Love re-evaluates.In January 2011, our youngest daughter, Alex, 15, said to me in passing, "You and daddy should become foster parents." Like a seed finally germinating, a long buried desire to adopt internationally began to break through the layers of my heart. I told her we would talk about it. The conversation ended, but I couldn't let go of the crazy idea my husband Dave and I had talked about during our engagement. We had discussed everything from where we wanted to live, who would pay the bills, and how many kids we wanted to have. And then we talked briefly about adopting a child from Africa. Soon we were married and a few months before our second anniversary our first daughter, CJ, was born. Caity, Breanne and Alex quickly followed only a couple of years apart. Before we knew it we were raising four daughters all under 7 years old.
As I tirelessly entertained the idea of adopting internationally, I quickly created a mental list of reasons why it was a crazy idea: Dave and I are getting close to being 50 years old (he's closer than me - haha!); we have three kids in college; we are finally in a position to remodel our home and/or buy a nice camper; I'm often tired at the end of the work day; our youngest is in high school; and did I already mention Dave and I are almost 50? But, the more I prayed about the possibility, the more excited I got. I finally had to share the idea with Dave. I figured that he could end the discussion because we would never pursue anything we both weren't in agreement on. We went out for breakfast one February Saturday morning and I told Dave that I had a crazy idea. I told him that I was really feeling led to adopt from Ghana, Africa. Dave didn't bat an eye. He thought for a second and then said, "That's doable." Dave had already been to Ghana four times with his job with the North Dakota National Guard. He loved the country and I really wanted to experience it, too. Then I added, "And I was thinking two kids." Dave just smiled and said, "Sure." Currently, three of our girls are in college. CJ is finishing her nutrition degree in Casper, WY, Caity is applying to nursing school on an active duty Army scholarship in Salt Lake City, Breanne is pursuing a degree in graphic design at the Art Institute in Salt Lake City, and Alex is a junior at Century High School in Bismarck, ND. And Dave and I are now working hard to bring 6-year-old Erica and her 1 1/2-year-old brother Silas home from Ghana, Africa. Love pursues.Our homestudy was completed at the end of February 2012 and our application to Hopscotch International Adoption Agency was accepted March 19.
Then we were officially matched with Erica and Silas May 11! We all fell in love with them instantly. Erica is a beautiful young girl whose smile lights up her whole face and fills our hearts. Silas is a handsome little guy who is clearly a little charmer. I can't wait to sit in the big, overstuffed chair in our living room with both of them and over and over tell them how much we love them. Next, we tackled the dossier. We became good friends with Londa at American Bank Center as she notarized the pile of documents we brought with us, not just once, but on several visits. Thank you, Londa! Our dossier was submitted to the Ministry of Social Welfare June 5. June 7 we drove to Fargo and were fingerprinted as part of our I-600 application for immigration. Friday, July 6 we were notified that our I-600 approval was on its way to Ghana. Now we wait for approval and for a court date. Love expands.Caity, Alex and I stayed up late looking at all the photos and messaging Danielle one question after another. The three of us were in Mesa, Arizona visiting my parents when we made the connection with the Lindbooms. I texted Dave, CJ and Breanne the Linbooms' information so they could friend request them on Facebook and see the photos, too.
It was a very exciting night. We now know that we will be able to meet Erica and Silas' mom and they will be able to say goodbye. We will also be able to send photos of the kids to her and one day arrange for the kids to go back to Ghana to see her. We will also be able to keep Erica and Silas in touch with their sister and their cousins. Our family just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Love provides.Aug. 5, 2012. Wow! All of a sudden, things are happening very quickly. We received a call Friday, July 27 from Michelle at our adoption agency to tell us that we passed court! I called Dave and the girls. We were beside-ourselves-excited! This was Miracle number one because the president of Ghana unexpectedly passed away three days earlier. The country is in a state of mourning and we weren't sure if business would proceed as normal during this time. We began to entertain the idea that we could possibly all get to go to Ghana to meet Erica and Silas. There is only one week that this will work and we started the preparations immediately. But, Michelle had us hold off buying plane tickets until we heard from Percy, our in-country partner, that he had picked up the paperwork from the court and that it was all correct. Our travel agent, MB Schmidt, made tentative reservations for all of us Monday, but they would only hold until 10 that night. At the close of business Monday we had still not heard from Percy.
Early Tuesday morning, Caity and I got in the car and drove towards Salt Lake City where we would be helping Breanne and Caity move out of their apartment and into a house. We prayed that MB would be able to find the same airline tickets at the same price and be able to hold them for one more day. As we drove towards Dickinson I had the clear impression that we would know if we were going to Ghana by the time we got to Dickinson. As we approached the drive-thru window at Taco John's my phone buzzed. Caity looked and saw an email from Dave to MB saying that we had the green light to travel. We immediately called Dave and he confirmed that he had just got off the phone with Michelle and, in fact, Percy was able to get the paperwork. Miracle number two! This was the last day many judges were in the office before a 3-week break. Whew! But....she said we would need to sign a waiver stating that we were traveling without an I-600 appointment (a meeting at the embassy to begin the paperwork necessary to bring the kids to the U.S.). We were willing to take the risk because all six of us being able to meet Erica and Silas at the same time would be priceless. And so the planning of our 10-day trip to Ghana began via smart phone. We soon received an email from MB saying that, not only did our plane reservations hold overnight, they dropped in price $12 each. Miracle number three! Also, CJ needed to fly out of Denver to get a good price and needed to leave two days after us. MB booked her tickets flying out on Wednesday, Aug. 8 and flying back on Wednesday, Aug. 15. We were worried about her getting to Denver, but, her boyfriend is off on Wednesdays and said he would gladly take her to the airport and pick her up. Miracle number four! Michelle emailed us a list of documents that we would need to hand carry with us to Ghana for our I-600 appointment in the event we secure one. Dave ordered documentation from the IRS and had it sent directly to our adoption agency to forward to Ghana. Our flights leave Monday at 5 p.m. so we will get certain forms notarized Monday morning. Our biggest concern was that we still had one certified copy of our marriage license and our birth certificates. When Dave got home from work he called to say that, yes, we had one copy of each. Miracle number five! As we drove the 550 miles to Casper, WY where we would spend the night with CJ, our oldest daughter, Caity typed lists on my iPhone of all the things we needed to remember to pick up and do by Monday. Early Tuesday morning we left for Salt Lake City and Dave and John (our 23-year-old-like-a son-to-us from Ghana - that's a whole other story - ask us about it sometime) left Bismarck with a truck and a trailer full of Caity's stuff and Jill's stuff (one of my most precious former students and Caity and Breanne's new roommate in Salt Lake) and headed to Salt Lake City, making the 1000-mile trip in one day. As we both drove we continued, via smart phones, to make reservations for transportation, hotels, phones, etc. for our time in Ghana. Wednesday afternoon and evening we cleaned the girls' house and moved some of Breanne's items from the apartment. Dave and John arrived at midnight and we all passed out from exhaustion. Thursday, we woke up bright and early, drank a good amount of coffee and went to work cleaning, repairing, moving, unpacking, and more cleaning. We celebrated the end of the day with a big spaghetti dinner with Matt, Breanne's boyfriend, his mom and their friend Spencer. Friday morning at 5, Dave and John began the long drive home. Caity and I waited for Breanne to get out of school and pack her bag for Ghana and we left Salt Lake at noon. Dave and John arrived back in Bismarck at midnight and we arrived in Casper about 6 to share a meal with CJ and her boyfriend Clyde and spend the night. Saturday, we left Casper at 5 a.m. and arrived back in Bismarck at about 2:30 p.m. and right away went shopping to buy items for our trip and gifts for all the people we would spend time with in Ghana. Today is Sunday and we are spending the day packing. We are packing for ourselves and also packing six suitcases of donations for friends of ours who run a ministry called City of Refuge (www.cityofrefugeoutreach.com). They run a school for 150 children Kindergarten through twelfth grade and have a children's home for children they've rescued out of slavery. Check out their Web site. Cool people doing awesome things for the kingdom of God. We will arrive in Accra, Ghana at 8 Tuesday night. Wednesday we will travel to City of Refuge in nearby Tema to deliver the donations and see our friends Stacy and Johnbull Omerefe. Thursday we will travel back to Accra, visiting a few friends and then pick CJ up at the airport at 8 that night. Friday morning we will go bright and early to the orphanage and meet our precious little Erica and Silas! They had to be moved from their orphanage about an hour away to Accra so they would be nearby for Percy to complete the paperwork in the event we get our I-600 appointment. Please pray that this week is a positive week for Erica and Silas and that they are not afraid or uncomfortable with the move. Please pray for Miracle number six! That we would get an I-600 appointment during our stay in Ghana. We will keep you posted. We will try to post a complete family photo soon. Love travels.Aug. 6, 2012. Today is the day we leave for Ghana. We are packed, our ten suitcases overflowing with gifts for Erica and Silas, friends and soon-to-be friends. Donations for City of Refuge completely fill four large suitcases. Thank you to everyone who donated items and/or money. Many, many children will be blessed.
We will board each flight knowing that we are pursuing the calling God gave us to open our hearts and our home to more children. He knows Erica and Silas and He knows each one of us and, in just a few days, He will unite us as the family He has so lovingly and passionately called us to be. As we packed last night with the help of our good friends, Ernie and Kris Hockett, Jamie and Naomi Vetter (and little Finley), Lori Quintus, and Laurie Foerderer, we shared our questions. Will Erica and Silas embrace us immediately? Will they be fearful? Will they like us? Are we too loud? Talk too much? Haha! What will it feel like to spend days with them and then have to say goodbye, maybe for several months? Soon, we will know and we choose to trust God with all the answers. Love connects.Our family with many of the kids at the orphanage in Ghana.
We made it to Ghana without a glitch. After arriving in Accra at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7 we met Percy at our hotel. He shared that Erica and Silas had been moved from their remote village orphanage to one in Accra so they would be closer to the embassy when needed to process their passports. Because they are from a remote village, Percy said Silas is afraid of white people and Erica has been very shy. We would not meet them until Thursday because Percy was going to try to find the judge who approved the adoption so she could sign the decree. The president of Ghana was being buried Friday and all offices were going to be closed both Thursday and Friday.
While Percy hunted the judge down, we traveled to Doryumu to visit our friends, Johnbull and Stacy Omorefe at City of Refuge. We had brought four 50 lb suitcases full of school supplies, backpacks, medical supplies, peanut butter, water bottles, clothes, etc. We had fun unloading the suitcases and sharing a meal of fufu and stew with the Omerefes, Autumn Buzzell and all the volunteers and children. We attended a women's Bible study in town at the home of Robin Beebe. Robin and Reed are missionaries to Ghana with Feed the Orphans. We had a great night of worship, reading Hebrews 4 and prayer. Back at the ranch :) our family had the privilege of spending the night in the new children's home that had recently been completed. It is beautiful! We slept ok until about 2 a.m. when a rooster began crowing...non-stop...until sunrise. If we were going to spend one more night we were going to suggest having rooster for dinner. Haha! Thursday morning we had a great breakfast and headed back to Accra. We stopped in Tema on the way to visit with a friend. As we approached Accra we called Percy and he said he would meet us at our hotel. Once there, he told us that he had obtained the judge's signature after he had tracked her down at her brother's home in the Eastern Region. He said she was a bit shocked that he had found her on vacation, but she signed the decree when he told her that we were in Ghana waiting for our I-600 appointment. Percy asked if we wanted to go meet Erica and Silas and we quickly said yes! Just Dave and I went because we wanted to wait for CJ to arrive that night so all the girls could meet their new brother and sister together. As we got closer to the orphanage I became more and more nervous. I was praying that they would not be afraid of us. When the gates to the orphanage opened we could see Erica and Silas right away. Erica sat quietly and watched our car pull into the courtyard. Silas was running around chasing a soccer ball. Percy introduced us to them and we took it slowly, talking with them and smiling. We had brought taffy and licorice which all the kids enjoyed - especially Silas! He loves any kind of food. As long as we had some food to give him, he let us hold him briefly. I showed Erica pictures of the girls and our animals. She had a big smile on her face the whole time! I told her that the next day we would come back and bring all of the girls. We picked CJ up at the airport around 9 p.m. and then headed back to the hotel to get some much needed sleep. Friday morning we all drove to the orphanage excited to spend time with Erica and Silas. We introduced them to the girls and then gave them their first of many gifts. We gave them each a book full of pictures of us and our home and our animals. Then we gave them each a North Dakota T-shirt. We all lured Silas in with some more licorice and bite-size Snickers bars. He was one happy little boy. We were all amazed at his talent with the soccer ball. At a year and 10 months, he can kick the ball with both feet, dribble the ball, set up shots and even play goalie. This kid has talent! Erica started warming up to us and was pleasantly surprised when Caity knew how to play a game called Um-pey. It is a jumping game that is similar to rock, paper, scissors, but you play with your feet, not your hands. Erica loved playing with each one of the girls and was very sad when it was time for us to go. We promised that we would return the next day. Our friend, Sheph Afun came with us to the orphanage to meet Erica and Silas because it was a holiday from work due to the president's funeral. He speaks Twi, the same language Erica and Silas speak. He talked to Erica and helped her understand that we would be coming back the next day. We spent many hours at the orphanage every day. Friday, Mama Florence told us that Silas had a tummy ache. Oops! Too much candy. So, Saturday we brought pineapples, plantain chips and water for all the kids. Much healthier snack. We played games with all the kids, such as red light/green light, duck, duck, goose, Simon Says, etc. And we all tried to spend some one-on-one time with Erica and Silas. By Saturday, Silas was calling me and Dave mama and papa. We gave Erica and Silas coloring books and crayons which Erica graciously shared with the other kids. Sunday, we picked up our friend Michael Oblie (he lived with us in Bismarck last summer for three months) and he came with us to the orphanage. He also speaks Twi so he helped us communicate more with Erica. Michael also took lots of family pictures for us. We gave Erica and Silas picture frames that Breanne had painted with their full names on them (Erica Asante Skalicky and Silas Asante Skalicky). Erica spelled out her whole name and said it perfectly. Silas looked at the pictures and then looked at me and Dave. He grinned really big and pointed to the photo and said "Mama" and then "Papa." On Monday, the girls went to Tema to spend the morning shopping and visiting with family friends. Dave and I walked to the Shell gas station to make some copies for our I-600 appointment. We called Percy to check about our appointment and he was going through security at the airport as he was leaving for 10 days to go to Utah. He said he would call the embassy once he was through security. About 45 minutes later, he called with good news. We got our I-600 appointment Tuesday, Aug. 14, just four hours before we would need to be at the airport. God is good! After making copies, Dave and I took a taxi to Tema and met up with the girls and our friends. We had lunch and then drove back to Accra to see Erica and Silas. We picked up Michael on the way and he helped us explain to Erica that we would be visiting one more day (Tuesday) and then we would have to fly back to America to finish all the paperwork necessary to bring she and Silas home with us. He told her all about our house in Bismarck because he had lived with us. He told her that we would be gone many, many days, but the day will finally come when we will come back to get them. What a blessing Michael was to us that day. Tuesday, we woke up early and packed our bags then headed to the orphanage. We played soccer with Silas and games with Erica. But, as our time to leave drew near, Erica became very quiet. She was sitting on my lap and then crawled off and knelt on the cement and laid her head on my lap. She quietly started weeping. She soaked my pant leg with her tears. It broke my heart! Too soon, our ride came and we each had to say goodbye. Silas had fallen asleep so I handed him to an Auntie who promised to keep both he and Erica safe until we returned. The girls all said goodbye to Erica and then hopped in the taxi. Dave and I gave her last hugs and whispered in her ear that we loved her and then we had to walk away. It was so hard to do. With eager determination to get the process moving along, Dave and I made our way to our I-600 appointment. We offered the two ladies behind the glass all the decrees and forms necessary to start the immigration process. They said we will hear from them within 60 business days. Percy told us it is usually closer to 30 business days. We are praying for a short wait. We met our friend Sheph for dinner before heading to the airport. Michael and his father and brother also met us at the airport to say goodbye. We hugged and took pictures and then began the long check-in process before boarding our flight. In Amsterdam we put CJ and Breanne on a flight to Detroit while we waited five hours for our flight to Minneapolis. CJ flew into Denver, Breanne into Salt Lake City and then rest of us into Bismarck all around 7 Wednesday night. We were tired and missing Erica and Silas. Caity slept for a few hours and then got up at 2:30 a.m. Thursday to drive the 1000 miles back to Salt Lake City with her dog Charlie. Everyone of us has slowly been recovering from jetlag. We are now counting the days until Dave and I get to fly back to Ghana to pick up Erica and Silas and bring them home. We can't wait for you all to meet them. Such awesome kids! Thank you all for your prayers as we traveled and attended our appointment at the embassy. We covet your continued prayers as we wait for the next step of the journey to arrive. Love wins!The deadline for the drawing as part of our fundraiser through Lifesong for Orphans was Tuesday, Oct. 9. Every $50 donation earned a chance at winning either an iPad, iPhone, or iPod (winner's choice). We threw all the names in a hat and drew one out. Kris Hockett is our winner!
Thank you to Kris and everyone who donated money to help us bring Erica and Silas home. We just bought tickets and will be flying to Ghana Saturday, Oct. 20 to get our precious children. We have our final appointment at the embassy Tuesday, Oct. 23 and will then all fly home Oct. 27. If you have not yet had a chance to make a donation and would still like to do that, Lifesong will keep our account open until the kids are home with us. Mail your check to: Lifesong for Orphans Attn: Skalicky/#3074 (also include this number on your check) P.O. Box 40 Gridley, IL 61744 We couldn't bring these kids home if we didn't have such great support! Thank you for your prayers, your time, your donations, and your love! Our kids will love getting to know each one of you. |
Google+ing with our kids.September 22, 2012 our friend Sheph in Accra took his laptop and satellite wifi to the orphanage. Caity, Breanne and Jill in Utah; CJ, Clyde, Kylie, Dave, Alex and me in North Dakota; my mom and dad in Mesa, AZ; and Erica, Silas, Sheph and Michael in Ghana! What a great way to start the day!
Adoption shower - Oct. 11, 2012Erica's room.Erica's wall.
Silas's room.(left to right) Abigail (Evelyn's daughter), Evelyn (Regina's sister), Regina (Erica and Silas' mother), Silas, Erica, Sue, Gabriel (Evelyn's son). Both Evelyn and Regina have four children. Evelyn has two at home (Abigail and Gabriel) and two have been adopted to the U.S. (Prince, 8, and Mabel (not sure of spelling or age or location in U.S.). Regina has one son at home, Alex, 10. We adopted Erica and Silas, and Regina's daughter Emanuella, 4, was adopted to the U.S. April 2012. Emanuella and Prince live with the same family in Illinois. We plan to go visit July 2013.
Love releases.Regina Asante is a beautiful, strong, kind woman. She is the birth mother of our children Erica and Silas. We were able to spend about an hour and a half with Regina and her sister Evelyn, and two of Evelyn's children, at our hotel in Accra October 24, 2012. They were weary from having spent four hours traveling from their remote village Twifo Hermang in the Central Region to Accra. We all sat on the beautiful patio of our hotel and visited. The Linbooms, the family in Illinois who had adopted Evelyn's son Prince and Regina's daughter Emanuella, had sent us a package to bring with us for Evelyn and Regina. It was filled with photos and small gifts. The two sisters laughed and cried as they looked at how big their children had become in just six months. They marveled at how beautiful they are and expressed how proud they were of their children for succeeding in America. The Linbooms had also sent Percy a card and some photos and the sisters and Percy fought over whose pictures were whose as they all got mixed up in the passing.
Dave and Percy took a taxi to go get some food for everyone while us three moms and children continued to look at pictures and take new ones. We laughed and the children played together. When the food arrived Regina and Evelyn kept theirs wrapped up and it was clear that they were taking it to eat on their long ride home. Regina began to get a far-away look in her eyes as the moment of saying goodbye to two more of her children became clearly imminent. I was holding Silas and, seeing Regina's downcast solemn eyes, I stood up and passed Silas to her across the table. She graciously took him, smiling at his tiny face, but just as graciously turned him around and passed him back to me. Erica, sensing her mother's preparation to leave, began crying quietly. Regina stood up and held Erica close against her body, caressing her head and shoulders. A couple of times Regina bend down and whispered into Erica's ear. After a few moments, Regina pushed Erica back and turned her towards me. I hugged Regina and then held Erica close to my body as her mother had done. As Erica continued to cry I watched as Regina made her way across the patio to the two stairs that would take her out of sight. With one foot on the first step down, Regina turned and looked at her children one last time and then was gone. I don't have an actual picture of that moment, but it is written indelibly on my mind. In that moment, Regina became my hero of selflessness, humility, strength and true beauty. She showed no weakness to her children while we visited. Instead they enjoyed her beautiful smile, her hearty laugh and her encouraging words about going to America. I can only imagine the tears that poured out once she was hidden away in the taxi. As a mother myself I can't help but wonder how long she cried, how she survived the pain of saying goodbye to her two beautiful children, maybe forever. Did she ever eat her food? Did she and her sister finally laugh again on the long ride home? My heart aches for Regina's loss and yet simultaneously is filled with gratitude for her selfless gift to us - her two beautiful, strong children. Daily we are blessed with their contagious smiles and laughter, their quick wit and sense of humor, their curiosity and endless sense of wonder - all gifts from their mother. I see Regina in each one of them every day. When Erica gets sad, I see that far-away look in her eyes that I saw in Regina's the moment she knew she had to walk away. I see Regina's fun personality in the smirk on Silas' face and in Erica's sense of humor. I see Regina's strength whenever Erica faces something new and when Silas wants to do something all by himself. We are so blessed by Regina and we plan to take Erica and Silas to go see her when they are older. |
Love believes.
We emailed the U.S. embassy in Ghana requesting a visa interview for Oct. 16. They were unable to honor this request, but said they had an opening Oct. 23. We made the decision to attend this interview ourselves, instead of having Percy, our in-country partner, attend for us with a power of attorney. We chose to go by faith that all would go well and that the kids' visas would be printed shortly after our interview. We booked airline tickets to leave Bismarck Oct. 20 and arrive in Ghana at noon Oct. 21. We packed four big suitcases, one full of summer clothes for Erica and Silas, diapers, wipes, coloring books, crayons, books, stuffed animals, snacks, etc. for the week we would spend with the kids in Ghana and the long trip home. We couldn't wait to see Erica and Silas the afternoon we arrived.
When our plane landed in Accra we contacted Percy and told him we would meet him in front of the airport. He said he would be there shortly. We stood in the Ghana heat with our four overweight large suitcases anxiously awaiting our ride to go get our kids. But, when Percy arrived he had bad news. My heart sunk and my blood pressure rose when he said, "It is not good. It is very bad. I don't know where your kids are." Dave and I exchanged looks of disbelief. Percy tried to explain himself further to Dave while I quickly called Caity (in our family she has always been the reporter - if you want news spread, tell Caity). I told her to pray protection for Erica and Silas and to get the word out to as many as possible to pray that they be found. Percy knew that social welfare had come into the orphanage (which had been under investigation) that Thursday and demanded to see paperwork for every child. Erica, Silas and Junior (Abu) had no paperwork because, we discovered that, Percy had put these three kids there illegally under the foster care of Mama Florence, who works and lives at the orphanage. Because they had no paperwork, social welfare seized the three kids and took them to an undisclosed location. Percy kept trying until he finally got a hold of the person second in charge at social welfare and begged them to release Erica and Silas to us because we were legally their parents. They agreed to meet us at their main office Monday at 10 a.m. with the kids. So, we now had 22 hours to wait.
Our good friend, Sheph, met us at the airport with the hopes of spending the day with us and Erica and Silas. Instead, we trudged out to Percy's car with our four suitcases only to find that Percy and his friend Percy (true story) and our suitcases were all that would fit in his little blue Toyota Corolla. So, Dave, Sheph and I opted to take a taxi and meet the Percys at the hotel. We walked back to the front of the airport and flagged down a taxi. We hopped in and drove a short distance when, all of a sudden, several armed police officers stopped our taxi. One officer placed a large steel pipe with long steel spikes in front of the passenger front tire. In Twi, one officer began to order us all to get out. Dave opened his door to step out and our taxi driver freaked out. With great force, he stepped on the gas pedal and sped away from the police. We heard a loud "Pop!" as the steel pipe tore the front and back passenger tires to shreds. The driver muttered to himself in Twi as he drove like Matt Damon in a Bourne Identity film, swerving around cars and disregarding traffic lights and rules. He drove like this for about a mile until he found a gas station that had air. He swerved into the station, hiding the car in the back. I finally had a chance to tear my eyes away from the windshield to look at Sheph for some explanation. He was quietly chuckling. When the taxi came to a halt, we all got out and slowly walked away to find another taxi. Once safely in our new taxi, I asked Sheph what he thought happened. He said that taxi drivers are not supposed to pick people up in front of the airport, but this guy did because we were Americans (therefore rich). But, he said more than likely the guy didn't have a license to operate a taxi (like many taxis in Ghana, and was facing a big fine. Therefore, replacing two tires was the lesser of two evils.
We finally arrived at the Pentagon Hotel and in the moments waiting for our room the last hour felt so surreal. Were our kids really missing? Did we just really flee from armed police officers in a foreign country. Our expectations for the afternoon had been to love on Erica and Silas. I was so distraught. But, then I quickly remembered that God had placed this calling to adopt on our hearts. He had orchestrated the timing and had selected Erica and Silas specifically for our family. He had not run off. He was still right there with us. I chose to thank Him for the journey, bumps and all. His ways are so much higher than our ways. We checked into our hotel and then Dave, Sheph and I went out to eat. Back at the hotel we spent a quiet evening of contemplation. The minutes ticked by slowly.
When our plane landed in Accra we contacted Percy and told him we would meet him in front of the airport. He said he would be there shortly. We stood in the Ghana heat with our four overweight large suitcases anxiously awaiting our ride to go get our kids. But, when Percy arrived he had bad news. My heart sunk and my blood pressure rose when he said, "It is not good. It is very bad. I don't know where your kids are." Dave and I exchanged looks of disbelief. Percy tried to explain himself further to Dave while I quickly called Caity (in our family she has always been the reporter - if you want news spread, tell Caity). I told her to pray protection for Erica and Silas and to get the word out to as many as possible to pray that they be found. Percy knew that social welfare had come into the orphanage (which had been under investigation) that Thursday and demanded to see paperwork for every child. Erica, Silas and Junior (Abu) had no paperwork because, we discovered that, Percy had put these three kids there illegally under the foster care of Mama Florence, who works and lives at the orphanage. Because they had no paperwork, social welfare seized the three kids and took them to an undisclosed location. Percy kept trying until he finally got a hold of the person second in charge at social welfare and begged them to release Erica and Silas to us because we were legally their parents. They agreed to meet us at their main office Monday at 10 a.m. with the kids. So, we now had 22 hours to wait.
Our good friend, Sheph, met us at the airport with the hopes of spending the day with us and Erica and Silas. Instead, we trudged out to Percy's car with our four suitcases only to find that Percy and his friend Percy (true story) and our suitcases were all that would fit in his little blue Toyota Corolla. So, Dave, Sheph and I opted to take a taxi and meet the Percys at the hotel. We walked back to the front of the airport and flagged down a taxi. We hopped in and drove a short distance when, all of a sudden, several armed police officers stopped our taxi. One officer placed a large steel pipe with long steel spikes in front of the passenger front tire. In Twi, one officer began to order us all to get out. Dave opened his door to step out and our taxi driver freaked out. With great force, he stepped on the gas pedal and sped away from the police. We heard a loud "Pop!" as the steel pipe tore the front and back passenger tires to shreds. The driver muttered to himself in Twi as he drove like Matt Damon in a Bourne Identity film, swerving around cars and disregarding traffic lights and rules. He drove like this for about a mile until he found a gas station that had air. He swerved into the station, hiding the car in the back. I finally had a chance to tear my eyes away from the windshield to look at Sheph for some explanation. He was quietly chuckling. When the taxi came to a halt, we all got out and slowly walked away to find another taxi. Once safely in our new taxi, I asked Sheph what he thought happened. He said that taxi drivers are not supposed to pick people up in front of the airport, but this guy did because we were Americans (therefore rich). But, he said more than likely the guy didn't have a license to operate a taxi (like many taxis in Ghana, and was facing a big fine. Therefore, replacing two tires was the lesser of two evils.
We finally arrived at the Pentagon Hotel and in the moments waiting for our room the last hour felt so surreal. Were our kids really missing? Did we just really flee from armed police officers in a foreign country. Our expectations for the afternoon had been to love on Erica and Silas. I was so distraught. But, then I quickly remembered that God had placed this calling to adopt on our hearts. He had orchestrated the timing and had selected Erica and Silas specifically for our family. He had not run off. He was still right there with us. I chose to thank Him for the journey, bumps and all. His ways are so much higher than our ways. We checked into our hotel and then Dave, Sheph and I went out to eat. Back at the hotel we spent a quiet evening of contemplation. The minutes ticked by slowly.
Love reunites.
After a fitful night of sleep, Dave and I sat on the patio at the Pentagon Inn and ate breakfast quietly. Soon Percy arrived and he told us we needed to wait until he got the go ahead from Social Welfare to go to their main office. We sat and waited. And waited. And waited. All I wanted to do was to hold Erica and Silas. I wanted them to see with their own eyes that when we told them, way back in August, that we would be back to get them, that we were telling the truth. I wanted to see Erica's beautiful smile and Silas' plump belly. Finally, Percy told us we could go. We hopped in his car, which looked a little like our daughter Alex's car after a week of school, fast-food eating, and changing clothes for work. I sat in the back seat and marveled at the adoption paperwork that was stuffed in the pockets behind the front seats. I prayed that he had everything we needed and turned my attention to the fact that we were finally going to get our kids.
We arrived at the main office for Ghana's Social Welfare. A nice young woman met us in the parking lot and told us to go up to the second floor and have a seat, and that the children would be there soon. We sat outside on a long patio outside a series of offices on an old bus seat. The man next to me, dressed to the nines, slept on and off. The projected arrival time of the children came and went and I couldn't help but wonder how long the gentleman next to me had been here.
Finally, we were asked to come into the office. A lady asked us about Erica and Silas and our adoption. She spent some time reaming out Percy for placing the kids at the Assurance of Hope Orphanage without the correct paperwork. Just when it was getting awkward listening to her reprimand Percy, the door opened and in walked a young woman holding sleeping Silas, Erica and a little boy from the orphanage whom we had met before, Abu (Junior). Erica was dressed in a big, beautiful, blue dress and she had a big smile. We hugged her and then I took Silas from the young woman. He continued to sleep as the Social Welfare lady talked with Erica. She asked her if she wanted to go with us and, thankfully, Erica eagerly said, "Yes!" The woman said all of our paperwork was in order and that we were legally their parents and she would release them to us. Whew! Thank God! We hopped in Percy's car and headed for the hotel. Silas slept the whole way and Erica just smiled from ear to ear.
We arrived at the main office for Ghana's Social Welfare. A nice young woman met us in the parking lot and told us to go up to the second floor and have a seat, and that the children would be there soon. We sat outside on a long patio outside a series of offices on an old bus seat. The man next to me, dressed to the nines, slept on and off. The projected arrival time of the children came and went and I couldn't help but wonder how long the gentleman next to me had been here.
Finally, we were asked to come into the office. A lady asked us about Erica and Silas and our adoption. She spent some time reaming out Percy for placing the kids at the Assurance of Hope Orphanage without the correct paperwork. Just when it was getting awkward listening to her reprimand Percy, the door opened and in walked a young woman holding sleeping Silas, Erica and a little boy from the orphanage whom we had met before, Abu (Junior). Erica was dressed in a big, beautiful, blue dress and she had a big smile. We hugged her and then I took Silas from the young woman. He continued to sleep as the Social Welfare lady talked with Erica. She asked her if she wanted to go with us and, thankfully, Erica eagerly said, "Yes!" The woman said all of our paperwork was in order and that we were legally their parents and she would release them to us. Whew! Thank God! We hopped in Percy's car and headed for the hotel. Silas slept the whole way and Erica just smiled from ear to ear.
Pentagon Inn
Love learns.
Once at the hotel we began the long-awaited-for process of getting to know one another. Erica and Silas were full of energy and wanted to try everything. I tried to go swimming with Erica in the pool, but it is 5' 5" deep and that is exactly how tall I am. I couldn't hold her up, so Papa jumped in and Erica took to the water like a fish. Dave had her floating on her back and kicking her feet in no time. Silas was a little apprehensive and just liked watching Erica swim. We put our feet in the water and kicked and then played soccer in the large courtyard of the hotel. We ate our breakfasts on the beautiful patio and our lunch and dinner by the pool.
For breakfast we were served eggs, toast and coffee or Milo by the kind hotel staff. It was always delicious. The kids really love Milo, a hot chocolate type energy drink. For lunch and dinner we usually walked next door to a tiny restaurant (a makeshift structure of wood and wire where the family cooked over a fire behind the building and brought the food in to serve). There were several long benches to sit and eat, but we always took our food to go and ate at the table by the pool. We laugh now and say that all we ate in Ghana that week was, "Rice and beans and rice and beans...and chicken...and rice and beans and rice and beans!" But, it was so good. The four of us could eat a huge meal of rice and beans and have leftovers for only $5 American.
The restaurant was as far as we dared venture outside the safety of the hotel's large gates and tall brick walls. Ghana is a very friendly and hospitable country, but there have been problems with other adoptive families walking around with their newly adopted Ghanian children. Without the kids' passports and visas in hand we didn't want to push our luck and be questioned by the police. These kind people simply want to protect their country's children from any kind of human trafficking.
Erica and Silas loved the extra large suitcase that we brought just for them. It was filled with five days worth of summer clothes, swimming suits, shampoo and conditioner, toothbrushes, snacks, large fluffy blankets for each of them, backpacks for each filled with coloring books, crayons, toys, brushes and stickers. Every day we seemed to be able to pull something new out of the suitcase and they were thrilled! We did pretty well bringing clothes to fit, but misjudged Erica's shoe size. None of the shoes we brought her fit. Thankfully, she had a pair of green flip flops that she wore all week. Flying home she just wore a pair of new fluffy socks and was happy as can be.
Our tiny room proved to be a challenge only for sleeping. All four of us slept in one queen size bed. For the first couple of nights we slept sideways so we could put a movie on before bedtime and lay and watch it. But, during the night Silas was constantly moving and inched his way towards the edge of the bed. Somehow either Dave or I woke up just in time to grab his jammies and pull him back to safety. We ate a lot of snacks in bed and one of Silas' nighttime diapers got a little full and soaked the sheets right by our pillows. Although the hotel staff was very nice and they cleaned our room twice in the six days we were there, they never changed our sheets. So, by the last night we simply had to not think about what we were sleeping on. Instead, we reveled in the fact that we were snuggling with two of the most awesome kids in the world and soon we would be bringing them home.
During our stay we had visitors come to the hotel every night. Having been to Ghana several times before and having had the privilege of hosting six Ghanian college students in our home for three months during the summer of 2011, we had a lot of people we wanted to see. Sheph, our amazing tour guide the summer of 2011 when Caity and I ventured to Ghana to check out the country and work in orphanages and hospitals, met us at the airport and shared many a meal with us during that week. One day we will host him in our home when he makes it to America. Brako and Michael O. came to see us a couple of times. They both lived with us during the summer of 2011 while on a work exchange program to the U.S. We got to meet Michael O's family when we came in August and enjoyed lots of his mom's good cooking! This trip we were able to meet Brako's sister when she stopped by on her way to a college lecture. For a brief few minutes Brako and Michael O were able to see each other, too - the first time since being at our home in the U.S. It was a sweet reunion! Our Ghanian son John's brother Bula stopped by a couple of times as well, bringing us enough Indomie, gari, and shito to fill an extra large suitcase. Once we got back home, Erica ended up eating Indomie almost every day for almost two months thanks to Bula. Our dear friends Johnbull and Stacy Omerefe and Autumn Buzell came to visit as well. They have several ministries ranging from rescuing children from the fishing slave trade to equipping single mothers with the skills necessary to make money so they don't feel pressured to sell their children. They also operate a K-12 international academy for the children living in their children's homes as well as the surrounding villages. Autumn is the director of education for the academy. We were able to bring them a whole suitcase full of the fixings for a tasty American Thanksgiving meal. They were thrilled. Erica and Silas loved the fact that we knew so many Ghanian people.
Wednesday, Oct. 24, Silas woke up with a high fever and a terrible cough. I put him in the carrier on my back and walked around the courtyard. He slept fitfully and didn't want to eat. He kept pulling at his ears and I suspected an ear infection. One of the ladies in the kitchen looked at him and told me to have Dave go to the nearby pharmacy and get him some medicine. She said all Dave had to do was tell the pharmacist what Silas' symptoms were and they would give him medicine. Dave hopped in a taxi and did just that. Sure enough, without even seeing Silas, the pharmacist gave Dave an antibiotic and cough medicine. That would never happen in America but we were sure glad they were willing to do it there. By Thursday morning Silas was feeling much better. He continued to cough and dig in his ears, but at least his fever broke.
For breakfast we were served eggs, toast and coffee or Milo by the kind hotel staff. It was always delicious. The kids really love Milo, a hot chocolate type energy drink. For lunch and dinner we usually walked next door to a tiny restaurant (a makeshift structure of wood and wire where the family cooked over a fire behind the building and brought the food in to serve). There were several long benches to sit and eat, but we always took our food to go and ate at the table by the pool. We laugh now and say that all we ate in Ghana that week was, "Rice and beans and rice and beans...and chicken...and rice and beans and rice and beans!" But, it was so good. The four of us could eat a huge meal of rice and beans and have leftovers for only $5 American.
The restaurant was as far as we dared venture outside the safety of the hotel's large gates and tall brick walls. Ghana is a very friendly and hospitable country, but there have been problems with other adoptive families walking around with their newly adopted Ghanian children. Without the kids' passports and visas in hand we didn't want to push our luck and be questioned by the police. These kind people simply want to protect their country's children from any kind of human trafficking.
Erica and Silas loved the extra large suitcase that we brought just for them. It was filled with five days worth of summer clothes, swimming suits, shampoo and conditioner, toothbrushes, snacks, large fluffy blankets for each of them, backpacks for each filled with coloring books, crayons, toys, brushes and stickers. Every day we seemed to be able to pull something new out of the suitcase and they were thrilled! We did pretty well bringing clothes to fit, but misjudged Erica's shoe size. None of the shoes we brought her fit. Thankfully, she had a pair of green flip flops that she wore all week. Flying home she just wore a pair of new fluffy socks and was happy as can be.
Our tiny room proved to be a challenge only for sleeping. All four of us slept in one queen size bed. For the first couple of nights we slept sideways so we could put a movie on before bedtime and lay and watch it. But, during the night Silas was constantly moving and inched his way towards the edge of the bed. Somehow either Dave or I woke up just in time to grab his jammies and pull him back to safety. We ate a lot of snacks in bed and one of Silas' nighttime diapers got a little full and soaked the sheets right by our pillows. Although the hotel staff was very nice and they cleaned our room twice in the six days we were there, they never changed our sheets. So, by the last night we simply had to not think about what we were sleeping on. Instead, we reveled in the fact that we were snuggling with two of the most awesome kids in the world and soon we would be bringing them home.
During our stay we had visitors come to the hotel every night. Having been to Ghana several times before and having had the privilege of hosting six Ghanian college students in our home for three months during the summer of 2011, we had a lot of people we wanted to see. Sheph, our amazing tour guide the summer of 2011 when Caity and I ventured to Ghana to check out the country and work in orphanages and hospitals, met us at the airport and shared many a meal with us during that week. One day we will host him in our home when he makes it to America. Brako and Michael O. came to see us a couple of times. They both lived with us during the summer of 2011 while on a work exchange program to the U.S. We got to meet Michael O's family when we came in August and enjoyed lots of his mom's good cooking! This trip we were able to meet Brako's sister when she stopped by on her way to a college lecture. For a brief few minutes Brako and Michael O were able to see each other, too - the first time since being at our home in the U.S. It was a sweet reunion! Our Ghanian son John's brother Bula stopped by a couple of times as well, bringing us enough Indomie, gari, and shito to fill an extra large suitcase. Once we got back home, Erica ended up eating Indomie almost every day for almost two months thanks to Bula. Our dear friends Johnbull and Stacy Omerefe and Autumn Buzell came to visit as well. They have several ministries ranging from rescuing children from the fishing slave trade to equipping single mothers with the skills necessary to make money so they don't feel pressured to sell their children. They also operate a K-12 international academy for the children living in their children's homes as well as the surrounding villages. Autumn is the director of education for the academy. We were able to bring them a whole suitcase full of the fixings for a tasty American Thanksgiving meal. They were thrilled. Erica and Silas loved the fact that we knew so many Ghanian people.
Wednesday, Oct. 24, Silas woke up with a high fever and a terrible cough. I put him in the carrier on my back and walked around the courtyard. He slept fitfully and didn't want to eat. He kept pulling at his ears and I suspected an ear infection. One of the ladies in the kitchen looked at him and told me to have Dave go to the nearby pharmacy and get him some medicine. She said all Dave had to do was tell the pharmacist what Silas' symptoms were and they would give him medicine. Dave hopped in a taxi and did just that. Sure enough, without even seeing Silas, the pharmacist gave Dave an antibiotic and cough medicine. That would never happen in America but we were sure glad they were willing to do it there. By Thursday morning Silas was feeling much better. He continued to cough and dig in his ears, but at least his fever broke.
Love prepares.
Our embassy appointment was Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 a.m. This was our first morning waking up with the kids and we learned quickly that they take awhile to wake up. It was a very early day as we had to get them dressed and fed and to the embassy before 7:30. Once there we had to go through security and leave our phones and all the snacks we had brought for the kids. Once inside the embassy we had to sit quietly along with about 50-60 others until our name was called. At this point we had been with Erica and Silas less than 24 hours and, although they seemed very comfortable with us, we struggled with how to keep them quiet and entertained. Initially they both sat quietly, I think intimidated by the quietness of the large room filled with people. But, it didn't take Silas long before he was rearranging furniture and throwing Matchbox cars across the room. I felt like a brand new parent with the eyes of the world on us waiting to see how we were going to handle this energetic 2-year-old. Dave and I switched off entertaining Silas with watching the window washers and stacking chairs and reading books to Erica.
Percy had misplaced an important document and had left us at the embassy with the hopes of returning before they called our name. Thankfully, he arrived minutes before we were called. Percy presented the documents and then we were told to wait while they reviewed them. At this point Silas had had enough. I took him outside in the courtyard where another 40-50 people were silently waiting their turn in the grueling heat. I let Silas run around a little until a guard approached me and told me we could only be out in the courtyard if we sat quietly. I took Silas back inside figuring that if we had to be miserable at least we should do it in the air-conditioned room. After about two and a half hours Silas reached the end of his patience and started crying. Finally, a guard asked me if we had any food and I told him we had to leave it in the building where we went through security. He said I could go get it and feed him in the courtyard. Yay! Silas was thrilled. We sat in the heat while he ate fruit snacks and crackers and drank water.
When I brought him back in the building he was much happier, but then he started pulling on his pants. Since he had just turned two eight days earlier I couldn't imagine he was wanting to go potty but I asked anyway. He nodded his head so we walked to the far end of the large room and went in the women's bathroom. I couldn't believe it when he went poop! I thought it was a fluke, but we learned quickly that he was pretty much potty trained.
Finally, after another hour, we were called to the window and a kind woman asked us several questions about where the children were from and where they had been staying. Here we had to skirt the issue of them illegally being at the orphanage and we told her they had been in a foster home. Dave asked how long it would take to approve their visas and the lady said it could take up to a few days but to give her a minute and she would look through everything. After about 10 minutes, she said that she would go ahead and approve their visas because everything looked good and they would be ready Thursday because Friday was a holiday. Whew! Our return flight was Friday night. It was finally a done deal. We were bringing Erica and Silas home!
Percy had misplaced an important document and had left us at the embassy with the hopes of returning before they called our name. Thankfully, he arrived minutes before we were called. Percy presented the documents and then we were told to wait while they reviewed them. At this point Silas had had enough. I took him outside in the courtyard where another 40-50 people were silently waiting their turn in the grueling heat. I let Silas run around a little until a guard approached me and told me we could only be out in the courtyard if we sat quietly. I took Silas back inside figuring that if we had to be miserable at least we should do it in the air-conditioned room. After about two and a half hours Silas reached the end of his patience and started crying. Finally, a guard asked me if we had any food and I told him we had to leave it in the building where we went through security. He said I could go get it and feed him in the courtyard. Yay! Silas was thrilled. We sat in the heat while he ate fruit snacks and crackers and drank water.
When I brought him back in the building he was much happier, but then he started pulling on his pants. Since he had just turned two eight days earlier I couldn't imagine he was wanting to go potty but I asked anyway. He nodded his head so we walked to the far end of the large room and went in the women's bathroom. I couldn't believe it when he went poop! I thought it was a fluke, but we learned quickly that he was pretty much potty trained.
Finally, after another hour, we were called to the window and a kind woman asked us several questions about where the children were from and where they had been staying. Here we had to skirt the issue of them illegally being at the orphanage and we told her they had been in a foster home. Dave asked how long it would take to approve their visas and the lady said it could take up to a few days but to give her a minute and she would look through everything. After about 10 minutes, she said that she would go ahead and approve their visas because everything looked good and they would be ready Thursday because Friday was a holiday. Whew! Our return flight was Friday night. It was finally a done deal. We were bringing Erica and Silas home!
Love flies.
Friday, Oct. 26 we all awoke excited for the day ahead. We were finally going home!
Love enters.
Now that Erica and Silas are home with us life has sped up to a break-neck speed. We spend our hours at the whim of Silas' never-ending energy and Erica's insatiable curiosity. I want to document everything, but struggle to find the time to do so. But, I strive to do my best to help give Erica and Silas a bit of a written history of their journey.
Last night, March 6, 2013, we were invited to bring the kids to youth group at a church we used to attend. Because we are helping our close friends, Ernie and Kris Hockett, with a ministry plant, we've not yet considered a plan for Erica and Silas to attend a youth group and/or Sunday school. But, last night's invitation was truly a blessing. It was fun to re-connect with several people we've known for over 20 years, but haven't seen in the last several years. The kids had a blast! Even though Silas is not yet 3 years old, they let him join the pre-schoolers and he had the time of his life. When the night was over I literally had to carry him, kicking and screaming, to the car and then practically sit on him to get his car seat buckled. As I tucked him in to sleep he smiled and said, "Ball! Running! Abby! Joshua! Ball!" We are grateful they both met new friends, played, worshiped and left with the Word of God fresh in their little minds.
At the end of the night, as I visited with the ladies in the kitchen about our journey of adoption, they told me about an interaction they had with Erica. They said that at one point in the evening Erica had come running towards the kitchen, but stopped abruptly at the threshold, careful not to step over. They could tell she desperately wanted to enter, but her arms caught the the door frame and somehow she was able to stop her eager momentum. They invited her to come in, but she hesitated and from the doorway she sheepishly asked for some water. As they told me this story, it made me think about Erica's life before coming home, just four months ago. Where had she been allowed to enter and where had she been told to stay out? And how had that been enforced in her life? What made her impulsively stop at the threshold? What had the power to hold back so much joyful energy? Having recently studied the novel Lord of the Flies, I couldn't help but think of one of the characters who wanted to do something on the island where he and a group of boys had been stranded without any surviving adults. The novel reads, "Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life." It goes on to say that, "Roger's arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins." What from Erica's past, and the trauma of loss, invisibly held her back from crossing over that threshold? Then I couldn't help but think about God's invitation, the sacrifice of his one and only Son, to cross the threshold into His presence. How many times have I eagerly approached God's throne of grace, yet braced myself against the door frame, conditioned by the lies of my youth that I'm not worthy to cross over? I pray for God to use Dave, me, CJ, Caity, Bre and Alex to engulf Erica and Silas with His unconditional love. I pray that one day Erica and Silas run with confidence through God's open door into His arms of grace.
Last night, March 6, 2013, we were invited to bring the kids to youth group at a church we used to attend. Because we are helping our close friends, Ernie and Kris Hockett, with a ministry plant, we've not yet considered a plan for Erica and Silas to attend a youth group and/or Sunday school. But, last night's invitation was truly a blessing. It was fun to re-connect with several people we've known for over 20 years, but haven't seen in the last several years. The kids had a blast! Even though Silas is not yet 3 years old, they let him join the pre-schoolers and he had the time of his life. When the night was over I literally had to carry him, kicking and screaming, to the car and then practically sit on him to get his car seat buckled. As I tucked him in to sleep he smiled and said, "Ball! Running! Abby! Joshua! Ball!" We are grateful they both met new friends, played, worshiped and left with the Word of God fresh in their little minds.
At the end of the night, as I visited with the ladies in the kitchen about our journey of adoption, they told me about an interaction they had with Erica. They said that at one point in the evening Erica had come running towards the kitchen, but stopped abruptly at the threshold, careful not to step over. They could tell she desperately wanted to enter, but her arms caught the the door frame and somehow she was able to stop her eager momentum. They invited her to come in, but she hesitated and from the doorway she sheepishly asked for some water. As they told me this story, it made me think about Erica's life before coming home, just four months ago. Where had she been allowed to enter and where had she been told to stay out? And how had that been enforced in her life? What made her impulsively stop at the threshold? What had the power to hold back so much joyful energy? Having recently studied the novel Lord of the Flies, I couldn't help but think of one of the characters who wanted to do something on the island where he and a group of boys had been stranded without any surviving adults. The novel reads, "Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life." It goes on to say that, "Roger's arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew nothing of him and was in ruins." What from Erica's past, and the trauma of loss, invisibly held her back from crossing over that threshold? Then I couldn't help but think about God's invitation, the sacrifice of his one and only Son, to cross the threshold into His presence. How many times have I eagerly approached God's throne of grace, yet braced myself against the door frame, conditioned by the lies of my youth that I'm not worthy to cross over? I pray for God to use Dave, me, CJ, Caity, Bre and Alex to engulf Erica and Silas with His unconditional love. I pray that one day Erica and Silas run with confidence through God's open door into His arms of grace.