MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas!  There have been so many times this Christmas Season that it feels more like Thanksgiving than Christmas.  We celebrate the miracle of our Savior’s birth today and reflect upon the meaning and hope which exists for all of us who trust in Him.  I can’t imagine going through this life and the holidays without the hope of our Savior’s return and the relationship which sustains us through all the trials of this life.  We are so thankful for a wonderful Christmas with our family, even though one of us is still a long ways away. 

I just finished reading Joshua 7, where Joshua cries out to God for forsaking him and the Lord rebukes him for not trusting God and understanding his ways.  I can’t tell you how many times, during this adoption process, when I feel as if the Lord has had to tap me on the shoulder or pick me up and shake me and say “Trust me, this is all happening for a reason but it’s not for you to understand right now”.  I keep seeing puzzle pieces, but there’s not a complete picture for us to work from.  Each day, we are handed another piece and the Lord’s power and plan is revealed.  We are blessed to have so many of you supporting Jaline’s adoption through prayer and financial support.   We are so thankful for all of your prayers!  You may never understand how difficult it is to know your child is thousands of miles away and the only thing that we can do is pray. I say the only thing… But, I am constantly reminded that my power is so limited compared to our Lord’s and I believe He is calling us to a complete dependence upon him, knowing that we are incapable of protecting our child except through prayer. 

We are deeply touched to know that our friends and people who have learned of Jaline’s story have been lifting her up in prayer.  Thank you for investing in this precious child’s life!  Thank you for continuing to pray for Jaline (just to clarify-you pronounce her name like Zsa Zsa Gabor J  Jzahleen. ) We have also seen the Lord’s faithfulness as we stepped out in faith with all the expenses of Jaline’s adoption.  He has always stayed a step ahead of the many expenses.  We have been blessed by the answer to many prayers over the numerous expenses.    We are grateful that we met the requirement for the match that expired yesterday.  Thank you!

I will be in Haiti from December 27^th-30^th.  I travel to Miami tomorrow, and fly out to Port au Prince on the 27th.  I will be visiting Jaline’s new orphanage.  We are so excited for the new home she is staying in until the Lord brings her home to us.  I have visited numerous Haitian orphanages and Jaline’s new orphanage is absolutely fantastic compared to all the miserable places where over 300,000 Haitian orphans live every day.  We are so thankful that Jaline’s world is starting to change and we pray for so many others who live so desperately each day.  Jaline has been doing wonderfully since her move!  After a couple days of getting comfortable, she has been riding a tricycle, playing, smiling, and talking.  It has always amazed me how consistent nutrition and love transform her personality, when we have been able to pull her away from her old orphanage, even for a couple days.  I am taking numerous toys and books down to Jaline’s orphanage, which will be shared with the many children who will pass through the orphanage until they can be adopted.  I will also be meeting with our lawyer and be hand carrying some of Jaline’s adoption papers which have now been authenticated by the Haitian Consulate.

When will she come home?  We have no idea, but everyone tells us it will be at least a year.  Please pray that the Lord will open doors in a miraculous way and bring Jaline home much sooner!  Thanks and Merry Christmas!!  Our God Reigns!!

The Roller Coaster Continues....

Blog update was written by Todd, with the first paragraph from Samantha.

If we don’t post again this week, have a peaceful Christmas as you celebrate the birth of the Savior.  We hope you are surrounded not by “stuff” but by family and friends as they are indeed more precious than anything under the tree!

The Roller Coaster Continues…

Finally a new orphanage!  Jaline officially became the first orphan to be admitted to Chances  4 Children’s new orphanage, Royaum des Enfantes de Dieu, in Port-au-Prince yesterday.  We are so excited that the doors have opened up and Jaline is in a much better place.  She will have excellent nutrition with three meals a day while she is in her new orphanage. The directors of her orphanage are a doctor and a nurse, so in addition to a guided nutrition program, she will also receive excellent care and medical attention as she starts her road to recovery from her severe malnutrition. There will be a very low caregiver to orphan ratio which will create a nurturing and loving environment for Jaline.   We are also glad to know that she will be learning some English and potentially able to attend pre-school, starting in February.  She will have toys to play with, loving caregivers, and running water. That last item, running water blows me away.  Not something I needed to look for while I searched for pre-schools here in the states.  And though I take my running water for granted, I am grateful that she will no longer go without.  We really are thrilled that she is in this place of waiting until we can bring her home.

While we get frustrated and want her home immediately, we understand that we can’t fathom the Lord’s plan for his dear child and know his plans are greater than ours.  We try to remember that this process may be necessary for Jaline to transition to her new life in our home and in America.  We’re hoping she will start learning some English while she’s waiting, so we will be less dependent on our knowledge of Creole when she arrives. It is difficult to understand the logic of a system that allows birth parents and adoptive parents to agree, in court, to allow us to adopt Jaline, but we are still seemingly trapped in a world of paperwork and government agencies.

While we are excited that Jaline is in her new orphanage, we have also faced some discouraging times this week.  While we thought all of our paperwork was in the hands of the Haitian government, we had a number of documents sent back to us this week. Despite the fact the Haitian government hasn’t required it in the past, they are now requiring that every single document be authenticated by the Haitian Consulate in Chicago, before they can be submitted to the Haitian Adoption Agency (IBESR).  So, we received them back Friday and sent them by Fed Ex to Chicago yesterday.  We should have them back by Tuesday, so we can send them back to Haiti. We don’t understand these challenges and what seems to be an unnecessary delay of two and a half weeks; however, we believe there must be a reason for this odd circumstance.  Please pray that this delay leads to her paperwork being moved even faster and the process being expedited.  We also were told this week that the fact that Jaline’s father is still alive could lead to delays from the US Government’s acceptance of Jaline as an orphan, despite the fact her parents have abandoned her and have absolutely no way to provide for her.  So, again we asked for your prayers that the Lord will change hearts and the doors will continue to open for his precious child. 

We also ask for your prayers for Jaline’s heart and mind.  When I look into her beautiful eyes, I see a tender child who is struggling with the emotions of everything she’s experienced in her short life.  I see the pain from a little girl whose parents had to give her away.  You can almost see the pain and confusion in this frail child’s eyes.  I can’t fathom what Jaline has been wrestling with emotionally and physically and the painful emotions she will continue to battle, but I am so grateful her new Mommy is so full of compassion and grace. As I reflect upon Samantha’s love and care for our children, I’m so excited that Jaline will feel the warmth of her new Mommy’s embrace and compassion.  I can already see the two of them reading books together and baking in the kitchen.  I see a hope and a future for God’s precious child.  Please pray for her protection, physical and emotional health.  It makes this journey much easier that we know we have so many people pulling for and praying for Jaline.  Thanks for investing yourselves in the future of this precious child!

Jeremiah 29:11-13

She's moving!

Can you imagine never seeing or feeling snow; having no reference for what it is like? Born  in Chicago, I obviously have no memory of what that first feeling was like.  I can't imagine if it will be terrifying or exhilarating for Jaline, but just another thing that I can't wait to experience with her.


Below is our update written by Todd.  If you are homebound, as most of us in Detroit are on snow day #2, then keep warm and read the post below.
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It’s been another interesting week in the world of Haiti and Jaline:  Our lawyer was planning on moving Jaline to her new orphanage in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday; however, the political unrest quickly put a halt to that plan.  On Wednesday, there were violent political protests at the entrance to Jaline’s village, which is about ten minutes from her orphanage.  Fortunately, our lawyer was in touch with the director of Jaline’s orphanage who thankfully reported that Jaline and all the kids were safe.  Our lawyer reported, like the news networks, about all the violence and danger in Port-au-Prince.  The people are angry about another corrupt election and their continued disenfranchisement.  It is easy to understand their anger and frustration after numerous elections where votes have been stolen or thrown out, so a preferred candidate can rule over them and fail to bring the changes necessary to improve the lives of the Haitian people. 

Thankfully, Port-au-Prince has calmed down again, at least for now.  We again rest in the Lord’s protection for Jaline as we struggle with the fear of violence around her while knowing that the current orphanage isn’t providing her with the nourishment she needs.  We know that a move to the new orphanage will bring her an outstanding nutritional program, which she so desperately needs.  While we think she might have less violence around her in the countryside, we know she will still be vulnerable to all the dangers which surround her from malnutrition and cholera.  So… we pray and request your prayers for Jaline as we plan to move her Wednesday to the new orphanage in Port-au-Prince, which is brand new, with beds with mattresses, clean water, two children to every caregiver, outstanding nutrition, a doctor and nurse on site, directors who also speak English, so she can hopefully start learning a bit, and a loving staff who will help her on her road to physical recovery.  There are some additional expenses that will come with that care, but we are very hopeful for the impact that love and great nutrition will have upon Jaline.  Please pray for safety in the transfer and the Lord’s provision.  It is an amazing opportunity to truly trust the Lord and place one’s hope completely in Him, as we know there’s nothing we can do to protect our child except to pray and wait on the Lord to bring Jaline home. 

There are ten days remaining for the matching grant program through Lifesong.  We have estimated the total Adoption expenses to be around $18-20,000.  God has been faithful in providing what we need, in the exact time that we need it.  What a faith builder that is!   If you are able to make a donation to the “Rescue of Jaline”, we have partnered with a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, Lifesong for Orphans www.lifesongfororphans.org , which is receiving gifts on our behalf to cover adoption expenses.  All gifts are tax deductible.  We have been approved for a $3000 matching grant from the Family Christian Stores “James Fund”.  In addition, all donations above and beyond the $3,000 matching grant are still tax deductible and will be used to cover Jaline’s adoption expenses.  Donation instructions are located on the right side of the blog.  Donations need to be received before December 24, 2010.   However, there is a sense of urgency to cover a lot of the up front costs of the adoption process. So, if you are able to give earlier than the deadline that would be wonderful.  We understand that the economy has challenged many families financially, but we would love for you to partner with us on this journey if you are able.

 

Thanks for your prayers and support as we wait upon the Lord to bring His precious child home!

Though I am usually the voice of this blog, Todd wrote the update below. 

Again, thank you for all your comments, emails and support.  We love that you are in this with us!

(P.S. Just a reminder, our matching grant ends December 24th.  We are still a ways away from where we need to be financially.  If you are interested in giving to The Rescue of Jaline, instructions are on the right side of the blog.)

~ Samantha and the rest of the Hendos

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Sunday:

Hello friends, I’d like to give you an update on the Rescue of Jaline and share a bit of my heart with you today.  We are thrilled that our Dossier has finally made it to our lawyer in Port-au-Prince.  We have been blessed to have our lawyer, Jean Maudrel, working diligently on the Haitian side to move the process forward.  He has submitted our Dossier to the Haitian government, and now we pray and wait.  We are told that it typically takes at least 12 months to process an adoption, once the paperwork is submitted to the Haitian government.  We have been told by an agency that has processed numerous adoptions that the fastest they have EVER seen paperwork move through the Haitian government is 6 months.  However, that was for a family that had no children and that was the best ever.  We ask for your continued prayers that doors will open in a miraculous way and Jaline’s paperwork will flow through the Haitian government in an unexplainable way and the Lord will bring her home to us soon.  We also hope to have her moved, in the next couple days, to a much better orphanage, which will provide the nutrition, medical attention, and love that she needs until she can come home. Of course, that didn’t happen without negotiation with the current orphanage director to release Jaline.  I never knew how difficult and expensive it would be to help one of the Lord’s precious children…

Now, I would like to share an excerpt with you from a journal I am keeping for Jaline.  This is written to her, but I thought it would be appropriate to share with our friends, during this Christmas season.  

Sunday, December 5^th:  “My Precious Jaline, it is 18 days to Christmas and today it really clicked for the first time.  Getting through Christmas is going to be difficult without you in our house. Never have I wanted anything more for Christmas.  I need nothing.  We are so blessed.  We have everything we need. I'm caught between wanting you to experience the joy of Christmas and not wanting you to be tainted by the Christmas we all know. I want you to be blessed by the gifts of friends and family but I don't want your Christmas to be clouded by the materialism that has screwed up the real meaning of Christmas.  We spend so much time on so many things that have no significance and we fail to reflect upon what's truly important and all the things we have to be thankful for. We get so busy buying stuff that our friends and family don't really need and then we tend to pause for a few short moments to reflect upon the birth of our Lord and Savior.  We should be focused on the majesty of our Lord’s birth and the sacrifices He made for us, but it’s often so difficult as we rush around in a world of stuff and find it difficult to meditate upon Christ’s birth.  What if this world of plenty turned their Christmas’s upside down and gave their gifts to help the least of these in this world?  What if we all sacrificed lavishing gifts upon ourselves and shared our resources with your friends who are struggling to survive in Haiti?  What if instead we used our money to send a child to school, so they could learn and be guaranteed at least one meal a day, and created hope and opportunity for “the least of these”?  What if we were all willing to break the trend, break the norm, and refuse to buy into this materialism anymore?  What if?  I think of how precious your innocence is towards all this right now, and I pray that you will never lose the appreciation for what’s truly important! By the way, we cut down our Christmas tree today and decorated the tree tonight.  I love that tradition with our family, but I needed to hide my sadness today.  I wanted so badly for you to experience cutting down the tree with the family and hanging ornaments.  I wanted to pick you up so you could hang ornaments on the top of the tree.  We listen to Christmas songs and hang out as a family, but I needed to leave the room and turn off songs because I couldn’t listen to the words knowing where you are and knowing that you may not be home for a long time.  This Christmas will be especially difficult because as a family, we are incomplete.  How many songs will tear me apart?  How many times will I think about how our family isn’t whole until you come home? 

O Lord, protect our precious Jaline.”  

On thankfulness...

Todd and Shelby returned from their trip last night safe, sound and exhausted!  Shelby couldn't stop talking about the people, the orphans and the amazing things the group experienced.  I'm shocked that Todd was able to get her back on the plane to come home!  While there she was also able to meet Jaline and hold her.  Though this was something she was looking forward to, she speaks somberly when talking about the visit.  She was broken.   I hear it in her voice and I see it in her eyes.   We have all fallen crazy in love with this little girl and for Shelby to see her, hold her and not be able to take her was indeed a heartbreak.

On Thanksgiving while us Americans were enjoying some turkey and pumpkin pie, Todd was in a court in Haiti with our attorney, Jaline and Jaline's biological parents.  They officially relinquished their parental rights to her and named us her legal guardians.  Ah, but wouldn't it have been nice if that was the end and Todd turned around and brought her home?  Sigh.  It is not.  While we are her legal guardians, the head of the current orphanage she is in still has to give us his permission to release her.  Crazy, right?  When I try to rationalize that, Todd looks at me and says, "That's Haiti."  Which is why this process is so unpredictable and so long.

We are hoping to have her moved to a place next week that will adequately care for her physical and emotional needs until we are able to do that for her.  We are waiting for our dossier to be stamped by the Haitian Consulate in Chicago then those documents will be sent to our attorney in Haiti.  From what we are told, this is when the year long wait begins.  After moving so quickly to get our dossier complete it seems rather odd to sit and wait!  Again, we are praying that God will intervene in the process, defying  all odds and bringing her home.

It really is incredible to be in the middle of something that God is moving for you.  To wait in anticipation to see where He is moving next, yet having no idea where that is, is what I believe defines faith.  We know that He has the power to move the right people into action, the power to provide for us financially and the healing power to restore a lost and broken little girl, but to wait for all that to unravel requires a patience that I often doubt I possess.  The journey seems so very long right now.  Discouragement creeps in and tries to eclipse the joy I have in being a part of this amazing journey.  And then God swoops down, pulls me in and allows me to feel His presence and His provision once again.   When I looked through my mail yesterday there was an envelope from a client of mine that I was expecting for payment on a cookie order.  The amount she owed was $96.  Inside the note was a folded check and a note that read, "We wanted to give you a little something to help in any way you needed for your little girl or the adoption."  I unfolded the note and the amount on the check was $800.  I was absolutely shocked!  I do not even know this client very well, in fact I have only met her once.  But God moved in her heart and brought this to me at a time when I needed to feel Him once again.  A time where I needed a piece of the story unraveled.

It may seem trite, but I am incredibly thankful to live in a country that values freedom and democracy.  That the founding fathers of my country sought independence and declared that, "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."  Yet not everyone is given the opportunity to live in a country that respects these rights.  We are rescuing a girl who, though she has life, lacks liberty and happiness, and we miraculously get to be a part of changing that. Indeed we are thankful for her and how she is changing our family.

Thanks again for being on this journey with us.  I hope your Thanksgiving was time spent well with those you cherish.

~Samantha

Off to Haiti

Todd and Shelby leave in less than 6 hours for Haiti along with 13 others from Avondale and Kensington. They will be there for a week working on homes and lovin' on children. Our attorney is hoping to have a court appointment with Jaline's biological parents and Todd while he is down there, in which they will sign her over to us as her guardians.  We will still have to wait for the Haitian government to go through all the paperwork, but we will have the legal right to make decisions for her regarding her care until we can bring her home.

• Please pray for safety for the Avondale group.  

• Please pray that the court appointment will go as it should and that Todd and I will make the best     decision regarding her interim care.

• And of course, continue to pray that God will miraculously intervene in this process and move mountains to bring her home sooner than what is expected!!

Letter #2 sent to family and friends

Here is the letter we sent out recently.  Don't worry, future posts will not be this long!  However, if you do have the time to read, this letter contains a lot of information.

The Rescue of Jaline

November 9, 2010                                                                       

Dear Friends and Family,

This is a long letter and we hope that you will take a few minutes to read it over.  There is a lot of information that we wanted to communicate with you and we tried to condense it all into this letter.  We promise that all other communication going forward will not be this lengthy!  Going forward all updates will be posted on our blog,  http://sixhendos.blogspot.com/ and not email.

What a roller coaster the adoption process is!  As I sit here to pen this letter I am overwhelmed by the utter chaos that exists in Haiti with the recent Cholera outbreak and Hurricane Tomas.  I sat Spencer and Sophie down recently and tried to get them to visualize life outside of Bloomfield Hills and it was difficult.  We are all so blessed with what we have that to explain a place with no houses or walls, no food and no clean water is something they struggle to understand.  For that matter, it is even difficult for me to fathom.  

We are in the midst of the arduous compilation of our dossier, which is what is sent to the Haitian government to see if we are worthy of adopting a Haitian child.  Since our dossier could sit for months once it leaves the US, we are doing everything in our power to speed up the process here and send it off as quickly as possible.  Medical exams, references, personal letters of intent, bank statements, a Home Study, and psychological assessments make me think that if people had to go through this before having a biological child the world’s population would be exponentially smaller!  We were fortunate to get in touch with an old acquaintance who is a social worker who handles International adoptions, and she graciously agreed to schedule all of the meetings for our home study within a week!  She has been a great encouragement to us and our dossier is well on its way to being completed.

As I look back at the last few weeks, Todd and I have been so touched by how Jaline's story has moved so many of you. Your words of encouragement and prayers have truly been a blessing. Thank you for responding to us and letting us know that you are standing beside us.  I recently read an excerpt called "Home Team" from a book entitled bittersweet.  The author described how essential it is that we all have a home team. A home team is made up of friends and family who are your cheerleaders when you need encouragement and your shoulder when you need comfort. They genuinely care about the people and events in your life.  They are the people who drop in unannounced and you are thrilled that they have come to visit.  It was difficult for me to read the words on the page without thinking about all of you and how you have jumped on this journey with us.  The importance of a Home Team never became more meaningful to me than now, as Todd and I embark on the most difficult and heart wrenching journey that we have ever traveled.  One of the most difficult parts of the process for me, is knowing that along the way, there are so many things that could prevent us from moving ahead.  If we didn't have faith in God that unequivocally this is exactly what He has called us to, I don't know how we could continue to move forward.  In Philippians 4 it says, "6-Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  7-And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Those verses run through my thoughts constantly, the peace of God which goes beyond my thinking.  The other night Todd looked at me and said, "In reading the Psalms, I have never identified with the highs and lows of David's heart as much as I have in the last few days."  With that roller coaster of emotion, we know that many of you are riding right along with us. 

So, in assembling our Home Team, we are asking that you join us in, "The Rescue of Jaline".  When you saw the pictures we sent you, it was no surprise to you how we fell in love with her and those sweet eyes.  I think it was unanimous, based on your responses, that the third picture of Todd holding Jaline with the mountains in the background, evoked an emotion in some of you that called you to join the rescue.  In looking at that picture it makes me feel like there are no words to express what I see, yet I am moved and I don't want to leave it.  It's as if I were sitting on a bench in a museum processing the beauty of an extraordinary work of art.  To me, it's that evocative; however, to the subject (Todd) it was a captured moment of sadness, as he tearfully knew he had to return her to the orphanage before returning home. And yet we know there is a future and a hope for her.

Todd and I met with a friend of ours, Steve Biondo, who put us in touch with a non-profit organization that helps families financially with the expenses of adoption.  As he explained it, they set up a fund as a matching grant so that once a certain amount is INVESTED, the matching will occur.  At first we felt a little awkward with the idea of raising support for an adoption, but as he continued to describe the meaning behind it, it made perfect sense. We want friends and family to INVEST in this rescue with us.  We want you to feel a tangible part of bringing her home, as you would any other family member.  Your investment may be monetary, it may be prayer, it may be a meal delivered in a time of stress or it may be taking care of our kids as we travel abroad to get her.  Regardless of the type of investment you can help with, we know that each member of our Home Team will operate within their God given capacities and resources.   

I had lunch with a good friend the other day who gave me a note that said, "thank you for growing our faith family by bringing another one in."  Included with that note from her was a check written to us to put towards any expenses we had in our adoption process. It was the first contribution we have received.  By no coincidence, she used the word INVEST. She said, "Our family wants to INVEST in what you are doing, to be a part of this with you."  This was a complete surprise to me!  Prior to this meeting I had not discussed anything with her regarding funding.  When she used the word INVEST I smiled and thought how amazing God was to put that on her heart, knowing that that was the exact term that our friend Steve had used.  It was confirmation to us that God will provide.  Her gift has started the fund to rescue Jaline, and we are fortunate to be able to cover some of the immediate expense of the adoption, so that there is not a delay.  

WAYS YOU CAN BE A PART OF THE HOME TEAM AND PARTNER WITH US:

1.     PRAY!  We need an enormous amount of prayer for:

·       Safety and protection for Jaline.  She needs to be nourished, cared for, and protected from any illnesses or diseases and for that matter natural disasters!

·       The emotional well being of Jaline.  As this 3 ½ year old child copes with malnutrition and the anguish of her parents having to give her up for adoption because they couldn’t provide for her, pray that God will give her “the peace of God that no one understands.”

·       Timing.  That this process will go quickly.  Ultimately that God's intervention will defy all odds and that miraculously she will get here far sooner than the 12-18 months they have told us.

·       Wisdom - That we will make the best decisions on her behalf while she’s in Haiti.  

2.      If you are interested in learning more about supporting Jaline’s rescue financially there is more information at http://sixhendos.blogspot.com

3.     Donate airline miles.  Todd has already taken three trips to Haiti, with more to come.  Some court proceedings require the adoptive parents’ presence.  In addition, there will be other trips to check on her well-being and handle arrangements. So if you have extra miles through American Airlines or Delta, they could be transferred over to us and applied to a trip. 

In closing, Todd and I are very grateful for you and your interest in walking this journey with us.  Thank you again for your emails, kind words and encouragement.  As I end this lengthy letter, I leave you with an excerpt from a letter Todd wrote me in the Miami airport on the return from his 2nd trip to Haiti,

“I have so many pictures and videos to show you, but I'm warning you, she'll break your heart.  I'm a little scared because you haven't been here and you haven't met her, but I know you will be smitten by this precious child. She melts the heart, yet she is so weak. So frail. Yet there's a beautiful child of God that will blossom in an amazing way when she gets the love and nourishment she needs… She's going to need a lot of love and I know our family will provide that for her. … I know the Lord will move mountains and continue to open doors…  I'm ready to do whatever it takes.  I am convinced that God led me (us) to this child. I thought he was pulling me toward her after I returned the first time, but I'm convinced that Jaline is the child he has answered our prayers with.”

With love, on behalf of the Henderson Home Team,

Samantha and Todd  

Letter #1 "Adoption Announcement"10/12/10

October 12, 2010

Dear friends and family,

Our family is about to change and we are all ecstatic to share the news with you.  Below you will see three pictures of a very sweet little girl named Jaline (Jzha-leen).  We have started the application process to adopt her into our family changing our family of five to a family of six!  

The details:

Our church did a big drive last January on sponsoring kids living in poverty abroad.  After the drive to sponsor the orphans, Shelby came home with a picture of a child.   She came to us crying saying that we had to do something right now.!  Her heart was completely broken, outraged at the injustice.  When I told Shelby that our house was small she said, "but it's bigger than the hut they are living in!"  That prompted many conversations between Todd, me and Shelby.  We have always been sensitive to adoptions since there are three adopted kids in Todd's family.  Since January, God has placed a growing burden on Todd's heart for the needs of orphans around the world, particularly after getting involved at Avondale with a fundraising campaign for Haiti. That burden has existed for many years, but he probably "needed his daughter to challenge him to have enough courage to act upon his convictions" -Todd's words:).  He continued to have God tug at his heart through so many different ways.  Through the six months leading up to our time at UPBC this summer, time and time again there were so many ways God continued to draw his heart closer to the plight of orphans. As he shared his thoughts I was right along side him, walking on the journey with him.  We prayed that if God desired us to adopt that he would reveal a specific child to us, somewhere in this world.  So, while we were moving towards this amazing change, we had no idea where this child was.  

Until ....

Todd went on a trip to Haiti this August to study things for a future trip with students.  Avondale High had raised $14K after the earthquake specifically to build homes or an orphanage in Haiti.  It was an amazing trip for him and he was forever changed.  The disparity between their lives and ours was almost too much for him to even take in.  When he visited one of the orphanages, the eyes of a little girl broke his heart.  (See Picture #1).  He could not get this sweet nameless girl out of his mind.  This picture are of her sad eyes because she had nothing to smile about, no hope whatsoever.  She didn't talk, smile or show any signs of interest in anything.  He had another opportunity to take a second trip to Haiti last weekend to fill in for someone who was going on a medical missions trip with a woman he knows.  On that visit he found out that she lived in the mountains with her parents.  About six months ago, they were unable to continue to care for her so they took her to this orphanage.  She is 3 1/2 years old and only 15, yes 15 lbs.  She is severely malnourished.  There were pediatricians on the team that he was traveling with.  They evaluated her and said there appeared to be no real medical issues other than that she was starving and malnourished.  After some nurturing and FOOD AND DRINK she would begin to show signs of life.  Though Todd did not see her smile, apparently she did the day after he left and Carrie (a worker at the mission Todd visited) took this picture.  (Picture #2)  She is in a "not so nice" orphanage right now, so the organization Todd was working with, Children's International Lifeline, would go get her with Todd, have her spend the day playing with her and feeding her and then returning her (tears) in the evening.  Todd had to leave, incredible that he was actually able to leave, to return home.

So without making this email too too long, we knew this was the girl that God wanted in our family.  She stole each one of our hearts.  When we told the kids individually, they responded the same way, "Why can't we get her now?"  But ... there is so much that needs to happen and big mountains are set before us that with take a LONG time to climb.  (18 months or so!)  The most immediate need is making sure her birth certificate is correct and to locate her parents to have them sign all legal rights (you think would be a given when you drop your child off at an orphanage!)  Once those are found, then it establishes her legitimacy to actually be adopted.  Todd is working with agencies here and people in Haiti to try and get things moving as quick as possible but the amount of red tape that tangles up the process is huge.  Not to mention the Haitian government is not easy to work with.  The expenses and fees will be huge, as most international adoptions are.  In addition to those fees, we are imagining several trips to Haiti over the course of time.  

So, if you would support us by praying for Jaline to join our family, we would love to know that she has an army praying for her.

1.  Pray for immediate safety.  The orphanage she is currently in is "not so nice", obviously when she is so malnourished.

2.  Pray that the birth certificate and the "Extrait des Minutes du Greffe du Tribunal" (parental release) will be obtained quickly and be placed in the hands of people we trust, so we can proceed.

3.  Pray that Todd and I, along with the people he trusts at Lifeline in Haiti, will make the best decisions for her while we are waiting to bring her home.  (There are different possibilities, one is having the director release her so we can get her into an orphanage we trust.  Lifeline does not have an orphanage, they provide food and medical relief to those in the area.  But there are other possibilities too.)

 

4.  That we can financially cover the needs as they present themselves and trust God to provide for what we cannot.

5.  That we will be able to REALLY trust God to take care of things.  That's easier said than done.  As I told Todd today, I feel like I've gone skydiving in the dark.  I know God has the parachute, but I can't see it.

 

6.  Pray that God's awesome power will speed up the process in a way that contradicts everything we are being told.  Pray that walls will be pushed aside, doors will be opened, and hands will move this process along in a manner that's unheard of.  She needs a great deal of nourishment and love as soon as the Lord can bring her home to us. 

 

We are well aware that the obstacles in front of us are huge.  We are also aware that the reality of bringing her home is not guaranteed.  But we will do everything we can to fight for her and rescue her from the depravity that envelopes her.  We are confident that God will move the obstacles.  I'm thinking if He can make the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef and all the stars in the sky, then this will be nothing for Him.  

Picture #3 is about Hope.  It's about a little girl in her daddy's arms, holding her securely so she knows he won't let go.  But it doesn't stop there.  The hope is also that one day Shelby, Spencer, Sophie and I will be able to hold her securely so she knows we will not let go.  It's about a family and how creative God is in bringing us together.

We are excited to bring her home and tomorrow isn't soon enough.  Of course we will keep you posted on any movement that occurs in this process.  

Love,

Samantha and the rest of the Hendersons