Pictures of Haiti

I thought that maybe some people would like to be able to see some of the beauty of the country of Haiti. Most of the time we focus on the poverty, filth, and violence in Haiti. But God designed a beautiful place when he designed Haiti. These pictures were taken when Aaron and I went to visit Michael last summer. All of these photos were taken looking out from the orphanage. Unfortunately, the area around the orphanage is not so beautiful, but there is a lot of beauty in the country. The mountains and beaches are beautiful and there are so many beautiful people. Please pray for the country of Haiti. Poverty and violence make life very difficult for so many people. There is a huge need for the gospel of Jesus Christ to be spread throughout the country. I often wonder how Michael's birthfamily is surviving. His birthmother has 6 other kids and is hoping to place at least two more of them for adoption. Unfortunately, with the adoptions taking so long, the orphanages are full and many children are being turned away every month. Some of these children will not live long enough to find a place in an orphanage. Our orphanage is run by a missionary couple from Ohio and they raise all of their support to care for themselves and all of the children in the orphanage. Please pray for the people of Haiti and for the missionaries that give their lives to help these needy people.

One Step Closer

We got an email yesterday from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security letting us know that they have approved our I-600. The I-600 is the petition to classify an orphan as an immediate relative and this is the necessary approval for the U.S. immigration. Now we wait on the Haitian passport. With the Haitian passport and the I-600 approval we should be able to get Michael's passport very quickly (1-2 weeks). So please continue to pray that Haiti's immigration department would work more efficiently and get Michael's passport issued.

He is Feeling Better

Well, Michael seems to be through with his chickenpox. I got an email from the orphanage today saying that he is past the fevers and aches. So we thank God for His healing. Now we keep waiting for his Haitian passport so that we can bring him home.

Still Waiting

Well, people ask constantly about when Michael is coming home and we just have to honestly say that we do not know. We applied for our US immigration approval almost 4 weeks and have only gotten one short email stating that our application is being processed. The orphanage also submitted our application for Michael's Haitian passport about 4 weeks ago and nothing has happened. It seems most people are waiting 12-18 weeks for Haitian passports right now. We are praying for a miracle so that Michael can be home sooner.
Here is a new picture of Michael. Aren't his eyes gorgeous? I just melt every time that I look into those eyes.