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Visit to Cure Neurosurgical Hospital Mbale, Uganda

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Last week we had the privilege of visiting Cure Hospital in Mbale, Uganda. One of Ekisa's patients who suffers from hydrocephalus began to show signs of a blocked shut and was rushed up to Cure for emergency surgery. For those unfamiliar, Hydrocephalus is the over accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain which leads to swelling, increased cranial pressure and probable death if not dealt with. To correct Hydrocephalus, neurosurgeons insert a shunt (drain tube) through the skull, into the brain that drains the excess fluid into the abdomen. For some unknown reason, rates of Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida are significantly higher in East Africa compared to most places in the world. Prior to Cure Hospital, patients and parents in Sub-Saharan Africa had little hope of a cure. Jenna needed to travel to Cure to check on her patient and to bring a change of clothes and some goodies to our little buddy and the wonderful Ekisa momma that was staying with him so we elected to go as
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We made it!

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I'm sorry this blog is so late. We're still in the process of getting settled here in beautiful Uganda. Things take time here, lots of time and Ugandans never seem to be in a rush. ;-) This led to quite a bit of frustration the first week but we've since learned to accept it and are in the process of trying to embrace it. It's not easy when you're trying to order appliances, set-up internet, buy furniture or a find a car but we've also come to appreciate the benefits- the slower pace of life and value placed on community and family are a huge blessing. We've also been surrounded by a wonderful community of missionary families from all over the globe that have gone our of their way to make us feel welcomed and have stepped in to help ease the transition. Our home was available upon arrival but aside from a kitchen table and two beds, it was bare inside which made living in it difficult. Fortunately we were able to spend the first week at Ekisa's vo
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We're moving to Uganda

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Friends and family, Merry Christmas! We hope you all have had a wonderful 2018. As we close out the year we would love to update you about what God is doing in our family's heart and life this year: Long story short... we are moving to Uganda in early 2019! WHY? We firmly believe that ALL children belong in a loving family. Last year when Matt and I adopted Nomathemba we saw firsthand the orphan crisis and the heartbreaking reality of the astounding number of children growing up in an institutionalized setting. The truth is that 80% of children in orphanages have family. Most parents place their child in an orphanage not because of lack of love for their child, but because of a lack of ability to care for them. Poverty should never be a reason that family is separated! Children living with special needs are particularly vulnerable to being institutionalized and/or neglected due to their increased medical, financial, and time-consuming demands. As Christians, we believe t
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A Visit to The Thusanani Foundation

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Yesterday, we were beyond thrilled to be able to visit the Thusanani Foundation where Nomathemba took occupational and speech therapy here in South Africa. Visiting her therapy sessions gave us a sneak peak into her old life, including the people who knew her best--the pediatrician and two therapists who have known her and advocated for her since she came into care at the Orphanage. Meeting her therapists touched my heart deeply. They sat there and expressed how she was one of the children they "prayed so hard would get a family". It literally brought tears to my eyes as they spoke in depth about her likes and dislikes, her slow to warm-up personality, and what she was working on in the sessions she attended. They really knew her. They put their whole heart into their positions there and it showed! How could you ever say thank you enough to those angels who "stood in the gap" and loved and cared for your child before you were able to?  God
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Waiting on her Passport

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It's been awhile! We apologize for the delay in posting updates here... Jumping back into blogging more so you can see a little about what we've been up to. We ended up renting a 5-seater car the first week here. Since we're a party of seven we've been piling our kids on our laps.  Our social worker adamantly said with a smile, "It's how we do it here in Jo'burg!".   We are just praying God's protection over our travels! Travel mercies! Speaking of which, I am so thankful for Matt--They drive on the opposite side of the road here in South Africa...I'm fairly certain if I were driving I would have had a head-on collision from turning into the wrong lane!   Last Tuesday our social worker drove our adoption decree up to Pretoria to be authenticated. Between travel time and waiting in line it took her nearly six hours. Later that afternoon we met her at Home Affairs in downtown Jo'burg to apply for Nomathemba's p
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Officially a McCawley!

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Well, today was the day we've been waiting for: We were able to go to children's court in Johannesburg, South Africa and adopt this sweet little 3 1/2 year old lady into our family! I introduce to you, our daughter, Nomathemba Hope McCawley! (pronounced: No-ma-tim-ba): Our morning started off rocky with tired kids who refused to get dressed and/or complained about breakfast choices. We needed to be out the door early, so as you can imagine, it was a little stressful. Once we were able to get the kids loaded into the car their moods started to improve and everyone began to get excited about what today meant for our family. Whew, step one complete. We got to the court at 8:25 am and ended up waiting in a tiny hallway outside the Magistrate's door for over two hours. All I can say is, thank goodness this mama thought ahead and packed a lot of snacks and water! Here's a picture of the waiting area and yes--we DID buy our kids suckers to bribe them to
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Two steps forward, one step back

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Given the circumstances, the last few days have gone extremely well. That's not to say our days haven't been without challenge- we've experienced multiple tantrums that have brought both Jenna and I to tears, but all-in-all, we're a week in and everyone is still alive and we're progressing daily. The valley's remain challenging but fortunately the peak's have become more frequent and make up for the difficult times. While driving to the Bird Park today I felt a tap on my arm and heard a soft "Daddy, Daddy" come from the seat behind me. I turned around and Nomathemba was trying to get my attention. I reached my arm around to the back seat and she held my fingers while we drove through the streets of downtown Johannesburg. In hindsight, probably not the smartest idea as I was driving a manual transmission on the opposite side of the road in a foreign country but I couldn't resist. A few hours later she elected to sit on my lap while eating lunc
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