168 people. That is how many people attended each of our two ‘main events’ of the first Haitian Adoption Reunion!

Our family has hosted twice-yearly a Haitian adoption gathering that involved an afternoon of forming and maintaining friendships with families who had also adopted from Haiti or were in the process of adopting from Haiti. This was usually attended by 50-80 people living in Michigan or nearby states or provinces.

After so many children unexpectedly all came home at the same time this past January, many parents voiced an interest in having a larger reunion. So after thinking about it for a few months we decided we could and would organize an event like this. Tom and I had a lot of help from our three oldest daughters and other adoptive parents and volunteers in getting the arrangements made.

Friday, August 6 we went to a beach on Lake Michigan. The joy the kids had digging in  the sand and splashing in the waves was a blessing to watch. I dare bet some of them have never seen 3-4 foot waves like Lake Michigan offered that day. The parents also had a great time enjoying the sun, sand and surf. We heard that the waves were so strong that one dad lost his glasses in the surf and another dad lost his watch! Sorry Jack and Jeff! The Lake was a warm 78 degrees! Some memories from this included seeing new Haitian friends ‘riding’ out to the sandbar on my husband’s back to jump in the waves with him; kids trying to walk in the sand for the first time; kids playing football and keep away in the waves; Molly, Joyce, Melanie, Amanda, Joshua and Timothy reconnecting with some of ‘their’ kids from GLA. 

Friday evening we gathered at Hudsonville Christian School for a catered meal of awesome  Haitian Cuisine. We actually have a recently opened Caribbean restaurant here in Grand Rapids that is owned by a Haitian woman named Olga Benoit. She has been catering for many years and agreed to cater our dinner. After dinner, many kids and parents had fun on the school’s playground equipment and playing soccer and basketball. Someone also  had the smart idea to buy bubbles for the kids which included an unexpected, loud, horn-style bubble blower. Oh my. I don’t think I will ever do that again but the kids loved them. It was unbelievable being able to see so many people I have been in touch with via email and facebook throughout the years all in one place, with their Haiti born kids! I know that many of the other parents felt the same  way. It was also very rewarding seeing the kids renew friendships with the kids they had lived with while in Haiti.  Some were shy with each other at first but that did not last  long! It was also amazing to see kids who did not know each other prior to this day, gravitate toward each other and feel a kinship with those who also had families that looked like theirs.

Saturday was a day spent at our church. We had reserved the building for the day and  we had almost outgrown the space! In the morning we had informational chat sessions for parents to attend if they wanted to. The subjects included Racial Identity and our Haitian Kids; Sleep, Food and Discipline; Education and our Children; Hair and Skin Care; Haiti-Six Months Later. These were well attended and appreciated by the parents. We did hear that many of the sessions could have been longer than the 45 minutes that was allotted so that will be something we will consider for next time. Childcare was provided by some awesome volunteers so the parents did not have to worry about what their kids were doing while they learned. Crafts, Bingo, Kickball, Story reading and snacks were some of the things the kids did that morning.

Saturday afternoon was a large informal  gathering that included a lot of food, fun and fellowship. It was quite loud in the multi-purpose room until my husband Tom and Joyce’s brother Josh took a bunch of kids across the street to play soccer. They came back inside later for water to douse everyone’s hot heads with! It took my breath away to see families mingling that all have an important bond—they have children adopted from Haiti. Many of the kids were adopted from GLA, but we also had families attend whose children were from BRESMA, Caribbean Children’s Foundation, New Life Link, PIHS and others. The gathering this time was truly unique in that, for the first time, all those attending already had their children home with them. There were no waiting families!

By Sunday morning, many of the families from out of town needed to travel back towards home to be at work and school by Monday morning. Those of us who could stay around went to the Haitian church in Grand Rapids for their morning worship service. Singing praise songs in English and Kreyol was an incredible experience. The Haitian pastor and church members heartily welcomed us and made sure we knew we were welcome to come back again! Seeing mainly white Haitian-American families intermixed with mainly black Haitian-American families was heartwarming.

Families joined other families this weekend in sharing their joys and their struggles since bringing their children home. Families came from California, Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, New York, Ontario, British Columbia and the Netherlands for the reunion. Friends who knew each other before the weekend had their relationships strengthened.  Newly made friendships are continuing via email and facebook.

It will be a weekend that we will never forget.

I go into the nursery several times every day, but every once in awhile, I look around me and I am struck yet again at the beauty of the children here and just how precious and innocent they are.  Today was that day for me.  As I went into the nursery for my usual round of “Bonjou’s” and good morning hugs and kisses, I “saw” each of them, really saw who they are and the story that they have.  

I saw Jerrensia napping as she is battling an ear infection, Giovani, who came here as a tiny  baby-now sitting up strong and tall in his crib, and Jude, whom a lot of you will remember as the tiny little baby left on a dirt pile by his mother, now big and strong, getting ready to crawl!  I saw Peterson, who was so sick, now getting chubby and being held by his proud mama, I saw “happy-go-lucky” Loveson, one of the last of our “pre-earthquake” children, waiting to go home to France, and Michno, who is almost always smiling!  I saw one of the nannies, Vierge, with some of “her” children, whom she told me she loves so much.  I saw Ferlanson and Jean Robert, two more precious boys waiting to go to France, and I saw Dawensky, or “Ti Da Da”, who is our nanny Jocelyne’s son, who has been staying here at GLA since the earthquake when their house collapsed.

Each child special and unique, and each with their own story.  And each one a child of the King, their Heavenly Father. 

It is hard to believe that it has been six months since the earthquake that devastated the nation of Haiti. I came to Haiti shortly after the earthquake as part of a team that went to GLA to help bring in aid and do whatever we could do to help the staff and children here. One of the miracles I witnessed during my three weeks away from home was the ‘delivery’ of a tiny baby named Jude. He was brought to us because his mother had given him to a mission team who in turn brought him to us so we could take care of him. He would not feed from a bottle, was small for his gestational age, cold and dehydrated. The nurses at GLA took excellent care of this little guy and after a few weeks he started feeding from a bottle and gaining weight. Jude has faced a few other challenges as written about in Dixie’s blog earlier this year but he has overcome these challenges.

I returned to Haiti on July 9 with a team from my church. We will be providing a Vacation Bible School in the mornings this week for the oldest kids at GLA as well assome of the kids from neighboring homes. Friday evening I was able to see Jude again! Saturday, I was able to take Jude out onto the balcony for awhile. My heart soared in thankfulness to God over His protection for this baby who was so tiny and now is big, strong and chubby! Jude is full of smiles and drools. He is almost sitting up by himself. He is a precious child of God.

I am also very thankful that I can be back in Haiti. It is very hard to see how difficult it continues to be for the people of Haiti. The numerous tent cities remain with scores of people living in very little space with little sanitation and food and with lots of heat, humidity and mold. I fear for the health of the people living in these cities. I personally have no solutions. I do know there are groups that are working in these tent cities to help those that live there, including the pastor of the home church I worshiped at yesterday. Please continue to pray for the people here in Haiti, both those that were left homeless and without their families and those that are ministering to these people.

I hope to blog a few more times this week while I am here in Haiti. Melissa, I hope you are having a great time at home with your family and will look forward to you blogging again.

Cheryl

P.S. For those of you who don’t know, the guest author of this post is also known as Tom’s wife (or more accurately, Tom is known as her husband!)

Technorati Tags: Haiti,Earthquake,Orphans,God’s Littlest Angels

As Dixie, Laurie, Molly and Joyce are travelling in Europe, things still continue to go very well here at GLA!  Everybody is doing their part to pitch in and help where needed and a spirit of unity is present.  

We currently have a team of seven men here from Ellerslie Road Baptist Church in Edmonton, Alberta, and they have been faithfully working hard up at Ft Jacques.  On their first day of work, they were given pick axes and sledge hammers and were put to work digging out the driveway in order to prepare it for cement and paving stones to be laid.  Unfortunately, once it was ready for the paving, it started raining everyday, so that project has come to a halt.  Hopefully the rains will cease for awhile so that the driveway can be finished.  I have seen these guys come home every day at dinner time sweaty, muddy and wet, and yet not one word of complaint have I heard from their mouths.  I know that John has definitely appreciated their help up at Ft. Jacques.   We are blessed when God sends us people who just want to serve in whatever way they can!   Before this team arrived, we had also heard that one of them was a Mac computer “expert”, so we were hoping he would be able to help us with some of the problems that we have been having with our computer in the office.  He has dedicated 2 days in a row now of working on our new Mac in the office and has made a lot of progress for us, for which we are very thankful!  I think that once he leaves, it will be functioning in such a way that will be very beneficial for us here in the office, and we are so grateful for that!  But I did just hear some heavy sighs, and “oh no…” come from the other side of the office, so let’s hope that’s not as bad as it sounds. 

We have continued to have a lot of volunteers come and go.  Amy Aungst, who has been here since the beginning of March leaves tomorrow, and we will definitely miss her sweet spirit, willing attitude, and her laugh!  And I know the kids at the toddler house will miss her in their computer class, too! 

We currently have 6 containers sitting here in Haiti, waiting to be released.  John told me this morning that he is hoping for one to be released next week, which would be wonderful.  Colleen has informed me that the shop and the warehouse are both completely cleared out now from the last 2 containers, and space is ready!  It’s been really neat to see the full progression of receiving the 2 containers, completely filling every corner of the shop and warehouse with boxes, dividing up the supplies for the other missions that we shared with, organizing multiple distribution outings to Kenscoff, Callebasse and Petionville, blessing our staff with a box of supplies, storing and putting to use what is needed for GLA, and then back to an empty shop and warehouse!  I am excited to start the process all over again with each container that we receive!

The kids are doing well!  We have not received any new babies or toddlers for some time now, but we continue to pray that God will bring us those children who need to be here.  I continue to be so thankful for the babies and children that are here, and I trust that they know they are loved and cared for! 

Today is Wednesday, which means that Joel and Yvonne Trimble come to minister to us with an evening of Bible Study.  This is always a highlight of my week, as we all come together for a great time of worship and hearing from God’s word. 

Please continue to pray with us this week:

~for Dixie, Laurie, Molly and Joyce as they travel-for safety, great connections with children and families, for them to be a fragrance of Christ everywhere they go, and for a great time of renewal and rest

~for those of us here at GLA-wisdom in making daily decisions and continued unity as we work together to keep things running smoothly

~safety for teams and volunteers as they travel to and from Haiti

~that our next container(s) would be released in a timely manner

~that those children’s files still being processed for adoption will be finished quickly so that these children can be united with their Forever Families who are waiting desperately for them!

~above all, that God would be glorified in all that happens at God’s Littlest Angels and that we would always remember Who we are serving

I read a verse the other day, which has become my prayer for GLA…”May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us, yes establish the works of our hands.” Psalm 90:17

One of our volunteers, Rhyan, shares about her experience today with the Kenscoff distribution…

Today we did a distribution in Kenscoff, an area about 35 minutes up the mountain from GLA. After stopping at Ft. Jacques to fill our vehicles with supplies, we were on our way. I stood, along with 3 of the members of the work team from Edmonton, in the back of the big truck. We were completely packed in by bags of items, so much so that we could hardly move!

This was my first trip to Kenscoff since the earthquake and I spent much of the time taking it all in. There were obvious changes. Rubble where there were once buildings and the bright blue of tarps dotting the hillsides. I also noticed new words added to the English vocabulary of the children we passed, instead of “give me one dollar” we heard “give me one bag, give me one bag”

When we reached the area of distribution, I was pleasantly surprised to see that we had a yard with a gate to park inside. Everyone who had received a ticket for a bag, box or tent lined up outside the gate and were let in 2 – 3 at a time to receive their items. Old men and women entered first, they were followed by children and then everyone else. Each person left with a bit of something to aid his or her day-to-day life. Each box or bag contained a mixture of blankets, clothing, hygiene items, and shoes, to name a few. Those who did not receive a box or bag left with a tent.

One of the people who received one of our boxes was a little girl around 8 years old. She was alone, and when I looked at her and then at the large tote she had been given, I wondered how she would possibly get it home. She, however had no problems.  She picked up that great big box and placed it on her head and walked, straight and tall out the gate. 

I was so encouraged and blessed to have gone on this distribution today. Nothing makes me happier than seeing aid reaching these communities that are so far from the areas where most of the relief has been focused. Reading the relief in their eyes at the sight of our trucks driving up their road, and hearing the brokenness in their voices as they softly thanked us and returned to their lives reminded me of every reason that I love this country and her people.

Rhyan Buettner

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Shared by Cindy…

What a fun afternoon we had as volunteers. While the nannies took some time to attend bible study, we had the opportunity to play with all the babies in the nursery.

Starting out, all of the children except two were napping and Dave & I sat quietly talking with a baby on our lap and then it happened – chain reaction; Wildanise decided she wanted to put two shirts on – even though one would not fit over her head, and was not in a mood to stop insisting I make it fit. She sure looked cute with a shirt on her head.

Michno managed to turn on the radio and started dancing, but of course he couldn’t decided which station he wanted, so decided to flip through all the channels. Dave finally managed to turn the radio off but that didn’t stop Miloudrine. She danced with the music off. Of course then the other babies decided it was time to get out of their crib, so we thought of the great idea to take them outside to the balcony – how were we to know the roof would leak in a heavy rain.

Guess where every child decided to head – of course to the nearest puddle! So one by one we carried the kids inside so they wouldn’t slip, and as soon as we headed out to get another one – out they would slip again. It was like trying to round up baby lambs.

Once inside nice and dry, in come the nannies singing and dancing. We in the meantime stood there looking cool, calm and collected and very happy to see them back. It made me start dancing with them.

God bless our wonderful nannies and the terrific job they do. It sure takes a special person to do what they do with open arms and a warm smile.

Shared by Rhyan:

Last night was an exceptionally fun night at the main house! We received some beautiful new pajamas from a team that arrived on Monday and decided they needed to be put to good use. Some of our biggest kids, Michno, Wildanise, Merujy, Loveson and Dawensky came downstairs freshly powdered for an impromptu pajama party.
After everyone was in their new jammies it was decided that cookies were going to be necessary. Everyone had a great time helping “bake.” Wildanise was the boss of the chocolate chips and had great fun giving them to the other kids to snack on. She carefully handed them out one and at time and always said “merci” after each one was given out. Each baby took a turn stirring the batter, and each tuck a turn voicing their complaints at not being allowed to sample the raw dough.
Finally, after 12 long minutes of waiting the cooking were ready and each one got to taste the fruit of their labor. We continued to take batch after batch out of the oven and realized that we had far too many cookies. Thankfully a solution was found quickly and it was decided that the nannies needed to join in on the fun as well. Michno was our little helper and we went from room to room where he carefully selected and handed a cookie to each lady.
By the end of the night everyone in the house had participated in our fun evening of play, pajamas and cookies fresh from the oven!

Things have been busy here at GLA these last few weeks!  There is never a dull moment with everything that goes on and with all the visitors that we have!  It’s been great to be able to get so much done over the last several weeks with all of the volunteers that we have had.  A large amount of things that came off the 2 containers have been sorted, organized and prepared for distribution. 

Today we distributed 100 bags of supplies in Callebasse.  Cards had been handed out ahead of time, and it was a very successful and orderly distribution.  I was amazed at how smoothly it went.  There were many mothers with babies there, so after we had distributed the 100 bags, Ernst, Wadson and Magalie had these ladies line up and their names were recorded for a future distribution.  We still have a lot of baby supplies in the warehouse, so it will be great to be able to go back to Callebasse and distribute bags specifically with baby items to these mothers with young children. 

Tomorrow and Thursday our national staff will distribute bags, tents and rubbermaid bins full of supplies down in Petionville. 

It is so exciting to see a container arrive, get sorted, organized and distributed to people who are in such great need.  Again, a HUGE thank-you to all who have contributed towards the containers that we have and will receive.  We could not do this without your generosity!

Here are a few pictures from Callebasse this morning…

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I am constantly amazed at how hard the volunteers work and how much gets accomplished when so many willing hands come together to get a job done.

Yesterday, I had asked several of the volunteers to transfer things out of old plastic totes and cardboard boxes that were being stored up on our balcony into the new sturdy waterproof tubs that came on the last container.  Next thing I knew, I came upstairs and all of the other volunteers that were at the main house had joined in, and EVERYTHING was getting sorted out, cleaned and organized.  I was so impressed!  They worked so hard and I know that they were very tired by the end of the day.  They even encountered two rats…a dead one and a living one that jumped out at them!  I give them so much credit and I am thankful everyday for the volunteers that God keeps sending us who are willing to help out wherever is needed, without one word of complaint. 

We ended off the day with heading up to Ft. Jacques and joining the crew that had been working there for the day and we had a big hot dog roast for dinner.  It was such a great way to end the day!

Today we are heading up to Kenscoff to distribute some awesome bags of supplies that were made up with items from the containers.  Thanks to your generosity, we are able to help some people who are in need, and make their day a lot brighter today!  So thank YOU all so much!  Without you, we would not be able to do this!

God bless you all on this Wednesday, in whatever your day hold for you!

This has been a busy week…I think everyone here at GLA is EXHAUSTED tonight! Since unloading the container on Tuesday night, many hands have been busy sorting, lifting, moving and organizing up at the property, along with the everyday life of things here and all of our everyday jobs that need to get done. 

Today was a busy day to end of the week, but a good day!  The main house got fumigated for cockroaches again, and a team of us also went up to Ft Jacques to do some more work on the boxes that came in earlier in the week.  We got a lot accomplished today, and it is definitely encouraging to see the progress that has been made.  Today, we were able to make up 76 bins for our Haitian staff!  Thanks to everyone who contributed donations for these first two containers, we were able to fill the tubs to the brim with everything from clothes, blankets and shoes, to rice, beans, other assorted food, candy, baby supplies, hygiene items….I can’t even remember what all went in.  And as a bonus, the containers will be able to keep at least some of their possessions dry when it rains.  Our Haitian staff are so amazing, and I come to love them more and more every day, and I know that they will be extremely blessed by this!

We were also able to make up 240 bags for distribution, with the wonderful help of Dr. Nathalie, her daughter, a friend of hers, and one of her Haitian staff.  They worked hard and fast to make up these bags!

Everyone worked really hard today, and so much got accomplished.  And as I sit here, hot, sweaty, tired and sore, I am so incredibly grateful that God has blessed me by allowing me to be here in Haiti, as His servant. 

And from the balcony…

One of our volunteers, Brittnei, also shared the following from their day on the balcony today…

We set off running this morning, it was fumigating day again! Most volunteers headed up to the property in Fort Jacques, all but 4 of us…. Hope, Margaret, Robin and myself stayed back to help out on the balcony. All children from both the NICU and the big nursery were shuffled up the stairs, along with their nannies, bottles and medications they would need throughout the day. Little did we know that the fumigating would not begin until late afternoon, so we were all sequestered starting at 9am and were finally permitted to return downstairs around 3:30pm, nevertheless the kids enjoyed the time on the toy filled balcony.

The children had a volunteer or nanny within arm’s reach for a cuddle, a hug or some one-on-one play time.  Although we have all come to covet out “baby loving time,” we definitely developed a new appreciation for the work those nannies do day in and day out. When one child is settled, another is restless, and as typical children, they push each other’s buttons and grow antsy when the attention is stolen from them. They all want to be snuggled and coddled to sleep or to have a piece of your lap.  This is something we do not necessary understood when we have our individual children up on the balcony during a “typical” day. It was amazing to see how the nannies know each individual child and how they work, and the love and comfort each child finds in their nannies arms. We have a lot to learn from these incredibly strong women.

Despite our fatigue we had an incredible day.  The hit of the day was the cool pool… they loved to splash and play in the water, and the volunteers didn’t mind the splash either, considering the heat this afternoon. If it wasn’t the pool it was the mats filled with colourful toys, books and musical instruments. Many laughs were had and smiles shared, we are most definitely growing to love those children more and more every day we spend with them. Although we don’t wish another fumigating day upon ourselves anytime soon, we are very thankful for the experience.