the trip that wasn't

Renee' and I and Norris and Melissa Hill headed to Haiti yesterday to visit some of the ministries and people that we are connected with thru HaitiServe, to encourage them and love them with some Christmas presents.  We left Knoxville early and by the time we landed in Miami they had shut down the airport in PAP to all flights due to the unrest around the controversial elections going on there.  We tried several creative ways to get into Haiti but to no avail. So...we took a cab to South Beach for the freak show and had brunch and came back to our hotel.  Dinner of Cuban food and a great visit with Corrigan Clay who is one of the folks that we were going to visit.  Turns out he was stuck in Miami as well.  It was a great time to visit with him and pray with him.  If you are not familiar with The Apparent Project I would encourage you to check out their website (http://www.apparentproject.com/) to see what fantastic things they are doing in their little part of PAP.  They are a bright light in the midst of a very dark country. We will be taking about a dozen college folks (and hopefully our whole family) to stay and work there for a week over spring break.

We ended up rescheduling our tickets for next week, 16th thru 20th.  We will then hop in the car and drive to KC on the 21st for Christmas.  Not our original plan but we'll make it work.

will keep you posted.

Moldy

Unrest - there and here

You may or may not know that they are in the middle of a troubled election in Haiti.  Today they are to release results that could either lead to a new president or to a run-off election.  Either way there will be (and already is) much turmoil and unrest in this fragile country.  Please pray for the process, for the people, for the government, for peace and civility, for justice...

Renee' and I, along with friends Norris and Melissa Hill are scheduled to leave for there early tomorrow morning to visit and encourage a number of the ministries that we are connected with thru HaitiServe.  We are watching the news, trying to be discerning, praying for wisdom and dealing with our own unrest.  Immediate unrest about this trip - do we go or not? ... but moreso the unrest in our hearts about the length of this adopting process.  We want Kiki and Gi in our home so badly.  I wrestle with God about how this timing and process is good for them - I don't think it is. I am, however, convinced that he is very much in charge and that I sure don't have the whole picture.  So I'll continue to press in on him and anyone connected with this adoption.  I'll listen to what the Father is up to in me.  I'll try to prepare for the day they are actually in our home and to love these kids as best I can from here.

A huge blessing to be a part of!

I am so thankful that the Lord took me to Haiti in February of 2009 and I fell in love!  I love these people so much; old, young, educated, illiterate, poor, poorer, dirty, sick, giving, loving people!  I am so blessed to have them in my life!

One of the greatest blessings that I have had lately has been to take our dear friends Dave and Melissa Hogue to Haiti to meet their new son, Wilby.  It was amazing to watch as they first held their three year old son.  He is such a beautiful child with an amazing smile that makes everyone fall in love with him!  He also has Cerebral Palsy and with it some special needs.  I can't wait to see how God is going to use him in the lives of all that he will come in contact with in  Kansas City and beyond.  We have a long adoption road ahead though...please pray for the Hogues and Wilby during this time of waiting, waiting, waiting.

You can follow the Hogue's adoption on facebook.  Become a fan of Wonderful Wilby!  I can't express how much I love seeing God bring children and families together!

God is Good...All the Time..Just a saying?

"God is good...all the time...", my friend tells me after a micro burst from a Hurricane blows away his tents that the 13 people in his family have been living in since the earthquake in January.

I have to admit that I have no idea how good God really is on a daily basis!  I am such a whiner most of the time!!  I'm not just talking about having any and all of the food that I want at any moment that I may have a craving.  I'm not talking about a very comfortable bed with lots of covers and four pillows to sleep on.  I'm not talking about a clean, flushable toilet with toilet paper, a toilet seat and a candle to do whatever business I need to do, whenever I need to.  Safe houses. Free education for our children.  Clean water and soap to wash with, hot water to bathe in.  Clean water to drink.  Bible studies, church, dvds, coffee shop talks, counselors.  It's not just the physical things, it is everything!  Their faith is so much bigger than mine in the wake of so many, many heartaches.  "God is good, all the time".

 I have returned home from being in Haiti twice in the last month.  Each time I go, it is such a huge blessing and yet overwhelming to see up close and very personally the challenges that our friends and our children face on a daily basis.  Heat, hunger, filth, lack of good medical attention, longing to be part of a family, homelessness, unemployment, illiteracy, no jobs...

and yet I do know and strongly believe and cleave to the fact that God is good...all the time.  Despite what we so shortsightedly see on this earth.  "I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord, plans to take care of you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jer.29:10

I continue to ask myself, what is my part in all of this madness?  God has called me to be a part of restoration in these people's lives.(even if it is a very small part)  I want to be obedient even though it is extremely painful at times.  I am so thankful that I have been given the opportunity to work with HaitiServe.  We are identifying organizations that are truly making an impact on the people's lives in Haiti through education, spiritual leadership, medical care, teaching trades, building homes, sustainable business etc...  Some of these organizations are:  http://www.haitirescuecenter.org/, http://www.apparentproject.org/, http://www.childrenofthepromise.org/, http://www.haitichildsponsorship.org/   God is using these people in amazing ways to bring hope and life to the people that they work with on a daily basis.  Please lift them up in prayer!

Trying to re-enter life in TN

I just returned from Haiti and will post soon.  I am just trying to catch up at home right now and missing our babies in Haiti so, so much!  My heart aches for them.  Details about the trip soon...

another trip to Haiti

Today is Monday Oct. 11 and Renee' is in Haiti again.  It was a quick turnaround from her last trip and she is still very tired and worn.  She came home with a sinus infection and some funny Ambien CR stories.  The reason for the quick turnaround is a really cool one that I am jealous of.  Our friends in Kansas City, Dave and Melissa Hogue are adopting little Wilby from "our" orphanage.  Wilby has what is likely cerebral palsy and is in desperate need of treatment and therapy.  He is one of the sweetest kids you could ever meet.  A real charmer.  Renee' got to go meet the Hogues in PAP and take them to meet Wilby and Bobby and Lurdie (who run the orphanage).  She said it has been really sweet.  what a privilege to get to be a part of this process.

She is also working out some kinks and details with lawyers there.  It has been a really emotional ride for her there.  Nothing is easy or smooth in Haiti right now.  I hate that she is there without me working thru a lot of hard stuff, but we know Renee' - she's a tough cookie.  I'm very proud of her.

We would really love and value your prayers for this process.  Still lots of hurdles and hoops ahead.

In the midst of the emotional ride we are more certain than ever that this is obedience and right.  There is no way to go but forward.  "Lord have mercy" is my regular prayer.

MOre jealously: she got to hang out with Kiki and G for 2 1/2 days.

I pick her up from the airport at 10 tonight.

it's the little things in life...

I don't remember being so excited about a package coming to the house ever!! We received our POA's today from Chicago!!(Power of Attorney papers)  Thank you Robin for being our transport!  These papers are just the beginning of many papers that must be notarized, certified, authenticated, translated and legalized... I will be taking these to Haiti to give to our attorney on Wednesday so that she can begin working on our case.  I will also be taking two of our good friends papers to deliver for them.  The Smiths and the Hogues are two families that will be traveling these unchartered waters with us.  We are grateful to have such awesome people to journey with!

Our story began...

I don't even know where to begin, to tell this story takes some time.  Steve and I have been married for 22 years and have been blessed with five wonderful biological children.  We have always been open to the idea of adoption, fostering or just helping out with children in whatever way we can.  We had never felt a specific call or leading in this area until February 2009 when I went on my first trip to Haiti.

I had been to a couple of developing countries before and seen first hand, extreme poverty but I had never seen any thing like the conditions in Haiti.  It is truly beyond words and even photos can't give the full picture.  I was so touched by the people, their desperate situations and the Lord filled me with an amazing love for them.  I knew that "this was it" and that this was where we were to adopt from.  I came home and shared with Steve what I was thinking, feeling and what the Lord had layed on my heart.  He was immediately in agreement and we began to pray together about the direction we should take.  To say the least, our children were super excited about the prospect!!

Now...any adoption is long, tedious at times, and can be very complicated.  Haiti is exponentially so!  We began to research the best way to go about the adoption, agencies, private attorney or what?!  We spoke with many people about their experiences and learned that Haiti is a very difficult place to get things done with any sort of speed.  We spoke to some people that had been in process for three years and this was very discouraging and yet we still felt called to Haiti.

We had the opportunity to join a team that headed down shortly after the earthquake.  This is when we first went to Children of Hope Orphanage and Hospice.  We knew that we wanted to adopt a sibling group.  This is where we met and fell in love with our children, Giflore who was six at the time and her little brother Kiki who was three.  They are amazing kids~and we began talking to the directors of the orphanage about these children and told them that our intent was to be their forever family.

In the mean time, another sweet gift was given from God...I began a job with a local foundation that is working in Haiti.  It is called HaitiServe.  You can check us out at http://www.haitiserve.org/!  It has been a huge blessing in so many ways!  It has also given me the opportunity to travel to Haiti regularly on business and get to see our children too!

We were told that the children had the correct paper work for adoption and that it would be relatively quick and straight forward.  We later found out that the orphanage did not have their Creche license and therefore, could not facilitate adoptions.  The orphanage filed the papers and now has their temporary license and can begin processing adoptions.  One hurdle we are over. 

Through many friends that we have met during our travels and involvement in Haiti, the Lord has led us to an attorney that I will meet with on Wednesday in Haiti to officially get things moving on that end.  We are so thankful for this connection and believe that she will be a Godsend!!!

One of the biggest blessings of this process so far has been the people that the Lord has put in our path both here in the US and in Haiti.  Thank you, thank you Lord that we do not travel this path alone!  We are so thankful to Terry Douglas for introducing me to the beautiful people and country of Haiti.  Thankful for friends who are encouraging and willing to walk every step of the way with us.  Teams that embrace and  love our children with us.  Friends that translate and drive us in Haiti.  Friends that support and believe in adoption and our family enough to give in every way.  Friends to walk with as we all journey together to bring all of our children home from Haiti!  Friends and family who are praying for our WHOLE family.

We will follow, be obedient, trust, cry, rejoice, pray and long for the day that we will hold our children in our arms in our, their home, here with us.

I promise I won't be so long winded after this!
Renee'

A long road we will not walk alone...