Samuel is doing well!

Just wanted to write a little update…..

On Friday morning before Jake left Ghana he had emailed the Embassy to thank them for their work on our case, and to let them know he had to leave Ghana. He just said we would appreciate any updates that they could give. Later on Friday he received an email from the Embassy with the same information they had been telling us….that they were still ‘processing’ the visa and that they would be in touch. We haven’t heard anything since then. The experience with the previous families who have adopted from Ghana is that they have received the visa within an average of 1 week in completing the exit interview. One family even had the exit interview on a Monday and received the visa that same week on Friday. That is why our situation has been so confusing/frustrating/painful. Samuel, Kofi, and Samuel’s birthmother successfully completed the exit interview on June 10th…..that means this Thursday it will be 3 weeks since the completion of the interview. Other than the death certificate request, we have received no other explanation as to what all this ‘processing’ is. We are also one of the first families within our adoption program who has had the luxury of having a power of attorney working on our behalf in Ghana. Previously the families had to be present for the exit interview and the appointments thereafter on their own. If Kofi hadn’t graciously offered to start working as the power of attorney for the adoptive families, we would have been in Ghana since June 8th. Can you imagine? That being said, we knew going into this that the adoption process for Ghana is new and therefore unpredictable, so just trying to hang in there as we get through the twist and turns and ultimately wait on the Lord and His timing. The month of July is a major bonding time for our family, as we hit the road for ‘live period’ tournaments with Jake’s teams. We have two separate 10 day trips, including what we’ve made into an annual trip to Worlds of Fun & Oceans of Fun with Jake’s teams. For the past few months I have been daydreaming about Samuel getting to go with us on that trip. And now, knowing how much he LOVES swimming, I am looking forward to that even more and praying that he is here with us by then.

Thank you all for your prayers! On Saturday morning I had a good cry and some sweet time with the Lord and just a few short hours later I felt renewed! It was quite unexplainable. I had a friend stop by Saturday morning and I was saying “I don’t know what has happened, but I feel so much better today than I have the past couple of days…” She said, “Well, you asked everyone to pray that your strength and joy would return, and now you are getting it!” Yeah!

Samuel is doing so well at Esi’s house! We left him a phone, and on Saturday he started calling me at 2am (which is 7am Ghana time so right when he wakes up). When I woke up that morning I had 17 missed calls from my sweet Samuel (my phone was on silent ring)! He was so relieved when I answered and the first thing he said was “Daddy-won’t-answer-phone!” I had to explain to him that Daddy was in the airplane and that he would call him as soon as he was home. That made him feel better, and he continued to call me throughout the rest of the day. Yesterday he called me over 30 times. :) I love it. He’s called Jake just as many times. It’s so cute because he doesn’t want to talk long. I think he is just calling to check-in and make sure we are still here. Our conversations last about a minute and then mid-conversation he will say ‘bye’….only to call again about an hour later. Don’t you just love him? I just talked to him about 20 minutes ago and Esi got on the line. She said Samuel is doing so well and that he and Pepra (Yaw’s little brother) are getting along really great. She also said, “Samuel is very smart. He is most likely to succeed at whatever he does.”

We love you Samuel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom , Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth – everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. ~Isaiah 43:2-7~