A Story of HOPE For Abdul!

Here is a story I believe will have a successful ending in 2010.  About a special Flight Attendant I met on my recent trip to Accra, Ghana.  Listening to her story, and seeing the events that tried to keep me from going to Ghana, did I see God all over the situation surrounding this trip.  For whenever the enemy tried to bring evil, God would soon turn around for good.  Something that I pray happens towards final resolve for a little boy waiting in Ghana to be united with his new adoption parents here in the United States.

For I knew it wasn't by chance that Sandy Garzia and I met. For the moment she smiled, and introduced herself I knew that God was about to reveal something special.  For God always does during my trips to Africa, as He helps me fight for the innocent lives that know one cares to see. So when Sandy introduced herself with her sweet smile, it was as if we had already met.  Then despite the antics on the flights delay that pushed take-off almost five hours after boarding the flight.  In a time I now know was God's plan, as it seemed to have passed without much concern or notice, as I listened intently to Sandy's story in why she bids the trips to Ghana. 

So as the the flight crew stood by while the Captain (my husband) and his Pilot's resolved one issue after another, I became lost in the most amazing story, told by the most amazing woman that I am so blessed to have met.  As she told of her little boy named Abdul she was in the process of adopting in Ghana.

I laugh now looking back during that time to see how much God unplugged Sandy and I from the situation, so she could share all that God wanted her too.  From the removal of passengers luggage who were not able to get on the flight. To the passengers wanting to get off after hours of delay.  To the ground crew digging out luggage to take back off the plane, (A process that took hours).  Which then gave a young man the idea he could smoke a cigarette in the lavatory to pass the time to only get caught when passengers complained of smelling smoke.  Something that was not wise to do so soon after the recent story concerning a Delta Aircraft.  But sure enough, in the lavatory I was sitting next too was a young man trying to steal a few smokes. When the head Flight Attendant banged on the door for the young man to come out.  When he did, my husband had him removed from the aircraft for tampering with a smoke detector was a federal offense.  Needless to say, from the expression on his face, he won't be looking at cigarettes quite the same anymore, nor flying on Delta to any long distance destination beyond his front door.

Finally, over four hours later, we were cleared for take-off to the cheers of the entire 767 ER, bound for Accra, Ghana.  As we assended into the night sky you could feel a sigh of relief in the air to finally be on our way.

Once we were airborne, and the fasten seat-belt sign dinged off, and the familiar air sound of in-flight travel ushered in a moment of peace and sleep for many weary travelers, my mind reflected all again on what Sandy had shared with me.  In a story I now feel privileged to share with you in hopes of finding a resolve for Sandy's son to bring him home to his new family here in America.

HERE IS SANDY'S STORY IN HER OWN WORDS:

My name is Sandra Garzia. I live in Methuen, MA and am employed as a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines.

Five years ago, I was on a one year leave from work and was planning to retire. After repeated attempts to obtain my retirement papers, with no luck, I received a letter from Delta looking for flight attendants on leave to return to work to fly out of New York. After reading the letter, my husband and I decided that I would continue with my plans to retire. Two days before I had to submit my request to return to flying, I had the "feeling" that I was supposed to return to work. I didn't understand why, at the time, but I decided to follow the "message" and go back to flying, at least for a while. I started flying out of New York and one day in the flight attendants lounge, I saw a co-workers poster of children at an orphanage in Ghana that he visits. I thought that was a wonderful way to spend my layovers. I started flying to Accra, Ghana (in West Africa) for work in April 2008. On my layovers there, I spend most of my time reading and drawing with children at orphanages. On my first visit to the OSU Children’s Home,  we took 45 children to the beach, where I met and connected with a 12 year old boy named Abdul, who is from Sudan. On that day, I knew why I had been unable to retire and had been called back to flying.

Four years ago, Abdul saw his father tragically shot and killed by rebels in Darfur, Sudan. Because it was too dangerous for boys to stay in Sudan, he had to leave with other boys and go to a refugee camp in Chad. His mother was sick with breast cancer and too ill to make the journey, so at the age of 9 he had to leave without his mother. Abdul lived in the refugee camp in Chad for 3 years with a family from Sudan who knew his parents. For 3 years he looked for his mother to show up but she never did. At the end of 3 years, his “foster father” died and his “foster mother” could not afford to take care of her 5 children and him so, he had to leave. At the age of 12, he did not know where to go. Luckily, he met a group of people who were headed to Ghana and invited him to join them. He went with them and when they arrived in Accra, Ghana they brought him to the local police. The police then brought him to the OSU Children’s Home. When Abdul arrived in Ghana he spoke fluent Arabic, as well as French that he learned in Chad and could speak only a few words in English. When the other children started back to school last September, Abdul was still at the home. I spoke with his case worker at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and was told that he was not a priority and if I wanted to pay for his schooling, I could, but they were not going to. My husband and I have sponsored him in school and his English is very good after two years.  Abdul has been in Ghana for almost 3 years now and still does not have his refugee status.

My husband, Henry and I went to Accra in December 2008 and were able to spend 3 full days with Abdul. We took him to Cape Coast to the National Park as well as the slave castles. We had a wonderful time and Henry and Abdul got along very well. When we got home, Henry agreed with me that we should adopt Abdul and bring him to the U.S.

Once we decided to adopt him, I prayed that if his biological mother, Mariam was still alive we would find her. I could not imagine how difficult it would be for her not knowing if her only son was alive and if so, how he was managing on his own. In March 2009, I received word that Mariam had arrived at the refugee camp where Abdul lived in Chad. She was notified that her son was alive and healthy in a Children’s Home in Ghana and that we were looking for her. She was told that we were sponsoring him in school and wanted to adopt him. She told Abdul over the phone that she wanted to talk with me and that she was willing to give him up for adoption as her cancer had spread. She advised Abdul (as she speaks only Arabic) that she agreed with him that it was in his best interest to go with us as she could not afford to care for him. She informed us that she does not have any documents for herself or Abdul. She said there was never a birth certificate issued for him. We decided we needed to send for her to reunite her and Abdul. We knew there was a chance she would change her mind and not want to let her go but that was a chance we had to take. If that happened, we knew that our "mission" was to reunite mother and son.

In May 2009, we had Abdul’s mother transported from Chad to Accra. It was a magical day and I was so grateful that I could be there to meet her and be a part of their reunion. She was interviewed at the Department of Social Welfare, signed the paper giving up her parental rights, and went to court with us, which allowed us to adopt him in the Circuit Court of Ghana. It was a bittersweet time because as happy as I was, I knew that it had to be a very difficult thing for her to do. I got to spend some time with her while Abdul was in school and we got to bond. She will always be in our prayers. We took many photos so Abdul will have them to always remember her and she brought a photo of his dad which I photographed as well.

We could have arranged for her to stay in Ghana but she chose to return to Chad to be with her friends.

We have completed our home study with a Massachusetts adoption agency and received approval of the I-600-A application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition.  We have the adoption decree from the Circuit Court of Accra, Ghana. We have adopted him in Ghana, have him in school there, but are unable to bring him home, without the necessary documents. We have filed all of our papers with the USCIS at the US Embassy in Accra and are waiting for approval. We have paid a man, over a month ago, to go to a Sudanese Embassy in another African country to obtain a passport for us. He advised me that if we told the Sudanese Embassy that he is going to America, they would never issue it. It was supposed to take 5 days to get it and we are still waiting and praying that it will arrive. I just spoke with him and he said it should arrive on Wednesday January 6, 2010. Please pray that it does arrive and that everything will be approved quickly and we can bring our son home within a month. We look forward to homeschooling our son - now named Abraham Abdul Garzia and having many wonderful adventures with him.

If the passport does not come, this is where we need your assistance. We need a passport from Sudan. I have written up a certification of birth, signed by our lawyer and notarized at the Ghana court and we pray this will suffice for not having a birth certificate. There is no Sudanese Embassy in Ghana. I have discussed this matter with the Department of Social Welfare – Greater Accra, the UNHCR – his case worker as well as the protection officer, the birth and death certificate office, the US Embassy, all in Accra and no-one knows how to obtain a birth certificate (or a re-issued one) and a passport for a child from Sudan. I have called the Sudanese Embassy in New York and Washington and received no assistance or cooperation in the procedure of obtaining this documentation.

Please help us or provide a contact to enable us obtain a Sudanese passport and possibly a re-issued Sudanese birth certificate just in case the certification of birth is not sufficient.

Thank you in advance for any help you can give to us.

Sandra and Henry Garzia

[email protected]

978-852-0269(cell) 978-725-9432(H)

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PLEASE JOIN WITH ME IN HELPING SANDY BRING HER SON HOME, IN A STORY OF HOPE FOR ABDUL.  FOR A NEW YEAR, IN A NEW BEGINNING THAT ONLY COULD COME FROM GOD.

THANK YOU & GOD BLESS! 

PATRICIA MAIER