In Haiti, there are no government run orphanages. The majority of children housed and fed and educated by nuns or other religious based groups aren't even true orphans - they have surviving family members, but are unable to be cared for by them due to extreme poverty, illness, etc. People consider the majority of these facilities to be "no adopt" orphanages. That is what we heard from other Americans in Fondwa when we arrived, in fact. Imagine our awkward response when asked why we were there. "Um . . . we were invited by Sister Marie Carmelle to visit the children." Oh yeah, and hopefully find our next family member!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
We have no agency fees related to our adoption. We will pay our Haitian attorneys independently and pray that we are led through the appropriate channels to properly complete the steps to bring our boys home. Thankfully, we aren't the first couple to go through this process! We are blessed to have acquaintances with beautiful blogs describing their experiences and thoroughly documenting the process they went through to complete their families. We have been asked to help the Sisters in Fondwa by facilitating better communication between them and their sponsors, organizations that contribute to the care of their community (such as Heart to Heart International), and their religious contacts by donating two laptops and providing them with a printer. We bought two little red Toshiba laptops, a copy / scan / printer that is only $45 after mail in rebate, and a little Canon digital camera that comes with a user guide in French :) Boy, do I wish I could send that now and see some new photos of our little guys! Now, we just need to get there to deliver.
We can't plan our next trip yet. Gotta sell the house. We're not losing faith, but the weather and the economy are not helping us. Somewhere out there is a family perfect for our green two story Craftsman . . . wish they'd realize it!
Trust in the Lord and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him. (Psalm 37:3-5, 7a)
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