CLICK HERE FOR FREE BLOGGER TEMPLATES, LINK BUTTONS AND MORE! »

 

Kofi and King with Mama on the day of court 5/2012

The place where Kofi and King lived and Mama still lives
                                                          Uncle Kojo
                                                             
                                                        Michael/Kwami
                                             The place where Michael stays with a friend.

                                                          
    Kofi and King 2021

 Dear Family and Friends, 

As you know our precious sons Kofi and King are originally from Ghana. From the moment we stepped foot on the ground in Accra Ghana, this west African country has become so dear to our family. This October will mark 10 years since we traveled for the first time to meet our boys and bring them home. Our lives were forever changed and God opened our eyes not only to a love like we never imagined but also we became aware of the great needs up close and personal of the beautiful people there. We fell in love with the country and the people. Poverty is a reality for so many as 55% of the population live on $5.50 a day or less. Rural areas where the boys are from lack essential services, employment, resources, and education. Kofi and King have 3 brothers and a disabled mama whom we have supported over these years. It's been 5 years since we have been able to travel and bring much needed resources for the various things like helping one of the brothers enroll in a 2-year plumber apprenticeship, help with another brother's transportation costs and education, rent for mama for 2 years and a few other things. 
We have another opportunity to help meet some pressing needs and I would love to invite you to pray for these initiatives and God's provision to meet the needs. Michael(Kwami), age 22 (our boys’ brother we are closest to) is the sweetest most gentle and loving person. Kofi remembers Michael taking him to a local dirt field to play soccer often. His living situation is not good. He was squatting in an abandoned building (with permission from the owner) until recently when he and his uncle were asked to leave. For now, he has been staying with a friend in this small room.(see pic above)
Last year we purchased a small piece of land in the hopes that God would provide the means to build on the property. Dreaming big, we would love to build a large enough structure to form a duplex by which the family could rent out one side of it generating an income in doing so. This would be LIFE-CHANGING for this family! This would provide a place for several family members to live. Ideally we will help them set up an extensive garden on the land to help with food supply. 
Michael and his family struggle daily with finding enough food to eat, many times only eating once a day. Jobs are not readily available especially in rural areas. Even in the main city of Accra, jobs are hard to find and if you do find one, you cannot afford to live in the area the job is located and can't afford transportation to get there. That is just one aspect and a very simple explanation to a more complex problem than can be explained here. Uncle Kojo is 32 years old, single and works really hard for anything he gets. He is looking to provide for himself anyway he can. He has such a heart for seeing God move in prayer. We pray by phone regularly and he prays the most powerful interceding prayers that moves the heaven and earth.

We would like to help provide Michael and his Uncle Kojo with transportation to be able to drive and earn money with Uber in the main city of Accra and surrounding areas. lt will involve purchasing an economical and gas efficient car. Both of these young men love Jesus and have an incredible faith that sustains them in the most desperate of times. If you would like to partner with us in helping to provide some of these needs for this incredible family, you can do so here. Our first goal is to raise enough money ($8500) to purchase a car. Our second goal would be able to start on the house build. Thank you so much for praying for these efforts and partnering with us in any way God leads you. If you would like to partner with us financially, you can give a  tax deductible donation by using this QR code for Nashville Family Church.





With Love and Gratitude, 

The Boggs Family


                                              

Praiseworthy

10/13/12

 We are home and finally a family of 8!!! PRAISE GOD!



Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name.   Psalm 100:4
God, You are Praiseworthy.  I will give thanks to You according to Your righteousness, and will sing praise to Your name, O Lord Most High. Yes, I will give thanks to You with all my heart. I will tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and exult in You.  You are King over all creation, You are Commander of the wind, and.... You care for me—incredible! You are Ruler of all the nations, You are righteous in all Your deeds, and... You redeemed my life from despair—beautiful! Yes, hear me praise Your name, O God of my salvation.  I will praise You for hearing my cry; I will praise you for pulling me out of the miry clay. I will praise You for setting my feet upon a rock. I will praise you for making my footsteps firm. And I will praise You for putting a new song in my mouth!  In Your courts, I will sing my joyful song to You, O God my Savior. Indeed, I will join the holy chorus: Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights above. Praise Him, all His angels, praise Him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise Him sun and moon, praise Him, all you shining stars. Praise Him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord.  Yes, I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. So today, all day, I will choose to praise Your name.
Psalm 7:17; Psalm 9:1-2; I Peter 5:7; Psalm 40:1-3; Psalm 148: 1-5; Psalm 104:33
Chris Baxter-Respite for the Weary


Update-10/3/12

I can't believe in less than 24 hours I will board a plane to get my babies! I haven't been posting regularly lately I think mostly because these last few months of waiting have been particularily hard. Our flights to get there this time are brutal, so I with plenty of time on our hands, I may be posting from the airport quite a bit in an effort to catch you up. 


Where it all started


A few days ago my sweet Momma, surprised David and I with money to go out to dinner just the two of us one last time before our lives change forever-back to the place it all started for our adoption journe...Bonefish Grill. Yes, Bonefish is where David took me last year on June 29, 2011 and said he thought we should move forward with this adoption. I've decided I am not very good at reflecting on the past OR sitting in the present and taking it all in. It's good for me to be forced to do that. David on the other hand is good at helping us talk about all those things. It was a great night. Our hearts were so full of gratitude over what God has done for us in the past 15 months. 

Thanks Momma!



In just under a week, we will travel to get our precious boys. Yep, still thinking about the future.

I'm not an orphan anymore...I'm YOURS!

Oh, how I long for that to be the reality for my new boys. I long to bring them home-my home and sweetly bask in the knowledge that they are mine, and they are HOME! I sit here tonight in Ghana longing to see their sweet faces. Yes, I am in Ghana, technically I could see them if I arranged it, but we, as a family, decided that would not be best. Today, I filed their I-600 Visa application and hopefully will be returning again to get them for good in a few months.
When we left Ghana in May after spending a whole week together, every chance I could I would hold their sweet faces in our hands and say, "Mommy is coming back for you, and when I return, I will bring you home, and you will ride on a plane, and swim in the swimming pool, and you will be mine forever." That was also my parting words, as the most difficult part of this journey so far-the goodbyes-promising our return. It was more painful than I imagined. So, you see why I couldn't break their trust in "visiting" them for a few days or more only to leave again without them.
The culture here is so different. I can't explain it well. Parents here love their children, but they are trying to survive, and the hugs, kisses, the I love you's, the time spent together, get lost along the way trying to survive. The emotional attachments seem to be missing. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of sin, disfunction, and "survial of sorts"in America and in my own home but I am longing for the day when I can right this one wrong. No child should be orphaned. And trust me, there are plenty more here and all around the world who need families. I also long for the day that my precious Ghanaian children will know and understand the love of our heavenly father-the only one who can love them perfectly, completely-the one who is abounding in grace, full of knowledge, lovingkindness, mercy, who will rise to show them compassion. I long for the day he will set all things right. One day there will be no orphans anymore.
In the meantime, I rest in my father's love who ransomed me, called me his own, and now I am not an orphan anymore. If you haven't heard this song...you must...Check out this video from Ronnie Freeman-"I'm not an orphan anymore, I'm yours...


Do you know where you stand?


Luke 16:14-18
New International Version (NIV)
14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
My head and heart are still reeling from the message shared on Sunday about how God knows our heart. 

No matter where you are spiritually, this message is for you.  It's one of the best explanations of the gospel I have ever heard:
click here to watch or listen to the message...It is the first message entitled: "God knows your heart"-June 3rd, go to the right side of the page and you can listen, download, or watch the video. After the worship is the message.