We Couldn't Do Anything But Cry!

We couldn't do anything but cry! We were so happy!

outside the airport

October 10, 2010
When arriving in Ghana they brought Koby to the airport! We were not expecting this at all, we were totally surprised. They just put him in my arms and all I could do was cry and look at his precious face.  I didn’t let him out of my arms, I was very selfish with him for a little while, I had been waiting for this day for so long!  I wanted pictures of our first meeting and I didn’t even have my camera ready!!!  This was  one of the happiest days of my life! 

he fell asleep holding my finger

getting silly

and with Daddy!



He took right up with Dylan

Koby didn’t want to stay with us that night, he was a little scared.  He stayed with us all day and then went back to the orphanage that night.  It was hard to let him go back but we didn’t want him to be scared. 

the next morning, before his Drs appointment

He came back the next morning and seen us and was so excited to see us, he played and looked at some of his things we brought him.  He had to go to the Dr that morning and we had something we had to go do. 

 


Our project took all day, it was dark by the time we got back to the hotel and the kids at the orphanage were in bed, we were so sad because we didn’t get to see Koby that evening. 

Then we saw head lights!  It was the father of the orphanage, I will call him “papa” that’s what the kids called him,  he brought Koby to us!!! We were so happy to see him and he was happy to see us.  He stayed with us that night and then the rest of the 2 weeks we were there. 

he climbed up in his daddys arms and went to sleep

sleeping so peaceful

We went to Ghana with the expectations of adopting Koby and bringing him home with us.  We arrived on a Sunday, we had something we had to do that Monday, and we planned to meet the lawyer on Tuesday.  We went to the lawyers office first thing Tuesday morning.  Everything went well, Kobys birth mom went with us and met with Social Welfare the same day, and then we met with them.  The lawyer asked us when we wanted to go to court and we told him by that Friday.  He told us there is no way we could go to court that soon.  There were several reasons he gave us but he said “it is impossible” but with my God, NOTHINGS IMPOSSIBLE!  He told us several things we needed to get done before court so we left with our “to do list.”  Needless to say we sent word home that we needed PRAYER.  One of the things he needed was the correct medical paper filled out.  Papa went to the Dr again, and ask them to fill it out, he filled it out but didn’t sign it.  We went back to the lawyers office on Wednesday with all of the papers he needed and he still said there was no way we would go to court that week.   Then he said the Dr needed to sign the medical form.  There was another trip to the Dr, so we left and went to the Dr office, he couldn’t sign it that day we had to come back the next day.  Oh goodness, that means Thursday, we went back the next morning on the way to the lawyers office,  still praying for a court date this week, but we still haven’t turned in all our paper work.  When we got there just our POA and Jacky went in and talked to him.  They gave him the medical paper with the Drs signature on it and said “is there any chance we can get court tomorrow?”  The lawyer said, “no, but I will call and see when the judge will see you”.  This whole time I am out in the hall just praying that we get a court date the next day.  Remember we are just gonna be here for 2 weeks and a lot has to happen in those 2 weeks and 1 of them is almost gone.  Jacky and our POA came out with huge smiles on their faces.  God had answered our prayer, we are going to court tomorrow!!! All we could do was thank God for this awesome answered prayer!  We went back to the hotel on cloud nine! 

October 15, 2010 Adoption Day!!!
 We were so nervous about going to court.  We didn’t know what to expect but it was nothing like we were thinking it would be.  We sat down in this little hot room with A LOT of other people.  There were no seats beside each other so we all just went and found a seat separate,  very awkward!  It was me, Jacky, Koby, our friend from church, our POA, papa and Kobys birth mom at court,  we just had to wait till our name was called.  We met a couple in the court room waiting also.  We start talking and find out that we are from the same state!  How crazy is that?  We talk for a while and exchange email addresses.  While sitting there waiting, Koby tells me he needs to go potty.  I go to papa and he takes me to the restroom.  We go up to it and you have to pay to go in!  It was like 25 cents but I had no money on me.   Papa paid for me and Koby to go in.  We went back to the court room and they finally call us back.  We were very nervous at this point.  The lawyer talked to the judge, shows her all the correct documents, and she looks up at us and says “Adoption Granted”  two of the most precious words I could have heard that day!  Koby was ours!!!

Adoption Day!

We went outside and took a picture. 
Then papa looks at Koby and pats him on the head and says “American Boy”

How God Worked It All Out

The face we fell in love with!

On Sunday, February 7, 2010, I was looking at a photo book of some kids they met, as I turned each page the faces just melted my heart, but when I turned to one certain page, my heart sank and my stomach dropped to my toes, I fell in love and God spoke to me and said, "this is your little boy" it was like I was looking at my ultrasound for the 1st time! My best friend came to me and said, "we (her and her husband) found a little boy you and Jacky need to adopt" I told her that I had already fell in love, she said "let me see" so I turned to his page and she said "oh my goodness, that's the one we thought you needed to adopt" so now I just had to go talk to Jacky. Little did I know, that morning before church, Jacky had looked at the same book and had already fell in love with the same little boy! I went outside and he looked at me and said "you've found one haven't you?" I just showed him the picture and he said "let's see what we need to do to bring him home" I was shocked! I got right on the phone and called the guy that had the pictures and said we were ready to start the process to bring this little guy home

We started the process Monday, February 8th 2010, with paperwork and phone calls.  We had no clue what we were doing.  A couple at church helped us out 100% and we are very grateful for them!  We did an independent adoption, which simply means we didn't use an agency.  We did everything on our end and then it was time to start in Ghana.  We weren't sure how this was all going to go.  We contacted the pastor we met and asked if he would help us on that end, he agreed to it, found us a lawyer and got the process started there. 

The adoption process is very expensive, but God provided every penny.  Let me just start at the beginning.  In 2009, the plant Jacky worked at, was shutting down.  He was going to get laid off.  We started saving every penny we could, I would substitute at the boys school and we would put those checks in savings.  We would cut back where we could and try to save all that was possible.  It ended up that he got to keep his job because they were keeping it running at that time, but we didn't know how long, so we continued to save.  His old boss, that had left a couple of years before this, called him and asked him to come work for him.  He asked what he was getting paid and offered him the exact pay!  He decided to take the job, and as soon as he took it, the other plant shut down completely.  We really felt God's hand in that.  So the money we were saving, we decided we would build a house.  God had other plans! And boy do I like his plan so much better than my own! Jacky even made a joke we were going to name him House because we were saving to build. 

The day after we chose to adopt, Jacky went to see his dad.  He found him in a way that no one should ever find their parent, or anyone for that matter.  His dad had passed away, probably the night before.  His dad didn't have any money to pay for his funeral, and Jacky was his only child, so that meant it was all on us.  This worried Jacky because it was going to take the money we had saved up, and he said this might change everything.  I was devastated, but he was going through a lot so I just decided we would discuss this more when he could think clearly.  We got all the arrangements set, and then started receiving phone calls asking if people could donate money to help us pay for the funeral rather than sending flowers.  Once again we were amazed.  People at church gave, friends and family gave, we were not expecting any of this but God knew what He was doing.  Every penny was given to us to pay for the funeral.  We received another donation and we called the people and told them we were sending it back because it was all paid for and they told us to keep it and put it toward the adoption.  God totally blessed us in this terrible situation.

Through the process, we would randomly receive envelopes at church, with money in them, ranging between $100 to $1,000.  Over the whole process we received $6,500 in donations.  So between people giving to Jacky's dads funeral and the adoption, people gave us $15,000.  Do you see God's hand moving here?  We sure did!  I have always believed that if God has called you to do something He will provide for it, and He just showed us that He would do just that!

We started planning our trip over.  It looked like we would be going in October, our little guys birthday is October 10th and it was very important that I got to see him on his birthday.  That day was on a Sunday in 2010 and they were looking at tickets arriving on the 11th.  I really wanted it to work out for us to get there on or before the 10th.  After looking for tickets for a while they finally chose some, our tickets the group was getting was to arrive on the 11th, I was so sad, but excited that I finally knew when we were going.  We called to book the tickets and the travel agent said we had just missed the cut off, the only ones he was finding was for us to arrive on Sunday the 10th!  Oh my, that made my day! 

12 years ago started this amazing journey

12 years ago this September was one of the happiest days of my life, our 2nd child was born, being one of the happiest days on one hand it was a devastating day on the other for me.  My husband didn't want any more children so he decided we needed to get my tubes tied, since I was having a C Section it wouldn't be anymore surgery if we did it on the same day.  I didn't want to do it but I went along with it and was not happy about it at all.  He knew my feelings about wanting more children and I knew his, it wasn't that he didn't like being a dad, he loved that part and is an awesome dad! It was he didn't feel we could afford any more children.  I respected that, but still didn't like it.  So in the delivery room when the Dr asked one more time before he did the procedure, because he (the dr) knew I didn't want it, my husband said "yes"

Well a couple of years had past and I wanted another baby, and believe it or not so did my husband! I looked into having a tubal reversal, and that was PRICEY!!! $10,000! YIKES! We didn't have that kind of money laying around. And my husband didn't want a baby that much! I will admit, I held a grudge against my husband for this decision, it was really hard to get over, and took years to finally truly forgive him for that decision.  We both told people it was the worst decision we ever made. (but now we feel very differently)  For 6 years I prayed for another child DAILY! We both prayed for a miracle to happen and God to allow the tubal to fail.  It never happened. 

After praying for 6 years, God told me I will have another child! I didn't tell my husband this, and I don't know the reason, just that I didn't. This was in 2006, I wish I had wrote the day down and you will see why as you read more.  God didn't tell me when or how I would have another child just that it would happen.    Do you ever try to figure out Gods promises to you? Do you ever try to "help" God out with His promises to you? Well I did, I started searching tubal reversals again, well good news, the price had went down, $5500! That is great, but I still don't know if my husband will spend that much!

I finally, 3 years later, told my husband Gods promise to me. Still not knowing Gods plan, I tried to figure it out.  I wanted it to happen NOW! We talked about the reversal, adoption and foster care to adopt.  Honestly, I didn't want to adopt, I wanted to carry another baby. I wanted to be pregnant again.  Deep down I actually was against adoption.  I wanted to feel the babys kick, hear the heart beat, see the ultrasound and just go thru the whole thing again. On top of those feelings, I didn't want to raise a child and then one day he or she want to leave and go find their birth family! At that time I knew 2 adopted adults that was doing that and it crushed me, I felt so sorry for their parents, and I don't even know if it bothered their parents or not.

God started dealing with me. He was showing me that I was a VERY selfish person! He showed me I was choosing to not give a child a home because I wanted things for myself, to carry the child, to see the child in an ultrasound, to hear the heart beat in me, to just be pregnant again!  This went on for about a year. 

During this time, we met a pastor from Ghana, Africa.  He came to our church and I loved listening to his stories about his country.  We talked to him on several occasions and each time I found myself more and more interested in the country.  After he went back to Ghana, 3 men from our church were going to there to meet him and do other mission work, this was fall 2009. Before they left I jokingly told my best friends husband to find me a little boy while he was there.  I didn't really think we would adopt, especially from Africa!  They came home and we looked at pictures and listened to their stories and once again I was just so interested in every detail of their trip.  I loved looking at the pictures and seeing the faces of Ghana!