I haven't been good about keeping up with this blog. There's been many reasons for that, not the least of which is just laziness. Other reasons include, a major remodel project in our home, followed by damage to our home from a frozen pipe (in the newly completed remodel), and a recent promotion at work.
Waiting for Daniela has been very difficult, especially in light of what has happened in Haiti over the past year. During our visit in April 2008, we arrived just before the food riots began. During the previous 4 months, the price of rice and beans had doubled in Haiti. Families who were already struggling in ways we cannot imagine became desperate. While we were complaining about gas that was $4 per gallon, in Haiti it was as high as $9 per gallon.
That was April. By late fall hurricane after hurricane had crossed Haiti. Over 1,000 people died as a direct result of the storm. When people are in such desperate circumstances they can't even consider sending their children to school. Paying the fees for school hardly seems to be a priority when you have nothing to eat.
Today we are waiting for the US Embassy to issue Daniela a visa. In mere days we could be traveling to Haiti to bring home our daughter, our beautiful Haitian Princess. For the rest of our lives we will strive to give her what she most needs, and teach her of God's love for her. We will also always wonder, and never know, what her life might have been like in Haiti.
The experience of adopting Daniela has only increased my appreciation for Compassion International. Children in Haiti who are in Compassion's sponsorship program have their school fees covered. They are involved in their local church, and in addition to their education, they are fed, and given health care, and dental care. Most of all, they are shown love in a safe environment. Isn't that what we want for our own children?
As you consider the economy, and how much tougher things are right now than a few years ago, please consider the circumstances of those living in poverty. It's not their fault. It's not because they're lazy. It's because of circumstances beyond their control. All they want is hope for their children.
"Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work." —Mother Teresa
Yesterday I brought my youngest daughter to the doctor... again. This time to be tested for Malaria. She has had a fever for 7 of the past 9 days, and her symptoms look more like malaria than a cold or flu virus. When I told the nurse I wanted a malaria test, she absolutely freaked out. She stepped back, covered her mouth and asked if our daughter needed to be quarantined. Fortunately the doctor came into the room, and calmed her.
