Babygirl on a Plane!

This summer Babygirl and I embarked on a wonderful adventure and headed off to the Caribbean.  Babygirl was beside herself with excitement at the prospect of getting on a plane, whilst I was beside myself with worry about how I was going to entertain her on a 9 hour flight.

I started my intense research by asking experienced travellers with children, and watching several YouTube.  The advice was overwhelming and very clear - take loads of stuff on the plane and hope for the best!

We got some amazing seats due to my rather obsessive wait by the computer to book online and the flight went smoothly.  Babygirl was a fantastic passenger and took the whole thing in her stride.

We had a wonderful time!  Babygirl experienced her first dip in the sea and loved it!

 

We explored historical sites and took in amazing views.

We learnt about the craft of Batik and explored the luxurious hotels!

We made new friends along the way too!

It was a privilege and delight to watch Babygirl explore the Caribbean.  God's creation is truly amazing, and it was awesome to watch her marvel at it all!

Until next time,

Cece

xxx

What are you waiting for?

Waiting is a part of life.  In this video, I share my thoughts on waiting.  As I continue to wait for God to come through on the promises He has made, I thought it might be helpful to share why I think we are waiting and how to do it well.

Don't forget to subscribe to the channel so you don't miss any future videos.  Why not leave a comment too?

Have a blessed week!

Cece xxx

Celebrating 6 years of the Sanctuary!

2015 has been an amazing year so far!  I can't believe that we are in October already.  An update is long overdue and I will ensure that it is completed soon.

I just wanted to pop by to let you know that the Sanctuary is celebrating 6 years of ministry.  For those of you who don't know, the Sanctuary is a ministry for women that I launched in 2009.  It has been an amazing journey so far, and God has used it impact my life significantly as well as the women who attend.

Check out the video below to see how we are celebrating our birthday this year!

God bless,

Cece

Ivy Preparatory School

In my previous post, I gave some background on how I ended up in Ghana last month.  I headed out to visit a school that opened last September in Ashiyie, near Adenta in Accra.

I had the privilege of spending a week in the school.  I observed lessons, wandered around the school and delivered a training session to the staff.

It was a refreshing time and to be honest, gave me great food for thought about the type of school I would like Babygirl to attend.

So let me introduce you to Ivy Preparatory School:

 

The buildings have been beautifully finished and provide a vibrant and welcoming environment as the children arrive.

The classrooms are bright and decorated to simulate learning.

By far the best assets of the school are the staff and students.  The students are genuinely interested in learning and the staff are committed to seeing each child progress.  I have taught in many schools and so far I would only consider sending my child to one of those schools.  That was until I saw Ivy Preparatory School, as I sat in the lessons and observed the work being done in this school, I seriously considered relocating so that Babygirl could become a pupil.

The school has not been open for a year yet but is already having a huge impact on individual children's lives.  A school with a Christian ethos - it carries the motto, "In Fide Scientiam" which is Latin  for "To our faith, add knowledge".

The school is truly a place where the children are encouraged for feel safe when learning and take risks to stretch and test their abilities.  

It was summed up beautifully by a Key Stage 1 student in one of the lessons I observed.  It was a Maths lesson and one of the students had been invited up to the front to solve a maths problem with an abacus.  He was struggling.  As the class waited, he scratched his head and tried to solve the problem.  Eventually, one of his classmates piped up, saying, "Come on, believe in your heart that you can do it!"  I couldn't help smile as I observed this young child cheer and encourage his classmate rather than belittle him.  As the young boy at the front conquered the challenge of the maths problem, the class applauded him and he returned to his seat with a smile.

I left that lesson with a smile too and thought, "Now that's what education is all about!"

Watch out for my upcoming interview with the principal and founder of Ivy Preparatory School.  In the meantime, you can check out their website.

Until next time, 

Cece xxx

Akwaaba - Cece in Ghana!

The month of April was very busy for me.  Not only did we go away as a family (see my previous post for more details) but I also headed off to Ghana for 7 days.

Before I share what happened on the trip, I should perhaps give a bit of background on how I ended up going to Ghana.

Three years ago, a friend of mine moved to Ghana with her husband and four children.  Last year, she told me via Whatsapp that she was going to start a school.  The moment I read the message - I got butterflies in my stomach.  I told her that I had to visit her in Ghana to see the school.  It was a passing comment and I wasn't totally convinced that I was actually going to do it.

Fast forward to February this year, when I visited a friend's church for a women's event.   The theme was "Stepping Out in Faith" and on the table there was a card for each woman with this picture:

During the time of worship, I began to talk to God about some of the things I wanted to do in my life.  He used the image above to speak very clearly and I knew that He was calling for me to step out in faith.  So I determined in my heart to go for the plans I had in my mind.  As the meeting progressed, God started to remind me of things that He had told me back in 2003, and He reminded about a school He had shown me. 

It was a school in a tropical setting and the building was yellow.  I remember it clearly because at the time, I remember thinking that we don't have yellow schools in England.  Then God said, "But haven't you seen a yellow school recently?"  Instantly I thought back to the pictures that my friend had sent me of the school she had opened in Ghana.

Ivy Preparatory

I instantly knew that I had to go to Ghana to see this school and one week later, I had booked my ticket.  

To be honest, I had no clue of what I was going to do when I got to the school, but there was one silent prayer I was regularly saying to God, "I don't want to live in Ghana".  I was afraid that God was taking me to Ghana to tell me that I was going to move there.

Now, let me explain that I have no problems at all with Ghana.  This visit was going to be my first time there and it was a country that I had always wanted to visit, but it had never been on my radar as a place to live.

On the drive to the airport and as I sat on the plane, I constantly found myself thinking, "What are you doing?!!".  This is not something that Cece does - books a flight and heads out to a country she has never been to because she feels that "God told her too!"

I landed on African soil after 6 hours in the air and asked God to take control and make it clear why I was in Ghana.

What followed was 7 days of self discovery, reawakening of dreams and a clear mission for the next stage of my life!

My trip flew by but I have been forever changed by the experience.  God used this trip to speak clearly into what He wants me to do next and I am so excited!!!  He even spoke clearly on the issue of infertility.

First day in Ghana

View from my room

I have come back from Ghana with a focus I have never experienced before in my life.  I am sure that the repercussions of this trip will become more evident over the next few months and years, and I will endeavour to share as much as possible in my blog posts.

In the meantime, I encourage you to step out when God speaks - you have no idea where it will take you but you can be guaranteed that it's going to be scary and amazing simultaneously!

And before I go, I can almost hear you shouting, "So, are you moving to Ghana?".  The answer is "No", but I will definitely be back!  Watch this space ;-)

Until next time,
Cece xx

Our Family Break

Last month, DH, Babygirl and I headed off to Broad Oak, a small village which is a short drive from Eastbourne.  We booked a beautiful cottage, loaded up the car and headed off for a week in the countryside.  It was a fabulous week away!  

 

The Cottage

Fantastic viewing spot to enjoy nature

The view from the cottage

Beautiful flowers to welcome us to the cottage

We pottered around the cottage, watched TV, played outside and completed lots of puzzles!
Babygirl thoroughly enjoyed the garden and tried her hand at taking a few pictures. 

Taken by Babygirl

Taken by Babygirl

Babygirl engaging with nature :-)

Happy feet!

The cottage was based on a farm so DH had the pleasure of a full tour on a tractor, while Babygirl insisted on saying hello to the cows every day!

Calf accepts its daily welcome from Babygirl

Blurry picture of the pheasant that visited every morning

We ventured out a few days after lazing around the cottage, with a day trip to Tunbridge Wells and a short drive to Eastbourne for Babygirl to see the sea for the first time.  We walked along the coastline and ate fish and chips on the pier!  A proper British seaside visit!

 

The pressure is on for us to book our next break as everyday Babygirl is asking when we'll be returning to the cottage.  I think the first family break was a hit!

Tying up Loose Ends: Meeting the birth mum

I wanted to wait a while before sharing this particular aspect of my story and as this week we celebrated two years of Babygirl living with us, it felt like the right time to share.

A common question I am asked is if we know anything about Babygirl's background.  Before we adopted Babygirl we received a detailed report telling us about her background and the reason for her being put up for adoption.

We also had the opportunity to meet with Babygirl's birth mum.  I remember the day clearly - Babygirl had been living with us for a few months and it was a warm summer day.  We sat in a room with our supervising social worker and Babygirl's social worker.  Babygirl was not present.  Babygirl's birth mum arrived alone and what took place was a meeting which allowed her to meet the people who would have the responsibility of raising her child.

It was a short meeting, we shared Babygirl's progress and she shared a bit about the pregnancy.  I remember exactly how I felt - I felt great sadness.  Babygirl's birth mum was alone and facing what was probably the most difficult meeting of her life but she did it!  I could sense her sadness but the meeting also felt like a handing over of Babygirl.

When the meeting ended, I felt like a silent agreement had been made - that she had now officially handed Babygirl over into our care.

We took photos and look forward to sharing them with Babygirl when she is old enough to understand.  While I remember feeling terrified about attending the meeting, I remember feeling very strongly that I had to do it for Babygirl.

We will now be writing a letter to Babygirl's birth mum annually - it is not going to be easy but I know that this is all part of helping our daughter to understand who she is and where she came from.

Until next time,
Cece