Jaline sings in English!

Well, this can certainly be a discouraging process, but we are fortunate to have friends around us that help put things in perspective, even when we can’t.  I have been disappointed that things seem to have slowed down considerably and we don’t see anything happening.  Jaline’s father’s birth certificate needs to be authenticated by the Haitian Archives and that meeting is supposed to take place on March 22^nd.  Once that happens, her paperwork will start to move again through the Haitian system.  Please pray for that to go smoothly and for the pace to pick up after his birth certificate is legalized. 

So, what’s the good news?  Sometimes as a parent, it’s difficult for us to see subtle changes in our children, because we see them everyday.  Yet, when someone hasn’t seen our child in a while, they often remark on how much they’ve grown or how they’ve changed. This past week, I was able to take a step back and reflect on the amazing ways God has watched over the growth of His precious child. 

We were blessed with a video that was sent to us this past week, of Jaline singing.  That’s right, the precious little girl that was so severely malnourished that I once questioned if she would live until I saw her again, was singing. Remember, this is a little girl that back in October, we wondered if she could even hear or had other significant disabilities, because she was so unresponsive and barely whispered whenever you could coax a word out of her.  However, I knew then that there was no turning back even if there would be many challenges to overcome. 

Did I mention that she is singing in English, a language that she didn’t know a word of, in late December?  Yes, our precious Jaline is singing in English!  She is learning more each day and is getting ready to come home as soon as the Lord opens that door.  Oh yeah, she throws a few motions into her songs.  As I take a step back, I look at arms that she could barely lift up a few months ago.  They’re looking quite filled out and she looks so much healthier.  She has gained over 10 pounds to add to her malnourished 15 pound frame. 

While sadness remains that she isn’t home yet, we must reflect upon the incredible progress she is making in Haiti.  As you watch the video below, you will see a tile floor, beds, toys, and the voices of ladies who are loving and caring for her until she comes home.  When I reflect upon the horrible living conditions she experienced in her old orphanage and feared each day when I wasn’t sure if she would eat, even once, or have clean water to drink, I have to take a step back and say thank you Lord.  Thank you for opening the doors you already have and for putting your arms around your precious child to preserve and protect her until she could be pulled out of those frightening conditions.  I don’t know how our Lord will use His precious Jaline, but I know her life has been preserved for powerful reasons.  However, I would be remiss if I failed to reflect upon all the precious children still in Jaline’s orphanage and countless orphanages throughout Haiti, who are still in those horrible conditions, fighting each day for love and survival.

Please enjoy the video below as Jaline sings some classics for us…in English.  She’s thrown together a little medley of “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus (no turning back)”, “This Is the Day That the Lord God Made (I will rejoice and be glad in it)”, and “Jesus Loves Me”.  While I doubt she understands a lot of the words she’s singing, I can’t wait for the day when she sings these words from her heart, knowing full well what they mean as she sings them to her Father in Heaven. 

Post written by Todd February 23rd

This morning you’ll hear the heart of a frustrated father… We feel like we wait and wait and wait.  It’s not unlike the long family car ride and the repeated questions of “are we there yet” and “how much longer til we get there”? Unfortunately, we don’t have a GPS or a map on this one.   We have no idea how much longer it will be until Jaline comes home.  I wish we had a better answer, but unfortunately we have no clue.  We do know there are a lot of steps in this process that still need to happen before she is able to come home. 

We have hit a snag in the process.  Jaline’s father’s birth certificate is not registered in the Haitian archives, so our lawyer needs to go before a judge and the judge needs to authorize his birth certificate before anything else can happen. After that, the birth certificate is submitted to the Haitian archives, about a 15 day process, and then everything proceeds to IBESR (The Haitian agency that handles adoptions).  We are frustrated that the issue with her father’s birth certificate was not dealt with earlier. 

We have been so thankful for the outpouring of support we have experienced from friends and family, and wish we had more frequent updates for you on her progress.  Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much to update lately.    In my frustrations, I decided to go back to the beginning of our blog, when we asked everyone to pray for 6 specific things.  Please read the following 6 prayer requests and my reflections upon the ways we’ve seen God work, in parentheses and italics. 

1.  Pray for immediate safety.  The orphanage she is currently in is "not so nice", obviously when she is so malnourished.  (I can honestly say, there were many times when I questioned if Jaline would still be alive when I returned to Haiti.  She was so malnourished and in such poor physical condition)

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.  (This was resolved over Thanksgiving)

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. (We were able to move her just before Christmas to her current orphanage that is taking wonderful care of Jaline.  She continues to gain weight and learn)

4.  That we can financially cover the needs as they present themselves and trust God to provide for what we cannot. (God has been very faithful in meeting our financial needs throughout this process.  We are so grateful for the outpouring of support in rescuing Jaline)

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. (Wow!  This is a battle.  We know there’s little we can do at this point and God has protected Jaline EVERY step of the way, but it’s so difficult knowing your daughter is being raised by someone else and there’s nothing you can do to bond with her, teach her, or comfort her)

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. (Undoubtedly this is our greatest struggle at this point!  Perhaps we are stubbornly trying to make this happen in our timing, but we continue to beg for your prayers that the Lord will take hold of this area in a mighty way and accelerate the adoption process.  We need prayer that any court judgements will be favorable towards Jaline’s case.  We need prayer that appointments that usually take a while to make will happen quickly.  We need prayer that Jaline’s paperwork will move through the Haitian and US agencies at a remarkable pace.  However, most importantly, we need prayer that Jaline’s heart and mind will be ready for this transition to our family.)”

We have been so comforted to know so many people are praying for Jaline on a regular basis.  We can’t wait for you to meet her, watch her grow, and mentor her.  Please continue to pray for all the requests above.  We believe God has called us to adopt his precious child, but there are so many other children like Jaline who are desperate to be loved who also battle hunger daily.  Please pray for them also. I’m hoping to share some ways soon, where we can invest in the lives of other Haitian children who are desperately in need.