We are home!!


The last few days have been life-changing and it's hard to put them into words. We thought it might be helpful to provide a day by day account of our adventures. We've added a few videos to help you feel a part of this journey. 

 

Friday: We arrived at the airport and learned our plans had changed. The decision was made for one of the caregivers to bring Emmanuel to a local restaurant instead of us going to the orphanage. So, we sat at Southern Fried Chicken and waited to see our little Emmanuel.  I couldn’t help but laugh, where this was happening. My father was an executive at Kentucky Friday Chicken, and my family grew up eating chicken at every big family event. Kathy and I had not seen him in seven weeks, and this was the first time the girls would have the opportunity to meet their brother. The car pulled up and we were out the door.  He was quiet as we hugged him and told him we loved and missed him.  We later learned he shuts down when he's hungry. He quickly came to life as he started to eat and girls saw his real personality. 



Saturday: We stayed around the hotel and enjoyed learning more about each other while adjusting to our news lives.  We had the opportunity to spend time at the pool as Eman slowly got the nerve to get in with Daddy. 

 

Sunday: We had a small party at Eman’s orphanage, as he said good-bye to all of his friends and caregivers.  We knew this was the right thing to do, but it's so hard to watch your son shut down. He simply did not want to be there and after a few hours, he was ready to go.  We then went to the market, which is always an experience in Ghana.  Lastly, we spent more time in the pool. We were constantly reminded this boy can eat more chicken and rice then humanly possible while making pooping a profession.


Monday: We started the day at a school for children that have been rescued from all kinds of crazy things and/or orphaned. A group of Girl Scouts from Birmingham packed a suitcase full of supplies for the children. The kids were very excited and thankful for the gifts and cards the girls made. Peyton and Brooke Gober donated enough money to buy two big bags of rice. The majority of kids eat one meal day a day. These two 50 pound pages of rice will go a long way. 
 
Thank you, Girl Scouts


Thanks, Peyton and Brooke!!
The girls serving the school


We then went back to the hotel to wait for E'man's birth mother and Grandmother to arrive.  They came over six hours from the countryside to meet us. We had no idea what to expect or how Eman would respond. Emmanual didn't want to stay and wouldn't leave Kathy's side. 

Jessica, Auntie, Kathy, Rob, Eman, Grandmother, Shannon, Ebenezer, Mother
      
Lastly, were able to grab one last meal before heading to the airport to begin the forty-hour trip home.
 
As we said all along, we are so appreciative of your support along with this 14 month journey.  You've kept us going through the ups and downs. 

 
Emmanuel James Adjei Compton is not ours! He was created by God for a unique role and we are thankful God has chosen us and you to be a part of his life. We all have a responsibility to disciple him.

This is the first picture we ever saw.  All the information was wrong, but he had our hearts instantly. Miraculously, two days later we were matched with our new son.


This video by a dear friend captures the moment we saw Emmanual for the first time.



Emmanuel loves to dance



Comments

Welcome Emmanuel and Congratulations to your family!

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