May 31, 2013

May 31, 2013

• Departed from the orphanage to the airport in Port Au Prince around 8 a.m.
• Arrived at the airport a few hours later
• Flew out of Port Au Prince about 1:00 p.m.
• Landed in Miami by 3:00 p.m.
• Waited in immigration for several hours and missed our flight to Chicago
• Barely avoided a mighty kid meltdown
• Booked another flight to Chicago leaving at 8:10 p.m.
• Arrived home by midnight
• Began life together in our home exactly one year to the day of being officially "matched" with the girls

New adventures in the airport:

• flushing toilet paper
• faucets that turn on by themselves
• soap that dispenses itself
• escalators
• doors that open by stepping on the mat
• and just about everything else

Amazingly, we've been home for just over two weeks.  We've experienced incredible challenges and an equally incredible amount of growth.  The girls started day camp at Grandme and Grandpe's church on Monday.  Although camp starts at 9:00, they were up at 5:30 a.m. getting ready-the youngest had her backpack on by 6:00. The girls enjoyed their day, engaged with the games and activities, and were bummed that we weren't going back until Wednesday.

We cannot begin to thank everyone appropriately for all the blessings we've received.  The girls have a wonderful room because of many of you.  They've looked beautiful in new summer outfits and shoes, played for numerous hours on scooters, and braided the hair of dolls...because of you.

While we continue to be dazed part of the time, amazed at our new reality, and crazed by the food bills, increased utilities, and the number of times we repeat a certain name, we remember that we've only been in the game for a few short weeks.  

We so appreciate everyone's continued prayers and thoughtfulness.  We truly do not know how we would have ever gotten this far without you.  The prayers and support are needed every minute of the day and we know you are supporting us from afar.

Without any action on our part, the girls were seated in first class for the flight to Miami.  They did beautifully during the flight and enjoyed being treated to hot towels and a big salad.  :-)

Men Anpil Chay Pa Lou

Men Anpil Chay Pa Lou 

Many Hands Make the Load Light

A friend found this Haitian proverb many months ago when we first started this journey.  How grateful we are for the friends and family that surround us.

We are truly stunned by the generosity, care, and blessings that we've received from our family and friends over the past many months.  Whether it's Dad painting the girls' room (and many other rooms), Wayne putting together beds we were given, friends throwing a beautiful shower, or all the generous gifts and donations - we are blessed.

Our anxiety has been eased by everyone who has shared a kind word, offered support, or provided a gift that's allowed us to purchase mattresses, comforters, shoes, hair care products, counseling sessions, classes, swimsuits, and everything in between.

Vivid

viv·id

    adjective

1.

strikingly bright or intense, as color, light, etc.: a vivid green.

2.

full of life; lively; animated: a vivid personality.

We've always had "vanilla" walls.  Neutral paint, no wallpaper, ordinary.  While many of our walls will still be neutral, the girls come from a land of intense and vivid colors - amazing hues stretching across the color spectrum.

Our task of selecting the right color for their room started in the Home Depot paint department.  Staring up at the wall of color squares, trying to determine what might be a good fit, feeling uncertain. 

After several minutes of pondering, a color caught my eye..."I really like this one...not sure if it will be too bright, but it's beautiful."  Pulling the paint swatch from the wall, we looked curiously for the name - Haitian Flower.  No pondering needed.
#UL 100-16 Haitian Flower Interior

One wall, highlighting the beautiful furniture from a friend.  The rest of the walls are vanilla.   :-)

pleth·o·ra

pleth·o·ra  noun
overabundance; excess


We've been meaning to post this picture for awhile now...

One of our recent tasks was to finish the required paperwork for the U.S. Immigration process.  Many forms, phone calls, and filing tasks later, poof!  One set, 93 pages...3 sets, 279 pages.  One tired printer.
Huge sense of accomplishment.

Learning Curve

We are experiencing the Mount Everest of learning curves.  In preparation for the "becoming a family" learning curves, we are crawling our way through language learning, feeling our way through understanding the impact of trauma, and braiding our way through hair and skin care.  

Fortunately, mountains are for climbing...and persevering...and standing in awe of the beauty around you.

Last Saturday, one of our stops along the climb was our first hair and skin care class.  The Cradle, an agency in Evanston, offers this and other classes.  We're grateful for their training and support.  Wayne and the other dads were applauded for their effort and growing skill. 

Shoes for Orphans

New shoes provide health.Shoes are foundational to good health. In many developing countries we serve, children are forced to walk barefoot for miles to gather clean water, to visit a doctor or to go to school. Diseases like hookworm, jiggers, tetanus and other parasites enter the body through the feet. These diseases can stunt a child’s growth and development, as well as cause life-long cognitive impairment. Walking barefoot in rocky or muddy terrain can also cause injury to a child’s feet, further opening the possibility for infection or disease. http://www.shoesfororphansouls.org/about-shoes.shtml

We don't know if the girls have received our letters.  If they did receive the letters, we don't know if our words were translated.  We aren't sure if the clothing we sent actually worked for each of the girls.

What do we know?  We were thrilled to receive this simple sentence from our social worker.

The shoes all fit and the staff is working hard to prepare the girls for the transition!

Tidings

ti·dings

    noun 

news, information, or intelligence.

Hopeful tidings-familiar tidings-reassuring tidings-warm tidings...

We aren't sure how our letters have been received.  Were our words translatable?  Did someone read our words to the girls?  How did the girls respond?  We don't have the answers to any of these questions.  We have to have faith that our words are helping to build the foundations of family from over 1,800 miles away.

A letter, individual Valentine's Day cards and heart candies are leaving for Haiti today.  We wrote about the recent snow, what Valentine's Day is and how it is celebrated, how we think about and pray for the girls everyday, how we are looking forward to being together soon.