STILL no passport.

---

Dear friends and family.

How many tomorrows do I have left in me?

Pastor Kimba continues to put me off saying the passport office has created the delay but I am not sure about that information. Comprende? He says everything captured on the 25 of July is complete but ours was the 24 of July and still not complete. No matter what language sounds like BULLSHIT to me.

Not sure whom to trust here anymore.

I know I can trust Dr Luther and Pastor Maloba but after that I am solo.

Jean Claude suggests creating a whole new passport with the name Ilunga Mwanza. Four hundred dollars. I must do this because it almost sounds like the best idea.

Le judgement avec L act de naisance show Ilunga Mwanza.

I will be contacting friend Didier tonight at the suggestion of Guy.

Bishop Yemba called me today. That is a good sign. He can assist in Kinshasa if I ever get there.

Have read all comments and messages. Keep them coming.

NOTE Send to comments not messages.

I am unable to accept messages and send them to the blog site.

Takes too long to try and figure out why or how.

Hopeful the documents fro Kamina and Pastor Willy will arrive tomorrow.

Met zith Jean Claude today and got some of the translations in my hand now. A criticle step completed.

Going to a four and one half hour prayer service tomorrow afternoon with Jean Claud and Dr Luther.

Could sure use that Steelers rosary right now.

Gotta go. The gangsta rap in this cyber cafe is driving me nuts.

Peace and love to all. Please tell Mom I am fine and I Love Her for giving birth to me.

I Love You Rachel. Over and out.

---

Comments

[Angela Jones]

We're praying for you!
Keith, We only just recently learned of your amazing story of this adoption. We are praying for you hear and following your blog. We will continue to pray that the doors will be opened and that only honest men/women will cross your path and that God will expedite your process. We can't wait to see Kamina! Blessings, Angela Jones (your neighbor in the red house.) :0)

[Marie]

Steelers rosary acquisition :)
Cath was going to check on whether or not they sold them at her church. She knows they sell rosaries but she wasn't sure about the Black and Gold. I forgot to ask the last time I emailed her so I'll get right on that. If it turns out she can't get one, I'll send mine to you (do you have an address there?) and get Thres to get me another one at some point in time. Hang in there, oh great papa who changes diapers, and all will be well. Give my niece a hug for me. Hugs and kisses to you both - loves ya - Marie

[anonymous]

I think you should go with that name as well. Thats what I've been thinking for awhile now! Get out of there and get home! Bullshit it is!!

[Daniel Baxter]

YOU CAN DO IT!
YOU CAN DO IT!

[Rachel Andrisevic]

[e-mail]
Keith - email I sent at 1:39 P.M. 8/5/09 to Liz at Kit Bond's office. She is the contact I think got the results from the Embassy. Good Afternoon Liz, I just got off the phone with my husband Keith Andrisevic and he is really down about the process of what is happening with the Congolese government issuing our daughter's passport. Is there a way you could get through to the US Embassy in Kinshasa to find out if the following will work: Ilunga Mwanza Regine has been adopted through the Congolese Courts as of July 7, 2009. On the adoption papers her name is still Ilunga Mwanza. On the first passport issued the court put Kamina Marie Keith (took my husband's first name instead of last). The Congolese person Keith spoke with in Kinshasa at the US Embassy said her passport was issued incorrectly so he needed to go back to the courts in Lubumbashi. There has been another passport issued as Kamina Marie Andrisevic, but all associated with the process, including the Congolese lawyer we have paid a great deal of money to, now believe we need to have one more passport issued as Ilunga Mwanza. More time and money to do this. My question is, if Keith has an affidavit from the Congolese Lawyer that says Kamina Marie Andrisevic is the same person as Ilunga Mwanza and in addition a document I drafted and had notarized before Keith left that said I gave him permission on my behalf to adopted Ilunga Mwanza as Kamina Marie, would that work for the Visa process? We are rapidly running out of money and hope so if this could tip us over the top we would be so grateful! Keith has not been able to speak with an American citizen when calling the US Embassy and with language barrier not able to express what he is trying to ask. We can not afford to fly he and the baby to Kinshasa again and have them sent back to Lubumbashi so if this were decided on the front in again, we would be most grateful. Blessings to you and thank you so much Liz for your help! Sincerely, Rachel Andrisevic

[Rachel Andrisevic]

[e-mail]
Thought you would enjoy these words from my friend Kristine. We went to school together. She still lives in Sedalia and works at a Baptist church there.. -----Original Message----- From: Facebook [mailto:[e-mail]] Sent: Monday, August 03, 2009 5:31 PM To: Rachel Andrisevic Subject: Kristine Quinley White sent you a message on Facebook... Kristine sent you a message. -------------------- Subject: Touching Base with YOU Rachel, VBS was amazing! The message! The music! The kids! The teachers! The Volunteers! But, as you know, it is also exhausting to get it all together and then once it's over to get things back to original locations and owners.. :) Has LSUMC had VBS yet? We did Crocodile Dock. It was great! I have been reading your posts, Keith's blog, and let me say...I have cried, laughed, and prayed much. That man is crazy in love with you, Rachel! You are truly blessed-- I am thankful God has given you such a caring, loving man with an obvious sense of humor and great wit! God will see you through this time and distance. Cling to that love! Wanted to invite you to join us for the MO State Fair SC Reunion. Next Friday night. 8pm Bud Tent. Angie Schulte is coming down from Lees Summit-- possible carpool buddy?? Plus quite a few others have replied to the event/invite on Facebook,too. Also, several of us are attending Shane McCue's visitation THIS Saturday afternoon/eve. It is at McLaughlin's Funeral home from 4-6pm. I know Stephanie (Cantrell) Sanders, April (Smith) Roper, probably Phil and Sheri Kemp, too. No telling who else. Steph and I thought maybe we could all then go out to dinner and hang out for a while. Join us if you will... Praying for your family. Kristine --------------------

[Rachel Andrisevic]

Words from Pastor Stephanie Moore
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Rachel Andrisevic Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 3:26 PM To: 'Cathy Baxter'; 'Cathy Dey'; 'Klein, Marie' Subject: FW: Thinking of you Ladies, Thought you might find comfort in the words Steph writes below. Stephanie was an Associate Pastor at the church I work for about a year and a half. Her second husband, Patrick is a Methodist Pastor and Chaplin. In their five year marriage he has been deployed three times to Iraq - Praise God he is home now. While Steph was at our church she went through thyroid cancer twice (even after removal they thought she still had cancer so gave her a second major dose of radiation) as well as her first husband trying to get sole custody of her two boys. She grew up in the little town of Green Ridge where my Mom grew up so we have that in common. Steph is about 32 years old and from her words you will realize what a strong Faith she has. Cat - this is the Stephanie Moore you worked with at Pizza Hut. I am going to copy and paste this into Keith's blog for him to read. Blessings, Rachel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Stephanie Moore [mailto:[e-mail]] Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 9:23 AM To: Rachel Andrisevic Subject: Thinking of you Rachel, I was praying for you and your family this morning, and I found myself giving thanks for our life struggles. I am remembering what an arid season of life I was in while with you at Willow. Rachel, I felt like I was being ripped apart from the insides. I didn’t talk about it much because there were no words to describe it. By far that season of my life was the worst season of my life ever. I was in complete despair and the situation felt as though it would never end. The thought of losing my children was heart-wrenching, but the thought of what they would have to live through if that happened was even worse. It is one thing to have to deal with letting go of a child, and knowing that child is going to a wonderful place. It is a separate issue to lose a child, knowing that child will endure a dangerous and hellish place, and there is nothing we can do to stop it. The pain of letting go of a child is a sacrament (this is the doctrine of St. Stephanie by the way). Through this kind of suffering, we physically experience the pain God endures when even one of us feels beyond God’s love and reach. Old school church people call this experience “sin.” We might not all believe in a lone creature called “satan,” but we know evil (what is contrary to God) lurks in the world. We experience this fundamentally through suffering. Suffering is not the sin, but the consequence of when love and life are broken. Christ’s suffering on the cross is not necessarily “payment” as in “retaliation” for sin, but is a promise that God is with us in our suffering, and an assurance that we are never separated from God’s love. EVER. Kamina’s experiences are not hers alone. You, as her parents, suffer with her. Your hearts break with hers. She might never even understand the depth of her predicament because she has known nothing else, but you know the potential of her life, and you desire with all your heart to give it to her. The inability to do so brings even a suffering upon you she will never know. So it is with God. Losing connection with people we love hurts like hell because it is WRONG. It is absolutely contrary to God. Losing someone is sort of like breaking a bone. The leg or arm screams at us, telling us something is terribly wrong. But the good news is it can only scream because it is still connected to its life source. It is not disconnected. It is merely disjointed. Broken, but not detached. We can never be separated from God’s love. It is impossible. We don’t have that much power. And because we are all bound in that love, we are bound to each other. After four months of the unknown, the good news came like a flood and washed over me. I had the privilege of being with you, such a wonderful person and friend, when that happened. But I know to this day that there was a lesson I had to learn through it all, and it was a lesson that completely broke me down before it could build me back up. I had to let my children go to God. I had to realize they were not really mine. Those four months were a season of preparation for me. I had to allow my heart to revisit a fundamental question— Do I even believe in God? I realized that if I truly believe, then I can ONLY believe that God is with them no matter where they live or what they have to endure. They can be separated from me, because they are not truly mine. I am not their Life-source. They are God’s. I am only their keeper, when God is keeping them through me. But God is never limited to me. It always seems as though God waits for us to arrive at this place, and then the floodgates of peace are opened, no matter the answer we get. Rachel, I await the day the blog is silent. I pray it is the day Kamina is in the arms of her keepers. But in this very moment, I pray peace upon all three of you. Because I know THIS is the day you all are in the arms of your Life-source. Because there is only one Life-source, you are bound together forever. No matter what. Love, Stephanie

[chris byers]

Hang in there Keith, seeing that you're doing God's work, trust in Him and believe through faith that it will all work out. If He brought you there---He'll see you through to the other side. Chris, --Sue's team

[Rachel Andrisevic]

Email stuff from Cathy and Rachel
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Cathy Baxter [mailto:[e-mail]] Sent: Sunday, August 02, 2009 3:22 PM To: Rachel Andrisevic Subject: RE: Keith/Kamina Hi Rachel, Finally! I was trying not to take it personally, not being answered, but it was starting to bother me, I must admit. Anyway, I don't understand why I never got a message "undeliverable." That one stumps me. Apparently, someone else has retrieved them. Who knows, huh? Well, if you haven't already read Keith's blog of today, you should. It's a good one. He sounds much better and has told the world how awesome you are! He's adorable, isn't he!? You guys are very lucky to have each other! It was very nice talking with you yesterday. It was comforting to hear an explanation for some of the things I've been wondering about. After I spoke with you, I called my Mom. In attempting to explain why Keith isn't coming home on August 3rd (she still thought he was), I was trying to reassure her and told her Kamina's leg has healed nicely. She was like, "What happened to her leg?" I completely forgot that we never even told her Kamina had her leg/ankle? broken. Anyway, I just told her that there was no need to worry her and we didn't see a reason to tell her and now she's all better. She was fine with that explanation and I just told her he's waiting for a few more papers and then things can be finalized. I told her he is safe and to pray for people to move faster over there. She seemed very disappointed that he isn't on his way home, but she'll be fine. Well, gotta go for now. You take care and let me know if there is anything I can do for you from here. Later, Love ya, Cathy --- On Sat, 8/1/09, Rachel Andrisevic wrote: From: Rachel Andrisevic Subject: RE: Keith/Kamina To: "Cathy Baxter" Date: Saturday, August 1, 2009, 4:57 PM Hey Cath - got it! Need to head out to dinner at a friend's house so will chat with you later. Great talking to you today! Blessings, Rachel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Cathy Baxter [mailto:[e-mail]] Sent: Friday, July 31, 2009 8:50 AM To: Rachel Andrisevic Subject: Keith/Kamina Hi Rachel, I just found out that I've been sending your emails to [e-mail]. I always wondered why you haven't responded to even one of them. Finally, I mentioned this fact to my sister, Marie, and she said she would forward your emails to her, to me. I hadn't noticed the email address until this morning. I can't believe they were never returned to me "undeliverable." I just figured you didn't like me. Just kidding. Anyway, your emails to Marie have been a little reassuring. I'm still praying like crazy for their safe return. My biggest concern is the malaria medicine. I've been asking Keith, and you, in those undelivered emails, how can he get more and does Kamina need more too? Is there anything I can do, anyone I can call, write, or whatever? If so, I need more info. than - "I have a brother and his child that need to get out of Africa, ASAP." Well, gotta go for now. I'm at work. I will attempt to call you over the weekend. Dan's home for a brief visit and we get kind of busy with him, when he's here. Later, Love ya, Cathy

[Rachel Andrisevic]

Thought you would enjoy..
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ronald Stowell [mailto:[e-mail]] Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 6:21 PM To: Rachel Andrisevic Subject: Re: Prayer Request Thanks Rachel. Just want to assure you that you and your courageous husband are in my prayers each day. God bless you both for what you are doing to try to give that little girl a promising life with loving parents. Ron Stowell P.S. Mary Conkling just brought by a check for $50 for "expenses". She said Winston had been stationed in Ethopia about 50 years ago.

[Cathy]

Malaria Meds?
Hello Little Brother, Have you received any additional malaria meds? Went to Steeler Training Camp 3 days ago and they're looking pretty good. I feel a 7th super bowl coming! :) You need to get your butt back on US soil because the first pre-season game is the 13th. Can you believe how early they're starting this year? I know, I know, you have more important things on your mind. Still praying that novena, Love ya, Cathy P.S. How about teach the Pastor and his family this one - HERE WE GO, STEELERS, HERE WE GO! With that large family, they could actually pull off a pretty good crowd wave! :)

[Rachel Andrisevic]

Word from Sister Marie
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Rachel Andrisevic Sent: Wednesday, August 05, 2009 3:33 PM To: '[e-mail]' Subject: RE: Spoke with Keith Oh my gosh Marie - thank you so much for the money! It in no way makes us feel uncomfortable (maybe it should, but doesn't) as we can use all the help we can get. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Blessings and love, Rachel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: [e-mail] [mailto:[e-mail]] Sent: Wednesday, August 05, 2009 4:04 AM To: Rachel Andrisevic Subject: Re: Spoke with Keith Yes, from reading Keith's blog entries, I get the definite impression he's determined to stay until he and Kamina leave together, no matter what it takes. Rachel, I've been wanting to help in some small way financially but didn't want to make you or Keith feel uncomfortable. I'm glad to hear the church members took up a collection for you because I thought that would be a wonderful way for others to be able to help who want to. I'm putting a $50 check in the mail today. If you don't want to accept it for you and Keith, consider it a gift to Kamina Marie, and use it however you need to. Take care, and hang in there, Rachel -

[Tracy Paxson]

Patience
You're definitely getting your lesson in patience, friend! I know you'll hang in there as needed. We're sending all kinds of good thoughts your way. We're eager to see you, as I know you're eager to be here. - Paxsons

[Bro Bill]

We pray for you
Brother Keith, Have only commented once. Hope you understand. Will wait 'til the time is right. Still in our prayers. Follow the yellow brick road....if there is one. Be safe. Bill and Linda

[duke]

brother keep hangin in, there is still only one way out of your position --------> up keep having faith