IT IS DONE!

It's DONE!!! A year long adoption journey and weeks of work writing a book and preparing it for sale, all for this moment!

Thanks to the tireless efforts of my co-author and biggest cheerleader, Susan and Sasha, my ever present friend and editor, we are ready to launch Fast Adoption Fundraising!


This is the moment when we need you!

Have you heard of 'book bombs'? A book bomb is a marketing strategy that includes MANY people sharing the book, and promoting the book all at one time.

I have the Ebook completed, and the sales page is nearly done, in the next couple of days the link to the book will go live. I need YOU to help me out by blasting this email to all your friends, family, and e-mail list to build anticipation for the sale.

We are offering Fast Adoption Fundraising at a REALLY LOW price in the hopes that it will reach MANY who could use what is inside, including:
• A simple path to raising funds in a limited time frame.
• The ability to expand your pool of potential donors exponentially.
• The power to effectively explain your adoption dreams to others.
• The understanding to solicit donations without offending family, friends, and potential donors.
• The knowledge to leverage online and offline media to reach your goal.
• The confidence to organize supporters, volunteers, and events with ease.

This book will benefit families that are in the middle of thier adoption journey as well as families who feel they can only dream of adoption. Fast Adoption Fundraising will help every family create a simple fundraising plan customized to their specific circumstances. In the book, share our journey, tips for success, and the inside scoop of our own experience.


Please like and SHARE our FACEBOOK page by following this link.

Share the FB page


SELLING this ebook is the LAST step in raising the funds to adopt Divine! We only need to sell 500 copies and Divine's adoption will be paid for!

THEN, ALL the funds will go directly to Borto Orphanage to FEED and CARE for over 40 orphans.

Thank you!

For anyone interested in FREE GIFTS- Share the email, make a unique blog post that links to the FACEBOOK page, and or BLOG about your involvement in our adoption journey, we will enter your name into a drawing for a FREE COPY!

Dee Gordon
Author of Fast Adoption Funds

I've been feeling guilty lately since I have not made a post.

I now have a fever body aches and overall pain.

I will post when my brain returns.

Family VS Future

I may not be able to articulate my feelings well. I have been anguished over the problems and issues surrounding adoption, and as blessed as I am to have my son forever mine, I worry and wonder over the MANY thousands of children that do not have a family.

Re wording that, they HAVE a family, but for many reasons they are not being cared for BY this family. (I learned from My Turn on Earth, everyone has a mother and a father....but they are not always part of that child's life forever)

So how do we solve this problem?
Adoption and the industry has created HUGE problems, and the victims are the families.

The general though process is, that their children are better off being adopted into American (or European) families where they have educational opportunities as well as basic health and sanitation needs met.

So why is this a solution? Why do we as a NATION not find a better solution to the astronomical problem?

legitimately there are MILLIONS of children without parents (orphans) Children who have never met a blood relative and have no hope of finding any relatives.
THESE kids, SHOULD be available for adoptions.(possibly)

HOWEVER there are many many cases of mothers & fathers (who are not married but are in a committed relationship) that WILLINGLY give up their children. (possibly with the hope that the child will return to care for them when they are grown?) Siblings that are separated because one was 'lucky' enough to be adopted, How can we reconcile with our selves the broken homes, and the money exchange for these lives.... And yet, how can we NOT.

I have held a starving child. I have met the starving mother, and I have seen the resources they have to work with. They see us Westerners and see a "golden ticket" we swoop in with our plump cheeks, and resources to 'rescue' these families, what our family spends each year on ENTERTAINMENT they could only DREAM of for an annual budget for food.
>
What we spend on vacations could save a family unit.

What we spend on date night, can feed a family for a month.

What we see as 'needs' (new shoes, the latest styles in clothing, books, electronics, cable TV, cell phones) could provide for a VILLAGE the basic life saving supplies.

I realize I am rambling, but I am at a point where I wonder...do Ih ave it in me? am *I* the rich man who has been asked to give up all his worldly possessions and follow Christ? By American Standards I am middle class.

by Liberian Standards I am Rich (though, not wealthy)

What do I have in me?

What am I willing to CONTINUE to give, in order for another human being 5,7650 miles away to have?

Am I willing to give up my passion for antiques, decorating, vacationing, driving a nice vehicle, wearing new and fashionable clothing?

Am I willing to live a simple lifestyle so that my 'family' in Liberia can afford 3 meals each day, and an education, or opportunities to provide for themselves?

DO *I* have it in me?

I honestly do not know. I feel like today I could take a break, and walk away from the mental anguish that surrounds the PROFOUND need in Liberia, and go 'back to normal' as everyone on this continent has suggested.

But honestly, what IS normal? and am I (or have I EVER) been capable of p doing "NORMAL" ?

Forever a Family

Tonight we followed the counsel of our church leaders, and were sealed together as a family, for Time & All Eternity.

It was a beautiful event, surrounded by my dear and lovely family.

The road was long, the sacrifices many, and the lessons learned vast. In the end, Peter is bound eternally by love and tenacity to our little clan.

Thanks to everyone, for everything.

To those who drove FAR to attend this ceremony, Those who gave of their many talents and time to raise the funds, the encouraging words, and the prayers all along the way.

Thanks to those in the KC area who WOULD have attended our ceremony, had we held it in KC.

Thanks to 3 of our favorite missionaries one took a 15 hour bus ride to be here, and the other 2 rushed down after their classes in Idaho to attend.

Sisters, brothers, aunts, Great grandpa, Mother, LONG time friends, and friends we only just met.

Thanks to all of you.....

Faith without works....is dead.

"Never give up. Never ever give up. Why? Because just when you are about to give up is when things are about to turn around in a grand way. Hold on. Great things are waiting for you around the corner."

Sonia Ricotti

So with all the complications in getting Divines adoption done, I have gotten some pretty personal emails that have flustered me, the person sending these emails has been involved in Liberian adoptions for 110 years, and has personal relationships with each of these agencies. She is bitter and angry towards them for whatever happened between them, and she is now loyal to the agency that just did Peter's adoption, HOWEVER this agency has only been doing adoptions in very recent times.

She feels that it is better to give up on Divines adoption then it would be to use a different agency.

She feels it is compromising MY values to use another agency, *I* have no personal experience with these agencies, and I have no evidence of their integrity, I have reason to NOT trust them any more than the agency I just used....

What I DO KNOW is that my last agency is REFUSING to assist. What does that say about why they are in this industry? They are done doing adoptions in Liberia because it is too hard, (instead of hiring new workers in country, they will just pull the plug on the entire program)

I have NOT been impressed with my agency, and I have not hidden that. They left me to navigate the entire process without support or communication. They (in my opinion) did NOTHING prior to my arrival in Liberia, and their agents in Liberia lied to me over and over and over.

What is YOUR take on this matter, is it unethical to use an agency someone ELSE is unhappy with? Am I compromising my VALUES to use (or be willing to use ANY agency that is willing to help me?)

I feel like the battle(adoption) for each child's life is WORTH IT, they deserve someone WILLING to fight for them!

He never said it would be easy, He only said it will be WORTH it!

Please either leave a message about your thoughts, or email me.

Divine Gordon

Divine Gordon’s story and process….
Divine was brought to the orphanage in September of 2012. His mother was 16 when he was born, and had a second child in October of 2012.
Divines foster mother is a kind and sweet woman. She does her best in the situation she is in. However there is a flaw in the system of sponsorship and the children are lucky to get 3 meals a week. Medical treatment is a luxury they cannot afford.
The director of the program (on the US side) is trying feverishly to fix this problem, but in the meantime we have more mouths to feed in this home, than they are able to care for. (again, not for lack of trying, and not out of neglect or evil motives)
When I arrived in Liberia and met Divine the first time, he was sad. He did not open up to a smile for at least a week of our attention. (Kristi is the one who he glommed onto, and the two of us would jokingly fight over who got to take him home)
After we had decided to adopt Divine, I was making stop whenever our travel plans permitted to visit with him. One day when I arrived, Divine was in bad shape, he was lethargic, and feverish. He had ooze dribbling out of both ears, and was raw with scabs on both ears. I immediately took him to the clinic and got him medicine. He had malaria and a double ear rupture and a fungal infection . He had no appetite and was sleeping constantly. I returned Divine to the foster mother the following day and gave her additional money for more medicine and cab fare.
3 days passed and I was in ‘red light’ during traffic (normally it takes us 2 hours to get 3 miles during traffic ) I did not want to delay getting home, but felt a prompting more than once to go check on Divine. After the second nudge, I asked the driver to make a detour to check on my baby Divine. When we arrived aat the home, Divine was in the same or worse shape than he was the first time I took him. It was then I made a decision that I was going to take Divine home with me until he could get feeling better.
This boy HATES medicine, and he was a battle to get it down him. But after 4 days, he started to feel better, started eating normally, and sleeping on schedule. He was running around, playing and acting like a normal 2 year old. He ate voraciously and was overall in good spirits.
I decided then to enroll him in the preschool where Quita resides, as all the many meetings I was having kept me from attending to his needs, and I knew the teachers well at the school, and I knew they would do right by him. (Peter had also started to attend as he was SICK of sitting for hours and hours of meetings each day)
I spoke with the director of the foster program, who was happy to see that Divine was cared for, and she agreed that I should keep him and provide for his care. She felt it was a blessing to Divine as well as the program, as it freed up a bed for another child in need.
I then made the arrangement to meet with the birth mother and have her make an appearance in the Ministry of health to begin the process of adoption. Lydia is an intelligent and articulate woman, who has the interest of the children as her primary focus. She and I discussed candidly the conditions of the home, and the issues that must be addressed in regards to the children’s ongoing care. We took down the contact information for the birth mother so that we could begin the case study. (the essential background information that is required to prove the child is indeed eligible for adoption)
It was during this time that we got the permissions from the embassy to bring Peter home, we were busy doing the last of our documents to depart. It was a stressful time, and as we were driving home from the embassy with Peter’s visa in hand, I got an unnerving phone call. Martha the foster mother who had cared for Divine phoned,, and in excited Liberian began to chew me out. She had finally been told that Divine was not going to be returning to her care. She was angry with me, and I felt bad, as I had been told that she had been informed and understood the overall plan.
I wanted to make sure everyone was clear of my intentions and plans as NONE of this was to insult, anger or usurp any ones feelings or plans.
I immediately phoned the pastor in charge to ensure we were all cooperating in Divines plan for his future.
This is the first time I was aware that the Pastor and foster mother were NOT informed of the plan. While I felt bad for them being left out of the loop, I explained that the plan and desire of the birth mom was to have Divine remain in my direct care until his adoption was final. I explained to the pastor about the incident with his malaria, and he was belligerent and rude. He DEMANDED that the child be returned, he claimed he ‘owned that child’ and was insistent that the child was not available for anyone else to direct his care.
This was very disheartening, as I DID NOT want to have a battle over this child. I wanted to be able to send money each month and KNOW without a doubt that his needs would be taken care of (food, attention, schooling, clothes) I was saddened that we could not come to agreeable terms, and I then phoned the MOH about this issue.
Lydia once again clarified that this pastor did NOT have guardianship of this child, and that it was the birthmother coupled with the ministry of health that had control over where this child was to remain. Seeing how both the birthmother and the MOH had agreed that I was in the right to keep this child, I have been working on ensuring the LEGAL paperwork is in order.
I had the choice, to remain in Liberia for another week, or return home and pray that My Quita was able to complete the process in relinquishment and move on the paper work to adopt Divine.
THEN I got a bombshell email from my adoption agency, initially they had agreed to work with us on our adoption for Divine, and the email I received was stating that she was NOT willing to facilitate Divine’s adoption.
I then immediately emailed the 2nd agency that was licensed to do adoptions in Liberia . The USA agent said that she would NOT work with any child that had come from that foster home, she did not want her name/reputation entangled with that Pastor.
I was being left with no options, and I was so frustrated and angry.

Since being home, I have been anxiously working on getting the legal relinquishment accomplished, and Quita went into the MOH to get the Birth mothers contact info so she could bring her (birth mother) back into the MOH to sign official documents. Today we found out that someone has misplaced the file with the birth mothers information. Quita went to the foster home to ask them to help her to find the B.Mom again, and of course they refused to be of assistance.
Karen is a woman from SLC Utah that runs a Ngo in Liberia called “Lifting Liberia”
She is in no way affiliated with adoptions, except that she has adopted form Liberia and has assisted other families that are in limbo and unable to accomplish the necessary work to complete the adoptions.
Karen has agreed to meet with Lydia, and even scout out the neighborhood where the birth mom resides, in order to find her and assist us in getting her to sign the relinquishment.

My cryptic posts about the frustrating aspects of this adoption are about all the ADOPTIVE mothers who email or call me and rant about how MY FEELINGS and MY EXPEIRNCE are affecting future adoptions in Liberia. I am being accosted (and discriminated) because I have been open in documenting the issues and frustration with the process. I was warned NOT to share ANY MORE with you, my friends, supporters and family. It is because of my sharing and OPEN honesty about the mistakes made during this process that my agency is refusing to assist us in this adoption of Divine.
In the adoption world, the adoptive families are NOT CONSUMERS, who are able to ask for fairness, or refunds due to incompetence. APPARENTLY anything goes (according to the liability waiver they force you to sign) even though we PAY the salary of each of these workers, they do NOT feel they are obligated to satisfy our concerns or problems. (some of which THEY created) therein lies the problem, this entire industry is based off ransom. You may be the one writing the check, but you do NOT have control over any other portion of the process!

Where does good character flow from?

February 8th 2013

More than a month as passed since I left my family and entered the unknown.
I have slept without my babies, my comforts for 6 weeks. I miss my children fiercely, but I know they are taken care of, fed, loved and safe. For this I thank my Heavenly Father and my earthly parents and in-laws.
When we counseled with our agency about the possible issues during the adoption, corruption was never mentioned. We never imagined the level of deceit that we would be faced. Living amongst the beautiful people of Liberia, I am starting to get it.
For almost 20 years these same faces had to run, hide and survive day to day with murder, war and starvation.
For more years than many of them lived in peace, they lived with the visual of children, mothers and fathers being slaughtered before their very eyes.

Some of the stories you hear make your stomach hurt. Some infuriate you, but if you listen, and try to have an understanding of what has shaped their character, their resolve and their future, you can understand how the grey area becomes so wide.
These beautiful people had to learn HOW to survive, beg, steal and borrow. They had no choice but to hide in the hills, to disguise their tiny babies in the bush, to dodge the bullets, machetes, and the rebels. The kinds of atrocities that occurred on a daily basis would change any person. NO matter how deeply convicted they started out.
I am by no means justifying their actions, and I do not plan to work with these people that do not know anything but lies and corruption, but I am beginning to understand. My heart is moved with compassion, pity for the men and women that came out after this terrible war with the views of right and wrong completely skewed.

Let us ALL evaluate what life experience we have that encourages the same.
What breeds mediocrity, laziness, and gluttony?

What is it in each of US that promotes the character traits that allow us to slide far from the man or woman we are destined to be, and become those that average efforts, and average rewards are ‘good enough’


Good enough is never enough, I beg you to consider to look into YOUR heart (as I gaze into mine) and grasp the qualities of Honest, Brave, Respectful, Hard working, Faithful, Integrity, Respect Charity, Obedience, Virtue, Courage, Honesty, Leadership, Accountability, Self control, Delayed gratification.


Where am I lacking, where can I improve. Where am I rationalizing my actions based upon my personal experience that is keeping me from attaining these qualities?


I had a powerful experience yesterday that once again reminded me that I am doing the Lord's work.
I am fighting a battle for a valiant spirit, that Heavenly Father Knows and Loves. Peter will grow up to be a great man a leader, and an honorable example.

I am blessed to be his mother.

Growing pains....

I have been gone from my wonderful family for 6 weeks now.

just the travels alone have been complicated and taxing on my nerves.
5 days in NYC awaiting a visa that was "Guaranteed" to be in my hands the first day....

getting bumped off the flight in Ghana due to mechanical issues.

Arriving in Liberia without my phone and all my contacts.

The support I have received from my Liberian family has been astounding. They have not left me alone to wallow in my frustration, they have supported, prayed, and cried with me during each set back or issue.

Upon arrival I felt like there was another special little boy destined to be a part of our family.

His name is Divine, and he has deep soulful eyes. I have been able to care for him on a few occasions, one of which was the day he got very ill. I took him to the clinic and held him as they drew blood. He has malaria, and a double ear infection, and a fungal infection. he is a very sick little boy.

So at the moment he is under my watchful eye, resting and getting lots of fluids and food.

The foster mothers have taken very good care of all the children in their care, and I don't want anyone to feel like they are not doing their jobs, but when there is one fragile little boy among 40 rambunctious neighborhood children things can get crazy!

The newest update on Peter's case is n

ot good news.
The officials that have prepared his documents up to this point felt like the discrepancy in a last name was a minor issue, and they opted to proceed with paperwork even when they knew the name was wrong on the bio mom.

Once we arrived at the embassy, and the consular was interviewing the bio mom,I realized we had a huge issue on our hands.

Not only was the last name incorrect on the documents (supposed to say BEN and it said BENJAMIN) but we were misinformed by Global Orphan Outreach that Peter's medical visa had been renewed.

In fact he had over stayed his visa by 221 days. The penalty for this violation is he is not eligible to travel for 3 years.

yes, we are in a bit of a panic.
We have attempted to fix this through documentation that we FILED the extension, but so far, we have not gotten favorable response from the embassy on if they will consider that adequate.

So for now, I have run out of my hotel/lodging budget, I have used up all of our food budget, and I have borrowed as much s we have available for our taxi budget. For now, we wait, pray and hope that this is not the final answer (the 3 year restriction)

In the mean time, yes, I will care for Divine, and pray that HIS paper work can be done properly, and that we can bring him home with us, whenever that may be!

T.I.A.

This is Africa!


The past 10 days have passed with no progress.

Our "case study' has been approved and completed for 10 days, and we have been waiting a response from the US Embassy.

We found out on Friday the reason our case study has not been handed over:
they ran out of printer ink.

Seriously. that is it. We are all paying $75 per night in hotel, and $40 per day in food plus paying a driver if we want to go anywhere $74 per day.

10 days

x 3 families That is nearly $6,000 worth of printer ink!

(the cost of our stay for that 10 days)

Astounding that we can be at a stand still for 10 days over $50 worth of ink!

Now we are still waiting for the Embassy to grant us appointments.
And we are sincerely praying the Consular will not find any 'discrepancies' in our paper work.

I need prayer warriors for the following;

that the illness that is wracking my body with fever, chills, pain, and fatigue will heal.
That the kids here with us will continue to be protected from illness.
That we can find a safe place to stay that we can afford.
That the children at home will be loved & appreciated.
That our process can be completed and we be reunited as a family in the next 10 days.

I know i am asking A LOT.

But I also KNOW the power of prayer!!

THANKS to everyone for your ongoing support.
I think I will have to return to Africa in 3 months for Divine since we have not got the funds AS WE SPEAK to move forward. I will return home, file our taxes, sell a few items and proceed with prayer.

Divine needs a family, he is Such a peanut. So sad and sweet, so wants to be loved.

He is going to LOVE our girls!
the boys are going to LOVE him!

He fits in just like Mr. Peter did March of last year ;)

Looking forward to introducing him to the family!!!

On another note : I took a serious leap of faith, went to the neighborhood clinic LET THEM DRAW BLOOD!!! for a malaria test....
(yes I verified the needles were NEW and sterile)
then I was seen for the eh-hum....problem I have been having, let's just say I can not sit, as that is the region of this issue.......

apparently it is a common African issue, and the superstition is that the next time I have 'relations' with my husband I will conceive twins! can you imagine!
I paid a total of $7.50 for the Dr. Visit AND prescriptions for the TYPHOID FEVER I tested positive to!

So, when you are planning your trip to Africa, please get the vaccine for this, apparently it is transmitted through food prep, so I will NOT be able to prepare ANY food until I have tested clear by an infectious disease specialist in America.
(read this kids?! very serious stuff....)

Jan 16th 2013

The past few days have been uneventful in regards to the adoption.

It seems CRAZY to me that I am required to stay here to process paperwork, and yet *I* am not required to do any of the actual paperwork. (Until our embassy appointment)

So yesterday the group of ladies that are also here doing adoption work, were planning on doing Bible School with the foster kids. I was not feeling well (having what they call a runny stomach) My energy level was way low, and I did not want to go far from running water & flushing toilets today.

So after 1 o'clock rolled around, the other ladies had decided it was simply getting too late to go out the the foster home. (We MUST be back in our compound before 6 as it is NOT safe on the roads after then)

So instead of doing much, we all lounged around the beach and enjoyed dinner.

what a wonderful reprieve from the anxiety and worry of all our paperwork!

So the 3 boys played in the sand and water, and all the momma's took turns resting, or chasing the boys in the sand!

Yassa (Melvin's mother) went to the ministry Tuesday and signed the TPR papers. I should be ready to apply for the passport and gain an embassy appointment by tomorrow.

Just a few more steps, and we will be done, unfortunately with ever single step we have tiny delays, for example on the Monday morning Yassa was scheduled to sign TPR, when the consulate canceled all appointments because his home had been burglarized and he had to remain at home to finish the police report.

So that is one day.... one day.... you get the idea?

Then the flights are extremely limited, so even IF I finish my papers and have Clearence to leave, we must wait for the weekend, as these are the only flights out.

Photos to come! Of course videos would be nice...

Up and down

Day of Indulgence! (Golden Beach in Africa) Slideshow: Deanna’s trip to Monrovia was created with TripAdvisor TripWow!

enjoy. We did!

Up and down

Day of Indulgence! (Golden Beach in Africa) Slideshow: Deanna’s trip to Monrovia was created with TripAdvisor TripWow!

enjoy. We did!

Jan 8th 2013

Jan 8th 2013

last night was a rough one. First it was VERY hard to settle down and get to sleep. I was missing my babies SOMETHING FIERCE, I could not stop crying, and of course could not fall asleep.

Peter fell asleep perfectly, and I chatted with Madi & Wesley for way too late into the night.

I finally fell asleep around 3:30 a.m. around 6 a.m. Peter awoke, and was wandering around.

Needless to say, the morning sun was an unwelcome sight....

When I finally emerged from my room the guest house staff said I had slept through 2 visitors.

Of course I was disappointed, and I woke Peter up to feed him breakfast.

After breakfast I tidied our room, and exited the room in order to empty the trash, there was a gentleman sitting in the veranda.

He waved to me, and said that he had been waiting to meet with me.

Of course this was the first meeting as I had no idea who I was meeting with!

Moses & Amos (?) began the process for us to begin this process.

The first thing they did was call Yassa, Peter's bio mom. I was very anxious for this meeting, and i ran back into the room for the photo book I made for her.

She entered the courtyard, she is a petite, young, and sweet woman. When she saw Peter, of course she and I both started crying.

She touched him, and tried to hug him, he was not rude, but he was very timid towards her affection, and came closer to me. I knelt down and signed to him that THIS was HIS Momma. He nodded and then waved to her.

Over the past 3 years Peter has had many Momma's and I am sure he is afraid of being left behind.

We sat down and I gave Yassa the photobook.

The agency representative began explaining to her the process, and getting her consent and opinion on her feelings towards this adoption.

She explained to me how she went to more than one 'child home' before she made her selection, and she felt like they were his best chance at survival and life.

She told me a little bit about Peter's father, and how he referred to him as 'a snake' and that it was NOT his child.

She commented about how GOOD he looked, and how happy she is that he is doing so well.
She asked me point blank if I would promise to keep in contact with her. She has been very sad that she was unable to keep in contact and she did not get the photos of Peter as she was promised.

I told her I would do everything in my power to keep her connected to her son, that I felt like She was a very important part of HIM, and I would keep her informed on him and his growing.

We all visited for over an hour, when Yassa had to return to work, and the agency workers left with a time to meet the next day to meet with the Ministry of Health.

As all of us were visiting, my Liberian friend entered the courtyard QUITA! She is an amazing woman who has offered SO many favors to help me.

She offered to take me to get a cell phone and help me situate all my immediate issues.
the biggest which is my missing luggage, Quita scooped us up, and had her private driver take us to her home outside the city where she fed us dinner, and outfitted me with the most stunning African attire. I am so humbled that she has been so willing to help, she lives in a beautiful adobe building in what is called locally the "Coca Cola factory village" this is because it is situated just outside the Coca Cola factory.

red dirt streets, chickens, dogs and babies running every which way....and the typical African lifestyle.

It was such a privilege to view all the details of her home.

I have photos I will share.

Quita then took us onto her porch, where her helpers fed us a big bowl of rice, with potato greens on top. It was bit spicy, but there was a big surprise at the bottom of the bowl!
CHICKEN FEET! I can honestly say I lost a bit of my appetite! ;)

After we ate our fill, Quita asked me to follow her to her neighbors' home, where they have a sweet little boy who used to run around being clever and quick, until about a year ago.

Our Adventure 2013 Slideshow: Liberia’s trip to Monrovia was created with TripAdvisor TripWow!

One day this young boy (6 years old) came home from school and simply collapsed, he began having nose bleeds, and was unable to stay stable on his feet.
His condition has deteriorated, and now a year later he struggles to talk, and can not walk at all.
This young man still has his wits about him, he can speak (quietly) and can respond and answer questions.
And yet, slowly, surely he is dying. His head is enlarged, and he struggles to hold it upright. But that does not dim his smile, nor impede his attempt to entertain, he sang me a song about God's love, and he beamed brightly for our pictures together.

I am not sure of his written name, something like Assura Johnson.
But this is where I ask you EACH OF YOU, to say a prayer for this little guy, and ask our God above to find a sponsor for this boy, someone willing to pay the expenses for him to get medical care in the modern world. Life here in Liberia will not be kind to him.

So please take a minute, look at his smile, and know this, there is a VERY good chance that given a brain shunt, and moderate medical intervention, he may lead a NORMAL life, he may run again, he may talk, sing and play like all the little boys at 7 years old!

All about Faith.

This is what GOOGLE pulled up on MY Dr. Faith.

Isn't she a GEM!?

"" YALE School of Medicine Staff Profile:

Faith Lamb-Parker, PhD, focuses her research on early childhood intervention, specifically Head Start; mental health needs of vulnerable children; parent education and involvement in their children's education; community/neighborhood factors that influence children's school achievement; and innovative staff-focused mental health interventions for young children and their families. She created a research-to-practice journal for the National Head Start Association, the NHSA Dialog, and has authored numerous articles and chapters on Head Start, child outcomes, parent involvement, and advocacy strategies for very young children and their families. Since 2001, Dr. Lamb-Parker has been teaching and training internationally where she has co-developed the first ever masters-level program in child development in Bangladesh, and given training and technical assistance to a number of Early Childhood Development NGOs in South Africa. Dr. Lamb-Parker presents at national and international professional meetings on her international community-based participatory research, training, and advocacy focus on the health, mental health, and development of infants and young children and their caregivers in rural black townships in South Africa. In addition to teaching courses on child development and social policy, Dr. Lamb-Parker runs tutorials, independent studies, and seminars; as well as directs the domestic practicum program for the department. She is the scientific director of Head Start's Tenth National Research Conference, funded by DHHS/ACF/OPRE, to promote evidence-based practice and policy for young children and their families.""

Accra Ghana Jan 6th 2013

I never thought I would be here. I have dreamed of stepping foot an African soil for as long as I can recall.

Getting to Africa has taken me 37 years and the desperate challenge of adopting this sweet, innocent, loving and energetic little boy.

NEVER Mistake my frustration with the PROCESS with a REGRET for beginning this journey.

It is like saying a pregnant woman with severe complications regretted her pregnancy.

I DO NOT REGRET anything I have had to endure thus far....and regardless of the situation, I would do this (AND MORE) for ANY one of my children.

Claudine, Madison, Sione, Abigel, Gracie, Rubi, Zeke, Elijah, Peter.

YOU ARE MY LIFE. MY REASON for LIVING.

Here is today's details.

We were on the plane to Monrovia on the tarmac in Ghana for over 2 hours, the pilot had been keeping us updated on all the progress, an electrical part had gone bad, and the mechanic who was working on it was unable to get it installed and running in time. Apparently the Monrovia airport CLOSES at 7 p.m.

Since our flight met 2 roadblocks (one being the time passengers are allowed to sit on the tarmac in transit, and two the closing of the Monrovian airport.)

So everyone is escorted off, and all 200+ passengers are in limbo, we stand in lines with no direction, we are told we must get a visa to step out of the airport, and we are issued forms. No one has a clue what line to stand in, and after shifting at least 3 times, we establish a system, where one of us leaves the group, seeking out a Delta agent to clarify the lines, while others stand over our mounds of personal belongings.

Eventually the group I was standing with in line for a Visa 4 were American men who work in Liberia similar to Wesley's schedule, and 2 were Dr's who work for the Ministry of Health in Liberia (and other countries all over the world)
and a couple of Peace Corp Volunteers.
We opted to pay for a transit Visa ($20) and keep our passports, rather than enter our information on a piece of paper and leave our passports. (no brainer)
this is when I realize I had dropped my cell phone on the plane as we were disembarking. yeah. smart I know.


AS we were all being loaded onto a series of buses the Delta agent notifies me, I will not be allowed to board this bus since I fly NON-REV I would NOT be taken care of during this mechanical failure. I was to be left, alone on the curb in Ghana knowing no one and having NO IDEA what to do, or where to go.

Dr.Faith Parker, opted to LEAVE her traveling party and remain with me, the last 7 passengers in ALL of our flight happened to be Platinum Delta First class flyers.

So Dr. Faith had met me less than 2 hours prior to her offering to share a bed & room for the night.
She LITERALLY saved me. I as SO SCARED. SO ANGRY and SO ALONE.

We all got checked into the hotel, then immediately went to the restaurant to eat dinner, then 6 of us enjoyed dinner and then most of us promptly went to our rooms to sleep.

And sleep we did!
at 10 a.m. Faith's husband called to check on her, and I got up. Housekeeping knocked on the door and asked if we were checking out....since one of our traveling companions had been notified by someone INSIDE Delta that they (Delta) had flown a NEW plane from JFK to Accra to transport us to Monrovia (Rather than make us wait until Friday, the next scheduled flight) I RAN to the lobby and asked him what he knew, he assumed we had all been notified, and I immediately ran BACK to our room, knocking on all the doors of our companions as I passed by. I had to wake Peter, get him dressed (into the same clothes he had been wearing since Tuesday) and RUSH to the lobby. Once we were all assembled, we had the shuttle take us to the airport.

The shuttle got us back just in time, once again Delta was loading passengers and admitting everyone through customs. I was asked by a group of Ghanaian women If I was a star"Like Angelina Jolie"

I said "YEAH RIGHT! I WISH!"
;)

We arrived onto the plane and had an uneventful flight to Monrovia (what I wouldn't do for UNEVENTFUL plans RIGHT NOW!)

Arrival to Monrovia was at 3:30 p.m.

The arrival gate in Liberia is all one room, every single flight that comes into Liberia has their bags delivered to one small baggage area, with over 250 ppl looking for their bags and at least 100 'helpers' (men that want you to hire them to gather your bags) it gets HOT & HECTIC!

I helped Faith gather her bags as she held Peters hand.

An hour later my bags had NOT arrived, and the room had pretty well emptied out.
We loaded everyone into the car and I went back into the airport to file a lost bag claim.

once again, for anyone who flies on 'buddy pass' or NON-REV, I am out of luck, since I am not a paying customer, I have a 1% chance they will even LOOK for my lost bags.

If I add up all the fees, hotel rooms, and lost luggage I might be getting closer to the $2300.00 it WOULD have cost me to fly on a regular ticket.

Sigh. the cost savings are HUGE, and for a family with 7 kids...it is essential.

ANYWHO.....it took a 45 minute car ride (to which Dr Faith ONCE AGAIN offered to have her hired driver take me to the market for water and DIAPERS since my luggage was LOST and I only had ONE last diaper!)

We dropped into a super market, and I found the SWEETEST SIGHT TO MY EYES! 2 young men wearing BLACK name-tags! I literally squealed and hugged their hands ;
)
So I arrived here at Moko's (where they TOO were worried about my arrival, since they had NOT heard from me since Saturday!)

We have showered, and eaten a very strange Pizza (corn and shredded chicken) and are ready for bed now.....

Continued prayers appreciated.

Can I be Frank?

Who's kidding...when am I anything BUT frank. (without a Capital "F")

As I struggle with every step of this journey, and I kick, fight and scream over this sweet boy (who will NEVER grasp the situation)



I wonder, as I often do when hard obstacles are placed in my way.

I can do two things.....Fight THROUGH them....or....Give up.

So what is the option?

In the past what have I been compelled to do?

yeah. honestly I give up. When things get too hard, I say "oh well, it is not meant to be." and then I quit.



Yes. Me.

I QUIT.



But looking at this rascal. This puny bundle of endless energy, this guy who looks up at me with those dark eyes, those languid eyelashes, those sweet loving eyes.

and I think to myself....



I always wished there was someone who would FIGHT MY BATTLES for me.

Now I get to fight FOR HIM. Maybe in the next life he will see/understand what that means. but for now. I know I can be HIS hero! Cuz, this. IS. HARD.

Jan 3rd 2013 (otherwise known as...the day I was scheduled to arrive in Monrovia)

A test,

Of character?

Of Faith?

Of Resilience?

Of Perseverance?



This scheduling and arranging all the details for an international trip has been haggard.

When I began the process, I continually asked others (name the adoption agency) what else do I need to prepare for??

The surprise VISA showed up around Dec 15th. It took (surprisingly?) 4 days to track down a clinic that could give us the shot for our required vaccinations.

Then I had to mail my PASSPRT, my vaccine records, and LOTS OF MOOLAH to the “Visa processing” company, apparently (according to their voice recording that I have logged over 7 ours of listening to…)



They can get a visa in as little as 24 hours, and they are the experts on lost passports, fast turn-around, and all things international. Getting the visa approved took 24 hours, then the “expedited service” I paid out the nose for dragged on…and on…and on…



First the company could not use the enclosed return address label, (for reasons unknown to me) So they were supposed to TRANSFER the information onto a New Label and Overnight express mail it to me.

When the shipping information FINALLY registered on the FedEx tracking site, I noticed a HUGE GLARING ERROR!!

I was in Salem, Utah, and my passport & Very expensive Visa was now sitting on my porch in Kidder, MO.

GRAND!!

I had to do some serious arm-twisting for them to realize that YES they HAD been notified of the shipping label, and that NO I was not going to fix this crisis. THEY WERE!

But that was not enough, I had to call 4 of my friends in Missouri, until I found one willing to drive to my home, pick up the package and re-label it and drop it in the FedEx drop box in Cameron.

Where is sat, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday….Wed night I was scheduled to fly to JFK where I would prepare to fly to Liberia Thursday Evening. Plenty of time to ship the passport to NYC so that I could still board the plane on time.

Except FedEx forgot to re-route that package and it was on the delivery truck in Orem, Utah!



Now…..mind you….each and every time I had to call the Visa processing Company (TraVisa…don’t EVER EVER EVER trust them with an expedited package!!) I would be put on hold for a minimum of 15 minutes…yes I started timing them.

And many times as my 15 minutes came to an end, the line would go dead….

So I called them at least 35 times trying to resolve the issue, and guess what!? I got a NEW PHONE AGENT every SINGLE time!!! (they must be a BIG company!)

So not only was I not getting answers…..but I was draining my battery waiting to have the issue addressed!



I am emotionally spent. I am so TIRED of being diplomatic. I am trying not to SCREAM….but right now, honestly ALL I WANT TO DO IS SLEEP!!!

Red-eye flight, then being on my feet walking all over the airport looking for different things I wore a blister in my toe, and I need to catch some

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ’s! P.S.



My biceps got a GREAT workout carrying Peter to the 9/11 Memorial... 16 blocks ;)

Poster Child

If I told you ALL the issues I have had in the past 24 hours.... YOU would call me a LIAR!

after 3 hours on the phone today, I HOPE we have a solution!!

The VISA is supposed to be delivered to JFK airport where I SHOULD be able to get it in plenty of time prior to my departure to Monrovia.





I pray.



Right now Peter & I are sitting at the airport, he is happily playing sign games with a young Latino traveler, they are both pretty amused with each other.