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Hello Everyone! (Written Sunday eve)
My mom and I made it safely to Accra with no problems! The flights were long, but all of our connections went well and I can’t complain about anything. Well…except maybe most of the movies were the same as the ones from Nov./Dec.! ;) Our driver from AAI was outside the airport waiting for us, along with about 500 other people! It is really quite a site- they have the walkway out of the airport sectioned off as if you were walking along the red carpet. People are on the sides with signs, calling out to you, and trying to get your attention; in other words, I felt a bit like I should start the beauty queen wave! Luckily for my mom, I didn’t humiliate her and we just connected with our driver and were on our way!
We got to our resort, as my mom was calling it, by 9PM on Sat. Thank goodness for her flexibility and ability to adjust here. Our room is clean, but there are no frills….no air conditioning, cold shower water, no shower curtain, a tv with three channels of snowy Ghanainan soap operas, and water that you can’t drink. The flipside is that we are a block from the orphanage, the staff is so friendly, the rooms are really clean, and the rooms are under $20! We got a pretty good nights sleep and woke up around 7 to start our day.
Sunday morning right away we headed over to Eban House. As soon as we walked in the gate, I heard someone say, “Mefia’s mommy is here!” I was so nervous how the kids would respond, but they had huge smiles on their faces when they saw me and they came right up to give me hugs! While I was reconnecting with them, my mom got bombarded by the rest of the orphanage! I think all the kids were hoping that she was coming to be their mom. They just loved her. They wanted to do her hair, help her take pictures J, have her dance with them, etc….it was cute. Eventually, I decided I could share my kiddos with her and they went to Grandma very willingly. We decided to go to the children’s church with the kids before we took custody of the kids. So, after about an hour at the home, we all walked down to the local community church. We stayed in with the kids, even though I think the adults would have preferred we go in to their service. I was contemplating it until Fia held on my arms and shook her head that she didn’t want me to leave. I told her I wouldn’t leave her anymore and we stayed put. Three little boys, Jephet, Jeph, and Prince, were all vying for who got to sit on my mom’s lap. It was so cute- little miss Eliza also loved getting her attention too. Prince and Eliza are siblings, and Connie, it was so adorable to see how Prince looked after his little sister-he was so great with her! To the other parents that are waiting to bring home their kids, Emma and Gloria were doing great too. I told all the children who have referrals that their parents love them and can’t wait until they meet them and hopefully it won’t be long. Emma was a great friend of our Justus’s, and he wanted to know right away if we brought the kids. Justus told me that I needed to play soccer with them since he wasn’t here, but they were already in their church clothes, so hopefully tomorrow when we stop in, we will be able to for a couple of minutes. Emma has the best smile and laugh and thought it was funny to see my mom dance! That just made her want to do it more, so they had fun teasing each other. Jukat and Jeptet(sp?) were in great spirits and loved the hugs we gave them. They are so sweet and it is great to see how they look out for each other as well. Stephen stole my mom’s heart. She just kept trying to make him smile, but he wouldn’t give into her. He is such a little peanut and seems very laid back-I think my mom was thinking of taking him in her carry-on, if she could.

We decided to go to a pool in the afternoon with the kids at a hotel that is nearby called La Palm. La Palm is a multi-star hotel on the beach that advertises their prices starting at $300 for two or more. Luckily, you can just pay a day rate and use their pool. We had a great time swimming in the kiddie pool, taking naps in the shade, and having some pretty decent food. At the end of the day, we came back to our room, cleaned up and started our first bedtime routine. The kids loved getting showered, lotioned, brushing their teeth, finding their pjs, and reading books, but when I put them on their bed, that wasn’t quite as fun. They didn’t start crying but Kwame did this arm thing that he also did when I told him I had to go back home in December (remember that Daron?). It’s this shrug with one of his arms bent like he is about to do the chicken dance, but instead he does it with an upset face. I think it is his way of showing me that he is really mad (and I think it is a three year olds way of flipping me off! –oops!) Fia pouted and sat at the end of the bed. I am not sure if they were mad that it was time for bed, they were in a new surrounding, or that they weren’t going to bed in my bed. I just laid with them for a little while and all was well after that.
So….sorry this is so long. I am typing while everyone is sleeping in hopes of being able to get to an internet café in the morning to post this. Tomorrow we are going to the embassy with Percy in hopes of having a visa interview. Please pray that we are able to get our interview tomorrow with no problems and we can get our visa within a couple of days. Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes- we are doing great and so happy to be with the kids now!
Much love,
K