We have decided that after our year of stepping out in faith, God is calling us to attend the visa appointment on January 12th. He has done so many amazing things for us during this journey, and we can't imagine He is going to stop now.
We will leave for Ghana this Wednesday, January 7 [which happens to be Cam's 40th Birthday...I'm going all out this year and taking him to Africa :] and on Friday the 9th we will have our sweet girl back in our arms ♥
We have been busy getting ready to entertain a 6 year old for several days. This has proven to be a bit more difficult than we thought it would be. We are several years removed from said age...and we will be in a foreign country relying on someone else for transportation [which means will will likely be stuck in a hotel for hours each day]. We have games & toys & are grateful for the portable DVD player that we were able to borrow, but this does promise to be interesting.
Another issue has been the weather in Ghana in January...it is upper 80's - low 90's there. We have spent the last several months acquiring warm cloths for a child who has lived on the equator her entire life but is moving to the frozen land that is Michigan in January...we have had to scramble to find warm weather cloths for her. She will leave the only home she has known for the last 2 years with only the cloths on her back.
The aforementioned leaving is something I [Shannon] am not looking forward to! We have gone back and forth about how this leaving should happen. Our agency has one idea...we have gotten advice from some veteran adoptive parents...and we have an idea of how we would like it go in our heads too. In the end we know that no matter how or when the leaving happens...it.is.going.to.suck!!
How do you ever thank a "mom" and "dad" & other daily caregivers for all they have done for your child? We are certain that without this amazing group of people Christabel would not have survived!! This has been her family for almost 2 years...and while the leaving has to happen for us to become a family...and for her to get the medical treatment she needs...there is no amount of preparation, strategy or timing that is going to make it hurt any less for anyone involved!
HOMe is also a place that has become close to our hearts. It is not just our daughter there whom we love...we love the other children...and William & Pricilla! This has been the most difficult decision making process & we are leaning not on our own understanding for this one and praying that God makes the answer very clear as to when and how the leaving should happen.
The next hurdle has been our accommodations. It is difficult to contact hotels in Ghana as not all of them have internet access or online reservation capabilities. We are excited to have another adoptive family staying at the place we are hoping to stay. They are, hopefully, going to be able to make a reservation for us...if not we will have to figure out some way to call Ghana...which is proving to be more difficult than one would think. **UPDATE: Hotel reserved. A HUGE thank you to the amazing adoptive mom who made this happen for us**
Our visa appointment is scheduled for 7:30 am on Monday the 12th. While we have an "appointment" it really just gets us into the building. We will have to wait our turn which could take a little or a long time. We will be called up to a window, asked a few questions...and then wait for the decision. Prayers for this big day are greatly appreciated!
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ~ Mark 11:24
We will not fly out of Ghana until Friday the 16th, so with our "down time" we are hoping to meet some special people and see some special places. Our first trip to Ghana was such a whirlwind, and quite honestly, a bit overwhelming and I [Shannon] am looking forward to returning to Ghana with a different outlook & a whole lot less fear. Trip #1 was amazing...but it is a blur. It was filled with SO MANY emotions that took weeks to process. This time I will have a better idea of what to expect...and I can't wait to enjoy every minute of it.
Ok...back to the special people and special places. It is our hope to be able to meet the man who saved Christabel! His name is Pastor Joel. We have reached out to him and hope that we are able to connect with him & his family while we are there.
We also hope to be able to meet Christabel's Uncle & Aunt. This will be a little more difficult of a meeting. It is hard to wrap our minds around a culture that puts little to no value on the lives of those with disabilities. It is hard to imagine walking away from a precious little girl who has lost her mother. I have struggled with the prospect of this meeting since the beginning of this journey...but I have realized that I will NEVER understand, I can only love them & choose grace over anger!
We would like to travel to the area of Ghana that Christabel is from, it is an hour + outside of Accra, and we are not sure how all the logistics will work out...but we know that God is in all the details...so we will wait to see what He has in store for us!
Another stop will be the FOCOS hospital where Christabel had her spinal surgery. Not only do we want to see & thank this amazing organization, we have requested medical records from her surgery and her stay so we can pass those on to her pediatrician here in Michigan.
I have to take some time to mention the amazing provision that God has continued to send our way.
We have been blessed beyond measure in regard to financing our adoption journey. And God has not slowed down because we are nearing the finish line. In the last week alone we have been blessed with donations that will pay for half of our upcoming trip!!
We also have been approached by one of the small groups at our church who are organizing a Pancake breakfast fundraiser for us! We are excited that Christabel will be HOME for this event so people can actually see the life they have changed by their gift!
So...as we step into this new year, and we prepare to start our lives as a family of 6, we look back at 2014 with grateful hearts. We are grateful for each prayer, each word of encouragement, each donation, each grant, each person who has listened to our joys and our fears, and for our girls who have heard Christabel's story told over, and over, and over again and still have a smile on their faces [sometimes] and can't wait to gain a little sister!
A few months ago I was asked to share Christabel's story to be used for a fundraising campaign for West African Mercy Ministries [WAMM], which is the organization that runs HOMe where Christabel has been living. Her story is going to be featured this week. Please follow this LINK to read her story...and while you are there go back and read the stories of the other children whose lives have been changed because of WAMM!
Our next update will come to you from Accra, Ghana.
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