THE GIRLS ARE FINALLY REUNITED!! |
Jaline and Marie Line in Jaline's bunk after their showers.
(Hence the baby powder on Marie Line!)
I (Todd) took a last minute trip to Haiti this weekend, because things just weren’t moving. We had been waiting four months for Marie Line to move to the crèche with Jaline. A lot of the other paperwork wasn’t ready either, so I felt I needed to travel to Haiti , since nothing else seemed to be working. More than anything else, I felt the urgency to get Marie Line, who is suffering from malnutrition, to the crèche and to unite her with Jaline. Just to clear up some confusion with a few who have been following our adoption story: WE ARE ADOPTING BOTH OF THE SISTERS, JALINE AND MARLIE LINE. |
Well….Marie Line was finally admitted to Jaline’s crèche this weekend!!! After repeated delays and problems, our precious daughters are back together. SISTERS! They are definitely sisters. I always wondered what it would be like when the girls were reunited. I had always hoped I would be able to see it or have someone video tape it. It was a bit anti-climactic at first. Jaline was slow to recognize Marie Line and understand what was happening. It’s amazing because I have always prayed that Jaline would be able to forget the pain of her past. I have prayed that she would not have to remember sleeping on the cement floors and being desperate for food. I have prayed that Jaline would forget the brutal hunger that my once starving child suffered through. I was amazed to see that she didn’t seem to recognize the man who ran her old orphanage. Eight months later, it appears that much of that past has been erased. |
Back to Marie Line, it took a great deal of discussion in French before there was finally an agreement for the director of her old orphanage to admit Marie Line. Unfortunately, I don’t know any French so I just prayed as voices got heated. I prayed for the Lord to bring peace and calm the hearts and spirits of those involved. It didn’t look good and my fears were that Marie Line was going to have to go back to the wretched conditions she had left. I knew it was possible that she might be stuck there until the adoption was finalized. I don’t know what changed except the voices became calmer, and all of a sudden our lawyer told me they had agreed that Marie Line could stay at the crèche. Yes…many tears… I know so many of you have been praying for these precious girls and our family. THANK YOU! Please don’t stop, we’re not done yet. |
Once they left, we asked Marie Line is she was “grangou” (hungry) and she nodded yes. After she finished her meal, she moved on to a package of crackers I had handed her before her meal. Then, in a moment I know I will never forget, Marie Line handed the first one to Jaline, who had just come to sit at the table, Marie Line proceeded to hand the next two crackers to Jaline before she ate one herself. SISTERS… |
They played together, side by side, until it was time to take a nap. The bond between the two was never broken. It was amazing to watch. All the questions and doubts that may have arisen in this journey about adopting TWO children were swept away in a few moments of watching these two play together. The thought rolled through my head “How could we ever have NOT adopted both of them?” They were meant to grow up together, learn together, play together, giggle together, and join our family together. It was simply amazing to watch. |
The nap…well it never happened. Marie Line was waiting for them to make up her bed. I walked away for a minute and looked back to see Marie Line had crawled in with Jaline. It was about the cutest thing ever! Two sisters side by side, resting on their elbows and whispering to each other. Smiles, whispers, and giggles. Priceless!! |
Marie Line's beautiful smile
And Jaline. She seems to have found her beautiful smile too!
