A WILD RIDE

We have much to rejoice for this week!  We give all glory and honor and praise to our Lord!

At LONG last (after13 months of WAITING post interim adoption decree) we were able to file our i600 application at the US Embassy in Ghana!!           

THANK YOU SO MUCH LORD!!!

Also, Jay was able to spend some special time with Joy! and got to see her school etc. - It was good to see a slice of her life currently and to take some pictures so that she will have these treasures in the future.  

But this week has been one wild ride! Is it really only Wednesday?  And by the way- I do NOT particularly enjoy wild rides!  I am more of a "It's a Small World" ride type of a girl.  In fact, I have gotten into many arguments with friends over the years when they have tried to talk me into/force me into going on crazy rides!!! 

However- I am learning that Faith often(always??) requires us to step out of our comfort zones and just hang on tight to our Father no matter what ride we are on.  In His arms- we are safe- it may not feel great, may in fact be gut-wrenching and terrifying but He holds us and carries us through.  He equips us with His presence and His peace and His power to get through. (After all- He already knows just what we need). And in the end- it is worth it! He knows the amazing place He wants to take us, the refining that needs to happen in us, the lives we will touch and be touched by along the way, and the perfect way to get there.  He loves us so well!!

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  Isaiah 41:10

For those who want specifics from yesterday and today:  Yesterday, Jay had a busy day with Joy and then said goodbye (for now) and headed back to Accra.  He then met with our POA only to find out that in fact, the essential Birth Certificate was unable to be found at the Passport office and that he would go the following day to try again(um- we have the Embassy appt. then- how will that work?).  We decided this not likely to happen.  Plan B was not to waste time tracking down that copy but to get a new one. Needless to say- we did not sleep well! SO- Our POA went super early to get a new one, then came to meet with Jay right before today's appointment-but- NO birth certificate!  The official stamps/seals still needed to be done so it would not be ready until later in the afternoon.  WHAT?!!!! (Remember we have been waiting 13 long emotional months for today!)

 Poor Jay- He really hates calling me with bad news!  And he has had to do it so many times this past year- pretty much weekly!! 

One more time- Honey...

Let's just say that thankfully, early on in my emotional mamma-bear rant, the Holy Spirit told me to shut up and send Jay off to the Embassy with encouragement (at least I hope I sounded encouraging!).  But we both had heavy hearts knowing that he could be turned away- and our filing might be postponed- AGAIN.  

A HUGE thank you to all those friends who prayed for us and helped us focus on Who our Father is and that He can do all things!  

And a HUGE praise for the super nice lady who did in fact help Jay get all in order and file our paperwork! She also set up an appointment for Friday morning for our POA to deliver the Birth Certificate (which we received at the end of the day- hooray!!). 

Here are some gems from Jay's time with Joy:

Joy shows daddy how to grind Cassava plant to make Fufu.

Our hungry caterpillar- who eats and eats and eats.
She loves her Jolof Rice and Chicken! 

Showing Daddy the audiobook we sent her "Under the Same Moon."  

Joy supervised Daddy's art project


Yep- It's all worth it!   

A great day!

Monday

Today Jay traveled to Cape Coast safely and spent a great day with Joy! We have been able to FaceTime a lot and I was able to catch the rest of the crew during lunch hours so they could connect with Joy too.  Sweet moments!  We are so thankful for the technology that pulls that far away place right up close.  I love watching Joy interact with her siblings- her face lights up -extra bright! And the kiddos grin at/treasure each adorable thing she does and says.  It makes for big smiles and fun all around! And many tender/special moments of bonding.  Joy loves to show and tell- her stickers, her outfit, her food, her socks etc. and wants us to show her everything here- her room, the cat, the dog, her bed, her clothes, the bathroom etc. We have been doing a lot of 'touring the house'!  One of the sweetest moments of our  FaceTime conversations was when she wanted daddy to read "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" to me and Emily (she and Andrew were home sick). She made sure we saw every page.  LOVE!    Here are a few gems:

Tomorrow Jay will travel back to Accra and get everything ready for his Wed. appointment. Thank you for continuing to pray!

Answers to Prayer

Just a quick update to let you know answers to prayer- Thank you for praying!

Saturday/Sunday:

*Jay arrived safely in Ghana- all connections were made (by the skin of his teeth due to bad weather delays in MPLS!)

*Luggage made it too!  Hooray for trail mix and granola bars and caffeine free diet coke - along with all the necessary stuff.

*He was able to catch some pretty good rest on the plane.

*Met with our POA and received original court documents (although still awaiting one item that should be ready Tuesday.) Look to be spelled correctly etc.- hooray!

*Driver lined up for all Cape Coast travel to/from and during stay- so thankful!

Our hearts are in Ghana

Our hearts are flying to Ghana today

Jay is headed to Ghana today (arrives tomorrow)! 

While there, he will gather all remaining necessary documents, spend time with Joy!, and file our i600 at the Embassy in Ghana!  Hooray!!  It is hard to believe he was in country just a month ago.  This will be a whirlwind trip with a lot of stressful unknowns, so please keep him in your prayers over the next week.  

How can you specifically pray each day?  Here are the specifics (I will underline the bullets):

Saturday- Jay leaves for Ghana-  we pray for safe flights (and making his tight connections!!  RST-MSP-JFK-ACCRA)- we are praying his luggage gets safely on each plane.  (All the precious paperwork will be with him at all times ;0) by order of Mommy Homme).  Good sleep on the plane would be a huge blessing- it has been quite the stressful week of prepping to leave with such short notice.

Sunday- Jay arrives in Ghana and will stay in Accra the first night.  He will meet with our POA and get all the remaining court documents from him (we are praying that everything will be accurate-without spelling errors, etc.) 

Monday- Jay will head to Cape Coast to spend precious time with Joy- we have no idea what transportation he will use so we are praying for a budget-friendly, safe and timely ride (a 3 hour trip).  He will stay overnight in Cape Coast.  (And we would LOVE to be able to have the kids face-time with Joy- with time differences this may be over school lunchtimes- we pray for good internet connection)

Tuesday- Jay will spend time with Joy and then he will head back to Accra.   We are praying for sweet time with Joy, and strength in the saying goodbye (for now).  Again, we have no idea what transportation he will use so please pray for his safety!!(Driving over there is a bit dicey to say the least.)

Wednesday-  1:30pm INTERVIEW AT THE EMBASSY to file our i600 papers!!  (8:30am Rochester time)  

Thursday- Jay will have a day of tying up loose ends, shopping, and leaving Accra to fly HOME.  

We pray for safe flights, connections, sleep, and that he would feel the Lord's amazing love and strength - it is so hard to leave a daughter behind- for now.

Friday- Hooray- Jay comes HOME!!

Thank you for praying for us and loving us so well!!!

Embassy- next step in the Journey

Jay and Joy- August 2014

Step One:  Pass Court (in Ghana) and receive permission for Joy to leave country.  Completed! Permission granted Sept. 8th- more than a year after we passed court!!  Hooray!!! Hooray!! Hooray!!!  We praise the Lord!!

Step Two: US Embassy in Ghana- we are finally on our way!  Jay will be submitting our paperwork for I600 approval in Ghana. Please pray for his travel to Ghana (work coverage, hotels, safe flight), for his embassy interview to go well and for all paperwork to be completed and accurate (no spelling errors etc. that would delay the process).  For a great visit with Joy! 

**Jay will travel Sept. 20th-26th.  His appointment is scheduled for Wednesday Sept. 24th!

Step Three:  US Consulate in Ghana (Visa, Medicals etc.)

Step Four:  Bring home our girl!