Saturday in Ghana

This was our first full day in Ghana and it was a great one! We started off the day with a delicious breakfast poolside at the hotel. Then we swam for a little while. Our great friend, and the children's former social worker (Ebe), then met us at the hotel and accompanied us to the Accra Mall. This mall is similar to a very small mall that you would find in the US. We enjoyed shopping around with Ebe and the children and buying a few items we needed. We were pleased to realize that there is a movie theater on the second floor and we were able to treat the children to their first movie in a theater, Frozen! This was also Ebe's first movie theater experience. So much fun!!!We also had lunch at the mall. Then we came back to the hotel for some more swimming, coloring, book reading, singing, and dancing. Both of these kids love to dance and crack us up with their moves. Gabriel is very into many of the African songs and dances right now and we are making a list so that we can help him download those songs in America. Today in the mall he even asked me to go up to a DJ and ask him the name of the song because he really liked it. :-)

Debo made great strides today. She is still very attached to mommy but was close enough to touch daddy a few times today and even let him hold her for a few brief seconds. She went to bed much easier tonight.

Gabriel had a hard time falling asleep tonight but I had a sweet chat with him about how all the food we have been eating with him are not right. He said, "it may say jollof rice and look like jollof rice but it does not smell right or taste right." He thinks it is because my skin is a different color. I pointed out that all the restaurant staff, including the chef has skin that is his color and today we even ate in two authentic African restaurants (not the hotel). He made it clear that tomorrow he would just drink tea. Until I reminded him of the sweet sausages that he had for breakfast and then he raised his eyebrows....I don't think his tea fast will last until breakfast. ;-)

Thanks so much for your prayers and support. We are abundantly blessed!

Here are a few pics from today. So sorry for all the Mom and Debo selfies....that's just what we do. :-)

Our Beloved Friend, Ebe

Reunited!

Our flight to Ghana was safe and on time. We were able to sit by each other which was a great blessing to us and there were many great movies and shows offered on our personal television screens. On two separate occasions (once in JFK and once in Accra) we felt SO THANKFUL for our updated visas. We would have certainly encountered some major issues from these two specific people and checkpoints if our visas had been expired. We are grateful for God's provision to give us the time, opportunity and finances to be able to make that right.

When we came out of customs Gabriel came running into our arms with his magnificent smile and enthusiastic personality. Debo was a little more hesitant but was quick to allow require me to carry her. After a few hours she was warmed up to both of us, although she always prefers mom right now.

Some of you might not know about our hotel connection....When it became clear that we should try to stay closer to the airport and the Embassy than our agency's office and the orphanage, we began looking at many hotels. When I saw that there was a Novotel in Accra I felt extremely comfortable because I have been working closely with the Novotel Times Square for many years on the Inheritance of Hope Legacy Retreat. When I told the General Manager of the Times Square Novotel, who has since become a friend, that I was staying at a Novotel he reached out to the GM here in Accra and they upgraded our room to a very lovely suite. We have two bathrooms and everyone has a bed. They even delivered a lovely and delicious fruit tray to our room tonight! We feel so thankful and blessed.

This day was spent playing games with our kids, reading books, swimming in the pool, eating at the hotel restaurant, and watching a few videos. It is hard to believe it is only day number one because it feels like we have been together much longer. Gabriel has been a total rock star. He is affectionate, kind, respectful, helpful, and obedient. He is so grateful for all of his new things that we brought and thanks us regularly. Debo is great one second and shut down the next. There is no question her little heart is scared and she longs for a "normal". I have been able to help her through all of her difficult moments today except bedtime. That was an occasion when I just had to let her sit in the corner and work her way over to the bed on her own. She knew we loved her and were willing to rock, sing, cuddle, read and part of it was definitely the not-want-to-go-to-bed tantrum, but certainly there was some fear and uncertainty that was so hard to watch her wrestle with. Our attempts to help were not helpful at all. Thankfully, it didn't last long and it was a very quiet "tantrum". She just needed some time to come to terms with things and then she crawled into bed on her own.

We were really trying to demonstrate with Gabriel how great bedtime could be as she watched from her corner. When we said "goodnight" to him, I asked if he wanted me to lay there with him for a little while. (Cael is my major snuggler so I still get to do that most every night.) Gabriel seemed a little confused, "You will lay HERE?"
"Sure, if you want me to. Just until you fall asleep."
"OK" (with a sweet little smile)
As I laid behind him with my arms around him,  I wondered if he had ever been snuggled like that. What a wonderful gift for both of us!?!? Hopefully, soon Debo will get to experience the same sweet moment with her mama. I'm ready. (Of course, I have been holding her most of the day so I am certainly not complaining.)

Adam is snoring next to me. It is 9:00pmpm right now in Ghana and 4:00pm EST in the States. Neither of us slept too much on the plane so we will be sleeping good tonight! Enjoy these few pictures from the day.

We're going to Ghana....TAKE TWO!

The last few days in the USA have provided some unexpected down time and the time has been fruitful to learn some very important lessons about trusting God and surrendering control. In some of the hardest moments, God has intimately met our needs and it has been so special. Thank you so much for your continued prayers!!! I KNOW that they have been heard and answered. So grateful!

Some specific answers to prayer:

• The Houston Consulate to Ghana and FedEx were extremely efficient and were able to issue us new updated visas and get them back to us in under 40 hours. We are now leaving for Ghana with everything in order!
• Adam is feeling much better and has virtually completely recovered from his sickness.
• We have had some sweet time with Adam's mom and our two home-grown kids these past few "extra" days. 
• God has met me in places of anxiety and overwhelming stress and has offered me peace and joy through my ultimate trust in Him. I realize it is a constant choice and I am learning to make the choice in each moment. I'm sure I will have many opportunities to continue practicing but these last few days have provided some good practice to get me on the right path. 
• God provided an amazing connection in Accra, Ghana with a West Point grad and his family. We feel so thankful that God has given us this sweet family to connect with and should I need to stay in country longer than Adam the fact that they are there has provided GREAT comfort to me. This connection was God saying to me, "I love you so much sweet child and I care about all of your worries. I have provided a way for you and you can trust me. I may not always show you these provisions of mine but they will always come right when you need them and in just the right way."
• This song really resonated with me today. Enjoy! God willing, we will be landing in Ghana tomorrow morning when most of you are waking up. Thanks for your continued prayers!!

From where I'm standing
Lord it's so hard for me to see
Where this is going
And where You're leading me
I wish I knew how
All my fears and all my questions
Are gonna play out
In a world I can't control

Oh, oh

When I'm lost in the mystery
To You my future is a memory
Cause You're already there
You're already there
Standing at the end of my life
Waiting on the other side
And You're already there
You're already there

Oh, oh, oh, oh

From where You're standing
Lord, You see a grand design
That You imagined
When You breathed me into life
And all the chaos
Comes together in Your hands
Like a masterpiece
Of Your picture perfect plan
When I'm lost in the mystery
To You my future is a memory
Cause You're already there
You're already there
Standing at the end of my life
Waiting on the other side
And You're already there
You're already there

One day I'll stand before You
And look back on the life I've lived
I can't wait to enjoy the view
And see how all the pieces fit [x2]

One day I'll stand before You
And look back on the life I've lived
Cause You're already there
You're already there
When I'm lost in the mystery
To You my future is a memory
Cause You're already there
You're already there
Standing at the end of my life
Waiting on the other side
And You're already there
You're already there

You are already there

Trip is delayed!

Our flight was cancelled tonight due to bad weather in NY. God willing, we will now be leaving for Ghana on Thursday. We are worn out and disappointed right now but we have seen God's hand in so many things that we can't help but feel incredibly blessed:

-Our multiple entry visas that were suppose to be good for 3 years had an expiration date of 6 months (an error, but the reality nonetheless). We noticed this yesterday. We made some hasty calls and inquiries and decided to take somewhat of a risk and go anyway with the plan to buy a visa upon arrival in Ghana (risky, yes).  This delay is allowing us to get accurate visas and travel with peace of mind. 

-Adam woke up feeling terrible yesterday. He actually didn't even get out of bed most of the day. This delay will allow him to recover and feel well for our trip on Thursday.

-I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if we received an email from the Embassy that Gabriel's visa was printing and God was saving us the "fight". However, even if that doesn't happen I have no doubt that God is totally in control of this delay.

-I have an amazing bible study group taking turns each hour praying for us today and God was faithful to hear their prayers. He has sustained us through this delay and will continue in the days ahead. 

We are so blessed, indeed.  

Our bags were already checked so they will make a home in the storage zone at Atlanta airport until we return on Thursday and hopefully they will be on the flight to Ghana with us.

After a cab ride, some money orders, some passport pictures, a bit of money and two overnight Fed-ex mailers our new visas are in the works and should arrive at our house by 10am on Wednesday.

Our hearts are breaking for the two sweeties in Ghana who already packed their bags for a week with their mommy and daddy. They were already in bed when we let the house mom know we would not be arriving tomorrow. Please pray for them. She will help them create a new countdown chart and God willing, we will be there on Friday to give them lots of love. 

I am emotionally and physically spent. I wish I were on a flight to Ghana right now but I will settle for my comfy bed and thank God that I am not stuck in JFK airport all night. I will thank Him for a husband that thrives in situations that are ever-changing and considers them a wonderful adventure even while nursing a cold. I will thank Him for two beautiful kids that were happy to see me back home tonight and for a loving foster home where someone will hug my other two children and assure them of my love and desire to be there. I will thank Him for the financial resources to be able to purchase another visa and make it right so we won't encounter troubles. I will thank Him that the trials of this day tested my faith to develop perseverance in me so that I can be mature and complete. I will thank Him.

Final thought for today....as Adam and I were waiting at the gate we were discussing this whole adoption journey and I had an epiphany...Bringing these kids home is NOT the final goal. The final goal...the ultimate goal...is to honor God with our lives. He has called us to adopt these two children. We know that. He knows the timing and the circumstances. God willing, we will bring them home very soon but ultimately we will try to honor Him even as we struggle through the bumps in the road.

Thank you to all of you who have been carrying us through prayers, notes, gifts, meals, treats, hugs, rides, texts, emails, scriptures. We are so grateful for each of you!!!

We are going to Ghana!

It has been 8 months since we were last in Ghana.

8 months since we last hugged our two precious kids who are there.

8 months of many ups and downs, many tears and joys, many, many many emails and phone calls.

This past week has been one of the hardest of the entire journey. Two things happened to make it clear that we need to go to Ghana now:

1. Due to financial constraints our agency made the decision to let the Ghana social worker go. The one I often described as an "angel on earth" and a "selfless saint". She is the only person in Ghana that we trust 100% with our kids. She earned our trust through her countless acts of service for our children and others and through her devotion to their well being, safety and health. We have been literally grieving the loss of her job and the stability that it provided to our children, as well as the personal ramifications that has on her life. This news has wrecked us and challenged us. She is still glorifying God and trusting His plan and sovereignty for her life. We plan to see her while we are in Ghana and encourage her. (likely she will encourage us!) She has become a friend for life. 
2. Our friend, Edie, went to Ghana last Monday and came home with her son, Robert, this past Tuesday. She realized that his case was not progressing and that her presence in country made all the difference. Please note, their case was completely different from ours and, although we are hoping and praying for the same results, we are not overly optimistic. 

Based on these two circumstances, we made the decision to fly to Ghana on Monday. Adam will return after a week and hopefully Gabriel, Debora and I will be on that same flight home. We will follow God's leading, but I am prepared to stay longer if we feel it would help. We just really want to get these kids home, especially now that they don't have Auntie Ebe looking after them. She was a lifeline for us. 

We are waiting for Gabriel's visa to print and all we know is that it is still in "administrative processing". We don't know anything else and we can't get any information. A very specific prayer need right now is that we can get into the Embassy to ask our questions. This is the US Embassy. They will not let us in without a notice and when I requested an appointment via email this week they denied me. Our congressperson has reached out on our behalf to request a meeting. Even once we get that meeting, we will pray that we can get someone to give us information about Gabriel's case and hope and pray we can do something to help it progress.  

We still know without a doubt that God is in control. There is such a fine balance between waiting-and-trusting and doing-and-trusting. We have been waiting and trusting for awhile. We definitely feel like God wants us to go to Ghana right now so that is what we are doing but He doesn't tell us the results or the path. So.we.keep.trusting. 

I'm not gonna lie. It is not easy. But this is what I cling to today (and I am writing this more for me than you):

1. I get to see my other two kids in 3 days!!!!
2. I get to travel with my best friend and amazing husband for a week!!!
3. I have family and friends praying and supporting our family!!!
4. God's got this!!!

The bible verse at the end of my devotion reading today was from Genesis 28:15

"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you." Thanks God. I'm gonna need you in Ghana and I'm gonna need you here. Thank you for being with me and not leaving me. You haven't promised me an easy road but you have promised to be with me. That's all I need. I love you. 

A Two-Continent Mother

1. She is constantly looking at the clock and counting 5 hours ahead to determine what half of her children are doing.

2. She takes lots of photos of the two kids that she is driving around and tucking in and cheering on and she CONSTANTLY stalks facebook for photos of the other two kids who are on the other side of the world. 

3. She forgets everything! She spends hours picking a select few gifts to send on a plane to the other continent for her precious kids only to remember she forgot to bring the shoes her son politely requested. So then she drives an hour and half round trip to get them only to forget that her physically-present son has a basketball game. He missed the game.

4. She cries a lot. When she forgets the shoes. When she forgets the basketball game. When she looks at the empty beds. When she gets new pictures from the other continent. When she hears one son or daughter pray for the other son or daughter on the other side of the world. When the embassy emails. When the embassy doesn't email. When the agency calls. When the agency doesn't call. 

5. She wakes up often in the middle of the night. (See item #1)

6. She tries so hard to be polite and sweet, but half her heart is on another continent and it is hard. 

7. She is SO VERY weak but she also knows with all her heart that Christ's power is made perfect in her weakness. What does that mean? It means when you see her smile, even with a few tears, and tell you she trusts God, she really means it. 

God has NEVER let her down. Even when she struggles, He assures her that He is still in control and that He cares so much. Sometimes He shows her He cares through a song, or a scripture. He might have even showed her He cared this week by delivering a dozen yummy cupcakes to her door. (Well, I'm pretty sure God likes to use people and He has probably given her some of the BEST people He has created to show her His love during this difficult time.....people that know she likes chocolate cupcakes with no hint of peanut butter mixed in at all!)

Doesn't this look like God's love!?!

She is definitely not SUPERMOM. Her house is pretty messy. She usually has dog hair all over her and she might even wear the same clothes for a few days. But, she REALLY loves to glorify God and she knows that even in a difficult time of waiting she can do that. I'm sure she also knows that even when all of her children are on the same continent it will still be pretty hard sometimes. Good thing she is not relying on her own strength because.....have you seen her lately?!?!?  She is an absolute mess!!!

Thank you friends!  You really are some of the best people that God created and I am blessed to have you!

A few informational updates:

-Debo's visa has printed and she is ready for America. Yay!!

-Gabriel's mother was interviewed by the Embassy and is very supportive of the adoption and his new family (us). Apparently, her interviews went well but now they would like to interview some "other family members". I don't really know who or when or why. Those are questions I have asked and I don't think I will get an answer. I know it is very hard to understand. Believe me. I know. It really doesn't make a lot of sense. The only explanation I can give is this: Ghana stopped all adoptions because there was a lot of corruption happening in adoptions. Some biological mothers were being paid money for their children. Some were being told their children will go to America and get a good education and then come back in a few years and take care of them. I imagine Gabriel's mother was asked if these things had happened to her. We KNOW beyond any doubt that everything in our case has happened ethically and without corruption but the Embassy is doing their due diligence to make sure no more corruption happens while the process is being "cleaned up." I imagine they want to ask the family members to verify what his mother told them. That is just my best guess and it makes sense to me so I will embrace it for now. Apparently, the people that they would like to interview all live close to the city so hopefully that means they will be easy to reach and will be able to come in quickly. I don't anticipate to get any word until the interviews are completed and his visa is ready to print. I don't know if that will take one week, one month or one year. I have no idea! I PROMISE I will update the blog as soon as anything happens. In the meantime we will wait. We will bring them home together. We will trust God's perfect timing and try to glorify Him while we wait. 

Out family is so grateful for everyone's support, encouragement and prayers throughout this long process. Thank you so much for sticking by us and caring so much. We are so grateful.  

As most of you know, our children have been with another little boy for the past 10 months. He has also been adopted by a family that lives very close to us. We have become great friends and I cannot imagine doing this journey without them. His mom made a very difficult decision to leave her two home-grown kids here and fly to Ghana on Monday to spend some time with her son there. (They are also in a holding pattern right now waiting for his visa.) She was able to deliver those few gifts I mentioned above to our kids with some hugs and lots of reminders that we love them and will be coming soon. Apparently our kids love their special treats:

Gabriel: "Thank you!!! God bless them, I want to come there soon, I Love my spiderman and I miss them!!!" 

Debo: "Thank you, thank you, I like the books and my this shirt (Hello Kitty) and underwear and my shoes, I want to stay America!"

Then as Debo was looking at my facebook profile picture which is a picture of me and Adam she said, "This and this...I am happy for them!" while pointing at me and Adam. I think that means she love us in her limited English. :-)

Some new pajamas for our sweeties! Look! They sleep in a comfy bed now. They are staying at a "transitional home" instead of an orphanage. It is like a foster home. 

Apparently, Gabriel really likes his new clothes and Debo won't put down the photo book we made for her. She also has a new headband and some "fancy" necklaces. The lady in the middle is an angel on earth, our social worker in Ghana. Seriously people. Angel.On.Earth.

This silly boy loves spiderman! This DVD was a Christmas gift from Granny and Papa.

Back to this continent....CAEL TURNED 10 on Sunday! My baby boy is a decade old. It is so hard to believe!!!  We celebrated by taking him and a few of his closest friends to a skating, laser tag, playzone place for hours of fun. He is pretty easy to please and he greatly enjoyed the day. Happy Birthday Cael! 

I'm pretty sure if all my kids were on one continent I would have had his hair cut before this picture!  Who am I kidding...it's only going to get harder to make time for a haircut with 4 kids. Good thing he is still so cute with long shaggy hair!

 I guess I can't leave Liz out of this post. She is the best 6th grade 12 year old that I know! Thankful to have her as the eldest of our troop. She spends every moment possible flipping, stretching, jumping and stunting. Our little cheerleader in more ways than one. She's also a little silly!

That's all sweet friends! Thanks for caring enough to read to the end. 

Ghana...here we come!

We got an email yesterday. The administrative review for Debora is complete and her visa is ready to be printed! We are so thankful and happy and excited and blessed!!!

They are still processing Gabriel's visa and would like to meet with his biological mother before completing the review. This meeting will happen on Monday.

We are hopeful all will go well on Monday and both of our children will have their visas next week. God willing, we are hoping and planning to fly to Ghana on Monday, January 20th to get our children and bring them home!!!

Lord, your will be done. We trust you with this and all things. Amen