Thomas Rhett returned to Uganda for the first time since adopting his oldest daughter, Willa Gray. The singer visited the country, along with his wife, Lauren Akins, as part of the Love One International, where Akins serves as a board member.
“Got to spend the last few days in Uganda serving alongside my amazing wife and an amazing [Love One International] team,” Rhett shared on Instagram, along with a series of photos. “This was my first time back after bringing Willa Gray home in 2017. It’s hard to put into words what this trip meant to me, but in short my heart is full, my life is changed and I’m so thankful to God for the opportunity to see happiness in a place of such simplicity.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
Rhett didn’t reveal what he did while in Uganda, but the photos he shared on Instagram show the couple working together and separately with the local children.
Akins also shared a picture of their experience in Uganda, revealing in the photo that Charles Kelley‘s wife, Cassie, also joined the couple on the missions trip.
“Got to share a huge part of what makes my heart beat with two of my sweet girlfriends AND my sweetie (TR hasn’t been back since we were in the middle of bringing Willa Gray home [crying emoji]) all in one trip,” Akins wrote. “They got to meet my Ugandan family and we all met and were able to serve so many new sweet angels together. Talk about heart explosion – I don’t think we could be MORE full.”
Rhett and Akins adopted Willa Gray in May of 2017, only a few months before Akins gave birth to their daughter, Ada James. But even though Rhett became a father in two different ways, he feels exactly the same about both of his children.
“The word ‘adopted’ doesn’t even make sense in my head anymore really,” Rhett told PEOPLE. “I know that it happened and I remember it very vividly, but it kind of feels like she has just always been here. Even though Willa Gray comes from [a] whole different part of the world, she’s ours and it feels like she never wasn’t.”
Still, the “Sixteen” singer wants to honor Willa Gray’s heritage, especially as she gets older.
“I hope God has given me all the right tools to raise Willa Gray to know that no matter where she comes from, she is our child, and that we want her to express her diversity,” Rhett said. “She’s from Tennessee and she’s from Uganda and I want her to be proud of that.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Christopher Polk
