A Merry Christmas in Haiti!

We received these photos of Pierre and Ange-Laurette receiving their packages from Santa. This was the celebration the mission group Answered Prayers organized. They made decorative paper chains, taught handwashing and food preparation, and shared the individualized gifts we had been able to send down in November. Both kids look so good!!! Actually ALL the kids and nannies were beaming from ear to ear!

Ange-Laurette is now 9! Her birthday was on Sunday. Another family was arriving in Haiti that day, so we sent along a birthday surprise for her. We will celebrate again when we see her in January, with cupcakes like we had brought along for Pierre last time. Ange-Laurette is a petite 9 but has the life-experiences of a much older girl. Her huge grin tells us she is doing well and likely enjoying her new participation in a nearby school Monday through Friday. It will be fun to see her new school skills in math...although we are most excited to just hear that laugh of hers!

Pierre was hard at work in other photos from the mission trip. He could be seen in any shots of kids doing artwork or coloring pages. He outlines each object before coloring it in...and he takes it all seriously until completion. We will need to make room on the frig for all the masterpieces he is sure to bring home from school one day. :)

How much we miss them!!

Just a quick entry to share how much we are missing Pierre and Ange-Laurette! The holidays are so bittersweet: one of our favorite times as a family but also without two very special kids here to join us. We know that they will be receiving their Christmas boxes within the next week. We also know that my parents are working hard to send the orphanage some of the fortified rice packets from a mission they support, Kids Against Hunger. We celebrated my dad's birthday this September packaging over 2500 meals! My niece was part of another packaging that actually may end up in Haiti. It is a wonderful mission and so much more meaningful once you have seen firsthand the difference in a child once they receive the nutrients they so desperately need.

We have two learning opportunities in the next week. We will join a webinar tomorrow and then a conference call on Tuesday to learn more about the steps in the Haitian adoption process. Bruce and I are eager to learn absolutely everything we can to help prepare us....and to help the kids adjust to this new culture, while still maintaining as much as we can of their own culture and traditions. Please say extra prayers this Christmas, for all the children just like ours who are without a family and without even the necessities of life this holiday season. Pray that Christian mission groups reach out beyond our borders to touch their lives in significant ways!