WE ARE HERE! and on internet

Patience June19th, 2013
After our sermon at church on Sunday using Galatians 5:22-23, we have decided to journal the fruits of the spirit while away. I am wondering if we will be tempted to use Patience more than once!
We are nearing the end of the longest of our plane rides. We are 35 minutes from landing in Accra Ghana. We then have a short layover and cannot exit the plane. Then on to Liberia!
Sleeping was quite hard, and a 10 hour flight is LONG! But we expected to be tired and are ready to be off the plane. We have even tried to imagine how the flight home will go with a 1 year old!
We upgraded to economy comfort, and for this long of a journey, I suggest it to everyone. I cannot imagine traveling this long without it!
We are anxious to find out if we will see Shadrach today or tomorrow. I am a little hesitant to grab him from the orphanage and say….”ok let’s go to bed!” So part of me would be content to wait until tomorrow and get to know him throughout the day and then work on putting him to bed! A day full of “yes” to start gaining his trust.
Please pray for our children at home. They are all in good hands. But it is hard being so far away from them!
Shannon
We are at our guest house, after about a 45 minute journey in the car. IT is clean, and has 24 hour power, running filtered water. Jessica Neal….we are spoiled!
We have already run into a bump in the road. Apparently we were to make the embassy appt. Even after we heard last week that Acres of Hope was making the appt. So we are feeling anxious about this. It was to be done online, and we do not have internet here. So tomorrow Rebecca is to be taking us to the Embassy AFTER we go see Shadrach. So pray for this to happen by Monday or Tuesday. Our plane leaves on Wednesday at 6:25 pm.
On the plane, a former Professional Soccer player from Liberia was sitting in front of us. He was coming back to Liberia to play the Peace games on Sunday. Was fun to chat with him. He has lived in many countries since he left about the time the war started.
I was planning to try to keep on MN time…but here it is 8pm Liberia time, (five hours ahead of MN) and I am ready for bed.
We are missing our kids. We have been able to text a bit, but we are unsure of that cost. So we are trying to keep it at a minimum!
PEACE June 20th ,2013
I think we both slept pretty well. We are in a double bed, but it didn’t seem to matter last night.
The rain started full force during the night, on a tin roof, and has not stopped since then. Coming down in sheets. We did get to go on the beach last night. We walked a bit until we saw little crab’s walking all over. That was enough to get me in!
We heard from the Neal’s that there are dogs running all over. There was one laying in the yard last night. Wayne thought it might be dead. But when we got back from the beach (which is right across from our guest house) the dog had left.
This morning Wayne was out trying to get some video, despite the rain. And he saw a BIG lizard. A huge gecko looking thing.
On our way from the airport, there were little villages. People mulling all over. The streets are filled with adults and children walking all over. When our car past a motorcycle Rebecca would honk to let them know she was passing.
We are leaving to meet Shadrach in about an hour. We are unsure yet if we take him from that time on or not. So many unknowns right now. Plus we are wondering about being able to get on the internet and post things, and let Nate, who leaves on Sat. know what to expect. We are anxious for him to get here too.
Shannon
June 19th….still
We saw Shadrach for the first time about 10:30 this morning…or at the crack of dawn for all you Minnesotans. We walked into the sleeping room of about 10 children, and they ALL started to cry…the white people came! But Shadrach didn’t cry! LOL. I picked him up and he seemed tired, out of it. When we left he slept for about 3 hours. He slept through traffic the US Embassy visit, and much noise. YAY a heavy sleeper in our busy household. When he woke up, Wayne fed him his bottle and he has been a happy, goofy, silly boy ever since. He chats, laughs, smiles and is simply a happy boy. He actually does love his stroller, loves to snuggle, and loves to play with his feet. He is sitting up by himself, although with a little bit of a bottle butt. It won’t take him long to get up on his knees. Which will be interesting having a mobile blind boy. Wayne has affectionately named him our chocolate chunk..he has the BIGGEST CHUNK ever! Jessica sure had that right on!
We need lots of prayers going out for our US Embassy Consular visit. We just learned last night that we needed to request an appt. last week online. So pray that they get our email and we can have that visit take place, to get his medical Visa, so we can leave Wednesday. We let Nate know to get his made. So hopefully things will go smoothly for him. (he is bringing home James who needs an esophagus transplant) Nate arrives Sunday night.
So our lives are full of listening to baby giggle fun right now.
A couple other fun things, we had some boys come and sell us stuff at our Guest house. Which was fun…I probably over paid a bit. But still cheap by American Standards. We talked them down some. But so many things have meaning….We will try to post pictures. But it is something to see. Items made out of mahogany.
Last night I believe I journaled about the crabs that came out on the beach….well during the day, there are little tiny crabs that are out during the day. They match the sand, and you can hardly see them…yuck!!!
So I am leary about the beach. There are VERY hi waves, and people still swim a lot. Which amazes me. Cannot believe how dangerous it might be.
JOY/ amidst some heart ache…. June 21, 2013
I learned a couple of things this morning.
First, when we were at the orphanage to pick up Shadrach, his sweet mama was there. Wayne said we were introduced to her, but with the thick Liberian accent, I didn’t catch that it was his mama. I feel horrible. I did get a picture of her, but it is on my camera and I didn’t bring the computer cord!
Second, we are staying at Trinity guest house. Part of Samaritans purse and SIM International. This was no accident. A Divine intervention….amazing. I would love to tell this story in person, but I cannot wait to share!
Queen is the guest house cleaner. She is the adopted daughter of the Arizona couple who run the ELWA compound….where we are staying. Queen comes every morning to clean, chat and clean some more….Today she told me that she knows Shadrachs aunt and has met his mama! I said….” Please tell me the story!” So here goes…..
Shadrachs mama came down from Nimba when he was 5-6 months old. Her village said he was cursed and they didn’t want him around. So she made the trek down to Monrovia to her brother and sister inlaw’s house. From there they got hooked up with Acres of Hope. If his mama were to bring him back to Nimba, the village people would throw him out and be left to die.
When we were a couple of weeks into the process to adopt Shadrach, we had to write a letter to his mama to let her know we were not going to harm him. That we wanted to love him and care for him. To call him our own. At the same time, here in Liberia, Queen was talking to the aunt. The aunt asked, Queen, should we let him go, or should I raise him. Queen told her “ Let God take care of Shadrach. You cannot help him like some in America can. He has a future there.” She was worried about him being trafficked and that he would be taken advantage of. Queen cannot wait to tell the family that he will be at a good home..with so many people excited for him to get home.
His mama or aunt would come every day to visit him and play with him in the orphanage. She loves him….and she is letting me take him home…to another country, to another part of world….that is so different from her own. My Joy…her sorrow.
Can you believe how God has worked this out for us to care for Shadrach. We knew we were in for some surprises, but I never imagined something as awesome as this. Queen told me the story and kept saying “God works in mysterious ways”
We are currently waiting for Amos to come. He is the social worker. He is now an hour late. Smile….Liberian time. He is suppose to take Shadrach to the doctor. I am not sure what is the ok time frame to wait, or simply go down to the Golden Key so we can get on the internet…..I am anxious to post updates, and get in touch with Christina and Jessica.
To close…..When I heard we were staying at Trinity guest house, I thought….that sounds about perfect. Little did I know, God has us right where he wanted us!
Shannon (Wayne has lots of updates to. I will try to get him to post