TouchOne

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 e very 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 qu

I am not exactly sure what to write at this moment. I am overwhelmed by so many things.  There is still so much to do, but tomorrow at 4:00 PM, we board a plane bound for Africa. The primary goal is, to bring Emmanuel James Compton home forever. On Friday, we will host a going-away party at his orphanage. On Saturday, we will visit another orphanage and deliver supplies, followed by family time at the beach. Our Sunday will be spent at the local market. Monday we will begin our journey home through Amsterdam.   We will stop in Memphis Tuesday evening, to give Eman a break from traveling.  On Weds the 23rd at 10:00 AM, Eman will officially be in Birmingham. What a ride this has been!  We have been touched by the prayers, support, and sacrificial giving. Early on, we realized this is much bigger than our family.  This is a task only God could do!  I also love how he did it, in such a way, only he can get the glory. Our task was not to stand in his way!  Amazingly, the blog has had

This video was taken by Sohrab Beheshtipour in Eman's Orphanage .

Please be in prayer! July 3rd is our exit interview in Ghana.    Our POA (Power of Attorney) will conduct our exit interview on our behalf.    This is one of the last major hurdles.    The next step is our visa print date.    Once we have our visa print date, we will purchase our plane tickets to bring E' man home.    I won't lie...the waiting is exhausting. The expenses just keep coming. However, we have seen God do so many amazing things along this journey.    So, I wanted to share a few of the recent stories with you. As you know, one family paid for the girls to go with us!  How amazing is  that? Two weeks ago, our insurance company agreed to replace our roof which is almost 18 years old. Today we received the bill for the last month of foster care for $210. Yesterday, a family who has adopted, unexpectedly gave us a check for $200. Trust me, at this point, every penny matters.

Everyday is filled with anticipation of news! Our family is so excited! We talk about E’man all the time and are constantly are repeating sound's clips from his videos. We are so humbled by the whole thing, and our hearts are filled with so much joy! Can you tell…I AM PUMPED? Think about it….God created this special little man with us in mind…how crazy is that? God, created him and calling and challenging us, even now in our hearts to disciple him in such a way that only God gets the glory. God desires to use his life to bring glory and honor in his name in nations. Come on really…The Compton’s, God are you sure? Yes, God replies again and again….I created you for this purpose; Rob, I know you’re broken. I know you’re a sinner, but I am a God who makes all things new. I can use you despite your weakness. I created your children and your wife for this purpose in mind. I AM who I say that I AM. When the exact moment is right, that I have been planning since the beginning of time,

The gates to the orphanage opened and there he was, sitting on Lola Crain's lap.  Our hearts were beating so fast.  I still think Kathy set a world record getting out of the car.  For a second, we stared at him and he at us, but then I reached out my hands and he quietly laid his head on my shoulder.  Neither of us said anything.  i could hear Kathy crying and handed him to her.  The same thing happened, he just laid on her chest.  For the next 10-15 minutes he quietly slept and mom was beaming with joy.  We were bonding with our son.   After a quick nap and a biscuit (cookie) our little E-man came to life.   No words could have prepared us for this; he was so alive and so happy! This is little boy had been through so much and nearly died twice. In fact, our POA called him the "miracle boy" and yet here he is standing in front of us singing, dancing and playing. Amazing. We debated on telling him we were his new mother and father, but our hearts won out, and suddenl