~ HOMME CLAN: 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: