Thank You!!

Ellie Gordon 1-5-07 - 5-5-08

Thank you!!! I have been overwhelmed (in a good way) by the comments and the emails and the phone calls, flowers,CD, chocolate and pizza.

"In prosperity, our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends."

I have truly come to know my friends and I appreciate all of you who have been praying for us, calling, posting, emailing, visiting, and serving us. I had the opportunity to teach a lesson on Sunday I foolishly chose the topic of adversity, I've had my fair share so I thought I could impart some of my wisdom. Little did I know that I would be drawn back to that lesson the very next day. Was it the Lord's way of preparing me? Maybe I should have taught a lesson on graciously receiving blessings and how to manage a life of ease! Some of us are asked to endure more adversity and trials than others, not that I have now cornered the market on adversity, I am sure there is more.

"Faith in something greater than ourselves enables us to do what we have said we'll do, to press forward when we are tired or hurt or afraid, to keep going when the challenge seems overwhelming and the course is entirely uncertain." GBH

When I read that quote today it had a new and different meaning than it did on Sunday. We have faith it is growing stronger! We will press forward even though we are tired, hurt and afraid, the course ahead is overwhelming and very uncertain. We will put our broken hearts out there again!

Through this adoption process we have met some very incredible people. One of them posted a blog today that expressed some of my thoughts as well. Even though Ellie already had a list of potential suitors little Malot definitely would have been one of her favorites I am sure. Her post is copied below. (Lori hope you don't mind I would have asked first but it is really late!)

RAGE

I miss Ellie.

I have to admit that I've had daydreams about Malot and Ellie falling in love some day in the future. They're such beautiful children and I could only imagine what their own children would look like.

I fancied that we'd be able to keep in touch with Ellie's family after we brought both kids home and that, through the years, love would blossom.

Ellie won't be coming home.

Why does this little girl have to be a statistic?

Haiti has the highest child mortality rate in this hemisphere. 1/3 of Haiti's children are severely malnourished.

And it is the politics that prevent these children from escaping the hell that kills them and coming to homes were they can get food, preventative health care, love, families, kisses, playtoys, clean water.

Ironically, for all the good it does to ensure that the world's children get the basics they need, UNICEF is the largest cause of the political delays we experience in international adoption. While they go on the record as supporting international adoption, the first thing they do when they move into a country is "encourage" the local government to keep their children in their country as a means of preparing for a better future. If you aren't familiar with UNICEF, that's the "humanitarian" end of the United Nations. The UN's peacekeepers have occupied Haiti for several years now. You know the old saying, "beggars can't be choosers". If you can't provide for your own it is very easy to be swayed by whomever will try to lead or help you.

One quick place to get information on what's going on in Haiti and a bit of the background on some of the issues that are experienced by international adoptions (particularly in Haiti in the more recent posts) is http://achildsvoiceinternational.blogspot.com/ . The slideshow in the link on her Sunday, May 4 post is particularly chilling. It was compiled by a charity called The Mercy and Sharing Foundation that is trying to help Haiti's children.

Thank you again to all of you who have been following our journey!