Uncertainty

It has been a tough couple of days. Really, weeks. It started out as vague rumors. Then more information was coming in from reliable sources. And now the Ghana adoption community awaits. There may be changes coming. Changes that will put many orphaned children and adoptive families in limbo. Not know exactly what is happening is worse than having all the information.

We have passed court with Afua. Legally she is our daughter and it should mean that at most this might delay or slow down our process. But it shouldn't prevent our sweet girl from joining our family. But of course we don't know.

All we can do is pray, which is the best thing to do anyway. Adoption journeys are filled with moments where we must relinquish control and operate on faith. This is one of those times.

Home Again

Eric is home from Ghana and we have both been processing a lot since then. It always seems to happen this way, the 5 trips we have taken there always produce a re-evaluation of some sort. The obvious is the way we live, the way we consume and our materialistic culture. When water and propane are scarce as it was in Ghana, our life seems excessive. Too much stuff, too much focus on stuff and too much time spent wanting stuff. Coming home feels overwhelming and there is always a need to purge and live more simply. Not a bad thing entirely

Patrick and Afua

Of course the big highlight for the trip was time spent with Afua at her orphanage. Our biggest hope was that we as her parent, Eric would be able to move her to a foster home, a smaller setting with individualized attention. We did what we could to make it happen, but in the end, she will stay at the orphanage for now. They did allow our dear friend to come and visit Afua in our absence. Knowing that someone will check on her, sing to her, pray over her and snuggle with her does this Momma's heart good.

Everyone saying goodbye to Afua

Eric visited Afua daily for a couple of hours and the rest of the time he spent helping out at the   Fern House. There were some practical needs such as getting propane tanks filled (not as easy as our quick run to the gas station), taking donations and visiting a client at her home. Other tasks included looking at potential future properties, vehicle needs and getting to know all the wonderful people at the Fern House. Eric's days were long but fun filled as he checked things off the to do list. 

Looking for new properties for Fern House

I have to share the neatest story from Eric's trip. Patrick (the gentleman in the first picture) and his wife Esther are expecting their first child in April. Eric was the chairman at Patrick's wedding just over a year ago and he usually drives us to places while in Ghana. We consider him a trusted friend and Eric was excited to spend time with him while running errands in Ghana. Both Patrick and Esther's families live far from Accra  and as Esther's due date has been approaching, they were getting worried about how they will manage. Giving birth in Ghana is very different from here as child and maternal mortality rates are high as well as the access to medical care is challenging.

Esther "practicing" with on of the Fern House babies

As Patrick was helping Eric during the week, he learned that the Fern House helps pregnant women in a crisis situation and he witnessed the great work done there. He offered to help them transport things and be a resource if needed. At the same time, Comfort who runs the Fern House (who is a midwife), learned of Esther's pregnancy and wanted to see how she could help the young couple.

Comfort and Esther

Turns out Esther's baby is breech and one evening, the ladies spent time teaching Esther how to encourage the baby to turn. They poured in so much wisdom and loving care into this young couple and offered them hope as her pregnancy was nearing the end. Now they have a place to turn to, a new hope that wasn't there just a week before. Esther was planning to travel 6 hours away from the city to be with her family in a small village. Having Comfort to seek advice from will be a safer option for mother and baby. In a week's time a worry surrounding this pregnancy is now replaced with great joy. I love it!

Not a Goodbye, but see you soon...

The hardest part of our adoption process are the goodbyes. We do it twice and when we meet the third time, we are together forever.

Where we are with the adoption

Last Wednesday, Eric filed our i600 application in Ghana. This begins the investigation on the US side into our adoption. Documents are verified and they make sure Afua was an orphan who qualifies for adoption. I say "was" because she no longer is an orphan. She is our daughter!

One of our documents has a typo on it and we will need to have a corrected version submitted before the investigation concludes. It's minor, but it's good that all documents are accurate and correct.

We are also waiting on Afua's passport, which is a tricky one to obtain. When I think of passports, I think about going to the post office, dropping off an application with pictures and payment and then a few weeks later a passport comes in the mail. Not so in Ghana. It's a long process, the application goes through many hands, machines break down, people may not come to work the day something they do needs to be done and the pace of life is very different. Abandoned children need an adoption passport which takes longer than another type of passport sometimes used. Our passport application is already filed, but it will be weeks until we can get it.

I don't even want to guess how soon Afua will be home. I will be wrong and it will be longer than I would like. 

According to Eric there have been days where she has been smiling and interacting with everyone (as seen in these pictures). There have also been visits where she is lethargic and having a hard time connecting. Those pictures are hard to see. Once I get all of Eric's pictures loaded, get ready for lots of stories. Once again, the trip proved to be about so much more than adoption.

Daddy's Girl

My husband is a wonderful Daddy to our children. I know that he truly enjoys parenthood in so many ways. I had no doubts about him going to visit Afua, but I did hope that they would bond instantly. The orphanage environment isn't always the most comfortable setting and it can be hard to be goofy or overly affectionate around others.

And then I started to get pictures from Ghana and I could see that the two were bonding. Another Daddy's girl in the making.

I am glad for the time they have to spend together and the progress in the adoption process.

Day of Love

Today marks 1 year since Kofi and Joy joined our family. It's been a year of learning, growing and compassion. I made a video to share our first year together and I would love for you to see it.

Our Adoption Video

Time to fly

Tickets are booked for trip #2 to Ghana. This time Eric will be going to the US Embassy in Ghana to file our i600 paperwork, which begins their investigation into our adoption. It usually takes between 30-60 days and then the case is turned over to the consular section that processes her visa into the US. So he will not be able to bring her home just yet.

hang in the little one!

Since that will take one day of his trip, Eric has set aside time for volunteering at the The Fern House. We love how this place is becoming part of our trips and how we can play a tiny part in helping women in a crisis pregnancy situations. My hope is that every woman who wants to parent her children could do so regardless of poverty or a temporary situation. 

So the next week or so will be spent packing and getting things ready for Eric. And organizing all our documents. I can't wait to share about his trip and all that he experiences. These trips are always full of opportunities to serve and grow.