Snow Day Greetings

Sitting at home on a snow day, wondering how our little Haitian girl will handle her first snowstorm. Our updates have been a bit less frequent because there hasn’t been a whole lot to report.  However, we rest much easier at night knowing the quality of care Jaline is receiving in her new crèche.  We’ve just received some great news out of Haiti regarding Jaline’s health and progress. Like many of you, we’ve been anxiously awaiting for updates from Haiti.  The director of Chances for Children, the agency which operates Jaline’s creche and has been advising us on the adoption process, just returned from a trip to Haiti. She reports that Jaline is doing very well in her new surroundings.  She is now up to about 24 pounds, which is a tremendous improvement from the 15 pounds she weighed in October.  Jaline has gained strength and her hair is starting to grow back, slowly… For a while after she arrived in her crèche, she was eating well but her body wasn’t fully able to digest the new food she was consuming, so much of it would go right through her.  Now, she eats until she is full and her body is properly digesting the food.  The doctor is very pleased with her progress.  Jaline is learning every day, through play and from the teacher at the crèche. Kathi reports that she is doing a great job learning colors, numbers, and other words in English.  When her teacher asked her what color her shirt was the other day, she responded in English: “My shirt is red”.  While it is quite common for kids who have grown up malnourished to struggle with learning disabilities, as of now, it appears that Jaline is picking things up quickly. Kathi also reports that her favorite toy is one she says she got from her Poppi (that’s meJ)– a jar of beads.  She saw a bit of the stubborn streak that Jaline possesses.  When she decides she is done learning, she just stops for the day.  I’ve seen this a bit when I’ve been with her, especially the past couple times.  I have sensed it a bit with her distance the past couple times.  It’s as if she’s saying “If you’re going to connect with me and keep leaving, then I’m going to play hard to get until you finally take me home”  The survival instincts of life in the orphanage manifest themselves in different ways… So – When can we finally bring her home?  Great question, but we don’t have a clue.  All her paperwork is in Haiti and we are waiting on the process.  Our lawyer meets with his contact in the Haitian adoption department, IBESR, on Friday, February 11th.  At that time they will review all our paperwork and start it in the Haitian system.  Why do all these things take so much time?  I have no idea, but I know it’s out of our hands.  Please pray that our paperwork will be processed safely and quickly through the Haitian agencies.  Please pray that while we wait Jaline will continue to grow, learn, and be ready to transition to her new life in our family.  While we struggle to understand why this process takes so long, we know that God’s timing isn’t always our timing.  We are so thankful for all your prayers and questions, as we continue the adoption process.  We are grateful to the ladies and the Lahser Boys Basketball team who put on the pancake breakfast for Jaline at Lahser last Saturday.  The money raised will be very helpful in providing for Jaline’s care in Haiti and in covering the many expenses that arise in the process.  We have been blessed by so many who have invested in The Rescue of Jaline, through prayer, financial donations, and encouragement.  Our sweet little girl is so blessed to have so many people helping out with her adoption and praying for her.  We can’t wait for you to meet her and be part of the village that will help raise our precious Jaline!  ~Todd

Pancakes anyone?

Tonight I was talking with Tim, a friend of ours, who said he enjoyed following the blog.  I had mentioned to him that now that we are in the waiting period, there isn't much to report so our blog updates have been few.  And so really, while there is nothing new to report on the adoption process itself, this conversation gave birth to another idea.  Receiving.

Sometimes it's uncomfortable to receive.  Whether it be a compliment or a gift, I find that I'm not always a gracious receiver.  While the process of adopting a child has stretched both Todd and myself in many different ways, one way that has been the most challenging has been relinquishing control in order to receive.  When we sent out one of our earlier letters to friends and family we struggled with mentioning anything about donating towards the adoption.  We've never been in a situation where we've raised money for personal reasons.  Not that we don't love a good fundraiser.  Boy give us a cause, whether it be the summer camp we work at or the kids PTO and we're full throttle!  But things change when we become the recipients.

After thinking about this notion of receiving, it occurred to me that when we do not allow ourselves to receive, we deprive other people the opportunity of loving us.  We deprive them the opportunity of utilizing their God given gifts.  Those gifts might be financial or they might be an act of service.  However, regardless of what they bring to us, when we receive open-handedly, a divine connection is made.  A connection to me that was part of our original design.  Thinking further upon this thought, I was drawn to the story in the Bible of the woman who came to Jesus to wash His feet.  Clearly He didn't need her to wash His feet, He was the Son of God, yet He humbled Himself to receive.  He allowed this woman to pour out her love for Him by washing His feet with her very precious and expensive oil.  She gave selflessly and He received graciously.  A divine connection.

Our family has the good fortune of being a part of a community that wants to love on our family.  Some dear friends of mine have enlisted the manpower of the Lahser Boys Basketball Team to host a pancake breakfast as a fundraiser towards the Rescue of Jaline. Of course while both Todd and I were very touched by their kindness, it was also a bit awkward, especially for Todd to, again, be on the receiving end. I had to remind him that this is how our community is choosing to love and support our family.  We cannot deprive them the opportunity to share their God given talents or we all lose the chance of experiencing that divine connection.

So if you are free Saturday January 29th at 10:30 in the morning come on over to Lahser High School in Bloomfield Hills and share a pancake or two with us.  We love that so many of you have taken interest in our story. It's awesome that this journey God has taken our family on has piqued an awareness in so many on the injustice beyond our front doors, namely in Haiti.  We'd love to share the morning with you so we do hope you can make it out on the 29th.

And while I did win a pancake eating contest back in my youth when calories had no effect on my metabolism, I promise not to embarrass my kids or my husband by repeating the indulgence of my youth.

~Samantha

Happy New Year from Jaline!

Happy New Year from Jaline! 

My new dad came to visit me for a few days this week. I’m in my new orphanage now and it’s SO much better than my old orphanage!!  Actually they call it a crèche (kresh) because there are only certain orphanages in Haiti that kids can be adopted from and those are called crèches.   I’ve been here for two weeks and I’m eating really good!  Doctor Jack and Nurse Marcia, who run my crèche say I’m eating lots and I’m getting healthier.  When I was admitted, Dr. Jack examined me and thinks I’m doing very well developmentally and am quite healthy, other than being quite malnourished.  By the way, I’m up to twenty pounds now!  I was only 15 pounds in October.  They’re making sure I’m eating three good meals each day and I even get snacks twice a day.  I’ve never had so much food in my life!   I wish all my friends in Haiti could eat this well. 

Oh yeah!  Check out my picture:  I’m looking kinda bald right now.  They cut my hair off, but Daddy still says I’m gorgeous!  My hair was getting red and falling out because I’ve been so malnourished.  They say my hair will grow back a lot thicker and healthier now that I’m eating so good.  I still think it looks kinda funny and I can’t wait to get my braids back.  Daddy says I’m beautiful even without my hair.  I can’t understand everything he says, but he knows a little Creole and knows how to tell me I’m beautiful in Creole.

I’m still pretty confused. They tell me he’s going to be my new daddy and I’m going to have a new family, but he had to leave again without me… He keeps coming to visit me and they tell me I’m going to have this new family, but every time he leaves without me.  I wish I understood why I have to wait so long to go home.  I’m sure it will make sense someday but now I’m pretty confused.  My birth Mommy has even told me my new family is going to adopt me and I’m going to have a better life, but it’s all so confusing.  I’ve seen some cool pictures of my new Mommy, my sisters Shelby and Sophie, and my brother Spencer.  I get to keep the pictures by my new bed.  Did I mention I have my very own bed?  I have my own bed, with my own blanket.  My new Daddy brought me a new blanket and a teddy bear.  I’m going to share all the toys and books he brought down on this last trip, but the blanket and bear are mine. 

I’m actually the only child in my new crèche right now, since it’s brand new.  I’m hoping there will be more orphans that come to my crèche soon.  I hope they can leave orphanages like the one I was at and come to a nicer place that will take care of them, just like me.  It would be nice to have some people my own age to play with.   I’m a little spoiled right now, because everyone at my crèche is there to take care of me.  It’s not like the other place I was at before.  They have a nurse here 24 hours a day, in case anyone gets sick.  There is a lady who oversees the crèche and everyone who works here.  There is a day nanny and a night nanny.  There’s a school teacher, who is teaching me some English.  I like to go to school!  There’s a cook who prepares food for the workers and the kids, when more come.  This is in addition to Dr. Jack and Marcia, who oversee everything.  Nurse Marcia makes sure everyone is working hard and is taking good care of me.  The people here are really nice to me and take great care of me but I’m still a bit confused by everything that’s going on lately.

My new Daddy brought down some more paperwork for our lawyer.  It looks like Jean Maudrel has all the right paperwork and the paperwork is finally ready for the Haitian government.  I really have no idea what’s going on with all this paperwork and why it takes so long for kids like me to go to families that want to love and care for them.  I hear there are lots of people all over the place praying for me so I can be adopted as soon as possible.  Thanks for caring about me even though I’ve never met you!  I hope I’ll be able to meet many of you very soon.  They tell my new Daddy it could still take at least a year for me to come to my new home.  I hope not!  Please pray for me! 

Happy New Year!  They say this next year will change my life forever.  I hope this will be an amazing year for you also.  God Bless…

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.”