It's a........BOY!!!

The words we have been waiting to type!!! We have finally received a referral for a 4 year old boy in Ghana! Wahoo!!!!

Do the happy dance…ya….ya…do the happy dance…!!!

Ok, so you might be asking, “What, I thought Ghana had suspended their adoption program….i thought this was impossible”? Well, the easy answer is yes and yes but we will get to that part later.

But first, more about our little (big) guy! His name is Kweku Rahit Abubakar. He has been living in orphanages for a while as he was abandoned by his father as a baby and more recently left at the Department of Social Welfare by his mother, who since has been unable to be located.

He is said to be “exceptionally bright” and is now staying at a well known and caring orphanage in the Central Region.  We received two pictures of him and words cannot describe how adorable he is. Each picture tells a very different story of the challenges he has faced already in his little life. There is so much to discover in those dark eyes. Unfortunately, it is illegal to share photos electronically until after we pass court and doing so could jeopardize our adoption so im sorry, but many of you will have to wait to see his beautiful face (or you can just come for a visit as he is hanging on our fridge)!

Now we wait for confirmation that our Placement Letter has been filed. This is the document that is submitted to the court in Ghana were we specifically request to adopt Kewku. This will trigger our court date being set. We are hoping for a court date in September and will plan to go to represent ourselves. This is somewhat uncommon as an agency’s Power of Attorney typically goes on behalf of families but after consulting with them we have decided that it may look better for us to be there.

After that we should be able to get updates and pictures more regularly  as it is common courtesy when you are visiting Ghana to offer to take pictures/videos of other people’s children.

Ok, so back to the less fun part of this…the process, politics and pursuit.

The moment we heard about Kweku and received his information we both experienced incredible peace about moving forward. We were the only family still on the waiting list in Ghana. Some felt called to something different, we felt called to stay. We knew there was a reason and now we believe that it was Kweku.

It seems to be a miracle that we even received a referral with how rocky things are in Ghana. He is fortunate to be from one of the few regions still pushing adoptions through where the Social Welfare Director has spoken outwardly about his belief in and commitment to international adoption as one option for orphaned children.  Its God confirming again how big He truly is.

So even as we ask you to celebrate this huge step with us and we say we have so much peace about moving forward, something dark tells me not to get too excited, not to get other people excited, because so many things could still go wrong. Technically the suspension is still in place. There are people along the way that seem to be doing everything in their power to prevent or at least delay children from coming home even after the adoption is considered final. There are many huge and terrifying mountains ahead. The truth is that not many people seem to know exactly what is going on. Some say only one agency in the US is able to continue processing adoptions (not the agency we are with), some say we may need an international adoption attorney, some just say “your crazy for doing this at all”.

But…

Although we will face seemingly impossible mountains, walk many uncertain and rocky roads, see dark days, probably be tempted to feel hopeless or to jump at quick decisions that help us feel more in control, the real TRUTH is that our God, the one who loved Kweku before he was even conceived, can see around every mountain and to the end of every rocky road. He will be Light in the darkness and the One that we will continue to put all of our trust and faith in. Our hope will not be found in politics, process or people.

So while there is a tiny part of me that is nervous to tell you all about Kweku because I cant imagine having to tell you if something goes wrong, its more important to me that you know so that you can continue to pray. Some specific prayer requests are:

·      Clear guidance, that our hearts and minds would be open to whatever God is calling us to, that worry would be shut out by faith and that we will daily give up trying to control any of this and put it all squarely in God’s hands.

·      Protection, provision and health for Kweku.

·      That even now, God would begin to work in his little heart, preparing him for what lies ahead and healing the emotional/psychological hurts he has already unfairly endured.

·      The financial means for us to do whatever it takes to bring him home. God has already provided every step of the way and we are confident that He will continue to do so.

Thanks for your ongoing support and love! It means more to us than you know. Happy 4th of July!