The culture-rich West African country of Ghana has a population of 22 million. While English is the official language, Ghana is a very diverse country. It is comprised of various tribes from more than 100 ethnic groups each with its own languages, religions, and traditions. Ghana, formerly called the Gold Coast, was found to be rich in gold. Today, tourists visit historic sites including castles and forts that serve as reminders of the barbaric slave trade that took place years ago.
Ghana is a country of great wealth and great poverty. There are large, industrialized cities as well as remote villages with no access to electricity and clean water. Due to poverty, illness, and illiteracy, there are many orphans, abandoned children, and even young children being sold into forced child slavery who are exploited by the fishing community. Fishermen often resort to ‘buying’ children from disadvantaged single mothers to help them fish the lake. They use the children’s small fingers to untangle fishing nets caught in trees in the lake. Unfortunately, a mother in desperate circumstances, unable to feed her children, believes that the fisherman will feed her child and perhaps learn a skill that she cannot give them.
There are approximately 1 million orphans in Ghana. 1 million orphans in a country the size of the state of Oregon! Our goal is to bring one of those orphans home, forever.
With this decision finalized, we also submitted our home study application with Adoption Consultants, Inc., and our agency application with Generations Adoptions!
We received the "official" acceptance from Generations later this afternoon, so we are offically in the Ghana program! We will be meeting with our home study coordinator soon, and the paperwork begins!
This is thrilling! I went to Generations website after your fb post yesterday and came to my own conclusion about Ghana. :-) It's so exciting and wondrous to see God working in all of this. Our little girl will be here before you know it. Love you all so much - Mama
ReplyDeleteCongrats! Did you find Generations Adoptions through Michele, or is it just a coincidence that it's based in Waco? Bethany used to work with a local pregnancy center that she says worked closely with GA, and she heard nothing but good things. Looking at their staff page, I know the Africa Program Manager from church, too.
ReplyDeleteActually, Jeff, it was just coincidence! I think them being in Waco made me more interested in checking them out, tho! Glad to hear positive comments about them...I've yet to hear any negative! Is Heather the one you know? That's who we'll be working with, once she returns to the states! Thanks for your continued prayers!
DeleteYeah, Heather. Tell her your cousin is the guy who does Baylor Proud -- she'll know what that means. Small world!
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