Ghana - Day 8

Ghana – Day 8

Today we spent most of the day in Accra with the M, A, Job, and a new friend Georgette (she was the oldest daughter of Edna, the hair dresser).  When she found out we wanted to buy a cookbook of local Ghanaian recipes she told us she knew a spot and would take us there.  We went to the bookstore, which was on some back road alley downtown. We found a couple of good cookbooks and bought one.  Brandie said she wanted to go look for some African souvenirs so Georgette took us to another market that wasn’t so popular with the tourists.  There were many nice items but in the end, we didn’t want to carry them for the rest of the day.  We decided we’d return next week when the kids start up school again.

When we returned to the taxi I noticed an ice cream dispenser outside of a restaurant.  We went up and bought a cone for everyone and sat in the shade watching the traffic and people buying and selling in the market.  I enjoy watching people and their cultures.  M & A were quite funny with the ice cream.  Up to this point neither of them had ever tried ice cream before.  By the end each of them had two cones a piece (a couple of the older people couldn’t handle the sweetness and gave them each theirs).  We have some great pictures of them both showing just how much they enjoyed their ice cream.

After we were finished with the ice cream I asked Nana, our driver how far we were from the LDS temple in Accra.  He said we were not far so I asked him if we could go there.  We arrived at the temple square and drove into the parking lot.  Both Job and Georgette commented on how nice and clean the place was.  I was more impressed with the campus.  There was a large chapel on the west end, the temple in the middle, and then a dormitory on the east end with approximately 30 rooms.  In the parking lot there were three travel busses – one of them had a sign on them that the people who traveled in that bus had come from two countries away to enjoy the blessings of the temple.  Another moment in which I said a silent prayer for how grateful I am to live where we do.  We take so much for granted.

Our whole group enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere.  Brandie and I were soaking in the calming spirit that was present.  We weren’t the only ones who felt it either.  We took some photos at the front of the temple with the children and our friends.  After a few minutes we said it was time to go.  M went over and laid on one of the benches in the landscape and said some “boogidy, boo”.  I asked Georgette what she’d said and she translated that M didn’t want to go.  She said it was peaceful and beautiful.  I too would have enjoyed staying for a few hours more, but we were quickly approaching the 5 o’clock hour and we knew that if we didn’t get food into these regulated bellies soon we’d be setting ourselves up for another rough evening.

It’s amazing how these children who come from absolutely nothing hold on so tightly to anything that’s secure.  One of those items they can completely rely on while in the orphanage is their schedule.  They arise each morning at the exact same time (5:00am) and immediately have their morning devotionals, then they’re bathed by the aunties, have breakfast of tea and bread at 8:00, chores for the next couple hours, lunch at noon, dinner at 5:00, baths after dinner and in bed by 8:00pm.  It’s very consistent and regulated.  These kids hold on very tight to the consistency since they’ve never had something the could count on every day.

We were able to get them something to eat at their appropriate time and all was happy…especially mommy and daddy!!  We returned to the hotel for baths in the bathtub and a clean change of clothes.  The kids LOVE the bathtub and shower.  They’ve never seen one, let alone taken a bath in one.  It’s fun to watch them freak out in there and hear their little laughs as they enjoy something so simple.  They enjoy having clean clothes that they can call their very own.  We brought several changes of clothes for each of them (most of them were hand-me-downs from our older kids) but for them they were the coolest things ever. 

After baths we all settled down and watched the end of the Ghana vs. Swaziland soccer game (Ghana won 2 – 0).  Before the end of the game A had crawled up onto the bed with Brandie and snuggled into her.  Within 10 minutes they were both fast asleep.  It was something that did Brandie’s heart good – something that she (and he) needed to continue their bond.  M and I sat up changing between watching the game and the home videos on my iPad I’d still had loaded.  One of those videos is of the day we’d received the referral for M & A.  We were in the car on the way to Grandpa and Grandma’s house.  We stopped for fuel and turned around and told the kids.  At one point during the video when we tell the kids their new sister’s name Brinley throws up her hands and starts singer her sister’s new name.  M watched this video several times and by the end of the night was reenacting the scene over and over.

Another video both A & M love to watch is Tyson at G & G’s house getting to take out of the money jar.  My dad has a tradition with all of his grandkids.  He’s saved up for several years all of the coins he’d have at the end of each day.  He now has a big jar full of coins and for each grandchild’s birthday he lets them go in and use one hand to scoop out as many coins as they can.  Then he changes the coins into bills for each of the kids for their birthday present from Grandpa.  All of the grandkids look forward with anticipation for months prior to their birthday so they can go to his house for the money jar.

Both M & A have watched this video several times over the last week.  Yesterday A told me, as we were walking up the stairs to the hotel, that he wants to ‘grab from the bucket’.  After a moment of further questioning I understood exactly what he was talking about – he wanted to go to Grandpa’s house and have his turn at the money jar!

While were at the market today M saw a big doll in the window across the street from where we were eating ice cream.  She said, “Mommy, I want my big baby.”  She’s seen the big doll Grandma had bought for her, but we’d decided to leave it at home so it wouldn’t get lost or beat up here at the orphanage.  She’s talked about it almost every day and today was the pinnacle of her desire seeing the big dolls in that window.  Brandie explained to her once again the doll was at home and when she arrived home she could have it.  She quickly replied to Brandie, “Mommy, I want to talk with my Grandma!” as if to say – if Grandma says I can have it, then you can bring it to me!  J  She’s such a card.  They’ve never had a concept of grandparents so they’ve been very inquisitive as to how that relationship works.  We’ve done our best to help them understand but their still learning.  Today, more than once each of them told us they wanted to talk with Grandma and Grandpa.  We told them maybe on Sunday we’d try and catch them home so they could talk. 

We noticed something else with these kids today.  For the last five days we’ve taken the kids out to both lunch and dinner.  We’d noticed that each time the kids wouldn’t finish their meals.  Of course they wouldn’t throw the extras out, but would neatly package them into a box and bring them back into the fridge at the hotel.  Last night, at last count, we have 7 boxes of food in the fridge.  Now, I’ve seen both of these kids eat…and either of them can easily eat more than Brandie and I combined.  The first couple of days Brandie and I deducted that because they were getting more protein in the systems their bodies maybe didn’t need as much food.  That maybe some of it, but we realized last night the reason they’re not eating all their meal and instead bringing it back to the hotel is because they’re insuring they’ll have enough food for tomorrow.

Last night both of them ordered fufu and goat meat.  It wasn’t a huge portion but neither of them finished their meal.  M went to box up the left overs and we told her she could not take them home (this dish is extremely messy).  We told her she should finish her meal or we’d have to throw it away.  She didn’t know what to do.  In the end, she decided to just save the meat and eat the remaining portions.  When we arrived at the hotel (approximately 15 minutes later) both of them opened the fridge and pulled out a box of the left overs from the previous evening.  They ate half of the food in the box, each had a hard boiled egg we’d saved from our breakfast, and then asked for a biscuit (what they call a snack).  That’s when it dawned on us what they were up to.  I said another silent prayer that I’ve never had to feel hunger like these two little guys have and how grateful I am for Pastor John, AAI, Feeding the Orphans, The Ripley Foundation, and other organizations who work so hard to provide meals to so many kids in need.

We talked again with Mr. J to find out if we had a confirmed court date for Monday.  He said the attorney said that because the judge had taken Friday off she would be trying to make up on Monday – so we’ve been bumped back to Tuesday or Wednesday.  We don’t know what that means for Brandie’s return quite yet, but we’re still praying we can get it all completed before I leave so she can come home with me.

We heard some other good news last night.  Monica was finally able to meet with the social welfare director and get the signature she needed to proceed to court.  This was a huge battle they’ve had and we consider this a big win for them!  We’re so excited to have been here to witness how God has worked hard in their behalf.  Miracles have not ceased…

All in all, today was a great day.  There were a couple of little challenges, but we have those at home with our other kids.  We are getting a good glimpse of reality and how things will be when we get these two home.  It doesn’t lessen our desire to get them home in the least, but it does help us to understand exactly what we need to do in order to prepare the house and kids.  We have times during each day where we wonder if the revelation of this adoption was directed at the people standing next to us and we happened to step in the Lord’s line of fire by accident.  But in the end, we’ve felt His comforting hand on our shoulders helping us walk through the challenging times.  We don’t know why we’ve been asked to do this.  We don’t know what the road will look like along the way.  Quite honestly, we’ve never thought ourselves capable of doing something like this.  However, we’ve gained a concrete testimony about listening to the voice of God, being obedient and doing our best, and He will send His grace to make up the difference.  That is one thing I’ve 100% confident of….

Until tomorrow!

(Brandie writing)

I have a hard time putting my feeling onto paper.  As I start to type the water works begin to gush.  That is why I have left it all up to Jason.  I am trying so hard to keep everything at bay because when it comes I am not sure I will be able to turn it off.  ( I am a baby)J

I am so grateful that we have been so blessed with the opportunity to be here. The people here have been more than amazing!  I have loved getting to know all of the kids in the home as well as Monica and Kitt.  I Love watching our two little ones run and play.  I love watching them talk to their friends in their language and their facial expressions.  It all has not been “fun”.  There are days here that I look to the heavens and ask “Are you sure I can handle this” the answer continues to be the same “YES, I am with you.”  I know that I cannot do this with out Him.  These children have been through SO much and I am trying to learn how to be able to deal with some of the emotions that they are having or will be having due to what they have experienced in their past.  My heart breaks for them and what is going through their little minds.  I know that there are days ahead that will be HARD!!!  I know that there will be days ahead that will be AWESOME!!  There will be days that I will just want to break down and cry, and days that will come that we will laugh so hard that we will cry!!  Scared…yes.  Excited…yes.  Worried…..yes,  Anxious….yes,  you name it I am feeling it.  My heart aches in this tug of war.  I am missing my children at home and my heart aches with the thought of leaving our sweet children here for the next couple of months.  But in this time we will be able to better prepare for when they come home.  I KNOW that all will be well and that we are not alone.  Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and your prayers for us, we have enjoyed reading your comments and messages.  It is a little piece of home for us.  We are having the time of our lives here and enjoying it all!! It has been an experience that I will NEVER  forget.