Bringing Odette Home

January 23rd- Gotcha Day

2011-01-25T09:52:00.003-05:00

This past Sunday was the one year anniversary of the "Coq Chante 6" coming home. It seems like so much longer than a year some days. It has been a long very busy year. But we are all still in awe that they are here and got to spend some sweet time over the past weeks thinking back to this time last year and seeing all the miracles that God performed to get them here.

Last year:
From the time we found out that Odette was ok on January 14th to day the day she came home were so busy with phone calls, TV interviews, newspaper interviews, trip to Nashville, printing copies of all the kids papers that were destroyed in the earthquake, and trying to figure out how and when (and if) we were going to get our children home. It is hard to believe it was only 11 days between the earthquake and the time they landed in Knoxville.

The day of January 21st was such a crazy day. Around lunchtime on that day I got a call from Kevin that I needed to head to the church office. I was pulling out of the parking lot of the church office then so I turned my car around & headed back inside. When he got there he explained that the original plan for Andy to go with him to pick up the girls and Wousamy couldn't happen because there was not room on the plane for both of them. He had heard from Rhonda at Senator Corkers office that things were looking good and he may be able to go pick the kids up the following day. We spent the afternoon trying to figure out all the details and get plane tickets booked. It was such a day of up & downs. One minute the plan was on & the next we didn't think it would work & then the next it was back on. In the end God showed himself in a big way & Kevin was headed to Fort Lauderdale with all of our paperwork in his hands and big hopes that this really was going to work. (For a reminder of some of the miracles read the article in my post on February 25, 2010).

The next day I got up & got busy cleaning. Sometime that morning or late the night before we found out that one parent for each child had to meet them in Fort Lauderdale. Andy was so sweet to let me go. My family spent the day helping me quickly clean the house (well they did most of the work as I was on the computer and phone trying to get info to all the families and trying to get our flights worked out to Fort Lauderdale). If you went back and read the article you would see that we were not even sure that this was really going to happen that day or not so we were waiting until the last minute to get tickets booked. I remember getting a call from Gina saying that we needed to be at the airport in less than 30 minutes. At that point I had not taken a shower, packed or anything. I got ready really quickly and my dad drove me (very quickly) to the airport. When we got to the airport to get our tickets we found out that another flight had come in late & they had put them all on the plane we were going to get tickets on & there were no more seats available. After some scrabbling around we found out there was a late flight (after 10:00 if I remember right) leaving from Atlanta that night getting into Fort Lauderdale after midnight. So we rented a van and headed to Atlanta. Also this day there were many people at the church office making calls to get us another plane to bring us home. At that point Brian, Kevin and the kids had a plane to bring them home but the rest of the parents would have to take a commercial flight home & we would have completely missed their homecoming. Again God is still in the miracle business and worked out all of the details for us.

We took a shuttle to the hotel late that night. I don't know that any of us slept more than a few hours. That morning as Angie, Carol, Leah and I got ready I remember it being kind of a quiet morning. I think we all wanted to be excited but didn't want to get our hopes up even at that point just in case something didn't go as planned. We ate breakfast at the hotel and then took a shuttle to the airport. It was the part of the airport where private planes land. We waited nervously and kept running outside to see if they were landing. We were told that they were landing & although they would have preferred us to stay inside we all ran outside & looked through the fence for their plane. Not knowing exactly which one was theirs I got lots of pictures & video of other planes landing. Finally they landed and out steps precious Wousamy's feet. The moment we waited for finally happened- they really were on American soil. Since they still had to go through processing and we could not go in with them all we could do was scream & cheer from the fence (we eventually got in trouble for being loud & taking pictures so we headed inside). We kept peeking at them through the window hoping to get a glimpse (any one looking at us from the outside that day probably thought we were crazy). They had us fill out some paperwork and then had the 6 of us go next door to the lobby where they would bring them when they were finished with paperwork. I don't know how long we had to wait but it seemed like an eternity. From Andy's posts from last year it looks like they landed about 11:40 and there is a picture of Odette in immigration at 12:40 & then our plane took off around 2:30. After waiting a while we finally saw them walking our way (we were told to stand on the sidewalk and not go any further). After hugs, tears and phone calls to the mommies & daddies at home we headed inside where the girls were treated to popcorn, their first Krispy Kreme donuts & lemonade. They all changed clothes and we just waited until it the Pilot plane headed from Knoxville with Russell Biven & Erynn Donavon on board landed to take us home. We taught the girls to say "Let's Go Home" in English & soon we were headed home on two planes to Knoxville. They all loved the plane ride and Odette spend most of the flight looking out the window and singing. The whole flight was surreal, we kept asking each other if this really was happening. Our plan was the second to land in Knoxville. We were greeted by reporters, cameras and around 200 friends and family. Talk about overwhelming for these kids (and their parentes) but I would not have traded it for anything. After all of the heartache that came from the earthquake something wonderful was happening that could have only been orchestrated by God himself and I love that so many people wanted to be a part of it. That day Odette was reunited with her daddy & Taylor and got to meet Abby & Molly for the first time & the rest of our families. It was an amazing day that I will never forget.

Remembering Atanie

2011-01-12T12:12:00.004-05:00

Atanie touched the lives of everyone that she met and I am blessed to be one of the people that got to love on her during her short life. She will never be forgotten!

Go the the link below for a video of Atanie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MyaKlp7BBg

Taylor had to write a poem for school and choose to write about Atanie. . .

Atanie Laurient

She came into this world May 8, 2005
She was born into the Laurient family in Haiti
Atanie was a daughter
She was also a sister and friend

Her laugh was contagious
She could light up the night sky with her smile
When you looked at her it felt like you were looking at Jesus himself
She made you happy when you were down

Atanie was very easy to love
She loved everyone too
She meant a lot to everyone
Sadly, she was called by the Lord and fell asleep January 12, 2010

Remembering January 12th

2011-01-12T10:43:00.002-05:00

There are certain things in my life that I remember exactly where I was when I heard them, like I can tell you exactly where I was and what I was doing when I got the call/word that each of my grandparents had died. January 12th is one of those days for me. . .

We arrived back in Knoxville around 10:30pm on January 11th. After a late night of sharing pictures and stories of my trip with Andy I got a few hours of sleep before starting my day on Tuesday taking girls to school, running errands, getting a haircut, picking the girls up from school, etc. all day thinking there would be time for sleeping and really processing my trip in the days to come (not knowing that real sleep would not happen for days or weeks). Around 5 o'clock that afternoon I was laying in bed watching TV when I got a call from my dad. He told me my uncle Tennel had called and said he saw on the news that an earthquake had hit Port-au-Prince minutes before. I was hit with immediate panic thinking that Odette was in PAP that day with her parents getting DNA testing for her adoption. Not wanting to let Taylor know what was going on I thanked my dad and said I was going to get on the computer and see if I could learn anything else. I went straight upstairs and called Kevin Rudd to see if he knew anything about the earthquake and also to see how we can find out if Odette is ok. He said while we were in Haiti Eddy had said that it was not necessary for Odette to go the city because they had already taken blood from her during one of her medical exams. I was very relieved- still worried about our friends and Odette's parents in PAP but relieved that my little girl was ok. Other than news reports throughout the evening we had no word from Haiti. All we knew at the time was a horrible earthquake hit the city and knew nothing about the rest of the country. Knowing that the orphanage is a 3 hour drive away from the city we kept assuring our girls that we were sure that everything was fine since they were so far away from the city. Going to sleep was hard that night with worry for our friends but sleep finally came a little before midnight. Then shortly after midnight I woke up & heard something, it took me a few seconds to realize that it was Andy crying loudly from the kitchen. I ran into the kitchen to find him crying and hugging Brian Lloyd. I remember just standing there looking at Brian until he finally said "The orphanage has collapsed, Atanie did not make it out, but the other girls are ok" I fell apart immediately (I am crying now as I type this) after a few minutes he looked at me and said "Odette is not at the orphanage and she went to the city with her parents and we don't know where she is or if she is ok". A minute after learning that this precious girl that I love and left in Haiti the day before had not made it out of the orphanage alive I was told that we didn't know if our daughter was alive or dead. I remember having to sit down on the kitchen stool before I fell down. During all this Abby woke up and wandered in the kitchen and Brian sweetly sent her back to bed and luckily she went. I'm surprised that we didn't wake up everyone in the house. We went upstairs to Andy's computer room and sat for a couple of hours as Brian tried over and over to get through on his phone to Haiti. Kevin was trying the same from his house. Finally Brian headed home to keep trying and we went to bed and crying and praying and sleeping for a few minutes. After a sleepless night we got a call from Brian at 5:50 telling us that Eddy's wife had a 20 second conversation with Eddy and he said that "we are ok". I held on to the hope the rest of the morning that "we" meant Odette was with him. Then at 7:00 Brian showed up on our doorstep again to tell us that Odette rode a tap-tap with her parents earlier that afternoon and she was not with Eddy. We woke up the girls for school hoping that we would seem as normal as possible. I was ok until Taylor started talking about Atanie and laughing about a video I had of her on my camera (as this point the girls knew nothing about Atanie or the orphanage). I had to leave the room quickly for a good cry. Andy took the girls to school with me and I called their teachers out in the hall to tell them what we knew so far and that we were not telling the girls in hopes that we would have good news about Odette by the time we picked them up from school. As we pulled away from school that day I called and told my dad and told him to spread the word because I couldn't say it out loud one more time. Now wanting to be alone I went to work with Andy and sat with him while he worked. Later that day he went with me to pick the girls up and we headed home to tell them what we knew. Luckily Andy was the one to finally sit them down and tell them because I had no words. He started by telling them about the orphanage and told them Atanie was gone. I have never seen them all so upset (later Abby said when I was talking about Atanie- "Atanie's dead"- I guess she did not understand at first and then the tears started up again). A few minutes later he told them what little we knew about Odette then we all just sat and cried for a long time. I think it was the hardest thing we have ever had to tell our girls. Taylor especially had a hard time , not only did she not know if her sister was ok she had just found out that a little girl she fell in love with in November was gone.

That night we had a prayer service at Powell church. I was so touched by the outpouring of blessing from our family and friends that night. It was such a hard but special night for our church family and I will never forget it. Wednesday January 13th was the longest hardest day of my life. We had another long sleepless night & got the girls up and ready for school. All of them cried not wanting to go. Taylor had a spelling bee that day that she was so excited about before but now she didn't want to go through with it. We went to the spelling bee that day and then I went home for a while. I headed to school to eat lunch with Abby & Molly and when I was signing in the office I missed a call from Kevin, I immediately called back and he answered and said "your baby is ok". The best words ever spoken! I told everyone in the office the good news and then headed to the gym where her class was to tell her then I got to go tell Abby & Molly at lunch. I spent the entire lunch period making calls and sending texts that God is good. We found out that she was ok, she was with her parents but Eddy & Ricot were not able to reach her yet.

Later we learned that she and her family started walking a couple of hours after the earthquake and finally made it to Coq Chante the following day. It still amazes me that God gave my little girl (who now complains about walking down the street) the ability to walk thru the city and up into the mountains for an entire day. Since Odette has been home she has shared over the months a lot about her experience during the earthquake. Those images and experiences are never far from her thoughts. I can't imagine what all she saw and heard in those hours following the earthquake. She said right before the earthquake she had gone with her cousin to the market to buy food and water for dinner. She said they had just arrived back at the house where they were staying when the earthquake hit. She said they didn't know what it was but they just started running until they got outside. The house right next door where her Aunt, Uncle and cousin live collapsed with them still inside. Hearing that made me realize how close we came to loosing her. She said after the earthquake her dad and brother ran to the school that her sister Monette was at to find her. Part of the building had collapsed but she was safe. Soon after they returned they made the decision to start walking home. I won't share too much on here because that will one day be her story to tell but she had shared with us that she saw too many dead bodies to count, heard screams and crying for hours, saw a few babies being born & tells of one little boy younger that her that had lost his entire family and was laying on his mom's dead body in the street crying. She saw things that I can't imagine seeing as an adult and trying to process. Please pray for her as she continues to sort through her experiences from that day and pray that the passport and citizenship process goes quickly so she can return to Haiti and have some closure so she can continue in her healing process.

January 4-11, 2010

2011-01-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

This January for me will be spent remembering all the one year anniversaries of last January. My last January trip Jan 4-11, the earthquake on the 12th, the waiting to hear if Odette was ok or not, finally getting the call on the 14th that she was ok, the craziness of the next 9 days until she was finally home on January 23rd, and the list goes on.

I wanted to write down some things that I remember from my last trip to Haiti before I forget it (luckily the pictures I have help jog my memory).

We flew out of Knoxville on January 4th. This was the smallest team that I have ever gone with and was also the first trip that had no new people on it. There were only 9 people on this trip but 9 very excited people that could not wait to love on their Haitian family and to have Christmas with 18 precious girls. We left Knoxville and flew to Miami and then on to Port-au-Prince. Right now I can't remember all the reasons for the delays but it seems like there were delayed flights, and even a flat tire on the way to the orphanage so by the time we got to the mountains it was really late and we learned most of the girls were in bed. I was so anxious to see Odette because I hadn't been back since I left her on May 28th. The decision was made for the adopting parents to ride in Ricot's truck to the orphanage to pick up Benita, Valancia, Islande, and Odette. We stopped on the side of the road in the dark of night to pick Wousamy up on our way there. This was Karen's first time seeing him in about a year and a half. He was a little confused at first but soon very happy to be in his mommy's arms! When we got the orphanage it was very different that normal. The 18 girls were not standing on the front steps singing because it was so late. We went upstairs to find some awake and others asleep. I loved on some girls and then went to find Odette. Her room was dark and she was fast asleep. When I woke her up she started crying and hugged me for the longest time. After a short time at the orphanage we loaded up in Ricot's truck and headed out of Coq Chante. On the way out his truck got stuck in the mud so we had to start walking to Camatin in the dark and the mud from all the rain that they had the week before. Someone came in the big truck to pick us up so we didn't have to walk the whole way (which was great because I was not very prepared for the walk & was wearing my Tevas). We stayed up for a while playing with the girls and although Odette was happy to see me she was not acting like herself & she had a fever.

some picts from the first night

We woke up the next morning to learn that Odette wasn't feeling good when we got there because she had chicken pox and the first ones were just starting to appear. Chicken pox had been going through the orphanage and about half of the girl had gotten them over the last two months. I hated that she was sick but it was so sweet of God to let me be there when she was sick to help take care of her. After staying a while at Camatin that morning we loaded to up head to Coq Chante to see the other girls. We spent the day playing and loving on girls and other kids from the community that have become so special to each of us.

2nd day pictures

Lauren & Islande

Wousamy

Odette

Islande

Valancia

Saintemene and Guerline

Dieula

Ryan & Benita on the truck

Ryan

Ricienna (love this picture!)

Yollande

Wousamy and his brother Samuel

sweet kids from Coq Chante community

feeding them peanut butter wraps

Atanie

Odette opening her present from Mamaw and Papaw (the girls loved the wrapping paper and used it the next day to wrap other things in)

Valancia on the roof at Coq Chante

(I went to the bathroom at Coq Chante and when I looked up my girl had written her name on the door)

boys playing soccer outside the orphanage

January 4-11 continued

2011-01-10T12:55:00.000-05:00

The next two days (the 6th and 7th) were spent hanging out at the orphanage and going on walks. The guys on the trip spent some time repairing things that needed to be fixed and put in a door going to the roof. We had originally planned on repainting the girls rooms and a few other things but didn't end up having the money to do it (we would realize in the weeks to follow that it was God's plan for us to just spend quality time with the girls at the orphanage and other friends around Coq Chante because all the other stuff would soon fall with the building on Jan. 12th). Because Odette was sick and couldn't go on walks this week she asked me to stay behind with her. So I spent a lot of time this week with her and the little girls while the big girls went on walks with the rest of the team. It is now some of my very favorite memories of all my times in Haiti. I had a lot of time to pray, think, and spend some one-on-one time with the girls. We laughed and talked a lot on this trip (well as much as I can talk with my limited Creole).

Odette helping Malange wash her hair

Benita's smile is my favorite!!

The next few pictures are of some sweet boys & a couple of girls that live in the Coq Chante community, the ladies on the trip spent some time one afternoon giving them snacks and loving on them. They loved having their picture taken.

Lucas and Wousamy

Madame Gaspard giving Odette a "bath" with something the ladies had cooked all day to help her chicken pox

Gladys

Lucas and Yollande

Guerline

Christiane

Tiffani and Guerline

Valancia

Karen and Stefania (Wousamy's sister)

Saintemene

sweet Atanie picture

Atanie blowing bubbles (she would say "Allyson- watch blow bubble")

Odette

Islande

Samantha helping Saintemene write (she loves her sister)

Kevin and Benita

Yollande

Valancia, Malange and their little brother

Milando- Benita's brother

Milanda (Milando's twin- you can tell she has chicken pox too)

Benita and one of her brothers

Benita's youngest brother

Benita's mom spent part of the afternoon with us and brought along some of Benita's brothers & sisters. After this trip Milando will always hold a special place in my heart. He spent a long time grinning at me and then finally came over, curled up in my lap and went to sleep. I keep a picture of him on my refrigerator so I can see that sweet smile everyday and I pray for him often.

Beach day, Christmas & Sleepover at Camatin

2011-01-10T12:50:00.000-05:00

January 8, 2010

This will be a day that I will never forget. It was such a special day for the team members and the girls. We started the day by picking the girls up at Coq Chante and then heading to the beach. We have fun playing at the beach but it was obvious the girls were ready to head back to Camatin for their first sleepover. Before spending the night at Camatin had been reserved for the girls in the process of being adopted. I always hated leaving all the other girls behind at night but it was a special time where we could spend one on one time with them and that we we could focus on loving on the other girls all day at Coq Chante. All of the girls had been inside of Camatin before but few had stayed there (no one knew that day that soon many of the girls would call Camatin home). They spent the rest of the afternoon at Camatin playing, running around and taking baths. That night Mona, Jean Luke, and some of our other helpers for the week had planned and cooked a special Christmas dinner for the girls. It was probably more food than the girls have seen and eaten in their lives. After dinner we gave the girls their Christmas gifts. Each girl had one wrapped gift (for most of them they had never unwrapped anything before) and also some toiletries and other fun things in their care package. It was so fun watching their excitement as they opened their gifts. The rest of the evening was spent playing with their new toys and watching a video before heading to bed after a long day. I shared my bed with Odette, Christianie and Guerline. I was glad that for one day we could take them out of their regular environment and just spend the day loving on them, playing with them and hopefully in the end showing them how much Jesus loves them all.

Guerline with her backpack that is a big as she is

pigs on the beach (something I had never seen before)

sweet kids that were playing next to us

Benita (the ziploc bag cracks me up)

Odette- you can see her chicken pox among the water drops

Lucas and Yollande

Atanie, Lorie, TIffani & Saintemene

Saintemene

Christmas feast (watermelon, fruit cake, french toast, potato salad, slaw, goat, salad, and more. . .

Yollande

Atanie & her princess Tiana doll

Saintemene

Girls enjoying their popcorn and soda

Marie Michelle

Valancia

Christianie

Malange

Madestine

Dieula

Linia

Onise

Me & Odette

Gladys

Benita

playing dominos

One of my favorite picts of Atanie- she was hiding from me in the bed

Guerline & Odette playing with Odette's legos we got her for Christmas

January 4-11 continued

2011-01-10T12:40:00.001-05:00

January 9th

We spent the morning at Camatin with the girls and then headed back to Coq Chante for the afternoon

the spider that Wousamy found in the storage room

Love these pictures of Yollande

January 10th, Church day

Because this was such a small group and we didn't have as many projects to do as we usually do I was thinking on Saturday that even though I didn't want to leave the trip was seeming long. But after all I experienced on Sunday I was so glad that God gave us this last full day at Coq Chante because it was one of my favorite of the trip. We had church at Coq Chante that day. I sat in the back of the church and had such a sweet time watching the girls and the people of Coq Chante church worshipping with everything in them. Going to church each trip has always been one of my favorite parts of the trip. During the church service Benita's brother Milando kept peeking at me from a few pews up. He went out to the bathroom and when he came back in he climbed up in my lap. In a few minutes he was asleep in my lap for the second time that week. I enjoyed every second I had with him that day & fell apart when Kevin said it was time to give him back to his mom because they were going home. It took everything in me to hand him over. There is something very special about that little boy! After church some of us stayed for a long time talking playing, and taking pictures of some of the children and ladies in the community. I had such a good time and that whole day felt like I was exactly where God wanted me to be.

Some of the pictures:

Nicolette & Christianie (Atanie & Linia's baby sister & mom)

Ismael (Atanie & Linia's brother)

Lauren and Christianie

Tiffani & John Ismay (Atanie & Linia's older brother)

Me & Michleyn (she is a sweet little girl that lives in Coq Chante community & we have gotten to know & love over the years)

Onise's little sister- she is so pretty

some of Onise's brothers and sisters

Onise's mom and baby sister

After the afternoon in the church it was hair washing time for the girls. A couple of the girls had an infection in their scalp so all the girls were getting treated to either clear it up or prevent them from getting it. We took group pictures of them and their "big" hair.

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing legos, games, singing, Kevin playing horsey with the little girls (I will try to post the video), and some tears as we loved on the girls & they knew we would be leaving early the next morning.

That night Atanie came to Camatin with us and it warms my heart knowing how happy she was that last night of her life. We along with the other girls spent more time laughing with her that we ever have. She is a precious little girl that touched my life along with so many others and she will never be forgotten.

Monday, January 11th

Our last morning was spent finishing packing then loading up to take the adoptive girls back to the orphanage and we were headed to the airport. Like the last day usually is it was filled with many tears and hopes that this would be the last time we would have to say good-bye. I spent the truck ride praying and telling her about all she had to look forward to when she came home soon. I told her that her Daddy & Taylor couldn't wait to see her again and that Abby & Molly couldn't wait to meet her. When we pulled up at Coq Chante school had already started to we only had time for quick hugs and good-byes as the girls got ready to go to school. As we pulled away I spent the whole time looking back up the hill at the orphanage praying that soon I would be pulling away from the orphanage with Odette on my lap headed home. Only God knew what all of Haiti would face the following afternoon.

She is OFFICIAL

2011-01-04T10:16:00.000-05:00

Odette legally became Odette Adrien Coleman on December 16th. Like every other step that we have gone thru since we started this journey the process to adopt her here in the US was much longer and harder that we thought it would be. Because she was here her adoption changed from an international adoption to a domestic adoption so we had to redo our home study. An international home study lasts for 18 months where a domestic home study lasts only 6. Then we had to wait on a letter from the USCIS that allowed us to finish our adoption process. All of the other 5 families got their letters within a few months of the first letters that went out. Ours took much longer for some reason and when we finally received ours it was the wrong letter so we had to wait two weeks for the correct one to come. Our lawyer worked hard to get everything together and we had a court date of December 13th. We counted the days for a couple of weeks and then the morning of the 13th we woke up to snow and ice in Knoxville and found out that the Chancellery Courts were closed for the day. So we rescheduled for Thursday the 16th at the same time as the Zimmermans and the Stouts were finalizing their adoption. Again on Thursday we woke up to ice in Knoxville. Court was opening 2 hours late due to the ice so after a crazy morning of trying to figure out exactly what time our court time was we all made it to the court house. From there we had to wait almost 2 hours to be seen. A friend texted and said "So ironic... waiting!!! Should it "end" any other way!" Which is SO true. Nothing in this process has been easy, it has been a whole lot of hurry up on our part and then a lot of waiting. God was sweet in working out the timing of the court date so all three of the families left waiting to finish their adoption could go and finish together. He was so faithful in finishing the work that he started in our families. Once we got in the Chancellors office it took longer for all three families to get in the door than it did for paperwork to be signed. So around 12:45 pm that day Odette officially became a Coleman followed a few minutes later by Islande Stout and Valancia Zimmerman.

Happy Birthday Odette

2010-08-20T09:04:00.003-04:00

Today is Odette's 11th birthday. I am thankful beyond words today that for the first August 20th since I met her I could walk in her room, wake her up & tell her happy birthday for the first time in person. The last two years have been really hard for me on her birthday but today we are rejoicing that she is finally here for us to celebrate her life. Andy & I are taking her Panera for lunch at school (her choice) then I am taking Odette and Taylor to get a pedicure for their birthdays after school (Odette has been asking for one for months and I kept telling her maybe for her birthday so her first question today was "can I get my feet done today"- I think she will love her surprise!) then she picked Calhouns for the whole family to go eat at tonight for her date night. Tomorrow night we are having a combined family birthday party for Odette & Taylor at my mom & dad's farm.

Thankful

2010-08-12T21:50:00.003-04:00

So many things this week reminded me how thankful I am to God that he moved mountains to bring our little girl and some of her friends home and he still continues to be so faithful.

*On Sunday I sat in the first "Haiti Sunday" service at church since Odette came home with her cuddled up beside me watching the videos and like in Haiti her wiping the tears from my face as I cried. I also looked over and two of her Haitian friends are sitting in the floor next to us & then on the other side of us is Wousamy who for the first time since the first trip in 2003 is NOT in the Haiti video up on the screen. GOD IS GOOD!!!

*I am thankful that she trusts me enough to share hard things to hear about her life in Haiti (but then she worries about me when I get upset and doesn't want to make me sad). I told her that even if it makes me sad I still want to know it all so I can share that part of her life with her.

*I am thankful for good news today that we can start the process to finish her adoption and she should be legally ours in a month or two. We also found out that the bill to make all the Humanitarian Parole kids eligible for faster citizenship status has passed the house & the senate and now only needs the President's signature. From what I understand when the adoption is complete we can apply for her citizenship and after it is processed and approved she will be a US citizen and we can apply for her passport (before you had to wait 2 years to even apply for citizenship). I am thankful that I could give my little girl some good news today and if all goes well the two of us can be on a trip in early 2011. Join us in praying for a smooth and speedy final adoption process for all the girls and Wousamy.

6 months ago today

2010-07-23T09:50:00.001-04:00

Six months ago today God made it possible for our little girl to come home along with 5 of her friends. I am still amazed and overwhelmed thinking about the miracle that God worked to get them here in His perfect timing. Out of one of the greatest tragedies to happen to Haiti He not only kept them safe, He was faithful to finish the work that we started by saying yes to bringing them home.

I am also amazed that 6 months have already gone by. The days have often gone by slowly but the time still is passing quickly. I can honestly say these 6 months have been some of the best & hardest 6 months of our lives. During the hard days I was often wishing for the days with newborn twins because that seemed a lot easier. Having a new ten year old is work! I love her more than anything and could not be happier that she is finally here but some days are really hard. Luckily as time goes on there are more happy ones than hard ones and we are thankful that now it is usually just hard hours instead of full days. We have been really proud the last few weeks of her ability to "choose to be happy" pretty quickly after being mad instead of choosing to stay mad for the majority of the day. Good days at our house with her are great and so much fun. She makes us laugh all the time, she so is a Coleman girl!!!!

It is definitely a learning process for all of us. The best way I can describe it is she is like a toddler that is testing boundaries to see what is ok and what is not. You wouldn't think that you would have to tell a 10 year old that is not ok to write on themselves with Sharpies but you do. I don't think I have said "we write on paper" so much since Molly's preschool phase of writing on everything except paper.

I have never been so happy for summer to come. I felt like I could finally breathe for the first time in months. I just wanted all of my girls at home with me to enjoy them with nothing scheduled (except Sunday mornings). We have a summer off from school, piano, soccer, 252 practice, etc. We have enjoyed staying up later (ok so we wish the girls would go to bed a little bit earlier) and have really enjoyed sleeping in. We have spent time at the pool, outside, shopping, watching movies, a lot of time playing with friends during the day and even some sleepovers.

The 4 girls are getting along great (well lets say they act like sisters all of the time). The honeymoon period has definitely worn off. When Odette first came Abby & Molly thought she could do no wrong. Abby said the other day in the car when we were by ourselves, "Mommy, I thought that I would never get mad at Odette, but now that I do I guess that just means we really are sisters!". They all love each other one minute and are mad at each other the next minute.

Taylor and Odette decided that they were ready for twin beds in their room instead of sharing a bed (well Taylor decided and talked Odette into it). Odette said at first that she would not get two beds because Taylor is messy and she was not going to "clean" both of their beds each day. Agreeing on twin bedding that they both liked was a big challenge. But they finally decided and we got the beds put up 2 weeks ago. The girls are helping Andy now build headboards for them with shelves on them. Odette has decided though that she doesn't like to sleep alone, even if Taylor is 2 feet away. So most nights Abby sleeps with her. They have all four spent most of the summer sleeping in Abby & Molly's twin beds so now they have just moved into Taylor & Odette's beds. It is sweet that they want to sleep together but it's making the going to sleep time much longer. I dread school starting back!

Odette has trouble sleeping a lot. She has bad dreams about the earthquake often. She doesn't talk about them a lot but will tell me that is what the dreams are about if I ask her. She still has a lot of fears, more lately it seems, some she admits some you can just see. When a big truck goes up our street and kind of shakes the house she gets a nervous look on her face. She now wants a night light in her room to sleep with because her room scares her. Driving under underpasses scares her especially if we stop under one. She is also saying that she doesn't want to go to Fountain City Elementary for school & I just figured out it is the building that scares her because it is so big and old. We have assured her that the school is over 75 years old and nothing has ever happened to it. I am sure she will be better once she is there ever day again but now that is a very real fear for her.

Speaking of school she is SO excited about going back. Last year she only went half days until the last few days of school we let her go a full day just to go through the lunch, playground and pick-up routine. She loved school by the end of the year and was so upset it was finished. The one thing (besides the building) that she is nervous about is that she does not know anyone that will be in fifth grade this year. One thing you can be praying for is that she makes some new friends very quickly. I think that will be a big part of her continuing to love school and her desire to learn. Her school is great and they gave us math workbooks to work on over the summer starting with a kindergarten level up to third grade. She loves doing them and I think it will be a big help this year in school. The plan is that she will go to 5th grade this year and when school first starts they will do some more testing with her to see which math and reading level she is at. So she will be in her own classroom the majority of the day but during math and reading she will go to whichever grade level she is at and will sit in on their class. She will also have ELL class for a hour a day instead of 30 minutes.

Her English amazes us! She speaks English 99% of the time to us. I told her yesterday that she needs to speak to me more in Creole because I am forgetting everything I learned when she came. Her comprehension is also great. At first we would speak in smaller sentences or phrases to her to make sure that she understood us but now we can have complete conversations and she understands it all. Her grammar is a work in progress. She still sounds like a toddler saying "I want to go to she house". But that has progressed because she always used me instead of I before. Now it is working on when to say her instead of she, etc. She is so much more confident than when she first came.

The Monday after school got out we took our first trip to Disney as a family of 6. She was really against going at first. I LOVE Disney if you didn't know. Andy and I started dating there 20 years ago on a band trip in high school. The last time we went as a family I had just gotten back from Haiti and met Odette for the first time. I spent the whole trip wondering "what would the girls at the orphanage think of Disney, would Odette like this ride?" So since we had made the decision to adopt I couldn't wait to take her to Disney. Because our income tax check was bigger than expected we figured we better go while we had the money. Odette could not wrap her head around what vacation would look like. She kept saying "I know it will be fun but I don't want to go". But one day she asked if the room we were staying in would have lots of other people in it and if we had to eat with a bunch of people that we didn't know. We realized then it was not Disney that she was against but the unknown. She kept saying that she would just stay with Mamaw or Kelley. I told her that I would miss her too bad if I left her for 7 days & her response was "Mommy- I lived in Haiti for 10 years". Oh well, I guess she is right but I told her that I was sad for the year and a half I knew her and she wasn't here. She also said that she would miss Leah too much. In the end she finally went & she ended up having a great time. From our trips to Dollywood we knew that she was all about trill rides. The faster the better. She loved Expedition Everest, Rock 'n Roller Coaster, Test Track, and Space Mountain and she also loved some slower rides, her favorites- It's a Small World, Mickeys Philharmonic, Carousel of Progress, Toy Story Mania, Buzz Lightyear, and Peter Pan. Things this trip that made us laugh- she complained a lot about the heat & also would not use the restroom at the rest stop because it smelled bad. HELLO- the girl grew up in Haiti which smells not so pretty and is very hot (especially since she never had air conditioning before). I think she is ready for fall and winter which surprises us since we thought she would hate the cold. Also on vacation she decided that the fold- out couch was uncomfortable so she slept all week in the chair (I think part of that was to see if it would make us mad but we decided we had to pick our battles so we let her sleep in the chair). All in all it was a good vacation and we were glad to finally experience it with all our girls. But we are planning a long parents only long weekend in Disney as soon as we can afford it.

She now has decided that she loves the "cinema" and wants to go all the time. So far this summer we have seen Toy Story 3, Karate Kid and two free movies at Regal on Tuesday mornings. Karate Kid made her laugh so hard in parts that I am sure they heard her in the next theater. Wow that girl is LOUD!!!

She has told us that American food is much better and the only thing she really liked in Haiti was white rice with black bean sauce on the side. She likes most everything here (although most things she says she likes a "little bit"), but her new favorite is chicken casserole. She knows we only have it when daddy is not going to be home for dinner because he doesn't eat it so now she asks now "when does Daddy have a meeting all night" because she knows I will fix chicken casserole for her.

She talks daily about going back to Haiti. She really misses her family, her friends and her country. I asked early on if she wanted to go stay and she said "NO, I want to go visit then I am coming home". I love that she knows where home is but I also love her love for her country. She calls Eddy, our friend in Haiti that is helping with our paperwork, to see if he has been "working for her today". Right now her adoption still is not final and it is looking that it may be faster to adopt through the US. The big issue is that under normal laws she would not be a citizen for 2 years and will not be able to travel to Haiti until then. For a little girl who says at least once a day if not more "Mommy- I need to go to Haiti" two years is a long time. There is a bill that they are hopefully going to pass soon that will shorten this process to about 6- 8 months. Please be praying that this passes or something else happens to speed up the process. Most days I completely understand her desire to go to Haiti because I miss it terribly too. At this point I am going to try to wait to take my next trip until I can take her with me. Andy has a trip planned in September and she is very excited that he gets to go love on her friends and see her family.

Odette has been making bracelets and selling them for $1 to raise money to send to Haiti. Right now she is at $407 and is so excited that she can help her country in this way. We have spent many hours this summer on my bed watching NCIS (her new favorite show) and making bracelets.

Sorry for the lack of posts the last few months and the length of this one. Hopefully this has caught you up some on our crazy life.

Never Forgotten

2010-05-08T10:51:00.005-04:00

Today would have been Atanie Laurient's 5th birthday. It is amazing to me how many lives that this little girl touched in her four short years & also the lives that she continues to touch. I will forever be grateful for the 4 weeks I got to spend with Atanie. From the first day when I met that sweet little girl standing at the top of the orphanage stairs in her unbuttoned preemie size onsie sticking out of the top of her skirt, to the truck ride to Coq Chante on January 11th- I will cherish every minute together. I am especially thankful for the last week that I spent with her. We had some really special times when I stayed behind with the little girls while the team went on walks with the older girls. I don't know how many times I heard her & Guerline chant that week "Allyson, Allyson mwen pa gen sandals (I don't have sandals)". That big smile, precious laugh & the way she would wink at you will always be with me. The last night we spent at Camatin was one of the most fun times I ever spent with her. She was so full of life that night and we all spent time laughing and playing with her.

Odette misses Atanie more than I can say. She is still grieving for her but has spent a lot of time writing to her which I think is part of the healing process for her. Each letter she writes to her breaks my heart but none more the line "God love Atanie for me please."

To learn more about Atanie and be a part of the legacy that she is leaving behind please take a minute to visit www.atanieshope.org. The video of her saying "I want to say thank you" was taken at Camatin the last night we were with her.

Odette Baptism

2010-03-29T12:16:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was a big day for all of our family. For me it was a big reminder of God's bigness. Along the adoption journey I have set little goals for the day Odette would come home; by school starting, by Thanksgiving, by Christmas and the last goal I set in my mind and asked God for was by Spring Break. I know these goals were silly but it made the waiting not seem quite as bad as originally thinking she would not be home until Spring 2010 when we started the process in November 2008. As I made my new goal of Spring Break I asked God for that knowing that it would have to be a God thing to get her here then. Reading others time-lines I knew this would be a big deal to get her home in less than a year after our papers finally got to Haiti. I was reminded yesterday that God had a bigger plan than I could have ever imagined in place. Not only was she home on January 23, 2010 she got to step off a plane with 4 of her "sisters" & Wousamy. Not only was she home by Spring Break, she talked to us last week about her desire to be baptized on Sunday and then did a video recording in almost complete English. The bigness of God and his plans amazed me yesterday and made me so thankful for his special timing for these 6 children and I can't wait to see the plans that He has for the other 12 girls unfold in the near future.

Easter Bunny

2010-03-24T10:45:00.003-04:00

If you need a good laugh today here it is. Last week at English class Kevin told the girls about the Easter Bunny. He told them about this big bunny that was going to come into their house while they are sleeping and leave them an Easter basket. So for the last week Odette can't quit talking about it. She says if she wakes up in the middle of the night & sees the Easter Bunny (which when she says it it usually comes out as "Mister" Bunny) that she is going to kick him.

We were at the mall eating yesterday & she looked over the railing & said "Mommy what is that". I told her it was the Easter Bunny. She started laughing & said "I thought you & Kevin monte me (lied to me)". She couldn't eat her lunch because she was so busy watching him so I asked if she wanted to go down & see him & have her picture made & she said yes because she had to show her friends. At the last minute she almost chickened out but I finally convinced her to sit down (it makes me laugh how far apart they are) but it turned out to be a good picture of her & she said "Mommy I am beautiful today" (which is such a big step because everytime we tell her she is beautiful she says no!".

Update- Finally

2010-03-15T12:33:00.003-04:00

Sorry to those of you who check often for updates, I think daily about writing on here but then there are not enough hours in the day lately. Please bear with us as we learn what the new "normal" looks like in our lives. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support not just since the earthquake and Odette coming home but also through our entire journey to bring her home. Life now all seems like before the earthquake and after the earthquake. My trip to Haiti Jan. 4-11 now seems like a lifetime ago. It is hard to believe that Odette has now been home for over 7 weeks. Sometimes it seems that it hasn't been long and other days it seems like she has been here forever. She just fits in our family- she is definitely a Coleman girl.

Things I love:
*listening to Abby & Molly speak Creole to her
*listening to Taylor & Odette giggling in their bed together at night
*hearing her sweet Haitian voice singing in the other room
*watching her daddy swing her around and listening to the laugh it brings
*watching her experience each new thing
*knowing my whole family is safely tucked in bed under one roof each night
*helping her with her English & getting to watch her confidence grow
*listening to her and her friends speaking Creole to each other
*being around her when she is silly
*getting to hug & kiss her whenever I want (even if she fusses about it)
*seeing her walking down the hall at church- we have talked about it forever & it is really happening now
*that she is is home sick today & when she woke up from a nap she came & climbed in my lap and sat there a while

Firsts:
*water-fountains
*escalators, elevators, automatic doors
*automatic soap dispensers and air hand-driers
*cold weather
*snow
*going to the mall
*trying on clothes at a store
*warm bath & shower
*cold water out of the refrigerator door
*having a choice of what she wants to eat
*a warm house & air-conditioning
*computers
*microwaves
*riding a bike
*a playground to play on
*drive-thrus
*drawers full of clothes (she changes at least twice daily)
*a zoo full of animals that she had never seen & some never heard of
*swimming in a swimming pool
*ice skating (which she LOVES)
*seeing a washer & dryer
*using a vacuum cleaner (she tried to use the broom on the living room carpet so Taylor showed her how to use the vacuum cleaner)
*a potty that you flush each time you use it & plenty of toilet paper (we have had a record number of stopped-up potties in the last 7 weeks)
*trip to Krogers (she loves the "market" and wants to just walk around and look more when we finish shopping)
*valentine's day cards (try to explain valentines day to someone that just moved to America)
*trip to the movie theater
*singing & dancing on stage for Studio 252 at church
*trip to the Sunsphere

Communication
* is getting better every day. Our Creole is slowing getting better and her English is growing by leaps and bounds every day. Last night, Andy & I talked about how she is now speaking to us almost completely in English. Every once and a while there is a word that she doesn't know that we have to work to find out what she is trying to say but for the most part we understand each other.
*She has been working through the emotions of not only the earthquake but her life in Haiti before she came here. The more comfortable she feels with us the more she is beginning to share. We have learned that she was in the city at a house right next door to her aunt & uncle. She was with her mom, dad, brother & sister (they live in the city while they are going to school) & her cousin that lives near her parents in Coq Chante. She said she was scared and that a big rock fell on her leg. Her aunt, uncle and cousin were all killed during the earthquake an she was there when it happened. She says Port-au-Prince is bad and there were dead bodies everywhere. They started walking not long after the earthquake and walked until the next afternoon when they arrived at home. She has talked about how scary and bad Port-au-Prince is in the dark. I have ridden through there at night in a truck & it was bad enough- I can't imagine walking at night especially in the middle of a natural disaster. She has told us about the big blisters she had on her feet after walking that far. She told us that Eddy is the one that called and told her about Atanie dying. She said she cried and she also cried when she saw the orphanage. She is dealing with Atanie's death as best as she can. She wants to watch the video that Andy made for Lorie that has a bunch of pictures of Atanie all the time & talks about how Atanie is with Jesus.

*School
-For the first 6 weeks Odette stayed home with me. We would work on English during the day as we had time & mostly this just gave her time to adjust to her new life. She would go & sit in her desk in her classroom for a few hours on Fridays when I would volunteer. She got the point that she would ask every night if she would get to go to school with Taylor so we decided that she was finally ready. Because she has only been in school for 2 years consistently since she went to the orphanage in Feb. 2008 she is pretty far behind academically. She is going to 5th grade with Taylor and will repeat 5th grade again next year. This year is just to be immersed in the English language, learning the routine of school with Taylor there to help and for the social interaction. Right now she is just going until 11:15 which is 1/2 day (she started on March 5th). While she is there she gets 30 minutes with the English Language Learners teacher. So far she loves school, especially time in the classroom & ELL. She is struggling a little with the special area classes- gym, music & art. She has never had this many different teachers before so it is a learning experience for us all. Her school has been so great and supportive through this process and we really appreciate that they truly care for her and our family.
-Odette, Islande and Benita also have English class each Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday nights for an hour which is also a great help. We are very grateful to Ms. Rebecca for all of her time.
-Odette, Wousamy, Valancia & Islande are taking swim lessons each Tuesday & Thursday afternoon. They are all fearless and will be great swimmers by the summer.

Favorite foods:

Chicken, pork, hamburgers, fish, steak, rice, fruit (mangos, pineapple, apples, & bananas especially), vanilla ice cream, cinnamon toast crunch, cinnamon rolls, water, sprite & coke, ice cream sandwiches, popcorn, spaghetti, baked potatoes

Does not like:

Vegetables (except corn & lettuce), pizza, yogurt, milkshakes, not crazy about chocolate

The other girls:
*The girls still enjoy spending as much time together as they can. At first they just wanted to check out each others houses to make sure that everyone was being taken care of. Every time that we got together Odette would pack a bag of various items to share with the other girls including coke, crunch and munch, capri-suns, mangoes, apples, pineapple and my favorite was the can of chicken that Benita brought to Odette. That stopped for the most part after the first couple of weeks so I guess they see that their friends really are taken care of and have the same kinds of things that they have at their houses to eat.
*We have had many playdates, sleepovers and their time together at church, swim lessons, and English lessons really have been a big help to their adjusting to their new life. I love how much they love each other & am so thankful for God's goodness in bringing them all here together.

Our newest family member:
*we added our newest member Callie, a 7 week old yorkie poo on March 4th. This was a Christmas present for the girls and we never imagined that Odette would be home before we found a puppy. I am glad that she has been here to be a part of the process. She only has met a couple of dogs that she likes so we were afraid that she wouldn't like the puppy at all. She has done really well with her so far & likes her most of the time.

Emotions:
*this is the hardest part of the whole homecoming & something we would appreciate prayer for. Haitians for the most part don't show a lot of emotion. In a county that daily life is so hard you being sad or mad is really a low priority. There are times when Odette just completely shuts down, we know that she is either sad or mad but getting to the bottom of the problem takes a lot of work. She has probably never been questioned about what is wrong before when she goes off by herself. We are trying to teach her that that is part of being a family, that we are her parents and we really do care about what has made her sad or mad. There have been many tears shed worrying about her and just wanting to be able to get through to her. For the most part this is getting better but there are still days that are hard. But God did not promise this would be easy, he just asked for obedience and is walking with us every step of the way. We are just trying to keep the lines of communication as open as we can & try to be aware of when she is headed into one of the moods so we can stop it before it gets too far. One night last week she refused to talk to us for hours before bed other than to say that she was sad & that she would not tell us why. This continued into bedtime and the next morning & when she finally decided to tell us that she was "sad at me because I told her we would look at Haiti videos later & I forgot". I even mentioned this the night before & she wouldn't admit that was what was wrong. So this part of the journey is taking a lot of patience, understanding, prayer, and just standing firm so she knows this is what being what a family looks like and her moods will not make us love her any less.

I am sure there are many things that I have left out but I will continue to update as I think of them. I will also post some pictures in the next few days.

Allyson

GREAT ARTICLE FROM ROB ZIMMER ABOUT BRINGING THE KIDS HOME

2010-02-25T07:32:00.001-05:00

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/feb/12/haiti-orphan-evacuation-front-seat-view/

EDITOR'S NOTE: Robin Zimmer is executive director of the Center for Truth Discovery, a part of ProVision Foundation, and he's an elder at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church. He was aboard one of the two planes that brought six Haitian orphans to Knoxville last month. He's written this first-hand account.

Atlanta Air Traffic Control Center has just passed us off to Knoxville approach.

We confirm our intentions, confirm that we have heard the automated weather brief for McGhee Tyson Airport, and we are soon passed off to the tower.

It is Saturday, Jan. 23, and we are cleared to land on runway 5 right. The King Air 200 is slowed, flaps are deployed and the landing gear grinds down with all 3 green indicator lights aglow in the cockpit (gear down and locked).

We have already called TACAir, the fixed based operator for general aviation in Knoxville to inform them that we are inbound with some VIPs.

Behind the cockpit bulkhead sit 3 Haitian orphans, Wousamy Bates, Odette Coleman and Islande Stout, their new parents and a news camerawomen from WBIR TV. Three additional orphans also from the Cog Chant orphanage in Haiti and their parents are ahead of us in a Falcon jet donated by Pilot Corp.

Little did we know of the reception awaiting us at TACAir. Two hundred teary-eyed friends and family from White Stone Church as well as the local news media jammed the airport's small general aviation reception lounge.

This event had such an effect on me that I feel compelled to pass on some notes of my "front seat view" of the entire process and my thoughts on its significance.

I suppose I should begin by stating that if you ever questioned your belief in an omnipotent and loving God, I wish you could have ridden along with us on this little adventure. Suffice it to say, your doubts would have been put to rest.

It all began on the tarmac at McGhee Tyson. It was Tuesday late afternoon, Jan. 19, and I was about to climb into the right co-pilot's seat of a twin turbo King Air captained by Mr. Adrian Van Zyl, a South African born pro with over 16,000 hours of total flight time.

Behind us sat three medical doctors, an EMT, a pastor and a special forces trained security guy. In addition to the eight souls on board, hundreds of pounds of medical supplies, water, food and donated clothes were stuffed into the cargo area.

Given the fuel, people and supplies, this was one heavy airplane rolling out for take-off in Knoxville.

First stop - Ft. Lauderdale's Executive airport, where we would stay the night and leave early the following morning. By 6 a.m., everyone was back on board for the 2 hour direct flight to Providenciales in the British West Indies.

Provo, as it is commonly called, is an ideal staging area for private flights into and out of Haiti. Since re-fueling in Haiti would not be possible, we needed to go in carrying enough for a round trip back out to Provo.

The folks at Provo Flight Center could not have been more accommodating or nicer. Locals stuffed the reception lounge with bottled water, fruit, cookies, hard boiled eggs and PB&J sandwiches for flight crews, medical personnel and Haitian refugees. While we were getting our paperwork in order and confirmed, a New York gentleman offered 80 large tents for transport into Haiti. At 40 pounds a piece, Capt. Adrian and I exchanged looks as we both knew we were already pushing "gross takeoff weight."

But the Captain glanced down and simply said, "We just can't let those kids spend another night without some sort of cover."

We jammed two tents and poles on-board and prepared for takeoff to Jacmel on the south coast of Haiti. It is important to understand that since the quake, all Haiti airspace was officially closed and only airplanes with pre-approved "landing slots" or fly over approval could enter.

Adrian Van Zyl and his RTG Mission Flights had already gotten full approval for our flight into the non-towered airport of Jacmel and its 3,400 foot long landing strip.

I was about to learn a lot about international relief flying from this guy……..an awful lot.

En route from Provo, we passed directly over Port au Prince and directly through this airspace by Haiti traffic control. We listened intently as aircraft bound for Port au Prince were being instructed to enter stacked holding patterns with expectations of 1 to 2 hour delays prior to receiving landing clearance. Jacmel was just to the south over a significant mountain range.

In addition to mountainous terrain, Jacmel airport was non-towered and had no lights or instrument approach capabilities. If the runway is not clearly visible, no approach and no landing - simple as that.

But it just so happened that the weather was clear, ceiling high and we were able to approach for a southerly landing (180<0x00B0> on the compass).

The only problem was that in addition to no tower, there was no common traffic frequency to communicate with other aircraft and the place was abuzz with military helicopters and other fixed wing aircraft, all with intentions to take-off or land.

Prudently, we circled the small field three times while Adrian and I glued our eyes for other traffic.

Cockpit chatter was succinct and all business: "Cessna at 2 o'clock…..got him? Navy chopper just lifted off coming our way…..got him? Got the radio tower at 4 o'clock? How 'bout the Caravan level with us at 9 o'clock?"

This intense cockpit dialogue went on as we lowered and raised our gear to signal our intentions. Such action was our only means of communicating our intentions at this very small field nestled right up into mountainous foothills to the north and the turquoise Caribbean waters a hundred meters off the runway to the south.

We landed, off-loaded the incoming team and cargo and quickly returned to Provo. The plane's insurer made it clear………..no overnight parking on Haitian soil. After passing through customs at Provo in the British West Indies, Adrian and I enjoyed a few cold beers and maybe the best conch chowder ever made.

We discussed the need to come back down and pick up six orphans stranded in Jacmel and how the paperwork for entry into the U.S. would probably take another week or maybe more. What a shame we could not get them sooner.

Adrian also explained how he crashed a plane into a mountain in South Africa many years ago following engine failure and that he was not expected to live. In fact, the doctors informed his family that there was simply no chance for recovery. He was comatose for months and spent three years in the hospital and rehab.

I asked him if perhaps, just perhaps, God pulled him through because years later he would be called upon for a special mission to pick up six orphans from a remote little landing strip in a place called Jacmel, Haiti.

"That may very well be," he conceded with a smile, and we both retired early for a good night's rest before leaving for home on Thursday morning.

On Thursday the 21st, we departed Provo and flew directly back into Ft. Lauderdale Executive airport to pass through customs and re-fuel for the trip back to Knoxville. A quick check of the weather radar showed a solid line of really bad weather laying across most of the panhandle of Florida and extending offshore past Jacksonville.

This violent weather (red and yellows on the radar) lay directly in our flight path and alerts were being broadcast to include altitudes of over 50,000 feet. Just too high to go over and just too expansive to go around…….we were stuck and were not going anywhere until the weather blew off and out to sea.

There was just no way the storm would linger and block our route home any more than an hour or so. It would have to keep moving northeast and out of our way. Two hours later, and we were amazed when the radar indicated the storm had stalled and would remain an impenetrable road block for quite some time.

It just so happened that this extraordinary weather delay was just enough time for U.S. Sen. Bob Corker's office to finish up paperwork for the orphans and for Kevin Rudd to call from White Stone Church in Knoxville and ask if there was any way possible to return to Haiti (Jacmel) and pick up the six kids.

Kevin would fly commercial late that night after the storm finally cleared and meet us in Ft. Lauderdale to join us for the pick-up in Haiti. If the weather was clear in North Florida or simply not as expansive in size, Adrian and I would have already been en route to Knoxville and we would have missed Kevin's urgent late afternoon request.

We checked into a couple of hotel rooms near the airport and rested for a few hours before returning around 4:30 AM for the return to Provo and Jacmel for the kids. Kevin Rudd met us at the plane and we were airborne by 5:30.

After picking up fuel in Provo and checking papers and flight plans, it was time to make our way back into Jacmel.

Kevin was in touch with our team collecting the kids at the orphanage, and we stressed that the kids would have to be waiting at the airport for our arrival. We would have no time to wait because a very difficult and stressful flight into Port au Prince (PaP) would follow the pick up in Jacmel.

In order for the kids to be cleared for passage into the U.S. under the "Humanitarian Parole" program, papers would need to be picked up at the U.S. Embassy in PaP with the kids present on the ground.

While preparing for departure out of Provo, local community members wanted their ages and relative sizes so that they could buy and collect clothes and arrange for overnight accommodations once we got them out of PaP with proper papers.

The three of us departed Provo with full fuel knowing there would be no re-fueling in Haiti. Moreover, weather reports over the southern coast of Haiti were not available and we knew the only way in was under "VFR" (Visual Flight Rules). In other words, we had to be able to fully see the approaching Jacmel runway, otherwise the evacuation would be aborted.

We again crossed the Haitian border from the north over Cap Haitian, and just as we flew over the mountains, it just so happened that the little Jacmel airstrip was in full view.

We could not believe our eyes.

I glanced down at our GPS unit and at a distance of 35.4 miles, the tiny white airstrip was virtually aglow in the center of our windscreen. There awaiting our arrival were six orphans ranging in age from 7 to 12 who had never seen or experienced anything outside their meager Haitian living conditions.

Thanks to the seasoned veteran in the left seat, the landing was unremarkable and there at the end of the runway stood 6 tiny figures huddled closely together while clutching torn baby dolls. Whatever this significant life change would bring, they would face it together drawing courage from one another.

We loaded them and strapped them in as quickly as possible and reviewed the takeoff checklist. Given the takeoff weight of the 6 kids, 2 adult caretakers, the 2 of us in the cockpit and a liberal amount of fuel, every inch of the short strip was used.

The end of the strip was marked by a crowded road, hundreds of partially collapsed corrugated huts and palm trees which seem to have been strategically placed to snag landing gears. We cleared them at a level close enough to see facial details of the Haitians staring up with pitiful expressions of hopeless desperation.

These were the thousands being left behind.

Again, we carried a great deal of fuel with the expectation of an hour or more holding over Port au Prince - our destination to meet with the U.S. Embassy.

Although we had a landing slot into Haiti, we fully expected very complicated approach instructions from Port au Prince tower and a long holding pattern prior to entry. It is Friday and if we cannot get to the U.S. Embassy before it closes at 4:30 PM or so. we will be stranded with these children and no place to go. Without proper U.S. Embassy papers, we cannot take them to Provo - a British Colony and we cannot take them into the U.S.

Also, with no landing lights behind us at Jacmel, a return to the orphanage is out of the question.

To put things into perspective, approximately 1,400 aircraft from around the world are trying to enter into Haiti airspace and land at Port au Prince.

A total of 120 to 140 per day actually get cleared to land.

With charts open across our laps and pens poised for holding instructions, we called Port au Prince tower and announced that we were inbound from Jacmel.

The tower immediately responded: "King Air two one Delta Echo cleared to land runway 10."

Adrian and I looked at each other in total disbelief.

"Did he say we are cleared to land, as in like right now?"

The tower had no idea of two one Delta Echo's urgent appointment and the need to get these kids processed. Of the hundreds of aircraft touching down into Port au Prince since the quake, very few, if any at all, have been given straight in landing clearances. The odds against such an occurrence seem astronomical.

I turned and starred back into the cabin and thought: "These kids must truly be VIPs, but whose VIPs?"

I think I had my answer.

"Seat belts all on?" I asked.

I was greeted with smiles that would have lit up a stage production.

Upon landing, we were directed to park on the grass adjacent to the main taxi-way by U.S. National Guard personnel.

It struck me that the PaP airport looked very much like a war theatre. Military transports, helicopters, troops, land troop carriers punctuated the entire field. Supplies were being off-loaded from fixed wing C-5s and stacked in the infield for subsequent transport into down town Port au Prince via military trucks and cargo choppers.

Now, I am simply not smart enough to know why this quake happened, but the response to it in the form of aid was on a scale that was overwhelming and virtually incomprehensible.

Is it possible that God was announcing: "The Haitians are my people and this is my army. Enough is enough and we are coming in mass from around the globe to assist, care for and provide relief for my beleaguered children in Haiti."

I must say, of all the nations engaged in this conflict, it was pretty clear that America was leading the charge. What a proud moment to see the U.S. in its usual leadership role.

To all the geopolitical second-guessers around the world, make no mistake - like many other natural catastrophes, the U.S. was first in and will probably again be the last out while employing more aid resources than all other nations combined.

We off-loaded the kids and tucked them under the shade of the wing while Kevin Rudd and 2 others ran off to the US Embassy to procure final paperwork. We waited for just over 5 hours watching the coordinated air ballet around us.

What a show.

U.S. Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard, Red Cross and planes from dozens of other nations all working in concert for "Haiti Relief."

Five hours in the hot sun is almost too much to ask most kids, but not these. They napped, waved at taxiing flight crews and sat quietly displaying a genuine air of appreciation for all that was being done.

How could these little kids be this good for so long in the hot sun?

The answer: Unlike most, if not all, of us in the developed world, they carried no expectations, no demands and had no assets at risk other than the clothes on their backs and their very lives. They were simply waiting patiently for their new life in a land they had never seen or experienced.

What a lesson for us all.

Departing Port au Prince around 4:30, we shot over to Provo for fuel, a nice dinner and a good night's rest.

Saturday would be the final leg into the U.S. Arrival into the Ft. Lauderdale Executive airport was uneventful and as we taxied up to the U.S. Customs office, I noticed that at least one new parent for each child was waiting outside the fence cheering and crying at the same time.

The U.S. Customs officials in Ft. Lauderdale could not have been nicer, but it took quite some time to get all 6 kids' paperwork properly submitted. At one point, I leaned over to sip from a water fountain on the wall in the Customs office and I noticed at least 3 pairs of little eyes staring in wonderment with mouths agape.

It suddenly dawned on me that they had never seen such a box that provided clear, clean cold water simply by depressing a button.

When rain water cisterns were dry in Haiti, these kids would walk 2 hours to fill up 5 gallon buckets from a stream and carry them balanced on their heads for the 2-hour walk back to the orphanage.

What an acclimation awaited them. They were about to taste the wonderment of a rich civilization and freedoms that boggle the mind. My sincere hope is that they remember to distinguish between "needs" versus "wants."

Too often, we confuse the two, and this confusion is a social contaminant that pollutes the soul of wealthy citizens around the world. It is one contaminant not found in Haiti.

After rendezvousing with the Falcon jet donated by Pilot Corp., we split the kids and families into 2 groups and our party headed back to Knoxville in separate planes. We delivered the VIPs into the welcoming arms and tears of new family, new friends, new surroundings, new comforts, new liberties and a new country - the United States of America.

What a privilege it was for me to have a front seat view of this event which will mark a new life for six Haitian orphans.

Wousamy Bates, Odette Coleman, Dieula Fitzpatrick, Benitha Rudd, Islande Stout and Valenzia Zimmerman - welcome to America and God bless you all.

© 2010, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/feb/12/haiti-orphan-evacuation-front-seat-view/

SNOW, BIKES, FRIENDS

2010-02-20T09:45:00.002-05:00

Odette in the snow

2010-02-04T17:12:00.002-05:00

Sorry for taking so long to post. Life has been as crazy as you could imagine. Here is odette in the snow. Yes, she is wearing boots and shorts.

God is GOOD!!

2010-01-24T21:02:00.002-05:00

Wow. I don't even know where to start. I want to go back and blog about the crazy week that lead up to her homecoming but I will get now to what everyone wants to know- how has it been since she has been home. Things have been great. It is still completely surreal and I still can't believe it when I see her walking around our house! We left the airport and came home for a few minutes for Andy to pick up something. She got to see her room for the first time. She was so excited and laughed about Chester the girls big horse in Taylor's room and quickly got on it to ride it. She made her way through some of the different rooms and met Sammy our cat. It is funny that she really doesn't know how to pet him. Animals in Haiti are looked at very different than they are here and they probably think it is crazy that we have animals living in our house and that we pet them and pay attention to them.

We then headed to Chick-fil-a for her first play place experience. She is 10 years old and has never been on a slide (unless you count sliding down the inclines on the roof at Camatin). Then we sat down for chicken and fries and a coke. She loved it all but you could tell she was tired because she didn't want to go back and play. We then took her first trip to Target to get her some shoes to wear to church. She was amazed by the huge store & we just enjoyed watching her face as she looked through clothes (well if you count doing the ugly cry in the middle of Target enjoying). She asked for a couple of things and we told her we would wait until later and she immediately put them back. We let her pick out a pair of shoes and then to her to the hair aisle to pick out hair accessories and combs, and then let her pick out some lotion. As we were paying I reached in my pocket to get my credit card and instead pulled out a Target card. On one of the packages she received at the airport had a gift card on it and it was falling off so I stuck it in my pocket and had forgotten about it. I am not even sure who it was from but if you are reading this- thank you!! That was a big happy last night!!

We headed back home and let her open a few of her Christmas presents, she explored the house some more. Then she took her first warm bubble bath (she loved it- she put bubbles all over her face and made a big mess in the bathroom splashing). Before their bath the girls were all upstairs laughing and when I asked why Taylor said she was laughing because they took off their panties to get ready for their bath. She came down the steps in her towel still giggling. In the orphanage they take a bath in their panties and when they finish they hand-wash their panties and hang them up to dry. Taylor then spent an hour braiding her hair & then they went to sleep. What a precious moment it was to walk in the girls rooms and kiss 4 girls goodnight and go to bed with such a peace knowing all of our family was under one roof safe and cuddled in their beds.

Andy said this morning when he came down from his shower that Odette and Taylor were up and Odette was in Abby & Molly's room hitting their bed with a scarf and trying to wake them up so he had to stop her. She spent the morning just going from one thing to another in our house. I think there is too much to do and she can't decide what to do first. So far her favorite thing is her balloons she got at the airport.

Watching her she is so much like a toddler exploring their environment. Little things that we didn't think about amaze us: the girls had to teach her at Chick-fil-a how to open her straw, I had to teach her at church how to tear the paper towels off the paper towel dispenser, that hot water comes out of the faucet, and the list I'm sure will continue to grow.

She took the hair down that Taylor fixed and she fixed her own hair this morning in pigtails. They have never really had the freedom to fix their hair themselves so this will be a learning process for us all.

Andy came and picked us up for church and we got to ride together as a family. She seemed to enjoy church and mostly enjoyed getting to talk to the other adoptive girls. I love watching them talk to each other and loving on each other. So far today Odette has asked to call Valancia and go to her house and she has gotten a call from Islande and Benita too. Before bed she told me tomorrow she wants to go to Benita's house. God knew that these girls were going to need each other so much that he brought them here at the same time so the could be together.

She asked for pork for lunch (that is the only word that I have not understood yet but luckily Brian was close so he was able to help out). We went to Mandarin House because she wanted rice too and we thought they had some pork dishes. They really didn't but she liked most things that she tried and was completely fascinated by the fish tanks. She kept leaving the table just to go look.

She spent the afternoon playing and changing clothes. I think she had on at least two outfits and redid her hair again. She starting washing the dishes in our sink so Taylor showed how how to load them in the dishwasher.

For dinner she wanted fish so we got Long John Silvers (I promise that I can cook but I doubt she knows that other than the cinnamon rolls that I made for breakfast). She had fun playing at Valancia's but then she came and said in English "Let's go home." Which is now my favorite words that she says. It took us a little while to convince her to go to bed but she finally did. She was talking about school tomorrow and I had to tell her that Abby, Molly & Taylor are going to school but she was going to stay with me. She seemed fine with that and that is when she told me that we could go to Benita's tomorrow.

Well this ended up longer than I thought but I am sure there are other details I left out but I will update as I remember them. Thanks again for everyone's support and prayers through this entire journey to bring our little girl home where she belongs!!

ODETTE, ALLYSON & THE OTHERS ARE ON THEIR WAY

2010-01-23T14:42:00.001-05:00

Ally just called. They are on the plane preparing for take off. Here is a link to follow their flight.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N21DE

ODETTE IN IMMIGRATION!!!!

2010-01-23T12:39:00.002-05:00

SHE IS ON AMERICAN SOIL

2010-01-23T11:41:00.002-05:00

Allyson just called to say that they see everybody and that they are on the ground. SHE'S REALLY IN THE U.S. ALONG WITH THE OTHERS!!!!! The parents have already gotten in trouble for taking pictures. They now have an idea of what its like for the girls to be waiting on us at the orphanage.

Allyson and the others on the way...

2010-01-23T09:50:00.001-05:00

I just talked to Allyson. The shuttle is taking them to the airport where the plane is to be landing. Will post when Allyson has her hands on Odette.

ALLYSON - TO THE AIRPORT!!!!

2010-01-22T16:23:00.002-05:00

Allyson is headed to the airport right now to catch a flight to Miami with the other parents.

THEY HAVE THE PAPERS!!!

2010-01-22T14:31:00.002-05:00

Kevin has the papers and is on his way back to the airport.

AT THE AIRPORT RIGHT NOW

2010-01-22T14:28:00.003-05:00

Here is video that Brian Lloyd of Harvest Field Ministries (harvestfieldhaiti.org) took of the kids sleeping in the shade of the plane.

Almost Home

2010-01-22T11:33:00.005-05:00

The last 24 hours have been crazy. It has been a complete emotional roller coaster but God has been there in every detail and our girls & Wousamy are COMING HOME!!! Kevin flew in to Jacmel at 9:40 this morning and picked up the girls and Brian and they took right back off and headed to Port-au-Prince airport. Brian and the pilots stayed with the kids at the airport while Kevin went to the Embassy to process our paperwork. Be praying that that all goes as smoothly as planned. Then they will take off and land in the Virgin Islands to refuel and spend the night. One of each of the adoptive couples has to meet them in Fort Lauderdale in the morning to process more paperwork. So at 5:51 one tonight I (Allyson) will be headed from McGhee Tyson to Fort Lauderdale along with the other families. We will spend the night there and will head to the airport in the morning to see our kids. I still can't wrap my head around that but maybe it will hit when I am seated on the plane & can have a few hours to process it all. We still aren't quite sure what the return flight will look like but we hope to know better times by tonight or tomorrow morning. Andy will post on here when we find out. Please continue to pray for safe travel for us and the kids and adults flying from Haiti. We received this picture a few minutes ago which makes it more real (it is all 5 girls, Wousamy and the 2 pilots). All this year thinking about how it would be to go pick her up and bring her home it sure did not look like this but God is in control and I know his plans for us usually are far better than what we can imagine ourselves.

Updates

2010-01-20T08:52:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the lack of updates in the last day or so, life is just crazy right now. As I type this I am amazed that it has just been a week since the earthquake and that I have only been home from Haiti 9 days at this point. It feels like forever.

On Monday I took a trip with 6 other people at our church to a meeting at Coopers office in Nashville to discuss the hopeful Humanitarian Parole and what the next weeks might look like. I will never be able to thank the staff and Cooper & Corkers offices for all of their help in this process. The meeting went well and we found out about an hour later that the Humanitarian Parole was passed and that our girls will be coming home. The first group of girls coming home will be the 5 girls in the process of adoption: Odette, Benita, Dieula, Islande & Valancia & also Wousamy that is being adopted by a couple at our church. Things are looking hopeful that we will later be able to bring the rest of the 12 girls home too.

We got news last night that this may happen much faster than we thought. Once plane arrangements have been made, Andy & Kevin will be flying to bring our 5 girls and Wousamy home. I can't believe it and it still does not seem completely real. We don't have details about exact dates now but I will let you know as soon as I find them out. But there is a good chance that we will have our kids home by early next week. Thanks for all your prayers and support during this time. It amazes me how many people now know about our girls and know their names. We have always said we would love it if we could go pick up the girls together so no one would be alone here & I am amazed by God and although I don't know the full picture of His plan I am in awe as each part is revealed.

I did get word for Rachel today that she talked to Brian and he walked to Odette's house yesterday to check on her. He had not seen her yet and had only heard that she was ok. He said she is good, she was playing and seemed pretty happy. She did have blisters on her feet from walking from Port-au-Prince but they are starting to heal & he cleaned them up and treated them for her. (I can't remember if we told you that we found out that her parents and her started walking from City of God in Port au Prince on Tuesday night and arrived at Coq Chante Wednesday afternoon- the trip is a 3 hour truck ride so I can't imagine walking that far- I think we have a pretty tough little girl!). Brian said she was really happy to see him but more excited that Hippolite was with him so nothing has changed- Hippolite has always been her favorite.

SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP AFTER EARTHQUAKE

2010-01-18T11:35:00.004-05:00

Worship at Coq Chante this Morning

2010-01-17T19:49:00.003-05:00

Latest email update from our church

2010-01-17T08:15:00.001-05:00

We received more good news today on several fronts.

Here's the latest:

- WOUSAMI IS SAFE!!! - Brian finally made it to Belloc today and verified that Wousami and his family are all fine, including Samuel who we finally got to talk to today. All the homes in Belloc are destroyed, but the people we know the best are all fine. (You can now exhale finally Bates family). Hallelujah!!

- BRIAN MADE IT TO COQ CHANTE AND SAW "OUR GIRLS" WITH HIS OWN EYES: They are doing well, although their food supply will only last for one more week. Water is scarce, but they have been drinking juice from chadeks (grapefruits) growing around the orphanage.

- ROAD TO JACMEL REPORTEDLY CLEAR: This is great news for our mission team scheduled to leave on Tuesday -- It makes ground transportation and safety much less of a concern. Brian and a few Haitian friends were taking the truck to Jacmel this afternoon to see for themselves. As of now, I haven't gotten any confirmation about what they saw.

It's late. More to come tomorrow. Good night.

Blessings,

Mark Zimmerman
White Stone Church

Hard to see pictures

2010-01-16T18:27:00.006-05:00

Coq Chante Church, School & Orphanage Before:

Coq Chante Church, School & Orphanage After:

Words can't describe how I feel seeing this. It is too hard to believe that I stood and cried on that top balcony on Monday after I said good-bye to Odette & a little over 24 hours later it is gone. If you have not been there, on the top floor it took out the front balcony and the first room on the left & right, the left was where they kept their new sewing machines and the room on the right is where Pastor & Madame Gaspard slept. It also took out the wall into some of the girls rooms.

Latest email update from our church

2010-01-16T10:18:00.000-05:00

Things continue to change and evolve. Here's the latest:

- ODETTE BACK AT COQ CHANTE: We just got word that Odette is back with the other girls. She was at "City of God" when the quake hit -- a church that completely collapsed. It is a miracle that she survived. Only the hand of God could have protected her. We don't know how she was able to make it back to the mountains -- but she did! Praise God!!

- SAMUEL TRYING TO CONTACT US: This is great news! Samuel is Wousami's older brother. We have had no contact from him or anyone from Belloc. We haven't been able to talk to him yet, but at least we know he is alive! Brian will stop by Belloc today on his way to Coq Chante. Pray for a good report on Wousami's family today!

- NO WATER AT THE ORPHANAGE: We have just learned that all the cisterns collapsed at Coq Chante and they lost all of their water supply. They haven't had water in several days. Their spirits are good, but the situation is very serious. Brian is trying to make his way up the mountain today -- he will try to find water on the way -- no easy task. Pray! PS (The girls could be heard singing in the background when Brian talked to them on the phone -- some things haven't changed!)

- BRINGING THE GIRLS HOME: We continue to work with political leaders to facilitate getting all the girls here as soon as possible. It looks like the best opportunity is to bring them through a process called "Humanitarian Parole". It is by no means a done deal. Much work to do. Need favor with some people in high position. Pray that God would allow this to happen quickly!

JACMEL AIRPORT OPENED: This is a huge answer to prayer. We are still not sure our team can land there on Tuesday -- but at least it is progress.

WE NEED A HELICOPTER: We are doing everything we know to do to find a helicopter that can bring us from an airstrip in the Dominican, Jacmel, or wherever we end up landing. The US government is likely our best chance. We are contacting everyone we know who may be able to call in a favor for us. If you know of anyone who can help ... make the call!

ROAD FROM JACMEL TO COQCHANTE REPAIRED: This means there may be a chance to get our White Truck to Jacmel to pick up our Team, but more importantly, to bring in supplies.

INFORMATION MEETING TOMORROW AFTER WORSHIP: Things are changing so quickly, I am planning a meeting after worship tomorrow to talk specifically about the details of bringing the girls to Knoxville. Anyone interested is welcome to stay.

THANK YOU FOR OVERWHELMING RESPONSE TO HOUSING GIRLS: At this point we have no idea who will be staying where, but we needed to be able to show the government that there is broad scale support for caring for these girls in Knoxville. I'll share more information about this at tomorrow's meeting.

- MONA, RICAYINA, AND RYAN COMING TO KNOXVILLE TOMORROW: Mona is Pastor Nicolas' wife, Ricayina and Ryan are Ricot's children (anyone who has met these two has immediately fallen in love with them). Ricot is afraid for their safety, so he is sending them to Knoxville to join thr mother tomorrow.

That's all for now. More to come shortly

Blessings,

Mark Zimmerman
White Stone Church

SHE IS BACK AT COQ CHANTE

2010-01-16T08:51:00.002-05:00

We received this email this morning:

On Jan 16, 2010, at 8:34 AM, Brian Lloyd wrote:

U know she is back at coq chante now right?
She was at city of god when quake hit. It is totally destroyed. Absolute miracle they are ok. God protected her.
---------------------------------

What we are hearing about the city is not good and we are very thankful she is not there.

WAYS TO HELP

2010-01-14T14:16:00.004-05:00

If you would like to help the girls and rebuild the Coq Chante orphange go to www.whitestonechurch.org to make a donation.

Newest email update from church

2010-01-14T12:58:00.001-05:00

God is moving in a mighty way today! Here's latest . . .

- ODETTE IS SAFE: Praise God! She is with her birth mother in Port au Prince. Ricot can't get to her right away, but she is safe!!!

- HIPPOLITE IS SAFE! Hippolite, a former orphan who grew up in Pastor Nicolas' house, is the ultimate servant. He's been involved in every trip I've ever taken to Haiti.

- ESTEMINE IS SAFE! Estemine is the female version of Hippolite -- an orphan that Pastor Nicolas took in -- now the ultimate picture of beauty and grace

- EVELYN IS SAFE! Many of you know Evelyn from her time in the States.

- AGATHE'S FAMILY IS SAFE! Agathe is overseeing the girls at the orphanage, but her family was in Port au Prince -- they are all good, including her own little adoptive daughter, Garthland.

- LOZAMA IS SAFE! Lozama cooks for us on every trip.

- JABAY IS SAFE! Jabay is an incredible young man with a million dollar smile and a heart to match.

- MARY FLO IS SAFE! Mary Flo is another beautiful soul that helps serve us often.

- SANTELAH IS SAFE! Santelah is Mary Flo's mother, and she helps in the kitchen for all our trips.

- ALFRED IS SAFE! Alfred is Evelyn's husband, and he is also our driver. He is actually at Coq Chante with the girls and THE WHITE TRUCK! That's right . . . our truck is safe too!

- THE GIRLS HAVE ACCESS TO THEIR FOOD SUPPLY: The month's supply of food that we just left for the orphanage was not destroyed. The girl's are eating well and are sleeping in the back of the big truck.

- MEDIA PUBLICITY IS SPREADING: Another local newscast will report tonight (WVLT) and tomorrow morning "Good Morning America" will interview Lorie Johnson live!!!! Atanie's life is already having a huge impact in getting the story of all the girls out all across America. Pray that God would use it all for His Glory!

- SAMARITAN'S PURSE TO DO HELICOPTER DROP OF FOOD AND SUPPLIES AT COQ CHANTE AND CAMATIN: Through the efforts of two very distracted 5th grade teachers at Copper Ridge Elementary, and a very sweet lady from the Samaritan's Purse, God is making a way to do a helicopter drop of food and supplies to our friends at Coq Chante and Camitin. God continues to amaze me at how intentional HE is!!!!

WHITE STONE EMERENCY RELIEF TRIP IN THE WORKS: God is continuing to work out the details to get a team a 5-6 men from White Stone on the ground in Haiti in the coming days. Pray that God continue to knock down every barrier that stands between us and the work Hehas called us to do.

ONE VERY SAD NOTE -- PASTOR MENES DAUGHTER, BEREMY, IS DEAD: Please pray for Pastor Menes -- this was his "baby girl" and he adored her. Beremy died when her school collapsed.

More details as I get them. Keep praying. God continues to answer prayer!

Blessings,

Mark Zimmerman
White Stone Church

THANK GOD!!!

2010-01-14T11:15:00.003-05:00

We just received word that Odette is ok and with her mother. Will post more later!!!

Latest email update from our church

2010-01-14T10:22:00.000-05:00

Blessings White Stone family. Yesterday was a very long day, with many tears for lives lost, but with much hope as we hear stories of God's deliverance.

Thanks to all who joined the incredible turnout to pray last night for our friends and family in Haiti.

Here are the latest things we know:

- PASTOR RONNIGUE IS DEAD: Pastor Ronnigue was the spritual leader of the 25 churches that Pastor Nicolas started in Haiti. After Pastor Nicolas' death last year, Pastor Ronnigue's role became even more vital. He was Brian Lloyd's primary partner in reaching out to all these churches in Haiti. He was the man who gave spiritual leadership to all the churches, and trained and equipped the pastors. This loss is devestating. He was an incredible man of God

- BELLOC DESTROYED: Belloc was the first church, school, and orphanage that we ever worked in. At the time it housed an orphanage for boys. When Pastor Nicolas got sick, they had to close the orphanage and send the boys away, however the school and church were still operating. No word on any human casualties, but both buildings at Belloc were totally flattened. No word on Wousamy and his family yet.

- CAMATIN SAFE: Praise God for this!!!! This is the place where our mission teams stay. It is an incredible facility. Big enough and close enough to house all the girls from Coq Chante. Pastor Moises is doing well, although he has many dead in his community. He is taking care of many people at Camatin. He will try to send a person on motorcycle to Coq Chante today to tell the girls to walk to Camatin.

- ODETTE: Still no word on Odette. Keep praying for her safety.

- BRIAN LLOYD ON HIS WAY TO DOMINCAN REPUBLIC: Brian is in the air as I type this. He will try to work his way across the border into Haiti tomorrow. Pray!

- OTHER BIG STUFF IN THE WORKS: Pray for several meetings today with political leaders here in TN that could make a way to bring "our girls" home. I'll pass on more details later -- just pray for God's favor on these meetings. Pray for big things, huge miracles!

That's all for now. I love you. Blessings

Mark Zimmerman
White Stone Church

Still No News

2010-01-14T08:36:00.002-05:00

There is still no news about Odette. They tried numerous times during the night to get through to Eddy but could not. At this point I am sure most cell phones are dead because there is no way to recharge them without power. So we would appreciate your continued prayers. Please pray too for our girls at school today. Pray it is a good distraction and that they are able to concentrate and have a good day. Taylor has a spelling bee at 9:00 that she has been looking forward too but today she woke up saying she didn't want to do it. Pray that she can focus.

I have had many people ask me how they can help. If you would like to help "Our Girls" financially you can go to our church website www.whitestonechurch.org & click on Haiti Disaster Aid at the top. All of that money will go towards our girls & sustaining them through this time & through the future as we try to rebuild. You can also read more about our work in Haiti and personal stories of each of the girls on our website.

No News Yet

2010-01-13T17:39:00.002-05:00

I don't have words for the past 24 hours. We went to bed last night worrying about our friends in the city in Haiti but thinking that surely the orphanage all the way in the mountains would be fine. A knock on the door at midnight changed everything. After many hours of trying they finally got in touch with one of the workers at the orphanage. In a moment all of our lives were changed. They found out that the majority of the orphanage collapsed during the earthquake & the youngest girl did not get out. Her name was Atanie & I just spent a whole last week loving on her and laughing with her. Then Brian told us that Odette was not there. At this time they thought that she had gone with Eddy & her parents to the city but no one knew where they were. After a sleepless night we got a call from Brian at 5:50 telling us that Eddy's wife had a 20 second conversation with Eddy and he said that "we are ok". I held on to the hope the rest of the morning that "we" meant Odette was with him. Then at 7:00 Brian showed up on our doorstep again to tell us that Odette rode a tap-tap with her parents earlier that afternoon and she was not with Eddy. They were supposed to stay with family in the city that night and then go today for testing. Eddy was headed out this morning to go find them. We have not had any phone service to Haiti since around 7 or 8 this morning so we still do not know any more. Our guys are going to spend the night calling over & over like they did last night until they get through. We are hoping for news by in the morning. Please continue to pray. I feel with everything in me that she is ok & I know that God is in control. I can't wait for a phone call with two words I have been longing to hear all day "HELLO, MOMMY".

Here is the email that was sent out this morning that explains all the details about our other Haitian friends. At this point we have no update on any of this information.

It has been a very long and deadly night for our friends and family in Haiti.

We have now spoken to the leaders at the Coq Chante Orphanage and this is what we know:

- A large portion (up to 1/2 or more) of the building structure at Coq Chante collapsed during the quake.

- ATANIE: the youngest of "our girls", did not make it out of the building. She was coming down the steps at the front of the orphanage when the front end of the building collapsed. They have now recovered her body.

- ODETTE: the adoptive daughter of Andy and Allyson Coleman, is presently unaccounted for. Odette was not at Coq Chante at the time of the quake. She was in Port au Prince with her birth parents for medical tests yesterday. Eddy knows where her family was supposed to be staying last night in Port aP, and is currently on his way to try to find her. We have been unable to make contact with her or her family to this point.

THE REST OF "OUR GIRLS" - The remaining 16 girls made it out with only some minor injuries. They are very frightened. The remaining structure is unsafe and they cannot go back inside at this point. The girls spent the night outside, in the courtyard of the orphanage. All the caregivers who presently live at the orphanage (Agathe, Edwin, Pastor and Madam Gaspard, Jean Luke and Magrela) are all safe and are caring for the girls.

- RICOT LOUIS JUSTE AND FAMILY: Ricot (Pastor Nicolas' son), Mona (Pastor Nicolas' widow), and their immediate family are all safe. Their house in Delmas sustained major damage but they all managed to make it out. They spent the night in the courtyard outside their home. Ricot's wife, Christina, is here in Knoxville with us.

- EDDY JEUNE AND FAMILY: Eddy, Nicole, and their children are all safe and their house came through the quake ok.

- PASTOR MENES: He is safe and his house still standing, but his youngest daughter, Beremy, is unaccounted for. She was at school in the city at the time of the quake, and Pastor Menes is getting reports that the school building collapsed. He hasn't been able to make contact with her.

We haven't been able to make contact with anyone else at this point, or confirm the condition of other facilities (ie, Camatin, Belloc). The epicenter of the quake was located in an area very close to the homes of many of our other friends (Hippolite, Estemine, Evelyne, Jabey, among others). We continue to try to make contact constantly.

At first light this morning Ricot will be trying to make the journey to Coq Chante to try to get to the girls. Reports are that Port au Prince is virtually destroyed, and the road up the mountain sustained much damage -- so travel may prove impossible.

WHITE STONE FAMILY: PLEASE PRAY! We will be monitoring the developments throughout the day - trying to formulate a plan on what our next-steps will be.

We covet your prayers. Pray for everyone involved. Pray for God's mercy. Pray for provision and safety for those unaccounted for. Pray for miracles. JUST PRAY.

We will pass on more information as we get it.

Blessings,

Mark Zimmerman
White Stone Church

Please Pray!!

2010-01-12T21:03:00.004-05:00

Please be praying for our friends and family in Haiti. As of now we have no information on "our girls" or any of our friends there. The center of the quake hit in an area where many of our Haitian friends live. Phone lines are down so we have not been able to get any information about how they are. Because the orphanage is on the mountain a couple of hours out of the city we are hopeful that they did not receive any damage.

One other prayer is for Odette's parents. They went to the city today for DNA testing & for a while I thought Odette may be with them but luckily she did not need to travel with them for the testing. I will update as soon as we hear from Haiti. It is hard to believe that I was on the ground in Haiti a little more than 24 hours ago. Please just continue to be praying!

My November Haiti Trip by Taylor

2009-12-22T09:44:00.002-05:00

Monday November 2,2009

Today has felt like it was never ending. We had to be at the church house at 1:30 A.M.,but we didn't leave until 2:00 A.M. We had a long car ride to Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin Rudd drove. At first Mark Zimmerman rode in the passengers seat next to Kevin. Kayla Zimmerman and I sat on the first bench. On the second bench it was my dad,Paige Leslie, and Traci Warwick. Leah Stout and Carol Stout sat on the third and last row. After the second stop my dad sat next to Kevin. Mark sat in between Kayla and I. He held my pillow on his lap for Kayla and I to sleep on. Fortunately Kayla and I both slept a little. The car ride was restless. The good thing was that there were only nine people on the trip, so there was more car space for everyone. Once we got to Atlanta we had to get all of the bags out of the trailer. Once we got that done we went to get our boarding passes. Next, we all went to put the bags of stuff to take like water buckets,extra food snacks, and medicine through security. Then we had to go through security. I thought it kinda strange that you had to take off your shoes and put them in the tray/bucket. If you've ever flown before you'll know what I mean. I got a little nervous on take off. I held my daddy's hand. I sat in between Daddy and Carol. I thought it was fun being able to chew gum and not get in trouble for chomping it. I didn't get in trouble for it, because if you didn't chew gum your ears could pop. They would pop because you are so high up from the ground. Once we were about to land you could see all the buildings in Miami,Florida almost. Once we landed I was so happy that there was only a few more hours untilI would get to see my sister for the first time. I was hungry, too since I hadn't eaten anything since dinner the night before. It was about 9:00 A.M. when we landed in Miami. We got off the plane, went to the restroom, went through security, and got on another plane to go to Port-Au-Prince. I sat next to daddy and Kayla. We got snacks. I didn't like the cheese on the crackers, but I loved the chocolate. I had water on the way to Miami. I had Sprite on the way to P.-A.-P. Kayla and I watched the Hannah Montana Movie on my I-pod.

When we got off the plane I felt like I was already sweating. Since they don't have the tunnels that you walk out of the plane on, you step straight outside into the very humid heat of the sun in Haiti. Next, we had to go to immigration. It felt very good in the air-conditioning. We had to wait in line at immigration. After that we all went to the bathroom. When you washed your hands you had to hold down a button to keep the water running. Leah held it down for me. The truck was a whole new experience for me. Kayla and I took lots of pictures. We were the only people that had never gone before. After a while I gave Daddy the camera. It stunk in the city!!! Good thing Traci had this vaseline that was for you to smell. It blocked out the smell. It didn't smell bad in the mountains. This drive is about three to four hours long. When we first saw the orphanage the girls saw us and rushed to get everyone to the front porch step so they could sing to us there. They sang the "Welcome" song to us. once they were done singing Odette came running up to me. She knew where I was because during the song she wasn't really singing she was looking for me, because she knew I was coming. She got my hand and didn't let go. She immediately took me upstairs and showed me her room. Then she told me to sit on her bed. She started fixing my hair. Then we got up and played for a long time. When we got to Kamatin we got all of our suitcases and choose our rooms. My room was Daddy,Odette, and I in a bed. In the same room it was Mark,Valencia, and Kayla. Also in the same room was Kevin and Benita. Odette and I made our bed. We didn't have comforters, because it is to hot to sleep under comforters. Then it was time to have dinner. I wasn't that hungry so all I had was rice and beans. After dinner we played for a little. At Kamatin when you walk out on the balcony you are on the lower roof so we played out there for a while. After that we took our baths. Odette, Benita, Valancia, Kayla, and I all took a bath together. The water is very cold!!!! Benita likes to throw the cold water all over Kayla and I to make us squeal. They all thought it was very funny. When I was washing my hair Odette said no. Then she took over. She also washed my back for me. When we got out Odette brushed my hair for me. It was the end of the best day of my life!!

Parent meeting update

2009-11-25T10:47:00.002-05:00

Both of the parent interviews went well yesterday. We are supposed to find out soon when the DNA testing will be. The problem with that now is that they have a new requirement that all DNA testing is to be done in Haiti but they do not have a system in place to do it yet. So our next prayer is that will be in place soon and that this step will not hold us up in the end. Thanks for your continued prayers!!

Parent Meeting

2009-11-24T07:43:00.002-05:00

Please be in prayer this morning for Odette, Valancia and their parents. They have a meeting this morning with the USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services). In this interview they have to appear with the girls and state that no one forced them to go through with this adoption and they are willing to do this. Please pray that this meeting goes well. Our other prayer request is that they do not require a DNA test for the parents. This is being requested more often lately but we are praying this is a step that we do not have to do because it means another $800 that we will have to pay. Thank you for lifting these two families up in prayer today.

Updates

2009-11-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted an update since Andy and Taylor made it back. They had a wonderful trip & when they have caught up on some sleep, work and homework I will have them write some on here. When asked what was the best thing about Haiti, Taylor said "Odette", then when asked what was the worst thing about Haiti she said "having to leave". I think I have to agree! She is already saying that she wants to go back when we go to bring Odette home.

Here are a few pictures of the week:

Taylor and Odette meeting each other for the first time

Taylor getting her hair fixed in the first few minutes they were there

Andy, Taylor, Madam Gaspard and Odette

Video that made my day

2009-11-11T10:09:00.003-05:00

Good-byes

2009-11-07T17:48:00.003-05:00

Please be praying for two of my little girls this weekend. Pray for the one that has to load up in a truck and head to the airport to come home after saying good-bye to her sister for the first time tomorrow and pray for the one that is going to have to watch her sister and daddy load up on a truck and drive off. This is the 10th time that we have had to say good-bye to Odette as we headed to the airport. I pray there will not be many more good-byes before she can load up on that truck with us heading to the airport to come home. Andy called this morning & said Taylor crawled in bed with him this morning and started crying for the first time this week. When he asked what was wrong she said "I don't want to leave, I can't do it". Not only has she fallen in love with her sister but she has a whole new family and group of friends that she loves and has to say good-bye to. I love that she has fallen in love with our Haitian family like we have I just hate the heart-break that I know that she will go through saying good-bye and leaving. Pray for Andy too as he is torn saying good-bye to one daughter and climbing on the truck with the other so he can come home.

Picture from Haiti

2009-11-04T11:29:00.003-05:00

Last night I was having a rough night wishing I was in Haiti & I opened up my email to find this picture that Kevin sent. It was the most precious thing that I could have gotten in that moment. Looking at that picture was very surreal though. If you have been to Coq Chante you know that the picture is taken on the steps in the dining room that lead to the roof. Those same steps that I have sat on and climbed up more times that I can count, Taylor is now sitting on with her daddy and her sister. Seeing them in the same picture makes this week so much more real for me.

Andy said that he could not have planned for the girls to get along better than they do. They had an instant connection and have stayed by each others side since they got there on Monday. He said last night watching Taylor and Kayla playing with the other girls you would think that they have all known each other their whole lives. He said the week is going really well and that Taylor is enjoying every minute of the trip. I can't wait to hear more stories and to see all the pictures from the week. Thanks for your continued prayers throughout their trip.

Headed to Haiti

2009-11-02T08:07:00.002-05:00

Right now as I type Andy & Taylor are on a plane headed to Miami. If all their flights go as planned they will be in Haiti at noon today. This is Taylor's first trip & she has been so excited to go meet her sister. Please be praying for a safe trip for the eight people on this trip and also that they will have a great week loving on some precious girls. I am so sad that I am missing out on seeing Taylor & Odette meet for the first time but I can't wait to hear all of the stories and see all the pictures. I will update as the week goes on.

Something Big

2009-09-29T13:00:00.000-04:00

Do you want to be a part of something big? Our family would love for you to pray about being part of supporting the Coq Chante orphanage and school either through a one time gift or a monthly gift. For those of you who do not know, we have raised money through the Barefootin' for Haiti Golf Classic the last two years and will continue to do so this October 26. In this past this money has been sent on a monthly basis to pay teachers, pay caregivers and to feed and house our 18 girls. We are the sole contributors to this orphanage and if we do not send a check each month the orphanage and school will close. Our goal for the next year is to be able to fund the basic operation costs from people like you that are willing to become a "Partner in Hope". A monthly gift of $30 will support the school & orphanage for 2 full days of the year. If this is something you are interested in or would like more information about you can email me- allysbox@knology.net or you can visit www.haitigolfclassic.org to find out more about being a Partner in Hope or a corporate sponsor for our upcoming golf tournament. Also feel free to pass this along to anyone that you think may be interested.

Please take a few minutes to watch this video to see exactly where your money will go.

SWING

2009-09-02T08:07:00.006-04:00

Here is Andy's newest project. Andy had one like it when he and his brothers were young. He has talked for years about building the girls one. Now after many hours working on it in the garage, the swing is a permanent fixture in our yard. The girls have had so much fun on it and it was the hit of Taylor's party last weekend. Now I just can't wait for Odette to be in our yard riding it with them.

Happy 10th Birthday Odette!

2009-08-20T08:39:00.008-04:00

Today is our little girl's 10th birthday. I am so sad that we are not with her today. I thank God for bringing her into our lives and our family and I pray this is the last birthday that we have to spend apart from her. I pray today that the road to bring her home is much shorter than the road that we have traveled so far. I am thankful that Andy got to spend last week in Haiti with her and have her first "birthday party" with her. I sent icing cookies from Rita's Bakery for all the girls to enjoy. We also bought her some Polly Pockets, new hairbows and stickers and Mamaw & Papaw sent her some new pajamas, an angel pin & a purse. The girls also sang Happy Birthday to her which we were surprised that they knew. They sang it through twice in Creole and once in English. When I talked to her last Thursday after her party she sang it to me in English over the phone which was really sweet.

SMACK DOWN - HAITI STYLE

2009-08-19T12:13:00.000-04:00

Odette and Islande

MORE SMACK DOWN

2009-08-19T12:09:00.004-04:00

Odette and Benita

June 2009 Video

2009-08-19T10:28:00.005-04:00

Daily Conversation

2009-07-20T09:17:00.003-04:00

Odette is part of daily conversation at our house, not just by us but by our girls too. On Saturday we talked at dinner about the gumbo Andy had for lunch and how we thought she would like it. That sparked more conversation about what foods she will probably love and what she won't (the won't list will probably be small). We went to Dollywood yesterday and the girls talked all day about her and what rides she would like and which ones would scare her. I told them after the truck rides in Haiti that don't phase her the rides at Dollywood will be a piece of cake. She is just part of life in our house even though the girls have only had phone conversations with her (which consists of I love you, I miss you, and how are you?). So all that to say, never worry about asking us about Odette. Never think that asking us how she is or when she is coming home will upset us or bring her to our minds. We may not have answers other than it will be a lot longer than we hoped but we do not mind talking about her. She is never more than a moment from our thoughts and our hearts are constantly divided between our life here and our family in Haiti. Talking about her may bring tears but don't feel bad thinking that you caused them (they are always on the brink of falling anyway). I know God is teaching us and strengthening us during this process and I can not wait until the day that she comes home but until then she will daily be on our hearts, in our thoughts and in conversation in our home.

Allyson

Important Legislation Proposal

2009-07-13T12:38:00.002-04:00

*If this passes it has the potential to cut months off of the international adoption process.

Please take a moment to read this and sign the petition. Please ask your spouses and friends to do the same.

"The intercountry adoption process is a long, tedious process for American citizens seeking to adopt a foreign born child. Paperwork includes home studies, finger printing and criminal checks. The process can take up to three years to complete.

At the completion of the adoption, the child must be approved for a U.S. immigrant visa in order to enter the U.S. and gain citizenship. The immigrant visa is required despite the fact that the "immigrant" is the child of a U.S. citizen.

The U.S. is one of the few developed countries in the world that requires internationally adopted children of citizens to immigrate in order to join their new families.Most countries recognize internationally adopted children as citizens upon the finalization of their adoption. The Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act (FACE Act) would recognize that internationally adopted children deserve to be treated as children of American citizens and accorded the same citizenship process as children born aboard to American citizens.

Under the FACE Act, Adoptive parents would apply for a U.S. passport and Consular Report of Birth instead of a visa. These documents provide adoptive parents with immediate proof of citizenship for their adopted child and provide immediate proof of U.S. citizenship. "

- McLane Layton Equality for Adopted Children (EACH)

Please follow the link to sign the petition.
( http://www.gopetiti on.com/petitions /face-act- of-2009.html )

To learn more about Equality for Adopted Children (E.A.C.H),
visit http://www.equality foradoptedchildr en.org/

Thanks!

May 2009 Trip Video

2009-07-04T11:34:00.004-04:00

Thursday, May 28th

2009-07-04T10:01:00.001-04:00

Odette was very restless during the night and spent the night tossing and turning so neither one of us got much sleep. She woke up and you could tell she had been crying during the night because her eyes were puffy and red. I was very surprised that she did not pull away this morning like she normally does when I get ready to leave. I sat that morning and held her and told her over and over that I loved her. Kevin explained to her that I had to leave that morning so I could get home to her sisters and that her daddy would be there in two days. She looked really sad and she cried but nothing like the previous trips. Leaving will never be easy but knowing her daddy would be there with her in two days made it much easier to leave her at Kamatin that morning. We both just held each other and cried until time for me to leave. I was overwhelmed saying good-bye that morning when I looked over at Benita who was still sleeping in her bed and realized that the next time I see her that she will be at home with the Rudd's. I can't wait until the time that I say good-bye to Odette in Haiti and know that the next time I see her she will be coming home. When we pulled away Odette was standing on the front porch with Valancia smiling and waving at the four of us who were leaving early. As hard as it was to leave two days early I am thankful for every minute that I got to spend with her and the other girls on this trip. No matter how many days I am in Haiti I think I will always want two more days.

My favorite picture of us from the week

Wedneday, May 27th- Beach day!

2009-07-03T19:11:00.008-04:00

Today as most days this week began really early. Odette and Benita were both up before 5:00 when the sun came up and were headed off to Valancia's room to get her and tell her it was bath time. Those girls love a bath. I can't wait until they are home and learn what a real bath is with warm water. The other thing we will have to work on is teaching them to sleep in. Luckily at home the sun doesn't come up before 5:00 am but I'm sure what ever time it comes up these girls will be out of the bed headed for the bathtub.

We all got up and got ready for the beach and some of the guys took the truck to Coq Chante to pick up all the girls for the beach. I love beach day when we go to Haiti. It is a great day for the girls to just be kids and also I love the fact that Madame and Pastor get a day off where they can just sit and watch the girls and their boys having a fun day. I think the girls love the beach more every time that we go. Usually they play in the water for a while and then play in the sand and get ready for lunch then they usually change clothes and sit and talk until time to go back to Coq Chante but this trip every one of the girls got back in the ocean and played for a long time after lunch. Lunch was the other difference of this trip. Usually we buy fish for them from someone selling food at the beach but this trip we bought a grill to take with us each time that we go. They all loved the food. They all had their first hot dogs and loved them- only the older girls did not like the taste of mustard on their hot dogs. They also had grilled chicken with barbecue sauce and they all loved that too. I'm surprised we didn't have some sick little girls after the amount of food they all ate. They also had ice cream before we left to head back.

One thing that started bothering me at the beach was I noticed that Odette was starting to pull away some from me. She played in the ocean with me and we had a great time but then she did not want to have much to do with me. For most of the girls they know that beach day means we are leaving soon. This trip that was not true for most of the group but since I had to leave a couple of days early to get home in time for Andy to leave with the June group that was true for me. I tried not to think much about it because I didn't want it to ruin last day and I was good until the ride home. Since the truck was full I rode in the mini-bus with Odette on my lap. I spent the majority of the trip back to Kamatin crying over the fact that I was going to have to say good-bye to her once again. The thing that made it easier was knowing that it two days Andy would be with her. I spent the entire day saying "Daddy vine samdi" (Daddy is coming Saturday)and she got very excited and happy each time I would say it to her. I did not have the heart to tell her yet that I was leaving early so I just played up the fact that he was coming.

I had not prepared myself for the fact that I would have to say good-bye to the rest of the girls that night. We stopped by Kamatin to drop off part of the group and I made the decision to say my good-byes there instead of riding back to Coq Chante. Odette had run inside so I knew I could say good-bye there without her finding out but I know that I couldn't keep it from her if she went to Coq Chante with me. So as hard as it was I kissed them all and promised I would see them soon.

I was so happy I made the decision not to tell Odette that I would be leaving the next morning because we had such a sweet time together that night at Kamatin. I know that if I had told her she would have been sad and I would have missed out on watching her play and laugh with the other girls on the roof. I think later she realized something was up because as we were all hanging out in our room I started packing up some of my things. I was going to have Kevin help me tell her before bed that I would be leaving in the morning but she fell asleep before he got back from Coq Chante so I decided to just curl up beside her and enjoy my last few hours.

We can't wait until the day these 4 are running around White Stone!

I love this picture!

Videos

2009-07-03T18:40:00.001-04:00

Our girls singing on the beach

Odette, Benita & Valancia playing on the roof

Beach pictures

2009-07-03T18:35:00.000-04:00

Beach- May 2009

Odette

Samantha

Atanie

Linia

Marie Michelle

Islande

Yalanda

Guerline

Gueline Maneese

Saintemene

Benita

Merline

Christianie

Dieula

Onise

Malange

Madestine

Valancia

Gladys

Tuesday, May 26th

2009-07-02T10:10:00.000-04:00

Today we finished up giving shoes to the other 7 classes of school children. One of the girls around Odette's age that is another class was asking who was Odette's mama. I got teary later realizing that she has been talking about the adoption with other children at school. While giving out shoes, I went upstairs for something and when I came down the little boy from the day before was on that side of that church by himself just looking at me again so I got him a pack of crackers and he gave me the biggest smile. I loved on him as much as I could then I went back inside. Later one of the other team members brought him in and found him a new pair of spiderman shoes that made his face light up. We then took him upstairs and found him some new clothes, a new hat, and made him up a bag of little toys and snacks to take home with him. He looked like a new little boy that day, not just because he had on new shoes and clothes but because he finally had a smile on his face and his eyes were no longer sad. We found out his name is Andre and he has been in my thoughts many days since we have been back.

Later that day we went for a walk in the community. We first went to the Laurient house where Atanie and Linia's family lives. Then we went onto to Odette's house. I was looking forward to stopping by their house this time because I was such a wreck when I was there last time and I was looking forward to seeing her family. I really thought I would keep it together until Odette's papa saw me and got a big smile on his face & said "Mama Odette" and gave me a big hug. So again I started crying. I was able to pull it together though & this time when Odette went inside her house I followed her in. Their house has two rooms. The back room has two beds and the front room has one bed and a very small table and a few chairs. Odette seemed more comfortable this time and spent more time talking to her siblings inside the house. All of her siblings except her two older brothers were there. I meet her sister Ronette who is 16 for the first time. When I walked in the house she was holding a picture of me with Odette from the first trip. I also got to meet a few of her cousins that were there that day. As much as I would like to think going to her house in the future is going to be easier I don't think it ever will. It is hard to see the conditions that she grew up in and her brothers and sisters continue to live in (although it is much nicer than some other houses we have been to) and I am always overwhelmed seeing her parents and knowing how much they have given up for their little girl to have a better life.

We then continued our long walk to the house of Madame Gaspard's sister and her family. This is a family that most of the team got to know in February. When we got to her house her little boy was by himself. He is four years old but doesn't look much over one year old. We were able to give him snacks and also gave worm medicine to him an all the other children in the house next door.

That night the truck did not get back to take us to Kamatin until after 9:00 so we had some time after our walk to hang out with the girls and they sang for us. That is always one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Monday, May 25th

2009-07-01T08:28:00.001-04:00

This morning we spent a lot of time waiting to do a food distribution for the parents of the school kids. They had a parent meeting that morning then we started passing out food and praying for their families. Next we started passing out shoes to the school children. Before we left for Haiti we spent over a month collecting over 300 pairs of new tennis shoes to give to the school kids (we also had many left over & got to hand out some to the community children too). This first day we made it through three classrooms of children. We washed their feet and put on new clean socks and probably for most of the children it was the first time they had new shoes on their feet. We also handed out a pack of crackers to each of the children as they waited for their new shoes. Thanks so much to all of you who are reading this who helped with the shoe and snack collection for this trip!

The one thing that sticks out in mind the most from this day is a little face that I can not get out of my head. Eddy asked me to take individual and group pictures of the oldest class of students that are "graduating" this year. As I took pictures in the back of the church there was a little boy that stared at me the entire time. They had the gate to the entrance of the church closed so no one besides the school kids could get in. So all day there were a group of children that do not attend school that stood and watched as we took care of the school children. It was so hard not to grab a pair of shoes for each of them but we knew our first priority on this trip was to make sure every one of the school children were taken care. There was just something about this little boy, he stood there most of the day in his Lion King shirt with his hood up. He had the saddest little eyes that were fixed on me every time I looked his way. I took a picture or two of him and went over and touched him and smiled but that was all I could do for him that day. His was the face I would see every time I closed my eyes that night to try to go to sleep.

We had really hard rain that afternoon. Every time it rains even a little at Coq Chante the rain blows in the windows and everything gets wet. This is the hardest rain I had seen there and was amazed how fast the rain came in and started standing in the rooms. Gladys ran and got Gina and showed her how wet everything in her room was and Gina helped her move the girls boxes and beds to get them out of the rain. All of the older girls were helping move not only their things but all of the supplies and shoes that we had brought to keep everything from getting soaked. It was so sad to see what they go through every time it rains. Madame Gaspard asked on a previous trip that we would pray for new windows that would keep the rain out so she would not have to keep waking the girls up to move their things each time each time it rains. That is one of those things that we take for granted. We would not be ok with our childrens beds and belongings getting wet every time that it rains. So I would love you all to join us in praying for the funds that it will take to put new louvered windows in that will keep the rain out of our girls rooms. If this is something you would like to help with financially you can email me to let me know.

Sunday, May 24th

2009-06-30T10:16:00.002-04:00

We started our day at church. I love worship time at Coq Chante and the freedom that these people have when they worship. We could all learn from watching them. We also had the privilege to pray with many of the people at the end of the church service. After church instead of cooking food for all the people at church we did a food distribution and were able to provide enough food for each family to eat for many days instead of just one big meal on Sunday.

One of my favorite memories of this trip was a mother's day service that all of the girls had for their mothers on Sunday afternoon. From what I understand they do something like this each year but wanted it to happen while our trip was there this year. Like many things that happen in Haiti we were not prepared for it so Greg and Kevin spent the morning in Jacmel shopping for the mothers' presents while the rest of us were at church. Many of you may not know but all of the girls except Merline have a mother that is still living. Each of these mothers have made a tremendous sacrifice in letting their girls go live at the orphanage so they can have an education, daily meals and a chance at a better life. We will be forever grateful for the sacrifices that Odette's family has made for her. As the mothers arrived they came upstairs to where the girls rooms are and the mothers of the older girls (around Odette's age and up) had their hair done by their daughters. It was a very sweet time and I enjoyed my time watching them. For a long time I sat in Odette's room with her and her mom as she fixed her hair and listened to them talk to each other. This is the sweetest connection time I have witnessed the two of them have. I video taped them talking to each other. I have no idea what they are saying (they could be talking about the weather) but I think it will be something special for Odette to have as she grows up.

Like everything this week the Mother's Day program was hurry up and wait. What was supposed to start at 2:30 finally started around 4:00 as the last of the mothers came in. I was so happy to see that all of the mothers came to see their little girls. The program began with each of the daughters getting up and either reciting a poem or singing a song for their mother. It was very sweet and you could tell that a lot of time was put into learning their poem and songs. Even Atanie who is 4 learned something to recite for her mom. After that all of daughters presented a gift to their moms which was a set of glasses. For most of these families it is probably one of the nicest things that they now own. After giving out gifts the girls presented a sweet gift to Madame Gaspard who takes care of them and the room erupted in clapping. Those moms in the room were clapping as hard as they could and many were crying and you could feel the appreciation that they have for her and what she means in the lives of not only their girls but in their families lives too. Eddy also had each of the mothers that are adopting (and Al as a fill-in for Sheri since she was not there) come to the front to be recognized.

The whole ceremony was such a sweet time for me. Each year at Fountain City the kindergarten does a Mother's Day Tea where all of the children dress-up and invite the moms to come to tea where they say a little poem when you walk to the door, they serve you your plate, bring you gifts they have made over the last few weeks and sing a special song lead by their music teacher Mrs. Beeler. It is one of my sweetest memories kindergarten memories in Ms. Gibson's class of Taylor and now this year of Molly & Abby but I remember being a little sad this year at the tea thinking about how I missed this with Odette. But the Mother's Day program in Haiti that Sunday was my Mother's Day Tea with Odette. Although it was for Odette's mom, Marie Claire, I felt blessed to be able to witness it and share in the celebration.

Odette, Marie Claire & me

Odette doing her mom's hair

Christianie doing her mom's hair

Madestine doing her mom's hair

Malange, Valancia & their mom

Christianie, Dieula & their mom

Onise and her mom

Guerline and her mom

Samantha & Saintemene and their mom

Marie Michelle, Islande, Yalanda and their mom

All of the moms on the trip got to pray over our girls' moms

May 2009 trip- first day

2009-06-29T13:14:00.006-04:00

We flew out of Atlanta on Saturday, May 23rd. A lot like our February trip it took much longer to get to Haiti than planned. After delayed flights and a flat tire in the city we once again pulled up to Coq Chante after dark. It still amazes me the feeling I get when we top the last hill & can finally see the orphanage at Coq Chante. I would have never guessed in a million years that the mountains of Haiti would feel like home but it does. These people are now my family and friends and I love the time that I get to spend with them. The truck pulled up to the front of the orphanage & I stayed on the truck and watched as the girls sang. Even in the dark you could see the girls looking around for familiar faces. I got of the truck and Odette ran & found me. She was so happy to see me which is always a great feeling. She held my hand as I went around and hugged necks and kissed sweet faces that I have missed. It is so fun to watch the new people as they experience their first few minutes at Coq Chante. Odette then pulled me to the side and started asking me a question about Taylor, Abby and Molly. I thought she was asking where they were & I told her they were home in the United States with her daddy and she said no & repeated the same question again. I took her to Kevin to have her say the same thing to him & he said that she wanted to know when she was going to go home with me to live with Taylor, Abby and Molly. He told her that we were working hard to get her home and that it would hopefully be around December. She was so happy after that answer & of course I had to turn around and have a good cry for a minute. I know she must wonder and worry if this is ever really going to happen and it was great to be able to reassure her that it is and to see how much she really wants to live with us.

We all headed up to the girls rooms to visit & Odette drug me to her room. I laid on her bed & she said "Mommy fatige? (tired)" and I told her I was and it was almost time for bed and she said she was not tired. Since it was late we only stayed a little while with the girls and then we loaded up on the new truck headed for Kamatin for the night. Before Gina and I were even off the truck, Odette and Benita had run up to our room from last time and were sitting on their beds waiting for us. It was great to curl up next to her in bed again. I had so missed this girl!

Feb 2009 trip video

2009-06-06T14:06:00.002-04:00

I have tried a couple of times to load our February Haiti video & I think it is too big to load. So if you would like to see it click here

http://www.whitestonechurch.org/haiti_project.asp

Headed back to Haiti

2009-05-22T21:21:00.002-04:00

In about an hour I will be on a van headed for Atlanta. I feel so blessed to get to make another trip so soon. I can't wait to see Odette again. She sounded really happy the other night when I talked to her & I can't wait to kiss her face! Their new English they learned last week was "How is your family?" so we all got asked that question by the girls which made us laugh. I can't wait to see what else they have learned.

Please pray for Andy & the girls and that everyone will stay healthy this week. They are looking forward to their first week of summer. Also pray for our safety and for good weather while we are there (it's raining there now & there is a 60% chance of rain everyday). I'll be traveling back on Thursday & will be back early Friday morning so Andy can leave that night for Haiti to lead our youth trip down. We are so excited to be with Odette for 2 weeks between the two of us.

Allyson

One Year Ago Today

2009-05-09T13:06:00.000-04:00

*I got on a plane in Fort Lauderdale headed for Port-au-Prince, Haiti
*We pulled up in a mini-bus and were greeted by 18 faces that I had waited months to meet
*I met a little girl named Odette
*Kevin met a little girl named Benita
*I learned what serving and being served really looks like
*I saw God in a completely different way
*My life as I knew it was changed forever

Yesterday

2009-05-08T11:08:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we received our I-171H form in the mail. After you have sent in your I-600A form to Memphis it meets up with your fingerprints & homestudy. When you are approved, you receive the I-171H from USCIS signifying you have been pre-approved to adopt. So we are one step closer to bringing our little girl home.

Dossier steps in Haiti

2009-04-19T15:12:00.005-04:00

I have had many people ask me where our dossier goes now that it is in Haiti. Since I don't completely understand the process myself enough to explain it I have copied the following off of another blog.

Minister of Foreign Affairs (MFA)-

First Legalization (1st Legal). This is where all of the papers are authenticated.

File prepared for IBESR (Concurrent with MFA-

When the paperwork is at Foreign Affairs, your lawyer must prepare your file for IBESR. IBESR requires that the paperwork be in a certain order. The social history and psychological examination required by IBESR for your child must be made during this period. It involves putting the child's social information into a home study format with your home study information.

IBESR-

Your child's paperwork is put together with your documents and the file is then presented to IBESR (Haiti's Social Service Department) where a social worker will look over all of your documents and decide whether to approve your adoption request.The director of IBESR, the IBESR lawyer, the head of adoption services at IBESR, and the IBESR social worker must all sign off on your dossier. This is four stages of approval.

**Because we already have biological children we have to get a special presidential waver that grants us permission to adopt. This happens during the IBESR process.

Parquet-

This step involves one person(?) releasing the child(ren)'s file(s). Parquet is the head commissioner. He is intertwined with court. He asks all of the birth parents to come for interviews to make sure that they understand that there children are being adopted. Apparently there was some fraudulent activity going on and he wants to protect the birth parents interests. i.e. make sure they are in agreement.

Civil Court Legalization-

The adoption is finalized. After this point, the children are legally yours. (2nd Legal)

Minister of Interior Affairs (MOI)/Haitian Immigration-

The file is submitted into the passport process. The passports are printed in the adopting parents last name.

DHS Processing (U.S. Parents)-

I-600 is filed by adopting parents. File is reviewed and approved by DHS

Consulate/Visa Appointment-

Child receives visa in preparation for travel to their new home

Hippolite's wedding

2009-04-17T12:07:00.007-04:00

One of the main reasons of this trip Andy went on (besides loving on little girls & doing preparations for the May & June trip) is that Hippolite is getting married today. Hippolite right now lives at the pastor's house in the city and always helps on the trips that we go on. I got to know him much better in February because Odette adores him. I told Andy Odette's top favorite people are 1- her daddy, 2- her mommy 3- Hippolite & I think Brian & Kevin are tied for 4th. On the tap-tap one night Odette & Hippolite were talking back and forth in Creole & laughing and he looked at me & said "Odette, she loves me" I told him that I know & he said "she loves me because when she comes to the city for her doctor's appointments I take her and I take care of her". Whenever the girls have to anything to be done in the city for the adoption (court or doctor's appointments) they usually stay in the city at Pastor' house all week so Odette gets to spend a lot of time with Hippolite. Sometime soon Hippolite & his new wife will be living at the orphanage and helping with the girl. I am very excited about this because the girls all love him he will be a great help to the Gaspards. He is also helping with the girls English classes each week.

A few of the guys going are going to speak at his wedding today. Angie, Gina & I went shopping and bought Odette, Valancia & Benita new dresses and shoes for the wedding because they are going too. I can't wait to see the video & pictures from the wedding.

Odette & Hippolite

Hippolite & his fiancee

Pictures- Haiti Feb 2008

2009-04-17T11:08:00.020-04:00

Sweet picture

Allyson & Guerline

Wousamy & Mike

Odette & Niddie

Odette's first painting

Paige & Saintemene

Glady's baptism

Al & Dieula

Dieula

Marie Michelle

Odette loved her things from Jennifer & Judy!

Benson, Gina & Stevenson

Samantha & Steve

Kurt & Madestine

Malange & Ben

Onise

Merline & Rachel

Lauren & Atanie

Kelley & Yalanda

Lauren & Islande

Atanie

Jennifer & Gladys

Yalanda

Pastor & Madame Gaspard

Mark, Angie & Valancia

Benita, Gina & Kevin

February team

February trip wrap-up

2009-04-15T10:28:00.002-04:00

Since Andy is on his way to Haiti as I am typing I figured that I better finish up the February trip before he gets home & we start writing about his trip.

This was one of the best weeks of my life. It was one of those weeks that I cried harder & also laughed harder than I ever have. It felt great and completely right to be "home" again after nine long months. I had a wonderful time with the girls and enjoyed getting to know the Gaspard boys better. God also used this week to confirm so many things for me. Although I know with everything in me that He wants Odette to be our daughter. I sometimes think what we are doing is crazy & doesn't make sense (which it won't to most people) but I know in my heart it is what we are supposed to do. I think I saw many of the things that we will have to deal with when she gets here like the language barrier and I realized that though having her here will be wonderful- life will also be harder or at least very different for our family. But on a ride to the orphanage one morning God clearly showed me what Odette being a part of our family means for her future. Most days as we rode to the orphanage we would pass people on the street but this one day which was market day (I think it was Thursday or Friday) there were much more people out either trying to sell goods or buy supplies for their family. I looked into their faces and saw what Odette's future would look like if we weren't obedient to God's call for our life. I know things will be different here for her and many times hard and frustrating but God showed me clearly that morning that she will not have to fight with everything in her just to survive and put food in her babies bellies. She will also never be in the position where she will have to give up her little girl so she will have a better chance at having three meals a day and an education. I will be forever grateful for the sacrifices that her parents made not only for her but for us & and am so glad that Odette will not have to make the same sacrifice one day. God showed me clearly that day that no matter how hard life may be in the future that she is our little girl that he has entrusted us with & that is all that matters.

Saying good-bye this week was so hard but very different than my May trip. When she was so upset in May, Eddy promised her that I would be back to see her & I knew that someday I would fulfill that promise to her. I just didn't have a clue that the next time I saw her she would be my daughter. I tried not to think too much about leaving her because I just wanted to enjoy every second of my week with her & the other girls. I did ok until Friday when she started getting sad. The girl that I had to slow down from running to get on the tap-tap every morning all of a sudden had to be talked into getting on it to head to the orphanage. In the past beach day was always the day before we left & the girls started to figure out that when beach day was over it was time to say good-bye soon. But this trip we went to the beach a day early. I made sure that she knew that we were not leaving that day but it didn't seem to make a difference. So we climbed on the tap-tap & I gave her the ipod & the window seat and then I just cried most of the way to the orphanage. I thought I was going to be big until closer to time to leave but seeing that she was already getting sad was too much for me. I was a wreck all morning. Finally I asked for the phone & called Andy because I just couldn't do it on my own at the moment. I finally pulled it together & we had a great rest of the day. The girls were exhausted and went to bed early which worked out great because we ended the night washing our Haitian friends' feet and praying over them. I had not been a part of anything like that before and it was such a special time. Then we headed for the roof to spend some time under the stars reflecting on our week & spent time in worship. There is nothing like worship on a roof in Haiti under the prettiest night sky you will ever see.

The next morning we finished packing our things at Kamatin & headed back to the orphanage. Because our flight didn't leave until late that afternoon we got to stay with the girls until a little before noon. We had no agenda that day except for loving on girls that we wouldn't see again for a while. When we pulled up at Coq Chante that day Pastor Gaspard was standing by the steps with tears flowing down his face. I haven't seen him cry like that before & it was so hard to watch. Since they were not there the night before we took time to wash Pastor & Madame's feet & pray for them that morning. I love that family more than I can say and am so thankful for the parents they are to our girls on a daily basis.

Odette was sad on & off all morning. She would get upset and cry and then we would have more fun together and laugh. She was ok until I told her that I loved her and would be back soon to see her. She got really upset and then ran off. I found her crying quietly in her room so I spent some more time loving on her. She began to withdraw and when I asked her to walk me out she wouldn't. After a few more hugs and kisses and promises to be back I ran to the front of the orphanage and lost it. She eventually came out to the front balcony but she wouldn't make eye contact with me. It was so hard saying good-bye and I just pray that there will not be many more good-byes before she gets to climb on the truck with us to come home.

Dossier complete & in our hands

2009-04-14T12:13:00.003-04:00

I woke up to a big surprise on Friday morning. I checked to see if our paperwork had been sent out by the Haitian Consulate in Chicago & when I went on the FedEx website it said it had been delivered a few minutes earlier and was sitting on our front porch along with some other paperwork from our lady in WA. For those that don't know what a dossier is (I didn't before this process) it is a collection of all of the documents required by a country for international adoption. I was amazed at how everything had come together that week. Our paperwork arrived in WA on Monday morning. She got the translations all back and copied and overnighted to the Haitian Consulate on Wednesday night. The paperwork got to Chicago on Thursday morning & then stamped all of our papers and then overnighted them too us the same night. God is good! Now when Andy gets on a plane to go to Haiti tonight he will have a backpack full of paperwork that he will get to hand-deliver to the lawyer on Wednesday. We are so excited because our paperwork will finally be in the Haitian system which gets us one step closer to bringing Odette home. Please be praying that all our our paperwork is correct and we won't have to make any changes that could set us back time-wise.

Also be praying for Andy, Mark, Kevin, Jacob, & Brian as they travel to Haiti this week. I know there are 18 excited girls that will be standing on the front porch of the orphanage all day tomorrow awaiting their arrival.

Push of a button

2009-04-04T16:12:00.002-04:00

Thursday morning on the way to school Molly said "I wish that we could just push a button and make it be another day." I knew she was excited about getting her & Abby getting their gold medal on Friday for learning all their kindergarten words so I figured that was the day she wanted to skip to. I asked her what day she wanted it to be and she said Christmas. When I asked "why Christmas" thinking I was going to get the answer of what new toy she wanted she said, "I want it to be Christmas so Odette will be here with us."

Needless to say I lost it in the car that morning which became the theme for the day. I think I cried more than I didn't. It was just one of those days that not having her here really hurt. So like Molly most days I wish we could push a button & make it happen. My prayer is that Molly is right and she will be here by Christmas.

Paperwork FINISHED!!!

2009-04-04T13:14:00.005-04:00

I am going to take a break in finishing up my trip update to share with everyone our big news. We are finally finished with paperwork.
We had our 2nd and 3rd homestudy visit these last two months and we got the call Thursday night, April 2nd that all of our homestudy paperwork was finished. We have spent the majority of this week finishing up last minute paperwork details and the finished homestudy was all we were waiting for. So after a trip to the Knox Co. and Anderson Co. Clerks office on Friday morning to get the last of our paperwork certified, Andy and I drove to Nashville and back on Friday afternoon. We had to take the last of our paperwork to get authenticated by the state. We made it back to the shop after 6:00 and had to rush to finish scanning every paper to send off for translations, and got everything loaded in a Fed-ex box to drop off in Halls by 7:30 which was the last pick-up for the night. We are having all our papers overnighted to the lady in Washington that is helping us get our dossier finished and ready to send to Haiti. I have to say I was a little emotional dropping off our paperwork. Andy made fun of me because not only did I take a picture of him dropping the box in the Fed-ex mailbox but I got teary as we drove off. I think it was a combination of the relief of finally being finished and knowing that we just dropped off 4 months of work and a box full of priceless original documents into a mailbox that is now completely out of our hands.
The thing we are praying for now is that everything moves quickly with our paperwork so Andy can hand deliver our dossier to Haiti when he goes on April 14th. For that to happen all of the translations will have to be finished by the lady in Indiana, she will then send them to our lady in Washington who will put everything together and check to make sure everything is there and correct, she will send it overnight to the Haitian Consulate in Chicago where all of our paperwork will get another stamp proving that our paperwork is valid and can be accepted by the Haitian government as a legal document and then that paperwork will be overnighted to us with the hope that it will be in our hands on the afternoon of April 14th before Andy leaves for Haiti. That is a lot to get done in little more than a week but we know that God is in control and we have to trust in His timing. But for today we can breathe a sigh of relief that we made a big step yesterday in the process of bringing our little girl home!

About Odette

2009-03-29T11:55:00.003-04:00

There are some things the same and some things that are different about Odette since the day I met her in May. Here are a few things I noticed about her during our February trip. . .

1. She is much healthier. During the May trip she was so sick. What a difference clean water and regular meals make. Her skin and hair look so much better.

2. She has such a quiet confidence now. On my May trip and then on Andy's August trip she wanted to be on our laps whenever she could. She would hang around me waiting for me to sit down and then she would jump in my lap before anyone else had the chance. Since Andy asked her if she wanted to be our daughter she has a new found confidence. She still loves sitting on our laps but she doesn't "have" to be there. She feels much more comfortable running off and playing with her friends now. She would often come back in the room I was to look for me & would come over to tell me she loved me & would sometimes stay with me but often would run back off to play. She just wants to check and make sure we are still around. She knows that she has a place now and knows that when we are in Haiti we aren't far away.

3. She is LOUD. She talks so loud at times. I was a little worried that our family would be a little overwhelming for her especially at dinnertime which Molly & Abby think is their stage because everyone is in the same place at the same time. At dinner we look at each other often and laugh and wonder if she is going to think this is too crazy and ask to go back. After this week with her I think she will fit in fine. She talks really loud when she is talking to another friend and telling them something. She talks especially loud when she is listening to Andy's ipod. She doesn't realize how loud she is with the earphones in. We spent a lot of time this week laughing at how loud she is. She is Andy's daughter after all!

4. She LOVES to sing. After the first day she was constantly singing. One of my favorite parts of Haiti is listening to the sweet voices of 18 girls as they sing for us. She loves singing with the group but she is often found walking around singing to herself. One day she was singing by herself and Jennifer S. asked her to get the other girls to sing too & she said no. Jennifer asked her if she just wanted to sing by herself & she said "wi". I miss hearing her sing but I am happy for all the videos I have of her singing. Andy said we will know when she is comfortable being here in our house when she starts singing again. I can't wait for the day when we hear the voice of our little Haitian girl echoing through our house.

5. She is a silly normal little girl. During the week as we went back to Kamatin to sleep each night we got the privilege of watching the girls being adopted really interact. We had so much fun watching them and laughing with them. One of my favorite stories of the trip happened on of our last days there. For those of you that haven't been "baths" in Haiti consist of a tile tub with a 5 gallon bucket of COLD water and a cup to pour that cold water on yourself. It sounds bad but you are very thankful for the two or so "baths" that you get during the week. Jennifer S. had been talking about taking a bath all afternoon and was just waiting for one of the guys to bring up a 5 gallon bucket of water from the lower cistern so she could take her bath. When her water came she went to the other room to get the shampoo. I saw Odette heading for the bathroom & told her no because it was Jennifer's turn first. She laughed and called for Benita and Valancia & they said something to each other in Creole. When Jennifer came back in the room Benita yelled for her and started taking her back towards the door. When she did Valancia and Odette ran in the bathroom giggling and got in the tub and Benita followed. We laughed so hard at them tricking Jennifer. They would start laughing anytime that they heard us telling someone the story. I think as we talk about the girls everyone thinks of them as poor little orphans in Haiti but they don't realize that although they live a completely different life than we do here they are still little girls who love to play, laugh and be silly just like our kids do.

6. She loves little kids. She will have a great time playing with Nathan and Evan when she gets here.

7. Her English is getting better. When we were there in May they would repeat phrases like "I love you" but now they look at you and say I love you and know what they are saying. Even little Atanie who is three looked at me the last day and said "I love you Allyson". We are very thankful that someone from our church is paying one of the school teachers and Hippolite to have English class with the all of the girls and the Gaspard boys a few times a week. We are amazed at what they have learned in such a short amount of time. They loved showing of their new skills and we heard these things many times during the week... my name is ________, what is your name?, please stand up, please sit down, open the window, shut the window, and them counting to 20. One of the first days we were there Odette had listened to Andy's ipod so much that the battery was dead, she handed it to me & said in English - "you need to charge it". So if her daddy didn't teach her anything else in January she learned the phrase "you need to charge it".

Videos

2009-03-24T07:03:00.004-04:00

On a hard day these are my favorite videos to watch. Watching Odette and Benita (and my friend Jennifer Stooksbury) sing and dance makes me smile even time. I remember being there at that moment thinking that there is no other place in the world I wanted to be right then.

Video two

2009-03-23T13:38:00.008-04:00

Dentist

2009-03-23T11:58:00.009-04:00

On this trip we had a dentist (Dr. Bob) & his wife, Charlette, agree to go and work on the girls teeth. Other than Guerline who had a fall last summer and had to have some teeth pulled and stitches, none of the girls had ever had any work done on their teeth before. Dr. Bob did fillings and pulled teeth throughout the week and Paige Leslie cleaned teeth for hours during the week. The amount of people the worked on for hours during the day still amazes me. Odette went to the dentist for the first time on Monday afternoon before our walk to her house. I was nervous about this because I'm still the mom who turns away and cries every time one of my girls gets a shot. Odette did great though on Monday. She didn't cry at all when he gave her the shot to numb her and just laid still and didn't move or cry when he drilled and filled 4 teeth on the right side of her mouth. They kept bragging on how well she was doing and I was very pleased that it went that well. When she was finished she got up and gave Dr. Bob a hug and told him "mesi" (thank you). He got a little teary and said he doesn't get that very often as a dentist. So other than feeling funny from being numb for a while after she did great.
On Tuesday Paige cleaned her teeth and she was great for that too & Paige also got a hug and a thank-you.
Later that afternoon her face started swelling some on the right side and she had some pain from her fillings but some Tylenol and an ice pack later she was doing better.

Wednesday on the other hand was a much different story. She went in with no fussing, did fine during the shot but started screaming when he stared drilling on the left side teeth. He would stop and we would ask her what was wrong but she was so upset that it was hard to understand her. I reminded him how well she did the other day and he decided to numb her more. Even after the second shot she was still screaming every time he would drill. She was staring at me with the most scared look in her eyes and I felt completely helpless. It was the first time the language barrier was such an issue because I couldn't even tell her that she would be ok. I was trying hard not to cry because she was looking straight into my eyes for reassurance. I would look away and try to compose myself. What I longed to do was to step outside have a good ugly cry and come back in but I knew that I couldn't leave her. Dr. Bob gave her another shot and told me to go out with her a little while and we would try it again later. This was the other moment that I really longed for Andy to be there because it was SO hard. When we went back for the third try it did not go much better. Kevin was talking to her throughout and Estimine was practically laying across her talking to her and reassuring her in Creole. I don't know what I would have done without those two there. I look over at the doorway and there stands Pastor Gaspard watching Odette with the most concerned look on his face as she screamed and cried in pain. Then he looks over at me & notices how upset I am and he comes over and stands there & pats my back. It was so sweet but made the tears come more. This was one of those times when I realized how much the Gaspards love the girls and care for them when we are not there.
When she was finally finished she asked for the ipod and went off in the dining room by herself. I think she was mad at me and needed to be alone which gave me a chance to go off by myself too.

On Friday Odette started complaining about her back tooth hurting. We went to Dr. Bob and was really hoping that the problem was the sore where she bit her cheek and not the tooth but after asking her she said it was her tooth. That left no option at this point but to pull the tooth that he had already filled. He said the good thing is that it is a 6 yr. molar and the 12 year molar will just move into it's place when she gets her 12 year molars. The bad news was we had to go through the numbing part again. It took a couple of times and about 30 minutes for her to be completely numb but it finally worked and luckily having a tooth pulled (the tooth was HUGE) was a pretty quick procedure. I am just thankful that that experience is over, 8 filling, many shots and a pulled tooth later. I am glad that I was there with her and am also thankful for the thousand or more dollars that Dr. Bob saved us when we get her here.

Monday, February 16th

2009-03-23T11:09:00.009-04:00

Today was a very hard day for me emotionally. After some time on the roof as a group on Monday morning most of the team began painting the orphanage. When we were there in May we painted the girls rooms and the Gaspard's room, so the goal of this trip was to paint the outside of the orphanage, the front porch and the dining room. The rest of the women worked all morning diving up shoes and organizing care packages. One of the things I wanted to do on this trip was to visit Odette and the other girl's school rooms. We had a chance to go in each of the rooms during the school day. Here is a picture of Odette in her classroom. From what we understand, Odette just started school last February when she came to the orphanage. This is the youngest level in the school and has the most wide age-range of kids from 3 year olds and up. As we walked through the school Eddy was picking out the kids whose shoes were in the worst shape & sent them to the church for a new pair of shoes. This was not something we were completely prepared for so not everyone got a new pair of shoes. For the May trip we are taking a new pair of tennis shoes for each of the 330 school children (if you are interested wanting to know how you can help you can email me at allysbox@knology.net).

We had lunch on the roof that day and as we were finishing one of the girls yelled at Odette and she went running to the edge of the roof. I looked over and recognized her mom from Andy's pictures of her. I knew we would be walking to their house later so I brought the picture album with me to give to her family. I grabbed that & my camera and nervously made my way over. She said "Mama Odette" & gave me a big hug. I was very thankful at that moment that I had the photo album with me because it gave us something to look at & "talk" about. My creole is very limited at this point but I think even if I knew more it would have left me at that moment. In the photo album I had pictures of us & the girls, pictures of Odette with both Andy and I on other trips, and the pictures of Odette's family from the December trip. Odette's mama (Marie Claire) loved the pictures and thanked me for them. After sitting there a little while, Kevin came over and explained to her that we would be walking to her house later to visit. She thanked us, gave me another hug and then headed back to her house.

Later that afternoon we took the walk to her house (about 10-15 min.) Eddy that had taken Andy and Kevin there last time was not around so Kevin asked Odette if she knew the way and she took off quickly leading the group. I kept having her slow down because she was walking much better over the stony path than the rest of us. I spent the entire walk trying not to cry. I was so overwhelmed by the unknown of what I was going to see and experience when I got there. The pictures that Andy had in December were taken in the dark so it was very hard to tell what everything looked like. As we got close an elderly lady ran out & called for Odette. From what I understand she is her godmother & she was very happy to see Odette. Odette's house is directly down the hill. When we got to the bottom of the hill we were met by Odette's mama.
We took a few pictures and then I walked over to her papa & he said "Mama Odette" and gave me a hug. The whole thing was too much to take in. Odette ran inside the house for a few minutes and then came back out. Just watching her there was very strange, she seemed so out of place. Maybe it was the purple gown with bright green frogs that made her stand out or the fact that her skin and hair look so much healthier than the day she left there. I don't know what it was or how to explain it but it was very obvious to me. Odette's papa (Roger) immediately got chairs out of the house so some people could sit down. They seemed very pleased that we came to visit.
We took family pictures and then my meltdown happened. As hard as I was trying not to I lost it. I was so overwhelmed with not only being at the place when Odette grew up but meeting these sweet unselfish people that made the greatest sacrifice they could to give their daughter a better life. Not only did they let her go to an orphanage where they knew she would go to school and be able to eat everyday but now they have allowed her to be adopted into another family knowing they will not have a chance to see her again for a long time. I will be forever grateful for their unselfish decision to give Odette the best life possible. I was very thankful that day that Andy was the one that sat down and talked to the parents and asked their permission to adopt because just visiting them was hard enough on me. I look forward to the day I can sit down with them and ask more about Odette and what she was like growing up. Was she a happy baby, did she cry alot, when did she start walking, what was her first word, what was her favorite thing to play with her siblings... I want to know all those things I missed out on. I know now after meeting her parents that she was loved and that her parents took the best care of her that they could. They seem very sweet and loving. We said our good-byes and headed out to visit another family. I stayed back in the back of the line and let Odette walk ahead with the other girls. I just needed a few minutes by myself. At that moment I wanted nothing more to be curled up in a bed by myself having a good cry but at the time I just couldn't. That was one of those moments that I would have loved to have Andy there with me.

Sunday, February 15th

2009-03-23T10:23:00.003-04:00

After a long travel day and a late night, this morning came really early. But opening my eyes and having my daughter next to me made it completely worth it. We all got ready and headed to Coq Chante for church. Church was much more crowded than it was when I was there in May. I think word got out that the "blancs" were there which means lunch after church. For many this will be the only meal that they will have that day, and in many cases for a couple of days. Despite the uncomfortable benches in the church I love the experience of church in Haiti. I love the geunine worship that happens there on Sunday morning & we always get the treat of hearing the girls sing in church & then at the end we get the priviledge to pray over the people in the church. There are many Sundays that I sit in the gym at Brickey and long to be back at Coq Chante.

We spent Sunday afternoon playing with the girls and then took a ride to Belloc, a nearby village to pick up Wousamy who is being adopted by another family in our church. I have missed him and couldn't wait to see him again. We also took water buckets to several houses in the Belloc community while we were there. Now many families there along with families in Coq Chante will have clean drinking water for the first times in their lives. It is amazing the difference we have seen in the girls and some families in the Coq Chante community after only a few months of clean water. The girls are so much healthier and are now "worm free" after drinking clean water since September.

One thing I noticed today and for the next few days is Odette's fear of being left. She did fine walking into Belloc but when we went inside the church there many people followed us in where we gave out candy to the kids and more water buckets to the families, anyway she seemed really uneasy there & stayed right by my side. When we started to leave (it was dark at this point), she quickly grabbed my hand & headed out. She walked holding my hand the entire way out & would have gone faster up the big hill to the bus if I would have walked faster. The first few mornings as soon as she heard the bus start up she would try to quickly get me to grab our stuff and hurry to the bus. I would tell her it was ok and I would take my time getting there. As the week went on she seemed much more comfortable with waiting when she realized that we were not going to be left behind.

Saturday, Feb. 14th

2009-03-05T10:46:00.003-05:00

The day I had waited on for months & months was finally here- I was going to see my little girl for the first time in 9 months and it was the first time going knowing that she was my daughter. It was such a long travel day. We left Knoxville at 11pm & had an uneventful trip to Atlanta. The flight to Miami was ok (I still do not like flying!) but as we were landing the plane all of a sudden started going back up. There was a truck on the runway so we had to fly around until the runway was clear. After a quick breakfast/lunch we got on the plane to head to Haiti and ended up sitting on the plane for about an hour & a half while they looked for a piece of luggage that did not belong to anyone on the plane and then after all that they said that they had to get a new pilot for us since our pilot had been on shift to long so we had to get off the plane and were told we would not take off until 2:00. I was so disappointed, by 2:00 if our plane had been on time we would have been most of the way to the mountains. I was so close to getting to see my little girl but it seemed so far away. I was worried about the girls and their disappointment that we were not going to be there when they expected us. I know they probably spent most of the day watching for us and then we didn't come. We finally got to Port-au-Prince around 5 (if I remember right) and after a very long three hour ride on the tap-tap we finally could see the orphanage lit up on the top of the hill. Finally I was home again. I was so physically and emotionally drained at this point that I wasn't sure if I could handle it. I felt like I couldn't take a full breath. I climbed off the tap-tap and took the walk in the dark up the stony path to the orphanage. All of the girls were standing on the front steps singing and waiting our arrival. I can't tell you now what they were singing because I was looking hard to find Odette in the dark. There she was half-singing while she was looking around. The second her eyes met mine she jumped from where she was standing and ran over and gave me the biggest hug. She grabbed my hands and started rubbing my arms and touching my face and just could not get enough of just being there in the moment with me. If I ever had any doubts about the adoption path we are taking all doubts vanished in this moment. She is my daughter just like Taylor, Abby and Molly and I couldn't believe she was finally in my arms again. I kissed her over and over and told her I love her & she said "I love you Mama Allyson". Finally the words I had been waiting for months to hear in person.

I quickly wanted to focus on the other girls too because I didn't want to miss a minute- all of a sudden that energy I was lacking and the long day it took to get there was forgotten and I couldn't wait to get my arms around little girls that I missed more than I can say. Linia was grinning at me from the steps and when I said her name she ran and put her hand in mine. It felt so good to finally be back with my Haitian family. I found Madam & Pastor Gaspard who were waiting by the door with big hugs for us all. We made our way upstairs and Odette took me in her room and quickly found my lap. Wow how I had missed that. We took lots of pictures that night and gave lots of hugs. Since there was not room at the orphanage for such a big group we stayed at a Kamatin- a church and school about a 20-30 minute drive from Coq Chante. When it was time to head to Kamatin the four girls being adopted (Odette, Valancia, Benita & Dieula) got to go with us. After we finally made it to Kamatin we unloaded the tap-tap and found our rooms. Odette and I roomed with Benita and her family. Odette was so happy- she just kept looking at me and giggling. I was sad about not staying at Coq Chante but as the week went on I was very thankful for this one-on-one time with our girls. It was late that night and we all fell asleep quickly. Odette was laying on the other side of the bed but had to be touching me with at least one hand. By morning she was cuddled up next to me and had pushed me to the edge of the bed. Andy if right- she is a bed hog!

Where I am today. . .

2009-03-05T10:16:00.004-05:00

For those of you who check our blog often for updates I am sorry for the delay in writing. As much as I know that I needed to sit down and write about my trip before I forget all the details I just couldn't make myself do it. The first week back was busy at our house but after that I have just been in a really tough place where I couldn't let myself sit and think too much about Odette and the other girls because I was afraid I would fall apart each day. It was such an incredible week but I think it has made the waiting and just my daily thoughts of her even harder. But I realized today as I read another adoption blog that I follow that I can't live in that place of numbness anymore because I am scared of hurting. Here is what she wrote - "but as of today my heart is more fully engaged and joyful with anticipation than it has ever been because I get to enjoy our journey to you from this point forward with no fear and no more numbness. I have permission from my Father to enjoy, wonder, and fully feel the emotion of this journey. I know there may be disappointment, but today I realized I would rather feel the joy and risk the disappointment than be without any joy at all. If it takes feeling disappointment to get to you, then I will pay that price. You are worth all the emotion if that's what it takes. And I want to fully celebrate the work God is doing to bring you to us."
So that is where I am today, tired of walking around scared & now just wanting to embrace the journey of the day whether that be through tears when I am hurting so much missing those girls or through laughter as I think back to all the fun times we had that week.

I'm going to Haiti

2009-02-13T08:32:00.006-05:00

It is so hard to believe that the day is finally here. We are meeting at the church office tonight at 10:30 and will be on the road to Atlanta at 11:00pm. I get overwhelmed when I think about the fact that it has been 9 months since I have seen Odette. Words can't describe how excited I am to go. I have been thinking for the last nine months what it would be like the next time I am on that truck pulling up the road to the orphanage (if you have been before you know exactly what I am talking about). After all of these months of dreaming about it and hoping for it the day is almost here. I finally will get to wrap my arms around my little girl again and will get to see those 17 other precious faces that I have missed more than I can say. The really overwhelming thing that you can be praying for me about while I am gone is having to leave on Saturday. I have tried not to let myself think to much about this because I loose it everytime but I just know that leaving her that Friday morning in May was the most difficult thing I have ever had to do in my life & I can't even imagine what it is going to be like this time know that I am leaving my daughter. It is hard enough leaving my girls here for a week & now I am going to have to say goodbye to my daughter in Haiti for months. I know that she is cared for & loved at the orphanage but I long for the day when that empty feeling that I feel is in my home most days if filled. Andy said that she has done ok with him leaving these last few times, I just pray that is the case this week. I hope that I do a good job hiding my hurt from her so that she will not be more upset (I didn't do a good job of that in May). On this trip are also 4 other families that are adopting (some meeting their little girl for the first time) so it will be an emotional week for all of us.

Also please be praying for Andy and the girls this week. Pray that they are healthy and just have a great week without me. The girls love hanging out with their daddy so I am hoping they have plenty of time to just play. Also pray for Andy while I am gone. I know from experience how hard it is to be the one to stay home. Not just being a "single parent" for the week but the torn feeling you have inside of you that longs to be in Haiti. He has already told me that the next trip whenever that is he is going.

If you are interested in reading the "stories" of the other 17 girls please visit our church website- http://www.whitestonechurch.org/haiti_project.asp

Progress

2009-02-13T08:23:00.003-05:00

We had our psychological exam and first home study visit (in her office) Monday the 2nd. It made this whole process seem more real because we were talking to real people instead of just filling out paperwork and getting things notarized. Our next home study appointment will be the home visit and that is on Tuesday the 24th right after I get back from Haiti. After that home visit we will have one more office visit where she will do another joint interview with Andy & I and then she will interview each of our family members including our girls separately. I am a little worried that Abby won't go in the room with her much less talk to her. But hopefully that will all go ok. We also took a trip to Nashville this past Tuesday for our fingerprinting appointment. While we were there we got our state-issued birth certificates and marriage certificates & had some of our paperwork authenticated. Please continue to pray that all of these steps along the way will go smoothly and quickly.

Paperwork and more paperwork

2009-01-29T10:57:00.003-05:00

We are working hard to finish up the last few things of paperwork that we need. After what seemed a long time we finally finished up all our our paperwork for our home study and sent that off last week. We have our first home study appointment on Monday & also have our psychological evaluation on Monday. We were determined to finish up our big things like our parenting questionnaire and autobiographies by New Years so while the girls spent the night on New Years Eve with Richard and Amy, Andy and I spent the evening finishing up those things. Not an exciting New Years Eve but at least we were making progress. Please be praying for us as we finish up the paperwork process. It seems like we have run into problems every step of the way (sent to the wrong address or left out a birth certificate, etc.) and that just adds more time to this process. I get frustrated sometimes with the process but I have to realize that every step that we do make is a step closer to bringing our little girl home.

Molly being Silly

2009-01-20T16:37:00.000-05:00

To Odette from Molly

2009-01-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

To Odette from Abby

2009-01-20T11:01:00.000-05:00

Haiti December 2008 video

2009-01-18T21:04:00.002-05:00

Last days

2009-01-18T20:04:00.004-05:00

Friday morning I awoke to Odette crawling on the air mattress with me. I think Malange helped put her up to it. She was watching from her bed and laughed as I was surprised by being there. After getting up it was time to get started for the day. We built a few benches during the day and just spent time hanging out with the girls. The day passed quickly and soon it was time for bed. As we got ready for bed Odette had already gotten the air mattress down in the floor. She had gotten her new blanket from the Gaylor's and the Hodge's and was ready to go to bed. It was just like being at home taking a nap with one of my girls. I was just really really really far away from home, but felt at home, all at the same time.

Saturday morning I came to the conclusion that Odette is a bed hog. I wouldn't trade getting to spend the time with her, but it wasn't very restful. Sleep is over rated any way. Today was the day to go home. I started packing and was trying not to think about the reality that I was going to be leaving my girl. I am thankful that she was not overly emotional, she just started to "pull back" a little. Once it was time to go, I kissed her good bye and told her I loved her. She said she loved me and I headed to the truck to go home.

December 4, part 2

2009-01-12T19:56:00.004-05:00

That night during dinner I stayed in the room with Odette. I need to apologize to the team for not being a part of the team that night but this was the closest thing to a date night that Odette is going to get for now. While we were in her room Madam Gaspard & Wilson (one of her sons) came in & sat down. Madam was saying how happy she was that I was going to be Odette's papa and Odette was going to be my daughter. She also said how much she loved me. By this time Pastor had come in and sat on the bed too. He was telling me that Odette was family, Wilson said they are "cousins". I told him we were all going to be "family". Madam asked if we would call on Sunday night. I was also able to tell Madam that Madam Allyson was coming in fevriye (February). She was so excited! She hugged and kissed me on both cheeks. It was a very excited Madam hug and kiss (if you have had one or seen it you will know what I am talking about).

We stayed in Odette's room a while coloring and just sitting together. Lots of the girls came in the room and all of us played together. Odette come and went from the room. On the last trip she wouldn't leave my lap, now she was confident to come and go.

All week I heard the girls talking and the only thing I could understand was "Odette" and "Andy". I don't know what else they were saying, but it was clear me & Odette were together. Since we had been back from the beach she was a little more affectionate. She is not overly affectionate. I told her to give me a kiss in creole and she did. That night I kissed her goodnight and went to sleep (ear plugs are a great idea in Haiti to keep out the snoring & roosters).

December 4- part 1- the beach

2009-01-12T19:43:00.005-05:00

Thursday was beach day. We got up, hung out a while, got ready and went to the beach. Odette rode in my lap. Once we were at the beach Odette spent most of the time doing her own thing and playing with the other girls and then sat in my lap as she at her lunch. After lunch she went and sat with Malange but when we were getting ready to go she wanted to sit in my lap. So we sat, and that was good. Once it was time to get on the truck she was dragging me towards the truck. When we climbed on the truck it was full & Brian asked me & Kurt if one of us would ride on top and I said "no pwoblem" (it is what is you say in Haiti), but Kurt told me "no you ride with Odette, I'll ride on top" and I didn't argue. We left to head back to the orphanage and not long after getting on the road I started thinking about leaving Odette and going home. How could I leave my daughter?? I began to sing a quiet prayer over her as she slept. The words and melody came and I voiced them quietly on the loud truck ride. I became engulfed in feelings and emotions about my little girl and I couldn't keep it in. I didn't want to make the truck ride back for everyone a bummer by crying the whole way back so I did everything I could to keep it in but the tears and the shoulder rolls were hard to hide. The miserable truck ride helped erase the pain of my heart. I AM LEAVING MY DAUGHTER HERE! The ride was the shortest it has ever been. Odette slept most of the way and didn't know that I was crying until we turned on the road to the orphanage. IT WAS TOO MUCH!!! It had finally caught up to me. We were "home" and I pulled it together. We went inside and I went to the roof for a roof top shower. Cold water will do wonders for you to help you clear your head.

December 3 part 2

2009-01-12T19:25:00.006-05:00

Once we got back to the orphanage we ate some & played some. Odette was very content playing and sitting with me along with just playing and doing her own thing. She asked at one point to Brian something in Creole. It was "are we going to the beach?" He say "wi". She smiled ear to ear. Later that evening the older girls were in the room and giving Gladys a hard time about her picture book she had. Girls being mean to each other transcends race, nationality, and poverty. Gladys went from being mad to being upset and hurt. After the big girls left some of Gladys pictures were on the floor- Odette went and got a picture envelope that she had gotten pictures in and took out her pictures and put Gladys pictures inside in the envelope. Odette then took the picture envelope and put them in her broken photo album and handed it to her. I was so proud!

Later I sat down with Odette on her bed with the journal Ally gave me and the English Creole Dictionary to get an idea of how much she knows. I looked up the word for "name" and asked her to write her name. Malange, who is Odette's good friend, was sitting on the bed across from us and was watching what we were doing. She understood that I was wanting Odette to write her name. Odette started to make an "O" and then looked a little lost. Malange reached over and wrote Odette's name for her and handed the journal back. Then Odette copied her name next to it. So then I thought let's see what she knows about math. So I looked up the creole for math. I saw one of the other girls school paper and wrote 1 + 1 just like they write their math problems then I handed the journal to Odette to see if she knew the answer. She copied the problem down next to where I had written it & handed it back to me. We are starting at ground zero. I guess if you are going to learn a new language I guess that is a good place to start. We were hoping maybe she had been in school before she went to live at the orphanage in February 2008 but it looks like that she did not. I had no idea where she was at. But the good thing is none of it even phased her and she was just glad to be sitting with me doing whatever.

Odette to Mama Allyson

2009-01-11T21:34:00.004-05:00

Odette and Papa Andy

2009-01-11T21:11:00.003-05:00

December 3, 2008 part 1

2009-01-11T20:13:00.005-05:00

That morning I woke up to the girls already awake and getting ready for school. We spent the day working on building a closet, varnishing the feet for the boxes and starting on the benches. Today was the day we went to Odette's house. Odette's mom was at the orphanage most of the day waiting for Eddy to return. When he did me, Odette, Kevin, Benita, Eddy, and Odette's mom walked to her house. It was probably a 15 minute walk. It is hard to gauge time in Haiti. It moves a different pace that it does here. It was almost dark when we got to her house. Her papa was happy we were there. He went inside to get some chairs for us to sit in. So we sat down outside their house. I was trying to look around at everything and take it all in but it was getting so dark. I wanted to take pictures but realized that it may seem kind of rude to walk up in the dark and start taking flash pictures. I was there to meet the family and then take pictures after that. I have felt very ill-equipped to do this. I don't know how to do it ant I don't have it all figured out. As we were sitting at Odette's house I knew I wanted to find out about her family, how many brothers and sisters and what were there names and ages. They are going to be part of my family and will always be a part of Odette's family and I don't want them to forget Odette and I don't want Odette to ever forget them. Eddy wrote down the names and the ages of the parents and children. I noticed that there were no older children at the house so I asked where they were and found out the older children were going to school in the city. I was glad to hear that the older children were going to school, it makes me think the family is doing better than I anticipated since the older children are able to go to school. Odette's papa was definitely more relaxed than the day before and said that it meant a lot to him that I would come to their house and visit with them. He said we were now a big family. The family I left from that day were different than the ones from the previous night. I could not have done that without the encouragement and friendship from Brian and Kevin. They have been invaluable to me. I thank God for friends like that.

We walked back from Odette's house after taking some pictures of the family (in the dark). As we were leaving I was looking for Odette and couldn't find her. She was up ahead walking with Eddy and walked with him most of the way back. I didn't know what she was thinking or feeling after being back at her house. I noticed that she if very fond of Eddy. Eddy loves those girls and they love him. It gives me a peace about Eddy handling the adoption. He said he was ready to get started as soon as we were and said if we could get him the money he would go on Monday to take Odette's parent to the city to sign abandonment papers. This is the first of lots of money. It is getting more and more real.

This picture is of Odette & Dieula with Ricot (Pastor Juste's son), Eddy (Pastor Juste's son-in-law) & Evelyn (the nurse that checks on the girls). This way you will have a face to go with the names of our Haitian friends as I write about them. When Odette goes to the city for check-up & immunizations during the adoption process she will be staying with Eddy, Ricot & their families at their house. They love all the girls and it makes us feel good knowing they will take good care of Odette while she is with them.

December 2, 2008

2009-01-11T19:38:00.005-05:00

I arrived at Coq Chante with Mark on Tuesday, December 2nd. Getting out of the truck I was greeted by Odette who had been waiting on me to arrive all day. She had already heard about us wanting to adopt her. I later found out that she had spent the day getting ready for me to arrive. She had her hair fixed twice that day. Her smile was intoxicating. It was almost surreal when I picked her up in my arms. She was beautiful and I knew for sure at that moment that she was my daughter. As I held her in my arms she smelled wonderful. I wanted to go and spend time with her and play. We walked around for a little while and I decided that we would go to the dining room so we could be together and I could hold her. We were only in there for a few minutes before a man entered followed by a woman I had never seen before. Odette hopped out of my lap and was trying to tell me it was her papa and mama. My intent for this trip was to ask Odette first about adopting her and then her parents. I was not ready for this. I had already thought through this in my mind many times and this was not how I envisioned this. I wasn't ready but the time was here so I got ready. Brian was walking by and I told him that this couple was Odette's parents (I didn't realize it at the time, but they were dressed in their Sunday clothes). I told him to get someone to translate for me. He went and got Pastor Ernst. I can't remember what was said first but we began to talk and discuss us adopting Odette. They first shared when Eddy asked them a few weeks before that they were a little slow to warm up to the idea. I can only imagine what it must have been like to decide that your daughter was going to live in another country and be another family's daughter.

Communicating deep feelings and emotions is not easy when they have to be translated. Her father did most of the talking. He asked how many daughters I had and I answered that I had 3. He wanted to know if Odette would get the same love, treatment, attention, and education as my own daughters. And I assured him as best I could that I would. By this time Eddy had shown up and sat down at the table. Having him there helped. He already had a relationship with her parents and was the one who originally talked to them about the possibility of us adopting Odette. I felt overwhelmed with trying to understand what what Ernst & Eddy were translating, then trying to answer in a way that would translate well into Creole, trying to remember every detail to write down & also to think of all of the questions that I wanted to ask them right then. After answering the question from her father, which were questions from a father that loves his daughter. He asked if we could help Odette's older brother with college. I was starting to sweat. I wasn't sure if this was going to be a "deal breaker" if we couldn't help I looked at Brian and said I can't afford to adopt Odette and bring her brother to the states and get him through college. I had Eddy and Ernst explain that the adoption would cost almost a whole years salary by itself. They seemed to be ok and understood. I wanted to tell them that this just wasn't something that we wanted to do, but something that God had lead us to. I also told him that I would never let Odette forget her family. He asked if they would be able to have contact with her and I said yes, definitely. I told him that I would bring her back to see them.

Once it seemed everyone had said and asked what they needed to Eddy began to question them. I could tell by his tone that he was very serious about it and spoke with authority (if you have met Eddy, you will know what I am talking about). I asked what he had told them. He said that if they say "yes" tonight that they can't change their mind. He said if he calls in two weeks and says you need to come to Port-au-Prince to sign papers to abandon your daughter then you have to do it. I think he said more than that but that is what he told me. To finish up Odette's papa said "From this day forward you are her papa." It was so real at that moment. Her father had just given up his daughter. This had nothing to do with forms, policies, procedures, certifications, or money. This was his his word and that is all it had to be. Again I wanted them to know God had told me and my wife that Odette was supposed to be our daughter. I didn't want him to think this was something we were doing on a whim or taking lightly. Think about it, it makes no sense at all, but in God's economy it does. We are all adopted into the family of Christ. He choose us and we choose Him. And we choose Odette because He said so and that's reason enough. I did let the parents know that just because a paper says that they have abandoned their child and they are not legally their parents, they are still her mama and papa forever. I did tell them that I will help the family with what I can. We finished up and took pictures. Her parents who had already sent their daughter to live in an orphanage, a 15 minute walk away, to give her a better life had just given her up again to live in another country with a new family.

That night I played with girls, ate a little and played some more. I slept on an air mattress in Odette's room. Our beds were head to head.