He is Home.
Now our new journey begins. A new hard. A new patience already needed for winning this little heart. Pray for us. I will try to keep this updated but my days are now full of newborn in a ten year old's body.

How Haiti Keeps Me Real

Haiti keeps me real. Haiti keeps me uncomfortable. I simultaneously fight and embrace the visits.  Comfortable loving the four at home, keeping the routine vs. being here loving my fifth boy--stretching uncomfortable in the heat and pain that lives here- confronting my own pain from waiting and aching to hold my boy.

 I know there is pain at home--but here I cannot turn it off. I cannot avert my eyes--there is no place to look that is pain free. Here she is-Haiti-- clothed in trash and stench, and poverty and hunger...yet crowned with sunrise on the roof, bathed in torrential rain that brings laughter and giggles, clothed in singing Praise till 1 a.m.. This place --the contradiction-- keeps me real. I know God has shown us Haiti --He has given us tears for Haiti and her people. He wants me uncomfortable... Haiti ...the adoption...is the wilderness He has chosen for us. We embrace it...

I struggle and rely on Him to count the joy in this...I know that this test produces patience and reliance, TRUST. These last months have been HARD. The trip was HARD. Waiting has been...is HARD. But suddenly it's like the sunrise on the roof...a jewel in the trash. HARD waiting is less HARD. Our paperwork finally went to court. Our son is OURS...he has OUR name. Wisler Johnson. And to make it more amazing we got the phone call while we were at the orphanage. We had a translator with us who then told Wisler the news...(basically we got to tell him ourselves).



We got to see his reaction. We had a friend who had the presence of mind to take a picture...every good and perfect gift. Thank You God. Now we wait for final paperwork. No there is no timeline. We have no idea...and finally I think I am ok with it. I am not comfortable by any means, but all I have to do is look at how beautifully He orchestrated our court news  and I know I can trust that He has the rest of this journey more than covered.
                                                           

Craft Fair!!!

I SAY YES!!!

Many of you already know I have been selling ApParent Project jewelry for over a year now. I started by hosting my own party. After my first party, folks started asking to host their own parties-- and they wanted me to come and  talk about our adoption and the ApParent project. In the last year I have presented at home parties, Bible studies and luncheons. In one week I will be going to my first ever craft fair as a "vendor". I am nervous and excited. I am so excited to share about our adoption journey and to share about this awesome organization (and the wonderful people who make it happen). So next Saturday, May 18th I will have my own craft table at the First Congregational Church of Durham from 8-4. A portion of the money from the sales will fund the last of our adoption expenses ( I say last --we are waiting for court) and the other portion will help Haitian moms and dads keep their families together. So many families in Haiti suffer with poverty--parents are often forced to give up their children to orphanages. Imagine. that. pain. Let's help stop it. Let's make a difference. Let Christ multiply our little steps. If you would like to preview items that will be there please visit my event page on FB.

How a Dresser and a Bed can Make you Cry and Hope

Saturday, thanks to some wonderful friends, we got to skype with Wisler for the first time since December. It was wonderful. Connection was great--for audio AND video (this is a miracle). We chatted. Then he wanted to see his room. So he actually got a tour of the whole house and most of the yard. We were not able to really see his facial expressions but our friends said " his jaw hit the floor" (so he is a little excited for this wait to be over too).

The weather changed this week. It is finally spring--warm days of the boys playing outside from right after breakfast to right before dinner with lots of snack stops in between (including lunch). For them it means playing with the hose in the sandbox, running barefoot through the tender grass, jumping on the trampoline, riding bikes--all things outside.  Of course one needs shorts and t-shirts to properly enjoy all this warm weather. So for me it means trading out all the winter wear for the essential warm weather wear.
I have done this every season for their entire lives...and I have done it every season for Wisler since 2010. I change the clothing in his dresser--winter for summer, summer for winter--every year I have done this and every year I pack away clothes he has never worn. Hope for this new season, sadness for the season missed both crowd my heart. Maybe this time. Maybe. It feels closer this time---as we wait for a court date. Maybe. We Pray. We hope. We wait. Somedays patiently.Most days not. Everyday aching. Knowing God is bigger than the governments involved, the lawyers, the paperwork...He is bigger. He has the perfect time for Wisler to come home...





 Brian built the trundle for Wisler's bed today. It is perfect and slides under Ean's bed perfectly. So we are ready God. Please.

    

More Miraculous News

It seems crazy that only 5 weeks ago I posted that we had received presidential dispensation. Friday morning our adoption coordinator called us to let us know that our dossier has officially cleared IBESR (Haitian Social Services) and is now ready for court. We were told that there is a good chance we may not have to appear for our court appointment. (miracle) And we are to send our final payment and paper work so that as soon as court is done Pastor Riguad can file for VISA, passport and get Wisler his medical exam. We are so excited. We also found out that Wisly, Wisler's little brother who is being adopted by friends of ours, also received the same news. This is an incredible miracle. We were told that there was no chance the brothers could come home together or that their dossiers would even process together. BUT THEY HAVE come this far together--we pray that they continue. Please pray with us that these little boys can come to Auburn, Maine together-and-that all financial blocks would be knocked clear out. Thanks for all your love and support!!!!

We GOT

Dispensation!!! Click here for the on-line version of Le Moniteur. Our son is listed under Dec 6th--Wisler Estimable. What does this all mean? It means that the Haitian president has approved our dossier (despite the fact that we have bio kids we have been given the "all clear" from the office of the president to proceed). Now we wait for court....please continue to pray...God is moving mountains.

Lost in the Shuffle

I was recently re-reading my writing drafts of my last Haiti trip. As I read through and reminisced, I discovered a piece of my trip that I forgot to share. It was and still is probably one of the most important moments of my trip. To see the earlier posts for my trip click on the months of June and July in the right sidebar. 
Sunday night was awesome. Google had allowed us to have incredible conversation. I then broke the news- I was leaving the next day. His face closed. Eyes downcast. Light gone. We snuggled up close Sunday night. I prayed for strength and wisdom. Monday morning seemed to arrive too soon. Eyes downcast, face closed he asked ou parti en avion? ( you are leaving on an airplane?) Yes -oui bebe. yes baby. He looked away. Ignoring me. I know he's trying to shore up his hurting heart.
I pull him to my lap. We begin with Thursday's photos. At first he sits limp, un-moving. Slowly his hand moves to take control of the slide show.  Teaching Thankfulness. Counting Joy in the hundreds of photos I took. Soon we were both laughing and re-living every sweet moment of the last few days. Thanking God for the wonder of it all.
Refreshed from thankfulness we walk to school. I kiss him good-bye. Prie  bebe. Pray baby. Be thankful. I will be back for you. We are your forever family.
Ou renmen ou anpil. We love you very much.