The first week we spent in South Africa getting the girls settled with my parents and finalizing our Ghana trip. Despite not having a court date, George & I decided that Samuel & I would travel to Ghana on Saturday 31 July. This is definitely not the way it is normally done, but we wanted me there for Michael's 1st birthday (3 August) and we also felt that we needed to show our commitment to our new son. The absolute leap of faith part is that we booked return tickets for the end of August, trusting that all court orders, passport, etc would be finalized by then.
So on 31 July Samuel & I boarded the plane to Accra, he is truly a seasoned traveller. He had no trouble entertaining himself or others on this his second long flight (6 hours). Of course our biggest bonus was that the Paul family was also on the flight - they fostered Samuel for 4 months - and as they sat in the same row as us, Samuel really had a super fun trip!
I do admit that stepping off the plane was an emotional experience, it was as if bringing Samuel "home" - despite knowing that it would not be easy - was like coming full circle. I absolutely love the way God has used Samuel even on this trip to bring joy & hope.
After church on Sunday, 1 August, we met up with Romana & the BH family and were introduced to our new son / brother. I must admit Samuel was a little apprehensive and the fact that Michael was initially not the "cuddle" type, did result in very few smiles for the camera. Mommy though was overjoyed.
We did get some hugging towards the end of our visit when Samuel realised Michael was not leaving with us - my heart was broken. To me it is still amazing how God can fill one's heart with love for a forever child in the instant that you see them the first time.
OOOOOOH good luck with your new bundle of joy
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