We're Back! And, Pictures of Samuel!

We made it home safe!!!!!!!!!! We rolled in last night about 7pm, just as the DM airport began cancelling flights because of the incoming snow! Thanks for all of your prayers, our luggage was right there when we got to Ghana, and when we got home. We also made all of our connecting flights, and had a safe travels in cars and planes!

I know you have to be anxious to see pictures of Samuel!!!!!!!!!! And let me tell you, I couldn’t wait one minute longer to post them, so I am doing so below! As you will see from the pictures, our first meeting with Samuel went A W E S O M E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was SO PREPARED to meet us. He was waiting for us as we walked into the area where his mom lives, and he came right up to both of us with this HUGE smile. And, he didn’t stop smiling the entire time. He knows a little English, and can understand us when we ask questions if we use gestures and simple words. His personality is very shy and soft spoken. And, he smiles. A lot. :) Samuel also took an immediate adoration to Jake. About 2 minutes after we met Samuel, Samuel took a hold of Jake’s hand and would not let go. Every time Jake was introduced to someone standing there, Jake would shake that persons hand, and then Samuel would grab his hand again right away. It was one of those precious things that I will never forget!

Here are some pictures:

This is the first picture that we took with him. Those are Samuel's two uncles on the right. We ended up getting to meet Samuel the night before we thought we were going to. The village he lives in does not have lights back in the housing area, so it was VERY dark! So dark that we had to have flashlights to see. Luckily the flash on my camera worked well!

Looking at the welcome book by flashlight.....it was a BIG hit! That is Samuel's mother there on the left.

Opening his presents. I handed him the box wrapped in Christmas paper and he set it on his lap and said 'Thank you.' But, he didn't know to unwrap it! He just thought we gave him a pretty box! So, I showed him how to unwrap it and they all loved the clothes!

Samuel's mother unwraps her gift.

This is my FAVORITE picture! From the left it is Jake, Samuel's mother, Samuel, Kofi (our adoption representative) and me. Samuel's mother was SO excited! Maybe you can tell by the smile on her face? The adoption is not a sad occasion for her. In fact, it is a reason to celebrate! I will explain this more in my journal entry.

Samuel leads us back to our car.

I have no idea how I was able to capture this picture. It was SO dark that I couldn't even see the screen viewer on m camera. But, I just zoomed and aimed and somehow, I caught the moment!

The next morning when we got to see Samuel again he was playing with the spiderman car we got him!

This will make you cry. This is Samuel's house. Obviously no room for beds. They sleep on the floor.

This is Samuel's mother's kitchen.

This is Samuel's little brother Kwasie. He liked the spiderman car too! I was so glad to know that Samuel has a little brother, because then he will be used to having other kids around like JJ!

Samuel and his brother sent that spiderman car up and down the alley-way for about 30 minutes straight!

Me, Jake, Samuel and Samuel's mother. That is another picture of their kitchen in the background.

Samuel clung to Jake like this the entire time. :)

Jake showed Samuel how to play a matching game on his I-phone!

Headed back out to the car to go to our celebration party! This is a good picture so that you can see the surroundings of what his village looks like. Samuel lives in a town called Larte in the the Eastern Region of Ghana. That is Kofi there on the right.

How’s that for pictures?!?! I am sure you won’t be surprised to hear that I actually have more of our time with Samuel! I’ll post more along with my journal of the trip next week. I am going to take a blogging break until Monday so I can soak up some time with JJ and Jayla, get unpacked, and take down Christmas! Thank you also for your prayers for JJ and Jayla while we were gone. They did better than anyone expected…as my mom puts it, they didn’t miss a beat! As for me, I missed them, but I think because of your prayers I wasn’t consumed by it like I thought I would be. It helped also that we were very busy and had lots to do each day and my mind was very occupied from all that I was experiencing. Now that we are home we are getting lots of hugs, kisses, and snuggles from them, and JJ keeps saying “I’m so glad you are home!”.

Please pray for our adoption! Kofi, Samuel, and his mother have a court date scheduled for January 12th in which they will be interviewed one last time by the Social Welfare Department. If they pass court then all we have left to do is file the I-600 form which is the last document that we need approval on. Approval takes about 3+ months, then we will be set to travel and bring Samuel home! Please start praying for that court date and that they pass. This is the verse I will be praying through: Psalm 112:7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. I can’t wait until we can bring Samuel home. I can’t wait until he has his first taste of a Pillsbury cinnamon roll for breakfast. I can’t wait until he can taste ice cold chocolate milk for the first time. I can’t wait to tuck him in at night in a nice comfy bed, with big squishy blankets, and a pillow for his head. I can’t wait until he can run through fresh cut green grass and feel how soft it is on his bare feet. I can’t wait to take him swimming, and to watch him go down a slide for the first time. And, most of all, I can’t wait for him to come to America and see that African skin comes in many beautiful shades….from the lightest brown, to the darkest black. Samuel is teased everyday about his skin and hair color. To us, he looks dark. To Ghanaians, he looks nothing like them. They call him white man. That is his nick name. They look around, and he sticks out. He looks different than them and they tease him for it. It hurts him so much, it’s very easy to tell. While in Ghana we found out that the capital, Accra, has 6 million people living in it. Out of the 7 days we traveled around, I only saw one other albino the entire time. And, let me tell you, these people live outside, so we saw millions of people. And I only saw one other albino. Samuel is an outcast there among Ghanaians. He won’t be here. If you never left Ghana, you would never, ever, ever know that African skin comes in all different shades. There, they just know that he doesn’t look like a typical Ghanaian. I am just excited for him to come here and experience the diversity. :) It might be the one thing that I am most excited about for him, because to date, his appearance has been a very highlighted part of his life.

Today I am just praising God to be home safe, to get to hug and kiss my kids. I am praising God that our trip was such a success, in many ways. I am praising God that our meeting with Samuel and his mother went so well. The smile on Samuel’s mother’s face has not left me yet. I can remember it like it was yesterday. It is such a comfort.

I hope you take the time to listen to the words of this song playing. This song encapsulates my entire experience in meeting Samuel, and what I am feeling now. Some of the words are ‘Now that I have seen, I am responsible. Faith without deeds is dead. Now that I have held you in my own arms I cannot let go.’ And, ‘I am on a plane across a distant sea but I carry you in me, and the dust on my feet’. This song is exactly how I am feeling.

Thank you for being so faithful in praying for us. Your prayers were felt and answered. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!