Process

It is the end of a "Monday"
For some Mondays are hard because they are the start of a whole new work week.
Sunday night I prepared the paperwork I needed to take the kids to get the Medical they need for their visa's.
Everything here needs an original and a photo copy....so a bit of work before hand is good thinking.
I went to bed with the fan whirling the hot air around...(like Phil says...it is like a convection oven :O) and my mind going over and over the steps I needed to do for our "Monday"
For the medical you have to go three places..but I made it four because I needed to exchange money.
Romana warned me that this could take all day..you sit and wait alot, and on Monday's the clinics will be busy.
Romana's very kind and helpful staff Evelyn walked with the kids and I to catch a taxi to go to the first place.
PHOTOS: We need 3 passport size photos for each child. We pull into a small alley like dirt street and get out at a small hut type building. (Photos it says out side)
The waiting area is about 2 feet by 5 feet with narrow benches along one wall. A man comes out from behind a curtain, takes the kids one at a time, Evelyn pays 10 Ghana cedis and in 15 mins he comes out with his scissors cutting the small pictures of the kids and hands them to us. We are done.
(John was being totally silly but still at this place...Victoria did not talk unless I talked to her)
AKAI HOUSE: the building where the Visa medicals are done. This was a 4 story building that had AC (yeah) We waited the longest here. We put the kids passports and paperwork onto the desk with about 8 people in front of us. The waiting room was SILENT. No one talked or even moved. THe kids were still and silent.
REALITY check here for the American mommy...before I had left I filled my bag with coloring books, crayons, stickers and fruities...thinking it would help the kids stay busy....If I were to have taken those things out... you might as well put a LOUD speaker on my head that said "look at me.... I do not understand Ghana culture" so the things stayed in the bag all day!
My kids were absolutley AMAZING! They answered when spoken to, they sat still, were happy and did not complain.
THe kids and I and Evelyn went up and down to the different desks several times signing papers, verifying passport stuff and then off to the room where we waited for the exam. The Doctor was very nice and spoke kindly to the kids and was excited that I was adopting. All done there, and off we went to
MED LAB...this is the funny part. For the Visa Medical the kids have to do a "poo" sample. Ohhhh the stories of the kids Romana has already taken for their medicals....you have to stay until the produce (sorry if this is gross...)
Sometimes the kids are there for hours....prunes are given in the a.m. in hopes to help the situation, but sometimes it does not work.
Ohhhhh I prayed about this all night...how was I going to get my kids to do this.
Well, within 5 mins of getting into the building, getting our papers signed and our payment paid, BOTH kids did their thing!!! Oh, boy did we celebrate!
I remeber celebrating during potty training days...but this was a bit bigger of a deal!
When we got into the taxi...we washed our hands and I passed out (guess what?) Candy! Evelyn got a treat, the kids and even the Taxi driver (who thought we were having a party of some sort..but did not know why)
We drove up to Beacon House at 1:00!
Which was excellent because I had a 2:00 Embassy appointment!
I set the kids up with a DVD as a reward and kissed them and got back into another taxi and off to the

EMBASSY...On the way to the Embassy my heart was light, I felt like PEACE was pourijng over me (maybe it was SWEAT...kidding) I knew people at home were praying.. I could FEEL it. THe taxi driver had his radio on...like they all do, but this young man had a "praise station" on. It was like 80's vineyard or Brooklyn Tab...but it was AWESOME! It was loud and he was drumming on his steering wheel and raising his hand out the window and I did the same...singing loud and Praising with all I had. Wow...it was like God gave me an opportunity to speak OUT the praises for what I was feeling inside! Man, God meets my every need!

Now this seems to be the piece everyone keeps asking about, "what is happening and where are you in the process"
I was able to see the DHS officer AND someone in the Consular section (which is hard because over 100 people are there waiting to get their paper work appoved or seen)
You can wait at DHS for a while, but today it was 5 mins util the lady was there, and another 5 joining up the kids birth certs to my paperwork...then off she sent me to the Immigaration Visa window. (thanks GOD )
We had a very good discussion and I was able to gather alot of informaion for our next step.
DATES: Dave is arriving in Ghana the a.m. of the 19th...(yeah...need a HUG and KISS from my best friend and honey)
We will be staying at the Gilbert house (where our friends Jim and Laurel are right now) until our paperwork is approved.
We only have two things left for the Embassy.....( and one Trip up North to Visit Victoria's family...but that does not envolve the Embassy)
I thought I would never get to the statement of "two things left!" WOW
1-we wait for our I600 apporval (could be one week, two or three...depending on how long it takes to investigate or if they investigate)
2-we have to go pick up our "visa application packet" which we fill out and return. Then we get an open appointment letter that says we can go back and get the visa's.
They only do Visa's on Fridays...so it depends on what day of the week we get the approval and our open appointment to see which Friday it will be. We are shooting for 1st, or 8th of MArch.
But who knows....oh yeah GOD DOES and I am so glad about that!
Thank you to all of you who are on your face in the THRONE ROOM on our behalf! It is showing in everything we are seeing!
I prayed Psalm 26 before I left this a.m. and it is still planted in my heart...I hope it gives your heart support for what ever you are trusting God for!
Vs. 8 Lord, I have loved the habitaion of Your House, and the place where your Glory dwells! (oh how this is true of my heart)
vs 12 My foot stands in an even place! In the congregations I will Bless the Lord!
BLessings ALL!
We will soon be home...but we will not so yearn for home that we miss what HE is doing HERE!