stamp of approval: dossier acceptance!

good news came down the pipeline yesterday: our agency's corporate office received our completed dossier and EVERYTHING PASSED INSPECTION!
*happy dance*
*high fives all around*
another item checked off the list.  PRAISE GOD FOR HIS FAITHFULNESS!

as we've mentioned before, adoption is the land of "hurry up and wait."
there are gobs and gobs of things going on under the surface for us right now...you know, the duck that's all peacefully gliding across the water while its little legs pumping crazy, chaotic fast underneath?  that's us right now.  *grin*
we'll be sharing more over the next few days, but in the meantime, would you please pray for our family?

romans 5:3-5 is very clear about God's purposes for our life during difficult, tiring, stretching, exhausting times:
"we REJOICE in our sufferings, know that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because GOD'S LOVE HAS BEEN POURED INTO OUR HEARTS through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

we also wanted to share a very very cool video called "i like adoption."
watch it and have some tissue in hand.  our favorite quote: "when you're adopted, your parents looked out at the whole world...and picked YOU."
i like adoption.

a cultural lesson in names

we have been discussing the name will we give our ghanaian son.
our original intent was to keep our ghana baby's given name, but his current name is one that would prove to be confusing in our family (you'll understand once we can legally tell you what it is/was).
so, i dug out my anthropological notes from my internship days in ghana and we had a cultural lesson in naming....'cause i'm nerdy like that.

first names in ghana can cover a wide range - just like here in the US: biblical, family names, we-just-like-it names.  there are also a lot of "characteristic" names: patience, happiness, prince/princess, justice, etc.
one of my favorite parts of ghanaian naming is the use of a "soul name."  especially among the akan and fante tribes, middle names are given based on which day of the week a child is born or their birth-order within the family.

*for males*
monday: kojo, kwadjo, jojo, cudjoe
tuesday: kwabena, ebo, kobena, kobina
wednesday:kwaku, kweku, kwiku
thursday: yaw, ekow, yao, yokow
friday: kofi, fifi, yoofi
saturday: kwame, ato, atoaperm, kwamena, kwani
sunday: kwasi, akwasi, kwesi

*for females*
monday: adwoa, adzo, ajoba, ejo, adjoa
tuesday: abena, abia, araba, abina
wednesday: akua, akuba, ekuwa, kukuwa
thursday: yaa, aba, ayawo, yaaba, yaayaa
friday: afua, afi, afia, efie, efua
saturday: ama, awo
sunday: akosua, esi, kisi

*characteristics of each day*
monday's child is the father or mother in the family, nurturing in nature, protective, dependable, organized.
tuesday's child is the planner, neutral in all matters, and very structured.
wednesday's child does not want to be told what to do, knows it all, is vibrant and in control of every situation.
thursday's child is very observant, a good listener, quiet in nature, and analytical.
friday's child is a leader, but very temperamental.  they are the instigator of everything.
saturday's child is the rule-maker and takes control, but self-sacrificing to help others.
sunday's child is sensitive, shy, passive, and a secret keeper.

the anthropologist in me really comes out at times like this.  *grin*  but isn't it fun?  did your soul name match up with your personality?

we'd also like to tell you what name we have chosen for our third son.  we can share it with you because its not in any way connected to him legally right now!




please pray for our solomon matthew cain.





(and in case you were wondering, we will be keeping his given first name as a second middle name.  we really wanted to keep his "soul" name too, but it was just too much of a mouth-full.  HA!)

update from the last 48 hours *GOD ANSWERS PRAYER*

We thought we should share an update on how the Lord has provided just in the last 48 hours since we shared our need for $10,650.
5 dear families (some of whom we do not even know!) have come forward and donated....we now have $4121!!!!  PRAISE GOD!
This means that we have a mere (*grin*) $6529 left to pay all our country and agency fees.  AHHHHH!
Would you please share our story and our needs with those who will pray for us?!

Don't forget that if you want to donate, you can email us for our mailing address or visit our online donation site: www.gofundme.com/cainadoption

*********MORE BREAKING NEWS********
this is what a completed international adoption dossier looks like:

we may have killed an entire forest...but we're coming for you, baby boy!

it was with much fear and trembling that i handed over our precious packet to the postal worker this afternoon.  i actually kept a grip on it while i looked her straight in the eye and said, "promise me this will make it.  promise me."  

she sort of looked at me funny like "this is the US postal service.  *of course* it will make it.  its what we *do.*), but i quickly explained:

"this pile of dead trees represents months of work and pain and sweat and tears and toil and HOPES.  it is the main document standing between our family and our third son who is waiting for us in africa.  please.  please.  please.  do not throw into the 'outgoing mail' pile.  cradle it and lay it down tenderly."  

so she did.  she's a cool lady.

it should arrive to our agency on monday or tuesday.  our formal referral acceptance forms should also arrive on tuesday.  all that stands between us and our ghana baby now is time and money.....ok, and a few more documents and a judge's decree and four airplane rides and some immunizations....but really?  we're almost there, peoples.  thanks for hanging tight with us.  keep the prayers coming.  share our story.

*fist pump*

*knuckle bump*

ashley's obsession with red hair *THIS IS IT*

in case you didn't know, ashley has red hair.  and its not something she particularly liked as a child.  at all.  when you're a child, you want to fit in and be the same as everyone else.  with only 2% of the world's population sporting naturally red hairs, blending in can be difficult.  once she got past the junior high years (*shiver*), however, she loved her redheaded-differentness.  and as a mother, she always wanted to pass along her "valuable genetic material" to one of her children.

well, seeing as ethan is our only gene-bearer and he has ever so slight strawberry in his locks, we really didn't think a redheaded cain was in the cards.

but it was an on-going joke of ours that our ghana baby would be the one to have red hair.  its perfectly logical.

this leads us to our very excellent and exciting news:
WE HAVE BEEN MATCHED WITH A CHILD IN GHANA!!!!

*screams*
*fireworks*
*beating of drums*
*more screams*
*tears of overwhelmed unbelief*

yes, we have a face and a name.  we have a few details and PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES.   even a video!!!  AHHHHHHH!

because this precious little one is not "ours" quite yet, we have to restrain ourselves, however.  we will not be able to post any pictures until after our court decree.  but do not despair, that will be sooner than you think.  here's what we can share:

*screams again for good measure*
we will have our third SON.  he is a little 10 month old BOY with the best pouty lips and chubby chubby cheeks.  ethan had some sweet chub on his cheeks, but this african prince has brought the cheekiness to a new level.
he is currently residing in an orphanage and has been there since he was about 3 months old.  he will continue to be cared for by the orphanage until we come and claim him as our son forever.
he will need some medical attention when he comes to the US.
he has red hair.
DID YOU CATCH THAT?  HA!  he has RED.  HAIR.  for reals!  does God have a sense of humor or WHAT?

a few more things we'd like to share with you:
ghana has a three month waiting period for adoptions.  if we lived in country, we would be able to foster this little guy for 3 months and then request a court hearing.  since we do not live in ghana, we will instead demonstrate our ability to support him by paying for 3 months of his care.  this money is included in our "country fee" that our agency helps disperse.

if everything moves super smooth, we could have a court date as early as march.  AHHH!

after our court date, the visa and passport documentation needs to come together.  this will take about another three months.  so.  if every "i" is dotted and "t" is crossed, we could have our little man home as early as may or june.  EEEEEEEK!

but we DESPERATELY NEED YOUR HELP.
this has all come together super fast.  WAY FAST.  we technically have not even finished our dossier...our names were never on "the waiting list."  Lord-willing, we will have our dossier in the mail on FRIDAY.  here's the thing: we need to pay a lot of money RIGHT NOW.  normally, we would have 6-18 months to pull this together, but God in His providence has moved everything forward very quickly....and we are SO thankful for that!  (on a sidenote, He did the same thing with josiah's adoption.  we were told we would wait about 6-18 months and we waited THREE WEEKS.  time crunch on fundraising again!).  would you please pray that God would provide the $10,650 we need to pay our remaining fees?  yes.  that's right.  $10,650.  we have already paid just about that much so, really, we are half way!    we serve a mighty God and we know that if this little one is meant to be with our family forever, mountains will be moved.

we will also be continuing our fundraising to help pay for the $6000ish we will need for our airfare, visas, and other travel expenses.  again, GOD.  MOVES.  MOUNTAINS.  its just money.  a child is a million trillion thousand gabillion times more important and eternally valuable than any amount of loose change we can scrape together.  we truly believe this.

if you feel lead to join us in changing this little boy's life, we would be happy to send you our mailing address or you can visit our donation site here: www.gofundme.com/cainadoption

this is happening.
you are helping.
pray.
share.
pray some more.

did we mention that he has RED HAIR?
:)

fingerprints & luck

aaaaand now its november.
november???
thankfully, it still looks as though we will be able to turn in the remainder of our dossier to ghana by the end of the year.  WOOHOO!  yesterday, we had our biometrics/fingerprinting appointment with immigration in west sacramento.  everyone told us it would be a breeze....and it was.  our appointment was at 12:00, but because i'm not one to be late, we arrived at 11:30am.  they saw us right away and we were spared the wait when 15 people showed up at 11:50am.  praise God for the small things!  so now we wait for a week or two or three until we get our I600 approval.  once that is in hand, we take the (hopefully) last round of paperwork to be notarized, state sealed, shipped to the corporate office in michigan, and then off to ghana!!!

our needs right now:
1. peace.  it is hard to wait.  it is.
2.  endurance.  as with bringing any child, biological or adopted, into your family, it takes a lot of work.  and it wears you done when there are so many other things screaming for your attention at the same time.
3.  funds.  we currently have about $3000 of the $8000 we need to officially be on the "waiting list."  ashley still has photography sessions going strong until the middle of december (photo blog) and ben is working feverishly to repair music instruments with his home business.  so many friends and family members have donated...what an overwhelming joy to come together and make one less orphan!

in other news:
we have a lot of people say things like, "wow.  that child from ghana will be so lucky to have you as parents."  its a strange thing to hear quite frankly.  first of all, because we don't believe in "luck."  the almighty creator God is in charge of all things and nothing happens by chance, but by His direct will!!!  secondly, "they are so lucky" sounds like we are some sort of saint or martyr.....let me clarify: we.  are.  not.  we are normal, average, everyday people like you who simply heard the call of children in need and answered.  no superheroes.  just love in action.  i read a really great post by another ghana-adoptive family that answers the "they are so lucky" dilemma even better:
The View from 36.5 inches

thank you for your encouraging words.  you don't know how much that pushes us to keep on keeping on.  its a long road.
and OH SO worth it.

october

october has been a busy month!!!!  there are four specific reasons for this:

1.  USCIS aka immigration.  We turned in all our I600a paperwork and were pleasantly surprised to get a fairly quick fingerprinting appointment for 10/31.  hooray!

funny how excited you can get over a little piece of paper

2. potty training.  the dreadest.  the worst.
but josiah, at 2 years old, has rocked it.  it was a rough 3 days of intense battles filled with marshmellow bribery...but we can now declare a solid victory.  praise.  the.  Lord.

3.  PANCAKE BREAKFAST FUNDRAISER!  we had a wonderful wonderful blessed time at our big fundraiser on 10/6.  our team of volunteers went above and beyond to help make the event a success.  so many of our friends and family (and complete strangers with a heart for orphans!) came by to enjoy the tasty tastiness and stand alongside us as we strive to bring our ghana baby home!  we cannot thank you all enough for the generous donations you gave - in your words of encouragement, your time, and your pesos.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!  all together, God answered prayers in a big way and helped us move almost $2000 closer to making one less orphan.
**if you were not able to attend and still want to donate, you may use our online donation site!

sportin' our black star tshirts!

our dear dear friends, mary lou & brenda, that helmed the kitchen for us!

4.  photography fundraising!

ashley has had a blast looking at lots and lots of pretty through her lens.  aside from shooting her regular clients, a huge number of people have answered the call and booked sessions knowing that 100% of the profit benefits our adoption fund!  a huge answer to prayer as we need about $8000 in order to send all our documents to ghana and officially be on the waiting list for our child!!  

here are a few highlights from ashley's recent photography sessions:

we covet your prayers.  there is much to be done and far to go...but we serve a mighty God who created the stars and owns the cattle on a thousand hills.  

we are coming little one.  we are pedaling as fast as we can to get you.

one less orphan.

one more cain.

almost pancake time!

ALMOST PANCAKE TIME!
tomorrow, october 6, is our big fundraiser.  join us from 8-10am at 3800 n shingle rd for pancakes.
eat a pancake...help an orphan find a family.
:)

if you are prevented from joining us, but would like to be a part of bringing our child home, please PRAY and consider donating.  we cannot thank you enough...the adoption process is bigger than just one family and we rejoice that we are able to include others in our journey!

josiah helping to pack the cart FULL.  come and eat pancakes with us!

so many have already overwhelmed us by slipping us bills and checks and cards dripping with encouragement and heartfelt prayers.  THANK YOU!

2 corinthians 9:15
"thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

and the Lord provides...again and again! *fundraising*

this morning, ashley had the privilege of taking school portraits for rainbowland christian preschool.  as with all the profits from ashley's photography business, the portrait orders from the wonderful rainbowland families will benefit our adoption!  there has been a generous number of pre-orders already and we praise God for His continued provision!!  a huge thank you to the school's director, sandy foster, for asking ashley to photograph all her precious students.

it was especially fun to see our little one, josiah, sit like a big boy while mama took his picture.  doesn't he just melt your heart?  its one of those times where i think about all the labor and toil we went through for josiah's adoption and i think, "it is ALL worth it.  adoption is such a beautiful thing...."

looking forward to day 2 of preschool portraits tomorrow!

mini-sessions: adoption fundraiser #2

saturday was the second of three photography mini-sessions that we had planned specifically as adoption fundraisers.  it is so encouraging and such a joy to spend time with so many lovely people!!!

the first family on saturday made my day with the adorableness (yes, that's a word) of their little 14 month old girl.  doesn't her smile just melt your heart?

the second family are good family friends that just recently moved back into the area.  their two kids have grown into delightfully photogenic fun-size people!

a HUGE "thank you" to our cain photography clients for coming alongside us in our adoption journey.  it is a joy and a pleasure to spend time with each of you!

papers flying to ghana

*insert happy dance of joy*
three REALLY SUPER exciting things happened since friday:
1.  this afternoon, our social worker notified us that they have received our first dossier package and everything passed "inspection."  this is a huge ordeal as there can always be small changes or little items missing.
2. we raised the last $200 we needed to be pay our program fee and NOW OUR AGENCY WILL SEND THE FIRST PART OF OUR DOSSIER TO GHANA TOMORROW!
3.  in the mail, we received a check for the exact amount needed for our immigration processing and fingerprinting!!

ethan & josiah making room for our ghana baby

it is really easy to become overwhelmed whenever you are in the middle of a long process.  our God is so kind to give us encouragement through (not so) little ways like a check in the mail for the exact amount we need!  it shouldn't surprise us that God is able to orchestrate these types of things since He created the universe....buuuuuuuut....IT IS AMAZING NONETHELESS!!  "O Lord God Almighty, who is like You?  You are might, O Lord, and Your faithfulness surrounds You" (psalm 89:8).

next on the journey:

PANCAKE BREAKFAST!!

we are feverishly working to make october 6th's pancake breakfast a God-glorifying, profitable, and joyful time of fellowship.  please be sure to mark your calendar and join us:

our next, big fundraiser: pancake breakfast on 10/6!

the little things add up!

guess what?  guess what?!?
we are mailing in the first part of our dossier/application tomorrow!  EEEEEEK!

the first package all pretty, sealed with kisses, and ready to mail!  PRAISE GOD!

it felt like the past two months crept by and that we were getting no where safe.  but all the little things we have been doing are adding up and here we are, ready for our next big step. woohoo!  so here's a little rundown:

*july was spent finishing up our home study and waiting for the right people to approve/notarize/mail originals to us.  we received our two notarized copies the beginning of august.  FIRST TRIMESTER OF THE PAPER PREGNANCY DONE!!!
*please insert happy dance & squeals*

*august has been filled with fundraising and more notarization.  there were three particular documents that we needed to fill out "just so" in order to begin our dossier: an adoption application for ghana's social welfare department, medical reviews (signed by our doctor), and power of attorney forms (these will enable the Bethany Christian Services team in Ghana to work on our behalf in-country).

*a dear friend of ours is a notary and VERY generously offered to notarize all our documents free of charge!  this has been a huge blessing to us as it saves us hundreds of dollars!

*already looking back at the fees we have had to pay, we are amazed at how God has provided...$11,000+ to reach this point.  AHHHHH!  many of our friends and family have generously come alongside us to help financially and we cannot thank you enough for your demonstration of love towards us.  the three main areas of fundraising we have focused on are: ben's instrument repair and instrument sales, ashley's photography business (Cain Photography), and donations (Cain Adoption GoFundMe page).

*once we had the next chunk of change needed and all the forms notarized, ashley took the stack of documents downtown to have them "state sealed" at the secretary of state's office.  isn't it pretty???

long, scary hallway at secretary of state's office leads to state seal!
one step closer to our little one....

so what's next?
1. gathering the final 4 of the 15 items needed to complete our dossier.
2.  notarize.
3.  another trip to the secretary of state's office to have them sealed.
4.  trust that the remainder of funds we need will come together.  in order for our entire dossier to be shipped and processed in ghana, we need an additional $8700.  ashley has several photography fundraisers planned and we have a BIG pancake breakfast fundraiser scheduled for october 6!

flyer for our pancake breakfast fundraiser.  MARK YOUR CALENDAR AND JOIN US!!

our prayer is to have everything turned in, processed, approved, paid by the end of the year.  *whew*  it all seems impossible and insurmountable.  how thankful are we that we know a God who specializes in the impossible?!  Luke 1:37 reminds us that "for nothing is impossible with God!"  *extra happy dance of joy*

as a side note, here are two songs that have been particularly encouraging to us recently.  enjoy!

mini-session photography fundraiser

on saturday, august 11, we held our first of three photography fundraisers!  ashley carved out three half-hour portrait sessions and all four were filled quickly.  unfortunately, one family had to back out due to unforeseen business travel.  but you know what?  that precious family sent us a donation anyway AND rescheduled to take their portraits at a later, more convenient date!  praise God!

the two families that came really braved the heat.  it had been hovering around 105 all day.  even though we were shooting in the shade later in the day, it was still in the upper nineties.  whew!  both families were such good sports and came prepared with joyful hearts and ready smiles.  it.  was.  a.  blast!

the first family is a jolly bunch that my husband has known since he was little.  i had the priviledge of shooting their four girls two years ago and it was so fun to see how much they have grown up!  they are each so unique - it really showed up in their portraits, i think.

 

the second family was a new client!  they have been following ashley's photography for awhile now and took the opportunity to join our adoption journey with the mini-session fundraiser.  it is always fun to meet new people and capture their "joyful togetherness" with a camera.  this family is so sweet with two BEAUTIFUL children!  we'll excited to get them know when even better since they have already scheduled another session in october for Christmas present portraits!  

 

a HUGE thank you to all the clients that joined us for the fundraiser.  it was a JOY to spend time with each of you!  thank you for helping us inch closer to bringing our ghana baby home.

if you would like to schedule a portrait session with ashley, 100% of the profits benefit our adoption.  contact her at iamacain@gmail.com.  see more of her work here: cain photography.

and God continues to provide!!!!

 

pancake breakfast: fundraiser!

click click...photography fundraisers!

more.  prayers.  answered.
praising God as we should get our final confirmation on our home study this week or next!  in the meantime, we have a photography fundraiser on saturday evening.  we made four 30 minute slots available for $100 each and they filled up FAST!  with all the interest in this type of fundraiser (and Christmas right around the corner), we have scheduled TWO MORE mini-session dates!  yay!  if you might be interested in a 30 minute family portrait session on the morning of september 15 or the late afternoon of october 20, please contact ashley ASAP: iamacain@gmail.com.

more information about ashley's photography: Cain Photography

promises and pennies

our home study is finally in the authorization process and should get its final stamp of approval from our agency within the next two weeks.  PRAISE GOD! this also means that our next payment of $2500 is due...now.  we currently have $680 in our adoption account and expect to bring in $500 more next week with ashley's photography jobs and fundraisers (more info here: www.cainphotography.blogspot.com or www.cainphotography.showitsite.com).  so we still have a ways to go and yet we can't move on to the next step or even begin to apply for grants until we have that home study in hand.

these are the times where its easy to get overwhelmed.  these are the times where its easy to throw your hands up and think, "there is no way...and this isn't even a quarter of what we still to gather to bring our child home!"

BUT

these are also the times where GOD'S GLORY SHINES.
there are also the times where GOD MAKES A WAY and all we can do is diligently seek His Heart and trust.

so we strive with hearts eager to see God's name glorified despite our feeble attempts and shaky faith.  Joshua 1:9 is so very comforting at times like these: "have I not commanded you?  be strong and courageous!  do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  think of joshua when he heard God Almighty remind him of this promise: he was taking over from an amazing man of God who had just died (Moses) and leading a ragtag bunch of people into battle....they were desert nomads, not warriors.  and yet, joshua believed, had faith, remembered who God was (and IS!) and ACTED.

our heart's desire is to complete this adoption without incurring debt.  we have already been overwhelmed by the gracious giving and participation of so many brothers and sisters.  what a joy to see God's family come together to accomplish something so much bigger than them!

another news and updates:  while we gather our pennies and planning fundraisers, we are also working on our next stack of papers: the dossier.  a HUGE ANSWER TO PRAYER: a very dear friend of ours is a notary and has graciously agreed to notarized our TON of paper free of charge.  you cannot believe how huge of a gift this is and the amount of money this allows us to put towards other expenses.  the first section of the dossier requires $3500 plus our home study, medical forms, and formal ghanian adoption application.  we have the medical forms and ghanaian application notarized and ready to go.  we are simply waiting for the home study to be approved and then work/wait/trust/strive to gather the next set of funds!

photography fundraiser

*MINI-SESSION ADOPTION FUNDRAISER*

as you may know, ashley has a photography business that God has seen fit to bless tremendously.  we were able to use this business to help us fund more than half of our second son's adoption!  YAY!  100% of our current profits from photography are not directly benefiting our ghana adoption, and we could not be more thankful for all the love and support our clients have shown us.

on saturday, august 11, we are offering a special mini-session package to FOUR families (single household only, first-come, first-served).  sessions are available at 5:00, 5:30, 6:00, and 6:30 at our property in shingle springs.  donations of $100 will include the session fee, fully edited images, and all digital negatives on CD mailed directly to your home.

if you are interested in taking advantage of a session AND helping our adoption AND getting an early jump on Christmas cards (YAHOO!!), send us an email: iamacain@gmail.com.

if we have enough interest, we will plan another mini-session day in september or october.

so....??

we're in a quiet lull.  they happen.
i've been majorly antsy about getting things done, but there just isn't anything to do just yet!  we have our final home visit with our social worker this friday, june 29.  i'm reeeeeally excited for it too because we'll get our next HUGE stack of paperwork then.  is it odd to be excited about paperwork?  i don't know...i just can't stand the thought of our child staying in an orphanage away from us one day longer than necessary.  every once in awhile i get overwhelmed by that thought and i could scream that there's nothing i can do RIGHT NOW to make the process go faster.

but.
PRAISE GOD that I AM NOT IN CONTROL.
there is such peace is knowing that God has ordained every day of mine life and the lives of my children and husband (psalm 139).  nothing surprises Him.  He doesn't forget things.
PRAISE GOD.

so...friday is the last part of our home study.
saturday we have a little yard sale planned to help with the next batch of expenses.  want to donate something?  we'll come by and pick it up this week (ben.cain@me.com)!  come by 8-1 and see if there's something you cannot live without.  ;D

next steps:
once we have the finalized home study in our hot little hands, we'll start applying for adoption grants.  i have a whole stack of grant applications all fill out!
after our meeting on friday, we'll also receive all the information on how to file our immigration paperwork and get our dossier in order.
in the next few weeks, we'll also be completing our formal application to ghana's social services to adopt.  yay!!

please continue to pray for wisdom and endurance for us as the road ahead still seems long and far away.  pray for our family as we walk this road together - that God will use it bring us even closer together!  pray for our children - the two here and the one across the ocean - that God will protect them and meet their needs.

amen.

preparation

moving right along.
at a snail's pace.  *sigh*

adoption is the world of HURRY HURRY  HURRY....and waaaaaaaaait.
and then wait some more.
and then HURRY HURRY HURRY!!!!

right now we're in a short wait between the hurrys.  we've finished all our paperwork for the home study.  next friday we have our final interviews with our social worker.  then our home inspection.  yes, we do already have two children in our home who are happy and healthy and well-adjusted; and yes, we have already completed one successful adoption.
yes, we do still have to go through another home study to received that beloved "stamp of agency approval."
its all good.  just those hoops you can't think about too much or you get frustrated.  *check check check it off the list*

while we are in a little lull of calm, we are trying to take the time to prepare for the crazy when our next child does arrive home.  i'd love it if i could store up on extra sleep right now...stock it away for later when i'll need it.  but i tried that with josiah's adoption and it DOES.  NOT.  WORK.  made things worse, in fact...just a little FYI in case you've thought about that.  *grin*
what we are doing is creating a big fat folder of support.  medical specialists, social workers, adoption circles, etc....things that we may find that we need when our child comes home.  this way its already at our fingertips.  research it now in case you need it later, right?

this is a really great time for us to learn more about ghana.  we found a ghanaian association of sacramento (GASCAL).  *score*  unfortunately, we just missed their big annual celebration of ghana's independence in april, but we've got it on the calendar for next year.

we're also girding our loins to answer the inevitable questions that will come when we become a "conspicuous" adoptive family.  our little josiah is light skinned with blue eyes.  no one knows he's adopted unless we start talking about birthmothers, etc (which i do quite often and wonder by people look at me weird. "oh, right!  let me explain...josiah came to our family through adoption.").  with this new little one who will have beautiful ebony skin and dark hair, the biological differences will be more obvious.  while we've had our share of ridiculous and insensitive questions about josiah ("did i cost extra for a white baby?"  seriously.  seriously?!?!?!?!), we're thinking through our reasons for adoption so we can take the time to gracious educate those who ask thoughtless questions....or not.  honestly, sometimes i think you can sometimes reply with a crazy answer and walk away.  they might do better to think through the answer themselves without our children needing to hear it.  read a great little, humorous blog post on exactly this:
top 6 reactions to our adoption

please continue to pray for us as we see God provide mental stamina, TIIIIIME, and funding.  we'll have some news coming out soon about a few fundraising opportunities.
 
"let the word of Christ dwell in you RICHLY, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with THANKFULNESS in your hearts to God."  colossians 3:16

fostering hope in ghana

one of the things you have to come to grips with when you start an adoption is that its costs money.
a lot of money.
in the end, though, its not EVER about buying a child.  it is ransom money.  every penny gets you closer to gathering YOUR child into your arms.
think of it this way: if your child was taken from you and placed in the deepest, darkest jungle on the other side of the world, is there anything that would be too difficult or too costly to get them back?  no, of course not.  and when you are called to adoption, that is exactly how you feel.  YOUR CHILD is out there somewhere, waiting for you...of course there is no amount of money too great, no hoop too ridiculous to jump through, no dance you are not willing to learn so you can welcome them into your home.

that said....we spent a lot of time researching adoption agencies.  since we were going to be spending a lot of money, we wanted that money to be used in a way that would do more than simply bring our child into our arms.  we wanted to work with an agency that would help to keep families together and alleviate the orphan problem worldwide.
this is why we love bethany christian services (www.bethany.org).
they have foster programs and small business loans and gobs of other GREAT ideas in place in so many countries around the world.  in the US, they support birthmothers who choose to keep their babies and help them get back on their feet.  these are the things we believe in.  these are the things that help to keep families together.  adoption is ONE of MANY solutions to help orphans!  we love that our support of bethany christian services helps more than just our family...

here's a nice little article about what bethany is doing in ghana:  Fostering Hope in Ghana

how did we decide to adopt?

one of the questions we hear a lot is: "so, how did you decide to adopt?"
a fellow adoptive mommy friend wrote a blog post to answer that question (*high fives, alexis!*).  i really couldn't say it any better....so i'm stealing her wit instead.  *grin*

click here:
How We Decided To Adopt

golden trivia

a few fun facts about ghana....

1.  the official language of ghana is english.  there are, however, over 200 various languages spoken within its borders!

2.  "akwaaba" is the twi word for "welcome."  twi is spoken by the ashanti people in ghana.

"welcome" sign at the accra airport!

3.  accra is the capitol of ghana and is located on the country's southern coast.

4.  ghana is home to the world's largest man made lake, lake volta.  it covers more than 3200 miles and provides the majority of the nation's electricity.

lake volta and the akosomba dam

5.  the secretary-general of the united nations from 1997 to 2006 was kofi annan, a ghanaian!  "kofi" is the akan name that corresponds with being born on a friday.

kofi annan, secretary-general of UN from 1997 to 2006

6.  in 1957, ghana became the first sub-saharan african country to gain its independence.

7.  ghana is the world's second-largest producer of cocoa.

ghanaian cocoa farmer

8.  the form of money used in ghana is called the cedis.  it is currently one of the most highly valued african currencies.

more cultural tidbits and lessons to come!  :)