These last few weeks have felt like a whirlwind! Paperwork, emails, donations, packing lists, celebrating, paperwork, cleaning, shopping, more paperwork...
3 days until we leave. Less than a week until I hold my sweet boy again. I just cant wait to be back. I so love that place.
One major update is around this amazing organization we have become connected with. City of Refuge was started in Accra by an American/Ghanaian couple who became aware of the tragic truth that hundreds of children in Ghana were being forced into slavery and trafficking. They work to investigate these cases and rescue children from horrific environments. God has grown their work into an entire campus that includes safe shelter, access to medical care and a Christian education. We learned about some volunteer opportunities there and the chance that they may be willing to provide foster care for Kwe. Over the course of a few days, we had exchanged multiple emails and they had offered to not only pick us up from the airport but also allow us to stay in their guest house!
I just cant believe their generosity and we are so excited to be able to serve there and collect donations for them. We will be exploring with them the possibility of transitioning Kwe to COR where he would get good nutrition and medical care, be attending a Christian school and be able to Skype with us regularly. How awesome would that be in reinforcing who we are and what is happening! :)
Our other goals for this trip are to obtain the Court's Adoption Decree. Without this we may not be able to move him out of the orphanage as this document proves our guardianship. Once we have that (thinking positively) we can file for his birth certificate (the one that lists us as his parents!). If by some miracle we are able to obtain that while in country (and for many people it takes weeks or months to get) we would be able to file for his passport. Regardless, by the end of our time there we will be filing our I600: Petition to Classify an Orphan as an Immediate Relative (heck yes he is!). If we arent able to get the decree and birth certificate we will still file but our case will essentially be flagged until we submit everything else. We really dont need any more flagging... So we are GOING to get those documents (more positive thoughts)!
Please join us in praying for these doors to open and progress to be made! We are just so excited to see how God moves while we are there because He has certainly moved mountains in the last few weeks and continues to bless us beyond what we expect or deserve.
We are hoping to have somewhat regular access to internet and will be posting updates and pictures as often as we can on our blog and Facebook pages.
Next time you hear from me, Ill be in sunny (and hot!!!) Africa. Aaahhhh.....
Thinking of you and praying all is well and that big movement is being made for Kwe!
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