Our First Update from Africa

Wow!  Have we only been in Africa for 24 hours?!?!  This is going to be a long update because this has been a very long and wonderful day!

We got to Atlanta International Airport with plenty of time to spare and make it to JFK very easily.  We did not have seats assigned to us for the JFK to Accra flight because the flight was so full and we ended up arriving at the ticket counter very close to boarding time so we were concerned that we might both be sitting in middle seats apart from each other. Well……God gave us an incredible gift! The lady at the ticket counter said, “I am about to make your day” and then she proceeded to give us boarding passes that said First Class, premium seating. My mom and dad had already offered to pay a pretty steep charge so that we could sit in economy comfort seats if we ended up being stuck apart and I know they were really praying for us to be together on the very long flight. God is able to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine and He did! We flew 10 hours in amazing recliners with sweet staff catering to our every need.  It was really quite overwhelming to us!

I am so thankful we were able to sleep so well and so much on the flight because when we arrived in Accra at 1pm Ghana time we met our kids for the first time!!!  We didn’t expect them to be there. What a gift!  Although they were slightly hesitant at first, within minutes they were in our laps . They are not very quick to smile but when they do it sure does make it worth the wait.  They both have big beautiful smiles!

We gave them both photo books and they really enjoyed looking through all the pictures and talking about who is in each picture. We had pictures from the orphanage in there and they told us all the kids’ names. We had pictures of our neighborhood and home, which they love.  In fact, when we got to the page with the neighborhood bike parade from the fourth of July last year our son exclaimed,, “I LIKE THAT!” He talks all the time about the bike waiting for him in America.  I guess we better get one soon. ;-) (Our neighborhood has already agreed to get them bikes….thanks neighbors!!!)

After looking through her photo book, our daughter fell fast asleep in my lap. We drove about an hour to our hotel and she slept the whole way. Our son is in IN LOVE with the iphone. He really enjoys playing Subway Surfer and Bike Mania. ;-) They both LOVE chewing gum. (Extra brand, peppermint). It is funny how much they love the gum. Our son will put a couple pieces in his mouth and chew it forever. Our daughter, however, will break off a very tiny piece from the stick and eat it for a little while and fold up the rest really neatly in the wrapper. Then she will give it to me and break off another little piece.  She wants to make it last. ;-)

After checking into our hotel we joined two other Bethany families for a meal at another local hotel. On our way there our poor little girl did not feel well and ended up throwing up several times in the car. She was in my lap so we both ended up pretty covered in vomit. We bonded. I will leave it at that.

At the meal, we really enjoyed getting to know our kids and also connecting with other families and their adoptive children as well as the social workers. We learned a few things about our kids during this time. Our son loves to eat! He ate several pieces of fried chicken and rice and some of Adam’s chicken kabob. Then he asked another little girl next to him if she was done and ate the rest of her chicken, too. He is going to be big and strong! He also loves to swim. There was a pool next to the restaurant and as soon as the meal was done he was taking off his pants and asking to swim. He was so happy when we said yes and he swam until they closed the pool for the day. Our first challenge in parenting was getting him out of the pool. He is not still swimming so I guess we were successful? I’m sure we will do even better next time. ;-)

Both of our kids also LOVE to dance. At the meal there was some music playing softly in the background and they both showed us some pretty amazing dance moves. It was very cute and funny. Our daughter has mostly been attached to me and a little more hesitant with Adam.  Although, at the pool he was sitting on the side and she ran into his arms and stayed there for a while. She was not at all interested in swimming.

This morning was our scheduled court date in Cape Coast.  Since that is about 2-3 hours away and our children’s orphanage is also very far away  our children spent the night at the social worker’s house.  We would have loved to have them with us at the hotel but it is not allowed by our agency on this trip.  They both asked  begged the social worker to stay with us which made us feel really good. Our daughter cried as I put her in the backseat but she had the photo book so at least she could look through the pictures.

In order to get to court right when it opens we needed to leave our hotel at 5am this morning. Needless to say, after spending the night on a plane (even with amazing seats!) and then having a busy, fun day with our kids, we were anxious to get some rest before waking up at 4:30am. Unfortunately our power was out right when we got back.  We used a flashlight to fumble around and took some VERY quick , cold showers and went to bed. The hotel manager knocked on the door a little after midnight to tell us the power was back on and we could turn on our air conditioner. Adam didn’t even know where he was when I told him to answer the door. Poor guy.

4:30am came quickly and we loaded a large van with our family and kids, another family and their daughter and the social workers, Bethany worker and driver to make the drive to Cape Coast. Our daughter slept the whole way and our son played Subway Surfer most of the way.  I also convinced him to play a few rounds of “Spot It”.

We were all dressed up in nice clothes and while we waited for court to open we took a little walk to the beach (Pictures to come when we are allowed).  As court opened we found seats in the back and waited patiently.  Adam and our son walked around the building a few times before our son decided to go back to the van and fall asleep. ;-) Did I mention in was like 98 degrees outside and the van was off!  We opened all the doors and windows but he was soaked with sweat. After waiting about 2 and a half hours we were told that the judge was sick today and would not be hearing any cases. Thankfully, we were assigned a court appointment for tomorrow. Please pray that the judge will be present and we will get our adoption approval very quickly.  The other family that we are staying with is flying out tomorrow night so it is VERY important that things happen efficiently.  Monday is a holiday here so if our cases aren’t tried tomorrow then we will be required to use the Bethany Power of Attorney to take care of court for us next week. As it is, we will be heading out in the morning at 5am again to make the drive to Cape Coast and try for court again.

Since we were in Cape Coast with some time to spare we all went to the Castle to see the heart of the former slave trade. Our tour was amazingly insightful and gut wrenching.  The conditions that the Africans endured in this castle before being deported to slavery in America is absolutely devastating.  As we felt exhausted and very hot, we quickly realized we are in no position to complain about anything. We are so thankful to have that perspective. We were also able to drive along the coast and take in the beautiful scenery. There were MANY street vendors and people walking along the roads. Our driver was very aggressive and made some “chicken-game-like” passes on the two lane roads. It was quite an adventure!

We had an enjoyable time with our kids in the car. They are definitely interacting with us a lot and really seem to be enjoying us. Our daughter has become my little parrot.  She likes to repeat everything I say. We did some flash cards while waiting in court today and she beautifully repeated all the items on the cards. “elephant” “frog” “cat” “Fish” She learned how to do a fish face.  She counts in English when we climb stairs. She LOVES to be held and I have carried her almost all the time that we are together but today when I got tired I convinced her to hold my hand.  

Neither of our children speak English very well but our son certainly does a lot better than our daughter. We are so thankful for our social worker who speaks their language and helps immensely! She is keeping the children at her home again tonight. She is a lovely lady that works very long and hard hours to help orphans find their forever home. WE are so thankful for her!

When we got back to the hotel tonight our daughter was asleep in the van and our son insisted on staying with us. His social worker told him that was not possible and as Adam hugged him he cried so hard. I hugged him and kissed him through his tears and assured him we would see him in the morning. He has said numerous times that he wants to go home with us now.  WOW!!! This mama walked away from the van with tears matching her sweet boy.

Tomorrow will come quickly. Alarm set for 4:30 am AGAIN. Please pray for a well and present judge and for us all to pass court. We are doing well and definitely feel your prayers! I know for sure that Dramamine is not the only thing helping my severe motion sickness on these crazy roads with our aggressive driver. The power of prayer is amazing!  We are so thankful for each of you and we are feeling so thankful for these precious two children God has given us. We are so excited to introduce them to Liz and Cael!