Hurricane Sandy Update

We received the following update today regarding the hurricane's impact in Haiti.  The Kenscoff location is where we recently stayed with the children.  LaMardelle is where our girls currently reside and go to school.

Many pictures posted by various news outlets provide a sense of the devastation.  We cannot begin to imagine the challenges being faced by the thousands and thousands of people in the tent cities. We are eternally grateful for the protection and care that FEJ provides for the children in their care.

It did hit the FEJ Kenscoff location and caused a significant amount of damage.   There is flooding, roof damage and damage to the water tank.   The children have been relocated to another location for their safety, but we do not yet know where.   The LaMardelle location is experiencing some flooding in the school area and mobility is limited in and out of the area because of the roads being flooded.   The children at LaMardelle remain there and we received no reports of structural damage to this facility.   Thankfully we received no reports of anyone being hurt at either location.  
 Please keep the FEJ staff and the children in your thoughts and prayers, as they face yet another challenge.  

Tangible

tan·gi·ble     

adjective

Capable of being touched; discernible by the touch; material or substantial.

Much of the few weeks leading up to our trip was spent determining what types of activities we could bring that would help us to begin building the foundation of our family.  

We decided on a tangible representation of family.  Each person selected a specific type of bead and gave one of those beads to each of the other members of the family.  We also used a heart-shaped bead to signify the concept of family.  Remarkably, the girls understood our attempts to communicate the goal.  While we know the bracelets may not make it home in the end, we feel blessed that we were able to see evidence of their true purpose - Later that day, we spied one of the girls gently touching each bead and saying each of our names.

Surreal

Surreal - having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal

Traveling to Haiti was truly surreal.  As we've been fortunate enough to share with many of you, we could not have imagined a more wonderful experience.  We've certainly left pieces of our hearts in Haiti.

We landed in Port Au Prince and spent the majority of our time in a mountain town called Kenscoff - amazingly beautiful, rugged, and a paradise compared to Port Au Prince.  The last picture below shows the humble playground of the creche accompanied by the gorgeous mountain slopes beyond.

Go Team!

Just for fun, at last count, here are some of our totals:

1,524 baby wipes
4,095 cotton swabs
216 pens
226 hair clips and bows
22 bottles of children's acetaminophen liquid
24 toothbrushes

Thank you for your combined efforts to help us deliver needed supplies to the children being cared for by FEJ.  If you'd like to know more about FEJ, please check out the link below.
 Fondation Enfant Jesus

The Girl Effect

Research abounds as evidence of what an investment in girls and women can bring about in impoverished nations.  The Girl Effect is powerful.  

In a matter of days we will be forging the foundations of another layer of our family.  After a brief few days, we hope and pray that our girls feel hope.  Hope for a home.  Hope for the love of a family.  Hope for a future with limitless opportunities.  

October 11, 2012 is the International Day of the Girl (care.org).  With heavy hearts, we'll be leaving Haiti.  Fortunately, we know our girls are well cared for.  They are clothed, fed, allowed to attend school.  Millions of other adolescent girls are not as fortunate.  As partners with us on this journey, we're guessing "the girl effect" may resonate with you more powerfully now than it may have before.  It certainly does for us.

Mèsi Bokou!

Mèsi Bokou!  -  "Thank you" in Haitian Creole.

Gratitude - Thankfulness - Appreciation - Gratefulness

We feel so blessed by the myriad ways you've supported us as a family-in-waiting.  Sharing positive thoughts and prayers, checking in with us over the last many months, donating through Project Hopeful, gifting airlines miles, providing furniture for the girls, introducing us to Haitian Creole/English picture dictionaries, purchasing Adoption Bug t-shirts.  We continue to be amazed by your generosity and kindness.

With twelve days to go before the trip, your continued support is needed more than ever.  Pictures of the "staging area" coming soon.   :-)

Immeasurable

Immeasurable access to necessities - unprecedented convenience...life in our corner of the United States.

In less than 25 days we'll be headed to Port au Prince.  We'll be visiting an orphanage whose staff cares for over 50 children under 5 years of age.  Their needs are truly limitless.  

Families engaging in the process of adopting children typically deliver supplies to support the basic functioning of the orphanage.  If you would like to join us in this effort, please view the lists below and bring or send us whatever you'd like to donate (by Tuesday, Sept. 25th).