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
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