Wednesday turned out to be pretty much a repeat of Tuesday. We traveled to the orphanage in the morning, played with Alyssa and waited for some encouraging words from Thao. Unfortunately, nothing positive was coming out of the People’s Committee. Mrs Hai had called the People’s Committee chair and he had approved the G&R, but the admin process was moving slowly and final approval had not been given.

That evening we all went into downtown Phan Thiet to do some shopping and sightseeing. We wanted to get some drinks and snacks to have in our rooms and pick up some last minute baby items we had forgotten to bring with us. It was a fun evening and a wonderful opportunity to see a provincial Vietnamese city. The city was bustling with people riding everywhere on motorbikes. The shopping area was filled with many small shops selling just about anything a person could want to buy.

As we returned to the hotel and Thao asked us about the next day’s plans, it was evident that everyone was becoming impatient with the process and that the frustration level was rising. Everybody was thrilled to be able to see their babies in the orphanage, but all really just wanted to have them with them in the hotel to hold them, feed them and care for them. It was clear that the seemingly endless wait was taking its toll on everyone.

Thao told us she was fairly certain that the G&R could still be held on Friday, but there was still nothing definite from the People’s Committee and that was only her best estimate on what might happen. She also said she hoped to get word of the final approval early the next day, Thursday, August 31.

Thank you Tim, for letting us share your journey, your writing is wonderfully informative. We are sooooooo happy for all of you!

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