Encouraging moms to savor the beauty of home & life in Christ

Our Girls are HOME!

Christin Slade Avatar

After 2 years…after 18 months since first seeing their beautiful faces, we are finally home with our daughters. And hey…we broke the record for the longest case our Power of Attorney in Ghana has ever had. Yay! Go us!
The Homecoming of Our Girls...a story of God's faithfulness.jpg

We left on a plane July 2nd and flew out to Ghana and we came home July 7th. A few days after our return trip, I got sick with a virus my 3-year old was carrying, and I am still sick (on day 4). So the transition isn’t going as I hoped, however, the girls seem to be adjusting well.

Since everyone’s number one question to us is, “How are they adjusting”, let’s start there.

When we saw them in Ghana for the first time in nearly 18-months, it was clear they were both happy and excited. We stayed at their foster home for a couple hours and were invited to have breakfast, so we ate.

When it was time to leave for our next destination, it began to get real for ME, because we, at that point, were going to be taking full responsibility for our daughters from this point on. I tried to remember how those moments made me feel, because as white people caring for and traveling with two Ghanaian children, clearly we would stand out. When our girls came to the U.S., the same would be true of them.

Our girls have had a unique experience with being around many white people, though. The orphanage they came from constantly has volunteers who come from Europe and remain in Ghana for 3 months to a year to serve. So they are not new to being around white people, and many of them.

Once we arrived in Cape Coast, about 3 hours from the airport, the girls began to open up more. We got settled into the beach resort for a few days of bonding with the girls.

Beach Resort Room .jpg
We had a blast hanging out on the beach, watching the girls swing and sing, having meals in an outdoor pavilion, rain or shine. Because it is warm year round, much of the Ghanaian life is built outside.

Girls Swinging.jpg
Margaret on the left, Christina on the right.
Meet Our Girls.jpg

There are always, always people walking around. It’s a common means of travel because many cannot afford to own a car. There is also an abundance of public transportation. Some can’t even afford that.

So, at the end of the weekend we gathered our things to return to the airport. The drive there was a little terrifying. We didn’t know until after we were 2 hours into our drive back to the airport that our taxi driver didn’t know where the airport was! In addition, his car kept failing to accelerate at different points throughout our trip. I was terrified we would get stranded and miss our flight. I couldn’t do anything but pray!

Once we got inside the airport, Christiana’s nerves began to kick in. She said her stomach hurt and from what we gathered from Margaret’s interpretation, Christiana was scared to get on the plane. We did what we could to comfort her and after a couple hours of being in the airport, she began to feel better. And they both did great on the flights!

We were all pretty exhausted once we landed home, but adrenaline kept us going.

All of the children were excited to meet and play right away. It truly was a wonderful homecoming!

FamilyPictured: L–>My mother in law standing behind the girls, me and my husband with the rest of our children in front of us, my mom, my sister, and my brother.
Today, one week later, the girls are settling in as best as can be expected. They seem happy and comfortable here, but that doesn’t always tell a true story. It takes a lot of time to feel these issues out.

I continue to work on our schedule but since I got sick over the weekend, it has been delayed a bit. But I know they will thrive even more once that schedule is in place and they know what to expect and when.

As we spend our summer bonding as a family, we will be doing some light lessons and trying to see what level our girls are at so homeschooling can begin in late August.

I will continue to write about our transition and am currently writing a book on our adoption process, God’s faithfulness, and the girls first 3 months home.

Thank you for your prayers and continued support. It has been a long two years, but we are finally ready to begin the next chapter of our journey!

My Children

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Christin Slade Avatar
  1. Lauren (Aunt LaLa) Avatar

    I’m so excited, and have been praying for your family! I have been waiting for your post to show up in my email! God is so faithful! I will continue to pray for you and your family as everyone starts on this new journey!

  2. Desi Avatar

    I’m so glad to see this post! Blessings to you as you guys adjust to this wonderful change!

  3. Jo Avatar

    I got chills when I saw the subject line in my email. 🙂 So very, very happy that your girls are finally home with you. Praying that this season of transition goes smoothly for you all!

  4. Susan Avatar

    So happy for you!!!! Celebrating with you as everyone gets used to each other!!

  5. K.M Logan Avatar

    You got to get your girls 18 months after meeting them, the same amount of time as 2 pregnancies 🙂 I love the family pictures especially the one at the zoo. Praying for you as you all continue to adjust.

  6. Ashley Wells Avatar

    LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

  7. Laurie Avatar
    Laurie

    Wonderful news! So happy for all of you.

  8. Sally Avatar

    Christin, What a wonderful story of God’s faithfulness! I’m so excited for you and your family and will be praying for a smooth transition for Christina, Margaret, and your family.

  9. Arabah Joy Avatar

    Congratulations! I’m so glad to see you all together, finally. The Lord is faithful, and whatever the journey ahead entails, He will lead, guide, and sustain you. The journey has just begun!

  10. Michelle Avatar

    How wonderful and beautiful! Your family looks so awesome and I know all your children will be blessed.

  11. Jill Avatar

    What a beautiful story! Thanks for sharing your heart!

  12. Ren Avatar

    Congratulations! I thought something must be up when the link ups stopped- I wondered if it might be new child in the family related so, Congrats again and enjoy your new time together!

  13. Lindsey Whitney Avatar

    So exciting!!! Thanks for sharing!

  14. Sharon Avatar
    Sharon

    Thanks for sharing. Adoption is sooooo great. If God would have it, I would do it all over again! Enjoy your time. We have had our daughter since birth through the foster care system and it is hard to believe she will be 5 in a month. Every moment counts! Praying for you.

  15. Emma @ P is for Preschooler Avatar

    How exciting! I look forward to reading more about how the girls are adjusting, but with such a supportive family, they’re already ahead! 🙂

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  17. Liz Avatar
    Liz

    What a wonderful story of adoption. Being from west Africa, I myself was also adopted. Once I grew up, I came to understand and went through many challenges in light of my identity. Apart from teaching the gospel one of the greatest gifts you could give to adopted children from different cultures, is to continue to teach them their history and culture. The African and American culture are extremely different….what happens at times…(not through their own thought) is, many African children raised in American adopted homes, have their cultures thrown away and their history warped.
    Some ideas..

    -one night a week, have a dinner that is themed around the country of origin….for Ghana something like Jollof rice and chicken, maybe
    -Play some music in the house that is in their language
    -play dress up at home, using their traditional clothesz
    -once a month encourage fellowship within a local Ghanian family
    -Geography classes around West africa,
    -Language lessons, so they continue to be fluent in their notice language. (Many of these are on You-Tube)

    Once again, you are a reminder of the great God we serve and how faithful he is. Continue to serve the body of Christ with the wonderful service of sacrifice. May you never grow weary, knowing he will provide all you need.

    You are a true inspiration.

    1. Christin Avatar
      Christin

      Yes! We are doing what we can to help them preserve their culture. We encourage them to talk to each other in their native language; we listen to Ghanaian worship music often, we make jollof rice at least once per month.
      We have no intention in stripping them of their culture — something we discussed heavily before bringing them home. 🙂 I really appreciate your insights Liz, so thank you so much!

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