Renand and I met in Haiti in 2008 where we were both working for a pediatric hospital and orphanage. We loved to spend time together at lunch, on trips to the airport to pick up visitors and going to and from the orphanage on the bumpy road up the mountain.
In 2010 Renand’s sister had a baby girl, Rebecca. Sadly, Rebecca’s father had died in the earthquake 5 months before she was born and her mom hasn’t been able to take care of her and provide for her.
As a family we have decided that it would be best for Rebecca to come live with Renand and I in the US where she can have the opportunity for a great education and bigger horizons than what awaits her in Haiti. Many people ask how her mom can do this and the answer is simply that she knows Rebecca will have a brighter future with us and that we are all blessed because God has been good to us in that Rebecca will still be with family.
Rebecca has been living with her 5 uncles in a 2 bedroom house in a suburb of Port au Prince called Delmas. Can you imagine 5 men taking care of a baby girl? She is going to turn out to be one tough cookie who can certainly hold her own. We have been skyping with her since she was 2. We enjoy seeing her sing, dance, practice English with us, tell us about school and tell us her favorite things to do…one of which is jumping! She started school early when she was 2 1/2 and when we would talk to her on a Saturday or Sunday she was always sad because she wasn’t going to school that day. In Creole “M ale lekol” means “I’m going to school” and she would just keep saying that over and over again. Our son, Ryan, and Rebecca have their own language and somehow manage to talk to each other when we are on the computer. He gets very excited when she dances and sings and she tell him “I love you brudder.”
The first time I met her was when she was 2 and I was in love with her immediately. We spent the short weekend playing peek-a-boo, swimming, coloring and just trying to understand each other. Later that year Renand and I both went to Haiti for Christmas and spent every second we could with her. The time flew by too quickly but we relished every little hug, kiss, cuddle, and playful moment together.
Recently we moved into a new home. We need to show that we have ample space for Rebecca when we do the home-study and since she will probably be 6 when she arrives she and Ryan cannot share a room. It is exciting to have a 3rd bedroom where we know she will be one day…but at the same time I long to see her in there everytime I walk by.
We are thrilled to know we will bring Rebecca to join our family and raise her as our own but we need help. The law in Haiti used to be that married couples could not adopt until they had been married for 10 years – yes even for family adoptions. That law changed in late 2013 and we started the official process. We had prayed the law would change and we knew the costs of the adoption. We didn’t know that we would not qualify for many of the adoption grants and loans because we are family. We are also doing everything we can to help prepare Rebecca for the transition when it happens including keeping her in a good school where they teach a little bit of English, and paying for her English tutor who spends 1-2 hours with her a day after school during the week. Each of these things alone does not seem like much of an expense but when it’s all added together it quickly becomes a lot.
To help fundraise for the adoption costs I’ve been selling bracelets made by parents in Haiti. This organization provides jobs for parents to help keep their families together and not need to separate their children into orphanages or for adoption. They make bracelets and I sell them – we split it 50/50. This helps them keep their families together, helps us bring ours together and its a win-win!
We are grateful for any generosity you care to share with us. And look forward to sharing our story with you as it progresses we thank you so very much!
We have been very prayerful through the past few years and we ask that you add us to your prayers that our family can be united quickly, safely and soon! Thank you for visiting our page.