welcome to stay Catholic, but as a family we will go to our church and do things together.  He was so cute.  "Yes Mother, I will go".  It's funny too, trying to tell him, this is where you live and have him say the name of the town, his school etc.  He has so much to soak in when he gets home!

Court..............
I never want to forget the miracles that took place to get me to Africa with a 2 hour notice.  My family and I were on vacation at my brothers house in Idaho Falls.  We were getting up early Monday AM to head to Yellowstone. Before the trip I believed it would be impossible to get a court hearing because courts were closing July 16.  But, big but, just in case I threw in my passport and a binder of documents.  Other  than that,I didn't have much of anything useful to me in Uganda.  I was sound asleep Monday Am and Shawn burst into the bedroom and said, "Get up, we got an e-mail from our lawyer in the middle of the night and she had to know 2 hours ago if you can be to Uganda by Wed. AM".  I totally freaked out! I hopped on the computer and started looking at flights.  Idaho Falls is not a booming metropolis so the airport is tiny.  I found one flight that would work, but it left in 2 hours.  Not only that, but it was 7,000 USD.  But, we called the lawyer and said yes.  How could we possibly say no?  So many people would die to be in our shoes and we had to make it work.  After that I did an internet search for adoption travel agencies and they were able to get my ticket price cut in half.  I am leaving out so many little miracles due to time, but know they were there!  Got to London with a 9 hour layover and then when headed to the plane ran into the captain on the tram and jokingly asked him to get me there on time as I had a court appt. at 9 and flight arrived at 7:45.  Imagine my surprise when I checked in and the captain had upgraded me to first class so I could rest and be closest to the exit row so I could get off the plane quickly!  The plane ended up landing late, at 8:45.  Yikes!  But, the man I sat next too on the plane told me to leave my bag on the carousel and he would pick it up and I could get it from him later.  That was quite interesting (getting the bag) as we had such a hard time finding him later, but I did get the bag and was soooooo grateful!  Another miracle!  Everywhere I went on the journey I met people who strengthened me.  I sat next to a church group and one of the girls gave me three beautiful versus written down so I could read them and give myself strength.  It worked!  So, when I got to the airport, Kiganda, my trusted friend and driver picked me up and we ran to the car.  He sped through town and we arrived just before 10.  I wasn't prepared properly to meet Joseph's grandmother for the first time, but there she was.  First, Joseph tackled me and broke my back hugging me so hard. We went into this small waiting room and waited for Justice O to call us in, and waited and waited.  Hours later she called us in.  She never spoke to Joseph or me. She never once smiled.  She told us to come back on 23rd at 10 am for the ruling for Legal Guardianship.  I am anxiously waiting to figure out what I'm doing.  When arriving I had no where to sleep and the Mormon Missionaries who I met a year ago invited me for the night.  I felt so happy to be with them.  It was like stepping into my own families home.  I had dinner with a bunch of couples and it was delicious.  I took an Ambien and made it sleeping until 3am.  I'm on their internet typing as fast as I can I as I actually have a connection.  Todays list, figuring out where to stay and buying some supplies.  Sad note, a friend who we worked with last year when here was killed in the bombing.  Things feel very safe to me, but am still being vigilent.  The church has sent people to evaluate if it's safe to keep missionaries here.  I def. feel it is.  Please continue to pray like mad.  If you know Shawn, please reach out to him when they get home on Sunday.  He is going to need helping hand.  Since he is self employed he has no vacation and we were doing a 2 week vacation when I left so he needs to work.  Thanks for your love and prayers!