Finally HOME

Finally, and finally, HOME!

Packing was fun

On our way to the airport!

Our facilitator's brother helped us through the check-in process at the airport (facilitator parked the car). I was very thankful he was there to help with the luggage! The check-in process is quite complicated. There is the initial customs check, two ticket/passport checks prior to the actual Delta desk, a checked-luggage search (manual and mandatory), immigration (and if you've overstayed your expected stay, as I did, you get to go visit the Immigration officers and pay a "fee"), then the first and most complete security check (x-ray, liquids, metal detector), then a ticket/passport/visa check, a carry-on luggage search (manual and mandatory - and sometimes a gender-specific body pat down), and, at last, the long walk out the tarmac to the airplane steps.

I had a few problems along the way (was an hour late due to the US time change...flight was leaving an hour earlier...ooops! and had to pay the immigration "fee", but the officer had mercy and accepted my 17 cedi rather than the "required" 40 cedi) and a few blessings (was allowed to take my thermos of hot water for baby bottles and one of the ticket/passport/visa checkers called me out of line to sit down while he did my check).

We were able (another huge blessing on a PACKED flight) to get a bulkhead seat with an empty chair between me and another lady with a child. I also was able to use the bassinet - which was a huge help! L was really so good on the flight. She had a few fussy periods, but for the most part she was really happy. We played and walked for the majority of the flight. She did sleep just a little bit -2 half hour naps...that is IT! So, I didn't sleep at all. It was tiring being in baby play mode for all that time!

Here is L in her bassinet.

Had many people who helped along the way - kind flight attendants and gate personnel, passengers who helped with overhead bins, Dan who carried my second carry-on bag all the way to immigration at JFK, the immigration officer who helped me fill out my form and moved me up to an open window, another passenger who helped me with my bag onto the second flight, and Dan, again, who carried my extra bag off the plane in Charlotte and all the way to baggage claim! (HI, DAN!)

It was SO GOOD to see the kids - but they looked HUGE! I swear they got bigger while I was gone. L was sound asleep in the wrap, so they were as quiet with their "Hello"s as they could be.

She got a little upset on the ride home, so I squished between the seats and sat beside her. Not at all safe, but after six weeks of riding without a seatbelt it didn't seem so bad.

Here we are coming in the front door.

It was nearly midnight by the time we'd all gotten in and had some snuggle time. L was practically loopy, but she seemed to enjoy the goofy faces all the kids made.

L surrounded by siblings

Trying out a "yoga" pose inspired by L.

All snuggled up!

Leaving on a jet plane...

Yes! I have L's visa in my hands! We will be leaving early tomorrow morning (10am) and expect to pull into Charlotte at a little before 10pm (that is 2am Ghana time). It will be a very long day! I'm finishing my packing tonight and trying to get L to sleep so I can have a bath before the morning. Our flight is at 10:20, but we have to arrive 3 hours early for the various security checks.

While I am very happy about heading home, my joy is tempered. Our traveling companions, Aimee and Ben, are not going to be traveling with us. Due to some complications with the interview of the birthmom, the embassy has requested DNA testing to confirm parentage. There is no question in anyone's minds (Aimee and Bed, our facilitator, our agency, me) that she is the biomom...but the embassy needs more proof because of some misstatements made.

It is really too bad the embassy can't just judge by their appearances because A (their daughter) and her biomother look strikingly alike.

The DNA will be sent to a lab in Richmond, VA and will then be sent directly back to the embassy. When they recieve the positive results, a visa will automatically be issued. No further interviews or paperwork. The DNA process takes 3-4 weeks.

It nearly broke my spirit when Ben turned away from the interview window and shook his head. He was very upset, but kept it together so he could do the work needed to be done today. Aimee is so upset, of course. She doesn't understand why this is happening...and I'm right there with her. All they want is to bring their daughter home!

We started this trip together and we've been together every step of the way. I HATE leaving without them. I HATE even more that they are having to stay longer. Please pray for them and for the DNA process. They need a miracle!

Having been here 6 weeks already, I can tell you another month really seems like an eternity. This whole trip has been entirely emotionally draining. International adoption is a bit of an emotional minefield

Please pray for them!

Finally - GOOD NEWS!

I had this whole email typed out about how we didn't get the passports today and we'd just see how it went tomorrow...when guess what...

WE GOT THE PASSPORTS!

Our facilitator asked the passport director's secretary (with whom he'd become friends after spending so much time there the past two days) to call him if the director came back in this evening. Apparently, that is how he works, meetings all day and then in for some desk work in the evening and the secretary has to be there for all of it. (I'm just guessing here.)

Tomorrow early morning (like 4am) our facilitator will go out to Kasoa where the birthmoms are staying and bring them in to town. We'll meet at the embassy as early as possible - maybe even by 7:30 (when they open). The embassy will review the birthmoms' passports (to be sure they are who they say they are), possibly reinterview them, possibly reinterview us, and then we will be done. We should know before we leave if we are approved to get the visas. The embassy can turn around visas in 24 hours...and they have for the other family here (going home tomorrow - Yea, Faubles!). So we hope/expect to get them Thursday and fly on Friday.

Again, glitches could still happen, but it looks really good that we'll be HOME on Friday!

I'm going to be HOME!!!

having a good appetite

....when a child is little and he learns a lot of history, fairy tales, Bible stories, great music, good dances, etc. he will have that in his soul’s storehouse. Then, when he is a teenager and the meaningless garbage of kitsch culture draws him, he’ll at least have alternatives. He’ll have an appetite for things that taste much better.

- Andrew Kern, Quiddity blog, Jan 13, 2009

No News is not Good News

Well, the title says it all. The passports for the birthmoms (their required photo idea for the US Embassy-an additional requirement) are waiting to be signed. We were told that they were done and ready for pick up, but this was not the entire truth. Unfortunately, the passport office director was out of the office in meetings all day today, so we had no chance of getting them signed today and thus, no embassy visit.

I wish we'd been given a true assessment of the situation instead of being told the "rosey" picture. It is like having the rug pulled out from under you and has been, unfortunately, par for the course at each hurdle during this in-country process. It isn't really any one person's fault but rather a "perfect storm" situation.

I'd love to say that "maybe tomorrow", but I really can't say that. All I can say is, "We'll see."

If ANYONE has any contacts with the Ghana Passport Office director, we sure could use a small favor! We just need to catch him at the office and get those passports signed. (If you have such a contact, would you leave a comment? Or contact my hubby, if you know him personally.)

We distracted ourselves today with blog posting and a walk to a batik store (closed, we'll go back tomorrow). Please pray for our disappointed hearts....and for a miracle tomorrow. We really, really, really need a miracle.

A funny thing happened on the way to Accra...

This is L sleeping on my knees during part of the ride back to Accra yesterday. She wiggled and jiggled for the first half of the trip and then fell fast asleep for the second half. Not too bad! So, what did I do while she slept... Took the opportunity to snap some photos, of course!

How about some on the road shopping? Here you go...

This market, right along an old colonial wall in Elmina, is a pretty common type of "market" in Ghana. You'll see just about everything being sold here - fish, shoes, vegetables, cell phone minutes, sunglasses, plantain chips, etc. People bring their wares and set up "shop" right on the sidewalk.

Mini-marts on the head - yes, these street vendors are like walking mini-marts. They have a little of everything you might need and some things you really don't. Water, chips, juice, mints, fruit and also, posters, super glue, belts, etc. My favorite on the road purchases have been plantain chips - really good! We've also purchased cell minutes, chocolate, and an electrical outlet converter from these street vendors.

Dry goods? Yes, I think these would somewhat classify. These are "yams" and are a staple food here. When boiled they are a lot like potatoes in taste and texture, but a little waxier. Very tasty!

Need some supplies for your small business? How about a sliding-glass-topped freezer for your grocery store? Get them righ there under this tree!

And finally, a bookstore!

Now this is not the only shopping- there are also more modern shops in Osu (a neighborhood frequented by embassy personnel) and of course the shopping mall. But this is how most of Ghana shops.

We are back in Accra. Here we are having dinner en suite. Notice the bed-baricade to the left of L. This is so she won't roll off the bed in the middle of the night. In Coconut Grove we had a small crib, but here we have to do it the make-shift way.

Talked with the kids (HI KIDS!) and Erik...and my Mom - today is her birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! (Send her an email or leave a comment and help me wish her a happy day.)

L's keeping herself entertained while I finish unpacking and getting the room situated. See that pretty blue batik fabric? That is my new and favorite baby wrap! I've had a request for a tutorial...I'll do that when I get home. :)

Thought you might get a laugh out of my laundry room here in Ghana. Have I mentioned I can't wait to get home to my washer and dryer? :) When we arrived, we had water (this is never a sure thing here), so I decided to make good use of it and get my laundry done and a bath. Oh, I feel so much better - clean clothes and clean me!

Tomorrow morning we expect a return embassy visit to finish our interview process. I'll update the blog (as long as the internet cooperates) as soon as we get home.

My blogger friend, Jessica, has this great blog: Homemaking Through the Church Year and she is hosting a fantastic Lenten Carnival. She's done this before, but missed a year while having twins last spring. Oddly enough, that year I hosted a carnival called An Anglican Family Lent. Well, this year, I'm out of the country and she is back to hosting her Lenten Carnival again!

Hey, maybe next year we'll team up and have a HUGE carnival! :) Until then, go check out her carnival there are lots of submissions and they look GREAT!

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Last Day in Paradise...

Well, our R&R tour at Coconut Grove has come to an end. We have one more night to sleep listening to the rhythmic crash of the ocean and the rustle of wind through the palms. One more morning to wake to a bleached-out sun that rises quickly, clearing the palms to almost overhead before 10am. Perhaps one more walk on the beach with it's craggy outcroppings of basalt-black rock and its daily harvest of sea shells, coconuts, and the occasional flip-flop. One more morning of cocoa-and-nescafe-au-lait (this is really the best one can do for coffee here!).

Even a place as truly lovely as this can lose its lustre when you are homesick. And so it has for me....

So, tomorrow back to the sweaty streets of Accra with its sewers and sellers, and stares. Back to the hotel with spotty internet, daily power outages, and less-than-ideal water supply. Back to Joseph, our waiter, and "no juice" and only jollof for dinner. And all that is OK because it means we are closer to getting HOME.

Erik says he wishes I had some red slippers so I could click my heels and say, "There's no place like home, there's no place like home," and be home before dinner. And despite my tendency toward a touch of wanderlust, I plan on staying put "in my own back yard" for quite some time!

Tomorrow the 3 hour drive...Monday the embassy re-interview...and updates to come!

Getting ready for Good Friday

Last year on Good Friday my family hosted a "Way of the Cross" (or Stations of the Cross) for children and families in our home. It was really well-recieved with some 20 families (church and homeschool friends) coming to participate. I'd hoped to do it again, but with the extended African stay and a newly adopted infant in the house, I'm hesitant. I've thought about doing at our church office's chapel, however, there is something very comfortable for the participants about having it in one's home. So, I'm thinking it over.

Perhaps you'd like to consider doing this with your family, church and community? I started by planning this about a month out, so you've got time to do it! Next I determined how many stations and which ones. (Different traditions have different numbers of stations - some based solely on direct scriptural references and others on traditional church teachings. Enjoy the freedom here to select the ones that will meet your audience's needs.) I also decided what type of artwork I wanted to display and what object lessons I'd include. Finally, I found resources for devotional readings for each station.


Everyone who came was really blessed by the experience and so was my family!

Here are quick links to those posts:
The initial planning
Choosing the artwork and the stations
Devotions for a Way of the Cross for Children
Good Friday's Way of the Cross for Children
Sitting Shiva for Jesus



Are you planning a Way of the Cross, or other special event, for you family or church?


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