Brian ended up checking with work. The body shop where he's employed was not going to open the day after Thanksgiving. That meant he would have Thursday-Sunday off. Brian checked on flights and was able to find a reasonable route to Ghana leaving the day before Thanksgiving and returning Sunday afternoon. With travel, it would literally only give him about 52 hours with Juliana, but God opened that door and we knew we had to walk through it.
It was hard to begin the process of telling family about what was going on in our lives. And it was even harder figuring out a way to explain that Brian would not be here for Thanksgiving because he was going on a trip...to Africa! As we opened the can of worms to friends and family we definitely experienced some opposition. It was hard sharing the story but we knew God was calling us to speak the truth. Ayantu didn't really understand what was going on, but Sahara did and she was also struggling with Daddy leaving.
During this time, we were introduced to a couple who would be there the same time Brian was. Joe and Emily were from Hudsonville, MI and were going to Ghana to explore the ministry there as well as see if God would also take them to the next step in their family of saying yes to adoption. We met them one night at the mall, prior to both of their departures. Emily had been collecting all kinds of baby supplies to be shipped in a over sized trunk. Brian was only going to take a small carry on so he was able to bring it on their behalf. More on Emily, Joe and their family in an upcoming post]!
So, Wednesday, November 24th the girls said goodbye to Daddy as he boarded the plane for Ghana. He would land in Ghana the following day on Thanksgiving and arrive just in time to enjoy some turkey with the family caring for Juliana! Fortunately, I got a call from Ghana, West Africa, Thanksgiving morning assuring me of my husband's safe arrival!
1 comment:
awesome photos!
Post a Comment