Stark Adoption: Meeting with the Judge, and Waiting...

Lenna here. Yesterday we received a call telling us that the judge wanted to meet with Laura and ask her some questions. We dressed up for the meeting and headed out. They would not allow more than two people, plus the translator to go inside the building, so I went with Laura. Geof and Yamile waited outside in the fairly oppressive heat. We were in there for about an hour, first waiting for the judge, then waiting while they figured out a few errors in their own paperwork, then listening while the judge asked Laura many questions. They asked her name and birthdate. Then they asked her who she had lived with when she was younger. She answered that she lived with her aunt and uncle. They asked if she knew she had grandparents. She told them yes, but that she didn't really know them. Then they asked her if her biological parents were here, would she go with them? She told them yes, of course, because they are her family. But, she said, we are her family now and so she will go with us. They asked her how it happened that we requested to adopt her, and she told them all about going to the U.S. last summer and finding Yamile and skyping with her and with us. She told them she was "contento" (happy) to be with us. She said she was ready to go NOW. (Aren't we all?) They asked her what sorts of things we were doing together while we were here, and she told them everything we've been doing. They were satisfied with her answers. Every question they asked, and every answer she gave was carefully transcribed onto a form, which Laura was then required to sign, along with the signature of the lawyer and a few other people who were there. Then we were done. We went outside with the judge, who remembered Yamile and wanted to say hi to her. Whew. When we got back to our apartment we went swimming...again. Did I mention how hot it was yesterday?

So now we have been told that the court has 3 days to put all their paperwork together, and then sometime after that we can sign our sentencia papers. Then we have to wait for Laura's new birth certificate, which will list us as her parents. THEN we can fly back to Bogota for the final steps we have to take to bring her out of the country. Things are actually moving along quickly. It was an answer to prayer to get Court 3, and to be called in so quickly. Praise the Lord!