Proof of the "Puffs"
Friday, August 27, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Sophia YaYa Johanna Maudlin
My sweet little almost 5 year old! Sophia is quite a character...she is very determined and very girlie girl. She loves dresses and looking pretty. She wanted mommy to put "puffs" in her hair! LOL....Mommy attempted and she was very kind about the results and even left them in for 5 minutes! I miss my little sweetheart..soon baby girl...soon!
Larry Kojo Jabari Maudlin
Mr. Handsome! I love my Larry...such a sweet little boy. Loves to swim and wants to know how everything works, he will be like his big brother Nick! Very intelligent and does very well at math. I played soccer with Larry in the court yard and he would just laugh at how terrible mommy was at "football" Larry also loved to use the cell phone and call home to speak with big sisters, Jessica, Katie and Elissa. I miss my son!
I know its been a long time!
Well...I am ashamed of how long it has been since I posted anything. It would seem like everything has just been moving in such a fast forward mode...it is hard to get a breath...like my agency director always reminds me "just breathe"!
Okay...where did we leave off? Hmmm...that's right we were on our way to Ghana! Okay...back at JFK in New York (next day) we are waiting to board feeling very confident..now that we had the entire Visa issue under control. Our plane was late boarding and sat on the runway for about 2 hours! Yikes....another "glitch" for this mission. Oh well at least we were on the plane, right?
Okay some 11 hours later we land in Ghana!!! Accra!!!! We are here....we get off the plane and walk up to the Visa upon arrival window. The lady was very nice and looked at our crumpled email copy and said "okay about 5 minutes" so we pay her the $300 US for the visas and have a seat. When 5 minutes had came and gone we saw her take our paperwork into a room down the hallway and when she returned she no longer had our paperwork or passports! Not a good sign....hmmm....then she approached us and said "my boss would like to speak with you". Okay...no problem, right? Wrong! This gentlemen was not convinced of our motives and why we were in his "GHANA"! We explained, we showed Dossier, we explained more, we showed emails on laptops and everything we could think of! He kept us for over 2 hours and threatened to put us on a plane back to the US! It was horrible...Dan and I both had puke bags from the airplane in our hands! LOL Finally our in country rep showed up and worked his magic and we were off!!!! Thank you "P"!!! P would have been there earlier, but guess where he was? Court!! Yep that's right...our court! He had explained to the Judge what had happened. So as we left the airport and sped toward the court P got a call and held up his hand and said "It is finished" and is approved! I said what is approved...? He said the Judge has granted it. My babies ? Yes we were now the mama and daddy to Larry and Sophia. Couldn't believe it. I said now what? He said I will take you to the Hotel to meet your children. Amazing!! So we arrived at the Hotel and met a couple of friends that I had met online that were adopting a wonderful little boy name M. He came walking up with his beautiful little smile and just as sweet as could be. I couldn't believe I was finally here! Our friends offered to take some photos with our camera as we met our children. These people are two of the most wonderful people I have ever met, they showed us kindness on our journey in so many ways. True Christian people in every sense of the word...God has put a lot of them along our way. Praise Jesus! So as we stood there I heard a noise and turned just in time to see a little flash of white run past me and grab Dan around the waist in the tightest hug I have ever seen. It was my Larry! He was soooo excited. Then in came my Sophia being carried by her foster "auntie". Pretty little pink dress..she had been sleeping. I gently took her in my arms and just talked to her. I ask her if she was afraid? And she replied with a shake of her head. I told her it was okay...and I was a little afraid to, I then told her that I had waited so long to finally be with her. I also bent down and talked with my little Larry who just smiled. He was so sweet. They were much smaller than I had imagined. We sat down in the lounge area and just chatted with the kids and the other families that were there. Soon our coordinator told us that the hotel we were at was booked and that we would need to move to another hotel close by. We loaded up the kids and went to the next hotel. This hotel was not quite as nice and we could not figure out the hot water, but that was okay because we had our jumping beans...Larry & Sophia. They tore into the suit cases we had brought them and looked at everything they could get their hands on. They are very smart children and have a lot of energy! LOL We ended up eating some noodles and crackers for dinner. Not exactly the big fancy meal I would have liked to give them, but it worked...and to them it was just fine! They showered and got ready for bed with no problem. The next day we got up and dressed and walked to the little restaurant near by. We had jollof rice and chicken! Yipee...I must say I love jollof rice. I couldn't believe how much they could eat! I know what people say, but I just couldn't stop them..I wanted them to be able to eat. We learned that Larry's Ghana name is Larry Kojo and Sophia is Sophia YaYa....it is very important that we keep the Ghanian name because if they ever want to return to their villiage they must have that name. I am glad someone told me that or I may have changed it! OOOPS. Also, the little girls have a string of beads around the waist that they wear until marriage. As they grow we will need to restring them for Sophia...and she has a lot of growing to do! Okay...that same day we were moved back to the first hotel where we would be with the other families. Our son wanted to swim in the pool...Sophia not so much, but she attempted it. The pool was a consistent 5 feet deep and extremely cold. Sophia and I gave up pretty quickly, but Dan and Larry swam for a while. That evening we went to the supermarket (mall) with our friends from the hotel and experienced a Ghanian supermarket. We bought crackers, water, easy stuff to make in the hotel. The hotel had a kitchen we could use, but no restaurant attached. That night as we slept our Larry started complaining of leg aches. He cried and acted like he was in quite a bit of pain. I messaged his leg and attempted to make him feel better...I figured maybe muscle cramps from dehydration or something to that level. Next day...more swimming and then Larry began to cry again and went into the hotel and told the kitchen staff (in Ga) that it felt like fire in his bones~ We had no idea what was going on....the kitchen man told us that it sounded like Rheumatoid to him and gave us some cream to use for the pain. Rheumatoid!? Like arthritis??? How could that be. Later than night Larry woke up in a lot of pain....it was very difficult....I began rubbing and using the cream and trying to make him as comfortable as I could. The next day when we woke up we decided he needed to be seen by a doctor. We found out where the clinic was and took both children to be looked at. We didn't even have a signed court decree showing us as the parents at this point! Crazy! When we were in the waiting room, my Sophia was sitting on my lap and getting a bit bored and decided she would eat her shoe! Flip flops....yea, she started tearing at the shoe and spitting the little pink pieces of rubber on the floor. I attempted everything in a kind and loving way to make her stop....she is very stubborn! LOL Finally the lady in front of us...beautiful Ghanian woman...turned and said "why is the child here?" and I said stomach trouble/diarrhea then she looked at her and said "its probably from eating her shoes" It was so funny. Okay...at the time I was stressed and it wasn't funny, but now I can LAUGH. Discipline will be a little difficult in the beginning....its like you don't want to be "mean" to them!HAHA They are children after all and will need to learn. Okay so the doctor was very nice and felt Sophia was having trouble because of the food, but our Larry was another story. He felt that Larry had sickle cell disease. They took blood and the diagnosis was confirmed the next day. Sickle cell is a disease that is chronic and needs management. There are a few forms of the disease, Larry has SC...this is not the worst but not the least either. He is exactly in the middle on the chain. If Larry stayed in Africa it would be very difficult for him, when he gets to the states and under proper medical supervision he should be able to lead a fairly normal life. I am not going to lie and say that the wind was not completely knocked out of our sails, because it was. We did alot of talking and alot of praying...alot of unknowns, however, the one thing we are sure of is that God would not give us more than we could handle and we KNOW he brought us to this place to be Larry and Sophias parents and that is exactly what we intend on doing!
With everything that happened on our journey to Ghana we did not get our filing of the I600 accomplished. We figured we would do it in the states when we returned home, however, we found out that doing it in the states can take MUCH longer than in Country. We do not want to delay with Larrys condition so we are headed back to Ghana this weekend! Yep...we are arriving on Sunday the 29th and filing on Monday the 30th and then flying out that same night. We will not be able to see the kids this time...I HATE THAT PART , but we figured it was not fair to upset their routine for one night! I promised them the next time I came it would be to take them home...so I cant do it this time. So our adventure still continues and we have been able to get medical letters from physicians at Riley about Larry. They are requesting a expedited process to get him here and under proper medical supervision...so lets hope that the USCIS has mercy and we can get the children home soon.
Okay...where did we leave off? Hmmm...that's right we were on our way to Ghana! Okay...back at JFK in New York (next day) we are waiting to board feeling very confident..now that we had the entire Visa issue under control. Our plane was late boarding and sat on the runway for about 2 hours! Yikes....another "glitch" for this mission. Oh well at least we were on the plane, right?
Okay some 11 hours later we land in Ghana!!! Accra!!!! We are here....we get off the plane and walk up to the Visa upon arrival window. The lady was very nice and looked at our crumpled email copy and said "okay about 5 minutes" so we pay her the $300 US for the visas and have a seat. When 5 minutes had came and gone we saw her take our paperwork into a room down the hallway and when she returned she no longer had our paperwork or passports! Not a good sign....hmmm....then she approached us and said "my boss would like to speak with you". Okay...no problem, right? Wrong! This gentlemen was not convinced of our motives and why we were in his "GHANA"! We explained, we showed Dossier, we explained more, we showed emails on laptops and everything we could think of! He kept us for over 2 hours and threatened to put us on a plane back to the US! It was horrible...Dan and I both had puke bags from the airplane in our hands! LOL Finally our in country rep showed up and worked his magic and we were off!!!! Thank you "P"!!! P would have been there earlier, but guess where he was? Court!! Yep that's right...our court! He had explained to the Judge what had happened. So as we left the airport and sped toward the court P got a call and held up his hand and said "It is finished" and is approved! I said what is approved...? He said the Judge has granted it. My babies ? Yes we were now the mama and daddy to Larry and Sophia. Couldn't believe it. I said now what? He said I will take you to the Hotel to meet your children. Amazing!! So we arrived at the Hotel and met a couple of friends that I had met online that were adopting a wonderful little boy name M. He came walking up with his beautiful little smile and just as sweet as could be. I couldn't believe I was finally here! Our friends offered to take some photos with our camera as we met our children. These people are two of the most wonderful people I have ever met, they showed us kindness on our journey in so many ways. True Christian people in every sense of the word...God has put a lot of them along our way. Praise Jesus! So as we stood there I heard a noise and turned just in time to see a little flash of white run past me and grab Dan around the waist in the tightest hug I have ever seen. It was my Larry! He was soooo excited. Then in came my Sophia being carried by her foster "auntie". Pretty little pink dress..she had been sleeping. I gently took her in my arms and just talked to her. I ask her if she was afraid? And she replied with a shake of her head. I told her it was okay...and I was a little afraid to, I then told her that I had waited so long to finally be with her. I also bent down and talked with my little Larry who just smiled. He was so sweet. They were much smaller than I had imagined. We sat down in the lounge area and just chatted with the kids and the other families that were there. Soon our coordinator told us that the hotel we were at was booked and that we would need to move to another hotel close by. We loaded up the kids and went to the next hotel. This hotel was not quite as nice and we could not figure out the hot water, but that was okay because we had our jumping beans...Larry & Sophia. They tore into the suit cases we had brought them and looked at everything they could get their hands on. They are very smart children and have a lot of energy! LOL We ended up eating some noodles and crackers for dinner. Not exactly the big fancy meal I would have liked to give them, but it worked...and to them it was just fine! They showered and got ready for bed with no problem. The next day we got up and dressed and walked to the little restaurant near by. We had jollof rice and chicken! Yipee...I must say I love jollof rice. I couldn't believe how much they could eat! I know what people say, but I just couldn't stop them..I wanted them to be able to eat. We learned that Larry's Ghana name is Larry Kojo and Sophia is Sophia YaYa....it is very important that we keep the Ghanian name because if they ever want to return to their villiage they must have that name. I am glad someone told me that or I may have changed it! OOOPS. Also, the little girls have a string of beads around the waist that they wear until marriage. As they grow we will need to restring them for Sophia...and she has a lot of growing to do! Okay...that same day we were moved back to the first hotel where we would be with the other families. Our son wanted to swim in the pool...Sophia not so much, but she attempted it. The pool was a consistent 5 feet deep and extremely cold. Sophia and I gave up pretty quickly, but Dan and Larry swam for a while. That evening we went to the supermarket (mall) with our friends from the hotel and experienced a Ghanian supermarket. We bought crackers, water, easy stuff to make in the hotel. The hotel had a kitchen we could use, but no restaurant attached. That night as we slept our Larry started complaining of leg aches. He cried and acted like he was in quite a bit of pain. I messaged his leg and attempted to make him feel better...I figured maybe muscle cramps from dehydration or something to that level. Next day...more swimming and then Larry began to cry again and went into the hotel and told the kitchen staff (in Ga) that it felt like fire in his bones~ We had no idea what was going on....the kitchen man told us that it sounded like Rheumatoid to him and gave us some cream to use for the pain. Rheumatoid!? Like arthritis??? How could that be. Later than night Larry woke up in a lot of pain....it was very difficult....I began rubbing and using the cream and trying to make him as comfortable as I could. The next day when we woke up we decided he needed to be seen by a doctor. We found out where the clinic was and took both children to be looked at. We didn't even have a signed court decree showing us as the parents at this point! Crazy! When we were in the waiting room, my Sophia was sitting on my lap and getting a bit bored and decided she would eat her shoe! Flip flops....yea, she started tearing at the shoe and spitting the little pink pieces of rubber on the floor. I attempted everything in a kind and loving way to make her stop....she is very stubborn! LOL Finally the lady in front of us...beautiful Ghanian woman...turned and said "why is the child here?" and I said stomach trouble/diarrhea then she looked at her and said "its probably from eating her shoes" It was so funny. Okay...at the time I was stressed and it wasn't funny, but now I can LAUGH. Discipline will be a little difficult in the beginning....its like you don't want to be "mean" to them!HAHA They are children after all and will need to learn. Okay so the doctor was very nice and felt Sophia was having trouble because of the food, but our Larry was another story. He felt that Larry had sickle cell disease. They took blood and the diagnosis was confirmed the next day. Sickle cell is a disease that is chronic and needs management. There are a few forms of the disease, Larry has SC...this is not the worst but not the least either. He is exactly in the middle on the chain. If Larry stayed in Africa it would be very difficult for him, when he gets to the states and under proper medical supervision he should be able to lead a fairly normal life. I am not going to lie and say that the wind was not completely knocked out of our sails, because it was. We did alot of talking and alot of praying...alot of unknowns, however, the one thing we are sure of is that God would not give us more than we could handle and we KNOW he brought us to this place to be Larry and Sophias parents and that is exactly what we intend on doing!
With everything that happened on our journey to Ghana we did not get our filing of the I600 accomplished. We figured we would do it in the states when we returned home, however, we found out that doing it in the states can take MUCH longer than in Country. We do not want to delay with Larrys condition so we are headed back to Ghana this weekend! Yep...we are arriving on Sunday the 29th and filing on Monday the 30th and then flying out that same night. We will not be able to see the kids this time...I HATE THAT PART , but we figured it was not fair to upset their routine for one night! I promised them the next time I came it would be to take them home...so I cant do it this time. So our adventure still continues and we have been able to get medical letters from physicians at Riley about Larry. They are requesting a expedited process to get him here and under proper medical supervision...so lets hope that the USCIS has mercy and we can get the children home soon.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
On our way at last!
Hello everyone...I would like to tell you that we are in Ghana now, but no we are in New York. This has been a crazy couple of days so let me start back a bit... on Monday evening at about 9 PM we were told that our court date for our adoption was scheduled for Friday the 30th and we needed to be in attendance!!! Yikes....well the problem with that was the Visas! To travel to Ghana you must have a entrance visa....and visas take at a minimum 72 hours to expedite (well at least that was the quickest we could find). Well I went into a bit of a freak out mode and didn't know what to do! We could go see our babies, but how???! So working with our agency and P in Country it was decided that this constituted a travel "emergency" and that we would be able to get our visa upon arrival in Ghana. Now this is not that uncommon, however, a bit uncertain as we found out. We debated on what to do and finally booked the trip with flex tickets and our coordinator talked with immigration in Ghana and it looked like everything was okay. So we headed out this morning for the airport with knots in our stomachs and got our boarding passes out of Indy and boarding passes for the second part GHANA. Yipee! We were on the plane...New York here we come. Arriving in New York we proceeded to our gate and sat down to relax for a moment before heading out for our long flight! Then...all of a sudden....yep, there it was...."would all passengers come to the desk to have your documents checked prior to boarding" followed by "if you do not check your documents you will not be allowed to board"....YIKES....we got in line and when we got up to the desk ...completely armed with our emails from coordinator etc...we were told nope, no way...not going to happen.. I would like to tell you that the lady was nice and understanding..., but anyway....we begged, we pleaded, we explained...but NEVER did we get nasty or mean ( dont know why...but we just didnt let it rock us) Hmmm....a God thing perhaps? So anyway...she said she needed the approval on official letterhead with our passport numbers on the approval etc..and she needed it in 10 minutes or we were not going anywhere. So we just hit the floor on the side of the desk and started dialing numbers...we got a hold of our agency director and she got right on it...in the mean time another family traveling came over and attempted to help, however, they had not heard the announcement and didnt know they had to approve the documents so we told them to just go quickly (they didnt have the visa either) and by the grace of God they got on and I would think should be soon to arrive in Ghana as I type! Hee-Hee...got to admit that made me feel a bit better. So anyway....we continued to work with the lady at the desk and within 12 minutes our adoption agency had the document emailed to the Delta rep! I mean come on....this was amazing. So we could still see the plane, but they had closed the door! So after some not so gentle persuading we got the rep to go see if they would let us on and the answer was NO. Yikes...so close. So finally we worked with the lady and she approved us for travel tomorrow...same flight and time....just one day later. This means as soon as we get off the plane we will head directly to court! I bet we will look a mess, but thats okay.... So then we went to collect our luggage because of course they removed it when they did not allow us to board...and guess what? Dans luggage was not there! We sat and waited for 2 hours while they attempted to find his suitcase.....nope, not here...finally decided must have gone on to Ghana! LOL So that meant taking a cab to Queens to find a late night Target to buy Dan some clothes for court! Oh and also me a new suitcase, because on the way out of the airport I caught the bottom in a elevator and when I pulled on it the entire top ripped off! Crazy, Crazy day!!!! But silver lining is .....we are off to Ghana tomorrow and I am going to see my kids on Friday and I did call Delta tonight to confirm that they are going to allow us to board, we will (hope and pray) get a final decree on Friday, Dan will not have to wear his dirty clothes to court, and I got a new GIANT size suit case! Guess that is it for tonight.....Please excuse grammer, spelling, logic, sentence structure and everything else.......LOL!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Another weekend fastly approaching!!!
Okay...another weekend is on the way! Sigh......Nothing new to report other than more shopping!lol Found the cutest little girls dresses at Sears! They are called Dolly and Me...cute little sun dresses with coordinating doll dress! Coolest thing I have ever seen. So cute....bought some for Sophia, of course Katie or Elissa would think that is not nearly as cool as Sophia and I might! LOL Getting kids ready for back to school! August 11th...cant believe it is almost time already, nor can they! I guess I will just keep busy and let God do his work and attempt at being patient!!! Hey one very COOL note: I did (via some friends of ours) find a tutor in our area that is from Africa! My friends say he is one of the coolest people ever and a phenominal teacher! His wife just happens to be a white lady so they are obviously familiar with multicultural families and they know the history and culture from where my children will come! Is that not amazing???? Told you God puts the right people in the right place. We are extremely excited and hope to have him help us when the children get home to prepare them for school!!!!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Another day has come and gone
Another day has come and gone....and no news. Well I take that back....a friend got some good medical news today ! So praise Jesus for that for sure. As we went around on the boat this evening and I looked at the beautiful sunset I wished so much to have our little L & S with us. As I heard my little girls laughing and having such fun, I wished I could hear L & S voices mixed in! I would guess that you don't hear the sound of truly happy children to often where they are now. I am not complaining honestly, because I know that God has them in his right hand and there is no better place for them to be. I know that he has a plan and that in his time we will get to hold them and touch them and tell them how much we love them. I know that when God is ready we will bring them home and we will walk down that airport terminal and see our sweet children greet their brother and sister that traveled so far to come home. It will be such joy...., but for tonight I will just pray and hold them close in my heart. Until the hope of tomorrow........
Friday, July 9, 2010
Fun shopping day!
Okay...call me crazy, but I had to do something! We are not completely sure of the children's sizes, however, a few little "birds" gave us their opinions. lol So we went SHOPPING today. My oldest daughter and I bought little dresses and hair bows, little stretchy bracelets ! So fun....then of course we got our little man some cool sports outfits and undies! It was great...we just hope some of it fits. From what we hear it is very expensive to purchase clothes for the children in Ghana so I think we will bring a little sewing kit and just put a little tuck here and there if we are way off! LOL Gosh that almost makes me sound domestic, hugh? NOT!~~~~
Hope everyone has a great weekend....looking for great things to happen next week ~~ Fingers Crossed.
Hope everyone has a great weekend....looking for great things to happen next week ~~ Fingers Crossed.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
One Little Extra Bit....
07-08-2010 Got email confirmation that Ghana does have our I600A approval! This
important confirmation for process! So yea!!!!
important confirmation for process! So yea!!!!
Here We Go.......
Well I never thought I would be blogging, however, I never thought I would be doing a lot of things that I am now embracing. I guess I never thought I had anything to say that people would find interesting enough to read ! lol. Well I think I am changing that way of thinking a bit, because it is not always about the author, but rather the subject matter and let me tell you this subject matter is WONDERFUL! Our family is adopting!! We are probably 2/3 through the process and we hope to have our children home by fall. This can be a very taxing process and as we are walking it, we have found many people who have shared their story and it has helped so much! One of my favorite movies is the movie Pay It Forward...and that is what I want to do. If I can give information, inspire or comfort others with my journey then that is what I want to do.....so here we go.....
Lets see I am married to my absolute BEST FRIEND! I know a lot of people say that, but how many really mean it? I do. God certainly knew what he was doing in giving me Daniel...he knows how to "talk me off the ledge", make me laugh, comfort me when I hurt, and stand beside me when I just need a friend.....I love him dearly! We have four biological children...Nicholas who is a junior in college and engaged! Jessica who is 18 and off to college this fall, Katelyn who is 11, and Elissa who is 9 ! We have been blessed far beyond anything we deserve! All of our children were via the help of medical intervention with the exception of little Elissa ! She was our extra blessing! LOL All the children were c-section and when Elissa was born she had some difficulty breathing and was in ICU for a few days...this kind of thing makes a person stop and think, and we certainly did. Dan and I decided to recognize our blessings, be thankful and not push the envelope! We are a very close family and being together means everything to us. If you gave me a sack full of money and told me I could go anywhere in the world my first question would be can I take my kids? I appreciate being with them and cherish every (okay...almost every) moment with them. So having said all that....let me tell you how we got to where we are now.....
During the Haitian crisis in 2010 our eyes along with the worlds began to be opened by the Holy Spirit to the suffering around us. I mean yes, we realized that our world has alot of hurting people and needs...but I mean we really saw it! So in January we received a email from our Church that a possibility existed that Haitian refugees could be coming to Indiana and would we be willing to foster or consider adoption if the situation presented itself? I remember sitting and looking at that email...it felt like I stared at it for such a long time....I could feel the Holy Spirit move within me, and those of you who are followers (I hope all) will know what I am talking about! It is a feeling not easily confused or imagined. As I sat and felt the warmth of that move throughout my being and I knew what he was calling us to do. I literally wept..., and honestly some of it was fear. As I attempted to reason with this new thought....and rationalize, all I kept coming up with is "are WE good enough"? "Are WE the right family? " Then the realization of how am I going to bring this up to Dan set in ? LOL Well that evening we all sat around the family table and discussed...of course all the kids said ABSOLUTELY! Dan sat there very quiet at first and said he needed some time to pray about it. Told you he was a great guy! So that is where we left it, we were all going to pray about it and just take some time to digest it. The next day I took my girls to dance class at the YMCA and was talking to some lady friends who happen to have adopted children from Asia and they gave me alot of insight and information...God is awesome how he puts the right people in the right place along the way! So as we all know....the Haitian children were not going to be able to find homes for some time, with the mess the authorities were dealing with it was clear our community would not be called upon for a very long time. Dan and I were a little puzzled as to what Gods plan had been with this, we felt maybe God simply wanted to see if we would answer his call? Okay.....so a few days later (back at dance class) I again was talking with my lady friends about the little children of Haiti, when one of my friends asked if I had ever looked on "Rainbowkids.com"? I simply stated "oh no, we aren't ACTIVELY looking to adopt, yet we simply feel we had answered the call from God about Haiti"....so time went on.....a few days later I was at the computer and kept getting the nudge to look at the web site, curiosity? Nope I know what it was! Anyway....I sat and scrolled down the many, many photos of children and it was so sad the number of children needing a home....and then suddenly there it was!!!! A picture that took me in and held me in a way that is hard to explain. Those eyes, those faces!!!! Oh my goodness they are MY children! How can that be ? No question, God had started us on one road, just to bring us to the road to find L & S. I felt the Holy Spirit like I had never felt before...maybe he wanted to make sure I really GOT IT this time! LOL He knows I can be a little slow....
So I waited a few days before showing the rest of the family. Dan again, wanted time to pray about this. The next day Dan had gone out to lunch and spent time in prayer and he called me and simply stated that he had got his answer. God had also gave him a very DIRECT and clear answer to what we were to do! Amazing~~~ So now let me tell you about where the journey has led so far.......
Early Feb 2010 - Contacted Agency and found out general information about the children and
process.
Feb 24, 2010 - Sent in application to Agency! We are on our way now!
March 2010 - This entire month was spent collecting information for Dossier, preparing for
home study, getting beds, preparing room etc....
April 22- 2010 - Received completed home study.
April 22-2010 - Filed I600A application.
April 26-2010 - Updated photo received!!!!! They are beautiful
May 28-2010 - Printing appointment (forgot to send 18 year old daughters birth certificate,
Thank Goodness they printed her anyway....
June 16- 2010 - The golden ticket!!! We got the I171H. What a beautiful day!
June 17- 2010 - Dan and I got travel vaccinations. 8 shots each! YIKES...
June 18- 2010 - Mailed Dossier to agency along with a little rag doll for S and a little car for L
Also sent a little photo album of family for the kids. So now we wait to see
what happens.....
July 7- 2010 - Heard from in country representative...hopefully court by mid to end of
month! This is great news!!! Not sure if we have to attend yet. He aso, sent
photo of L & S with photo album and little toys! They are absolutely
beautiful and amazing!!!!
Okay....so that gets us to now....We cant wait to meet our children! We have been very fortunate to have met (through the Ghanaian Angels) a group of ladies who are also taking this journey, and what they have shared has been so comforting in times of frustration and inspiring in times of doubt! I thank all of them for their obedience to what God is having them do. It makes such a difference to share our stories and that is why I want to do this...I hope I can help someone else.
Lets see I am married to my absolute BEST FRIEND! I know a lot of people say that, but how many really mean it? I do. God certainly knew what he was doing in giving me Daniel...he knows how to "talk me off the ledge", make me laugh, comfort me when I hurt, and stand beside me when I just need a friend.....I love him dearly! We have four biological children...Nicholas who is a junior in college and engaged! Jessica who is 18 and off to college this fall, Katelyn who is 11, and Elissa who is 9 ! We have been blessed far beyond anything we deserve! All of our children were via the help of medical intervention with the exception of little Elissa ! She was our extra blessing! LOL All the children were c-section and when Elissa was born she had some difficulty breathing and was in ICU for a few days...this kind of thing makes a person stop and think, and we certainly did. Dan and I decided to recognize our blessings, be thankful and not push the envelope! We are a very close family and being together means everything to us. If you gave me a sack full of money and told me I could go anywhere in the world my first question would be can I take my kids? I appreciate being with them and cherish every (okay...almost every) moment with them. So having said all that....let me tell you how we got to where we are now.....
During the Haitian crisis in 2010 our eyes along with the worlds began to be opened by the Holy Spirit to the suffering around us. I mean yes, we realized that our world has alot of hurting people and needs...but I mean we really saw it! So in January we received a email from our Church that a possibility existed that Haitian refugees could be coming to Indiana and would we be willing to foster or consider adoption if the situation presented itself? I remember sitting and looking at that email...it felt like I stared at it for such a long time....I could feel the Holy Spirit move within me, and those of you who are followers (I hope all) will know what I am talking about! It is a feeling not easily confused or imagined. As I sat and felt the warmth of that move throughout my being and I knew what he was calling us to do. I literally wept..., and honestly some of it was fear. As I attempted to reason with this new thought....and rationalize, all I kept coming up with is "are WE good enough"? "Are WE the right family? " Then the realization of how am I going to bring this up to Dan set in ? LOL Well that evening we all sat around the family table and discussed...of course all the kids said ABSOLUTELY! Dan sat there very quiet at first and said he needed some time to pray about it. Told you he was a great guy! So that is where we left it, we were all going to pray about it and just take some time to digest it. The next day I took my girls to dance class at the YMCA and was talking to some lady friends who happen to have adopted children from Asia and they gave me alot of insight and information...God is awesome how he puts the right people in the right place along the way! So as we all know....the Haitian children were not going to be able to find homes for some time, with the mess the authorities were dealing with it was clear our community would not be called upon for a very long time. Dan and I were a little puzzled as to what Gods plan had been with this, we felt maybe God simply wanted to see if we would answer his call? Okay.....so a few days later (back at dance class) I again was talking with my lady friends about the little children of Haiti, when one of my friends asked if I had ever looked on "Rainbowkids.com"? I simply stated "oh no, we aren't ACTIVELY looking to adopt, yet we simply feel we had answered the call from God about Haiti"....so time went on.....a few days later I was at the computer and kept getting the nudge to look at the web site, curiosity? Nope I know what it was! Anyway....I sat and scrolled down the many, many photos of children and it was so sad the number of children needing a home....and then suddenly there it was!!!! A picture that took me in and held me in a way that is hard to explain. Those eyes, those faces!!!! Oh my goodness they are MY children! How can that be ? No question, God had started us on one road, just to bring us to the road to find L & S. I felt the Holy Spirit like I had never felt before...maybe he wanted to make sure I really GOT IT this time! LOL He knows I can be a little slow....
So I waited a few days before showing the rest of the family. Dan again, wanted time to pray about this. The next day Dan had gone out to lunch and spent time in prayer and he called me and simply stated that he had got his answer. God had also gave him a very DIRECT and clear answer to what we were to do! Amazing~~~ So now let me tell you about where the journey has led so far.......
Early Feb 2010 - Contacted Agency and found out general information about the children and
process.
Feb 24, 2010 - Sent in application to Agency! We are on our way now!
March 2010 - This entire month was spent collecting information for Dossier, preparing for
home study, getting beds, preparing room etc....
April 22- 2010 - Received completed home study.
April 22-2010 - Filed I600A application.
April 26-2010 - Updated photo received!!!!! They are beautiful
May 28-2010 - Printing appointment (forgot to send 18 year old daughters birth certificate,
Thank Goodness they printed her anyway....
June 16- 2010 - The golden ticket!!! We got the I171H. What a beautiful day!
June 17- 2010 - Dan and I got travel vaccinations. 8 shots each! YIKES...
June 18- 2010 - Mailed Dossier to agency along with a little rag doll for S and a little car for L
Also sent a little photo album of family for the kids. So now we wait to see
what happens.....
July 7- 2010 - Heard from in country representative...hopefully court by mid to end of
month! This is great news!!! Not sure if we have to attend yet. He aso, sent
photo of L & S with photo album and little toys! They are absolutely
beautiful and amazing!!!!
Okay....so that gets us to now....We cant wait to meet our children! We have been very fortunate to have met (through the Ghanaian Angels) a group of ladies who are also taking this journey, and what they have shared has been so comforting in times of frustration and inspiring in times of doubt! I thank all of them for their obedience to what God is having them do. It makes such a difference to share our stories and that is why I want to do this...I hope I can help someone else.
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