March Update

Happy Spring from God’s Littlest Angels, Shannon!

Another month has raced by us here in Haiti. It is hard to believe that spring (or rainy season in Haiti’s case) is already among us.  We are seeing files move and progress in the adoption process and our Fort Jacques property has seen some significant transformation this month.  We are looking forward to meeting many of you in the coming weeks and we continue to pray that the rest of the files in IBESR come out so very soon!  It has been and continues to be a great encouragement to us all to have families coming to pick up their children and many more families on their way to meet their kiddos for the first time.  I know I am greatly blessed by each adoptive family that visits.  Not only is watching a child unite with his or her family an answer to prayer but your words of encouragement do not go unappreciated, each kind word you offer to us is the “fuel” we use to keep doing what the Lord has called us to here in Haiti.   Thank you for welcoming Kimberlie into your heart and home.  We cannot wait she is in your arms!  “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”  Mark 9:37

I am looking forward to the day you get to come and pick up Kimberlie!  I know the day is drawing near and I just pray that the time flies past us faster than we expect.  I am glad you met Kimberlie last year and I look forward to the day you get to come and see her growth and development for yourself. 

This month I put together a “collage” of six photos that, I hope, can give you a little insight into the life of Kimberlie here at God’s Littlest Angels.  I know waiting for your adoptive child to make their way home is a difficult task but I pray that you can rest assured that they are getting the best care we are able to provide to them as they wait for you to come pick them up.  I hope you enjoy this month’s candid photos with a brief description of what some of Kimberlie’s day looks like.

I hope Kimberlie’s collage gives you a glimpse into what her day looks like.  You have been here, so I am sure you are able to picture it quite well.  She loves spending time on the balcony and she has been especially interesting in riding in the car lately.  She will spend all of her time in the car, getting in and out, and even pushing her friends who get to the car before her.  She most definitely enjoys meal times and snack time.  She is good at waiting patiently for her turn to eat.  Kimberlie does a good job of going into the change room when it is time to get ready for bed and also does a good job of staying in her crib during nap and bed time.

Kimberlie is healthy and growing:
Height: 83 cm
Weight: 25 lb 4 oz

Hoping your spring is off to a great start! 

The Un- Update

I haven't posted on my blog for a while so I thought I would give an update. Easy enough, but, unfortunately, I don't have any news to report =( 

I am still waiting in the Courts step, I have been waiting about 2 months now. Please continue to pray with me that I hear news today. I have two steps left after this one,praying like crazy she is home by July!

But, while I am waiting I have been working on a photo book of Kimberlie of while she was in Haiti. Thanks to my good friend Sue, for showing me the Shutterfly ropes yesterday! I finished 2 of 20 pages, it's a work in process! 

0-1 YRS OLD 

1 YRS OLD- CURRENT 

18 month BIRTHDAY!

Today, Kimberlie turns 18 mo, in other words, she is 1 1/2 years old today! 

Everyday I pray that Kimberlie feels love, love from the nannies, from the other staff at GLA and love from her MAMA (that's me)! I pray that too today, as she hits another milestone, it's very hard to miss the milestones, but I keep telling myself that we have our whole lives to celebrate with each other! I love you, my sweet Kimberlie and can't wait to celebrate all the whole and 1/2 year birthdays with you! Happy 1 1/2 year birthday!

Below is Kimberlie at the January birthday celebration at GLA... it was really nice of them to bring her up to the balcony for the party, and she seems to be enjoying herself! And they said she wasn't too into her cake when she turned 1, maybe she is taking on more of my traits!!!  What a CUTIE!!!!! 

Please pray with me that I exit the current step I am in, COURTS, by the end of the week! Then there will be another HAUGH in the world... she will become legally mine at the end of this step!

God's Timing... NOT Mine

For all those of you who know me well, you know I do not like to wait for things.  If I had it my own way, Kimberlie would be home with me and I would be in full swing with my mommy gig (I have always wanted to use the word gig). But, when I started this journey, now close to 2 years ago, I prayed  that God would use this journey to make me more like him, I am still in process, but aren't we all?  

Tom Vanderwell, who is the Manager of Partner Relations for GLA wrote this about the adoption of his two children from GLA. As I read the post, I begin to think, what does God want to do with me as I wait for her? What does he want to do in my family or with my friends as I wait for her? We all want to be in charge of our own timing, think today, what does God want to do in your life as you wait?  God is making things happen all around us, we don't always see the big picture, but God is all about the BIG picture! 

The Timing of Adoptions and the Power of God’s Plan 

Posted by TomVanderwell

I know I’ve told some of you this story before, but I know a lot of you haven’t heard it. So, I’m going to tell it again……

First off, for those of you who are currently in the process of adopting, I apologize, 9 years ago when we brought our two kids home from GLA, the process took 10 months from referral to going home and we thought that was long! I’m sorry that things aren’t going that fast now. Know that every day I and many others are praying that the process will speed up.

Now, when we began the process of adopting, Dixie told us to expect 7 to 9 months. We got our referral in August of 2003, so that would have put us as coming home in March to May of 2004. Now for a little Haitian trivia question……

What happened between August of 2003 and May of 2004 in Haitian history (think something notable)?

Can’t guess? That’s when Aristide was ousted in the coup. Breaking down the story into one sentence, for approximately 6 weeks, the adoption world in Haiti was a great big ? and nothing moved. Surprise? Nope.

But after 6 weeks, things had somewhat settled down and adoption paperwork began moving again. In the end all it did was cause a fair amount of pain and anxiety and delayed things from a March to May timeframe to a June homecoming.

Now trust me, that extra month seemed really long at the time. But God had a plan.

Our original plan was that our older three (the vanilla kids) would stay with the grandparents while we went and got the younger two. But, because of the delay, we ended up traveling after the older kids were done with school. The volunteer situation was such that they were able to come down and spend 3 weeks as volunteers while Cheryl spent time with our chocolate kids and I came to join them the last week.

So, we ended up waiting 6 weeks longer for our adoptions to be finalized and because of that, our older kids got to see GLA. So what’s such a big deal about that?

Jump forward with me about 2 years, we were coming back from going out for dinner (all 7 of us – so I think it was some place cheap) and my second oldest chimes up from the back seat, “I think I know what I want to do.” It’s a Friday night, so I’m thinking it’s something like going over to a friend’s house, going to see a movie, something very here and now.

What?

“I want to become a nurse and go back to Haiti full time.”

Gulp.

I’m writing this today because tomorrow, my 2nd oldest, an RN like her mother, leaves to go to Haiti to spend 9 days working with Lori and Licia and Allison at Real Hope for Haiti. She is an RN, she’s pursuing her pediatric nurse practitioner degree and has led numerous teams down to GLA from our church over the last years.

If God’s timing had been our timing, she wouldn’t have gone down to Haiti in 2004.

If God’s timing had been our timing, she wouldn’t have had the opportunity to see and love on the kids in Haiti.

If God’s timing had been our timing, she might not have become a nurse.

God has a plan and He is constantly moving and using the events of your life and my life to impact others.

9 years later, we’re seeing that God’s plan and the delay in our adoptions of our two youngest has had a significant impact in the life of one of our older kids and the lives of many others as well.

I know it can really stink when you are stuck in a delay where your idea for God’s timing is way different than what it appears His timing is.

God looks at a picture way bigger than the one we do – trust Him and His timing…….

It quite often isn’t easy – but in the end, it’s the only way to do it.

 

But I am pretty sure Kimberlie will be well worth the wait!!!!! 

Who knows, maybe God will place the man of my dreams into my life while I wait...

stranger things have happened!   HA HA