We finally met face to face

I think I'm at a place where I can talk.......Our trip was amazing. I have no doubt that God is in every detail of this adoption. He could not have matched us with anyone no better than what he did.

The Sunday before we left, our church sent us out with prayers and declarations......

Thursday/Friday - I started the day by going to work a half day since we were flying our late that evening; what in the world was I thinking. Once I got home, I made a video of the house to show our boy once we got to Accra. Tyvon and I went to see the girls at school and gave them lots of love and hugs. Some wonderful family friends took us to the airport and it was a blessed time. Our flight to Amsterdam went smoothly. We had a 6 hour layover and met another adoptive mommy going to Ghana without her hubby. We took this opportunity to roam the city. My relationship with the Ghana adoptive mommy is truly ordained by the Spirit of God. Finally it was time to board the plane to Accra and the nerves started to come; I was just full of emotions. When we landed in Accra, it was Friday evening so we wouldn't meet our son until Saturday.

Saturday - I tossed and turned all night long. So much going through my mind while my hubby was sound asleep beside me. I think I woke up around 6am...LOL!! We got up, rearranged the donations bag, called our POA and went downstairs to eat breakfast. I walked outside to assess the weather and it was HOT!!!! We loaded the car and was on our way to another region about 2 to 3 hours away. We were in AFRICA......REALLY (that will have to be another blog post)!! We talked with our POA and learn much about Ghana, adoptions, etc. He is excited along with our agency to have Black Americans adopting internationally; we are the 1st for both of them. Its uncommon for African (Black) Americans to adopt internationally but again that will be another blog. So after our long but very interesting and entertaining drive we were there. Got out the car...butterflies in my stomach. I look at the tin gate as children came out but it wasn't our son each time. I turned to the car to help unload bags and then he walked up behind me and smile, gave me a hug and said Hello Mommy. As I type this blog, my heart is filled with joy and pain (missing him), I can still hear his small little voice. Tyvon looked so happy. Along with the POA and the Auntie (foster mom), we passed out donations. Those children were so grateful for what they receive even though the items weren't always a perfect size match they held them up with honor; humbling moment. The package we sent him a few weeks ahead of us didn't make it into his hands until that day, so we got to see his emotions and expressions.....PRICELESS. After spending about an hour at the foster home, we took our son with us to check into our hotel  for some bonding time. In the car he was so happy and sat very close to me in the back seat. At one point he looked up at me and said "Mommy can I have some water please," and I gladly gave him my bottle of water. Once in our hotel room, we spent the first part of our time letting him look at all the gifts we brought with us on this trip. He loved loved loved the Etch-a-Sketch!! Then we watch the videos that we made; one from the girls and one touring his new home. The look on his face as he watched each video brought so much joy to our hearts. He kept replaying and smiling at the part where we showed him his room; heart flutters. He speaks enough English to communicate basic things to us and we began to teach him new words while we were together. Even though he is 5 years, we will still have the opportunity to share in many of his "FIRST" experience; things like 1st bath, 1st time riding a bike, teaching him how to use a bathroom and the appropriate words to say when communicating different things. As many of you know, Tyvon loves tapping on EVERYTHING and plays percussion....and what would you know....our adorable son start tapping out of nowhere as we were sitting around relaxing together. After the 1st day, Tyvon said that he acts a lot like our oldest daughter. During our 1st day we also taught him how to play Matching, take pictures on our cameras and talk on a cell phone. He was able to talk to his sisters and Nana, my mom.

Sunday---I barely slept again. We woke up and prepared for our day. We decided to go to church with the kiddos then an afternoon of sightseeing. It was another wonderful day with our boy. We also found out that he likes to sing and loves music; how could this be that he is so much like us but not our biological child.....OUR GOD knows how to match us. This brings me to one of our adoption verses in John 1:12-13. Even though he was born of us, he is so much like us because he is our son through GOD!! "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God." Oh how this verse speaks to my heart in so many ways. Through this adoption process many sisters and brothers have been birth to us through our great God. At the Botanical Gardens, he walked with Tyvon most of the time....it was a beautiful site to see them walk hand and hand. Again today we got to experience many 1st for him!!!

Monday---bittersweet day as we would be travelling back to Accra to spend our last night in Ghana there. We packed our bags and checked out of the hotel to head to spend the morning with the kiddos at their school. It was a great morning but our son was sad because he knew we would leave today. We were able to teach some of the classes; mostly Tyvon because I kept hopping from class to class. We brought Honey Nut Cheerios for all the kids and it was a BIG hit for all of them!!! We tried to get as much one on one time with our son  as possible especially when we saw his mood changing. It was hard trying to balance keeping them as much on the school schedule as possible with spending time with him and also giving attention to all the kiddos but it was an experience I'm glad we were able to encounter. Then the time came and it was time to leave.....................................................Tears. Auntie Abigail explain to him in Twi that we were leaving to head back to America. We wanted to make sure he really understood everything we were saying in English. Oh how it hurt my heart so to say goodbye. As we were leaving, she yelled out...he's starting to cry. I immediately turn back to hug him one more time, to tell him we love him, that we would miss him and that we would come back to him. Then I walked away without looking back...I knew that I couldn't look back because if I did then I wouldn't be able to leave him or the rest of those kids because they all looked sad.

Throughout the whole trip Abigail would tell us how he responded when he got back to the home each night. He was just as excited as we were. She said on Friday night he kept waking up asking were we there yet...LOL!! Saturday morning I believe he started waking up around 4 and then every 30 minutes. Saturday night/Sunday morning he kept questioning her to ensure that we hadn't left yet and we were coming to get him from the hotel. He also began to ask when we were leaving for the states which resulting in him crying. Every night/morning he was so excited. She said he was the 1st one ready for school on Monday and the driver was teasing him because he is usually the one they are waiting on. Not that day though because he knew they were coming to pick us up.

Monday night back in Accra we spent the evening with a wonderful young Christian driver named Patrick. He is a great man; he and his wife are expecting their 1st child soon. On Tuesday, he spent his whole work day being our taxi.....humbling and honored. We got to spend the day visiting other orphanages, Auntie Comfort who runs the Fern House and eating Ghanian Pizza. Oh and I can't forget the MANGO I got for about $0.50 USD; my mouth still waters thinking about it.

I'm attaching a few pictures.....

My sweet sweet Mango thanks to Auntie Comfort and Lucy

Aunt Comfort and Precious

Some of the kiddos listening to Tyvon teach a lesson

Tyvon with one of the boys at GMI looking at pictures