So it's not the 20th, but I'm still going to Ghana!

On January 19th I wrote on this blog that I am going to Ghana and I would share more "tomorrow." Oops. Thanks to an ultra-crazy week it's now 10 days later. Still, I'm going to Ghana!

Once or twice a year my "want" to go to Ghana turns into more of a "need" to go to Ghana. And for whatever reason, it seems that the Lord tends to send lots of people I need/want to meet to Ghana around the same time. March is that time this year. The stars have aligned and it looks like several folks I've wanted to meet in person for a while will be there at the same time! And it may be that I even get to be there on the grand opening of a long-awaiting orphanage in Eastern Region, Ghana!

When I asked my boss at AAI if I could start thinking about a trip, the answer was that she knew I needed to get over there, but financially it would be incredibly difficult to swing it right now. She asked me to exhaust all the resources I had to see if maybe I could get a buddy pass, or discount ticket, or??? I posted on our little AAI group asking if anybody had any resources they could pass on. One of our moms mentioned that if I escorted a child home it would pay for my ticket, but there were no needs needing escort anytime soon. Enter the Weber family!

I get a personal email from Becky asking if I would consider escorting their son Evans home. Let me tell you, all of "my" Ghana kids are precious and beautiful, but I'm human, and sometimes I connect with some kids more than others. I connect with Evans. He is humble, and smiley, and handsome. Plus, Evans is a "big kid" that is a 1 out of 10 on the "difficult to escort" meter! It will be totally fun to bring him home!

One problem. Evans is ready to come home now. His visa was issued Friday. What are the chances that a family is going to wait around for over a month just so I can go to Ghana when I need to, and escort their son home? Very small. Somehow though, Webers are that family! They've got obligations going on that actually make it better for Evans to come home a bit later--"as long as it's after March 20th." WHAT? That is EXACTLY when I wanted to travel!

I think another reason I've put off writing the details is I wanted to give Becky more time to change her mind. I wouldn't blame her if she wanted her son to come home more quickly. Who could?! But she assures me that I can stop asking "Are you sure?" and can share the details! They feel that the Lord has worked this out just as it should have been. There's a back-story to this that, in short, will help them with their next adoption. And obviously, this provides me with a chance to go to Ghana when I really needed to be there.

I'm so very thankful! I don't have an itinerary yet, but I'm thinking maybe March 9th - March 21st. Time to start calling the travel agencies!

Anita