this makes me so happy...

Orphan: The Film

The new movie Orphan, as many of you may have seen the previews for, is now out in theaters. A movie is just that... a story, but it is sad when Hollywood portrays the villain as none other than a 9-year old orphaned girl. I'm not a fan of horror flicks anyway, but this endorsed stereotype of orphans being anything other than children who no longer have families to care for them is sad and at the very least unsettling, especially if you saw the preview.

July 24th marks the release of Orphan, or as the Washington Post referred to it, a:

"depraved, worthless piece of filth...a high-gloss horror show about a well-meaning couple who bring home a 9-year-old girl to join their family, only to discover, way too late, that she's a homicidal psychopath."

Tom Davis, defends the cause for orphans and talks about it here.

And many other articles have been published: example

If you want horror stories about orphans there are many stories concerning the circumstances of the 150 million orphans in this world that will tear your heart out.

Warner Bros. new horror movie Orphan proclaims that it must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own. Let me tell you about how an orphan changed my life...

I have quite a few moving experiences with orphans. The situation first made itself known to me as a teenager when I traveled to Mexico for mission trips. But in the last 5 years I have seen and heard so much more.

The first orphan who changed my life was a precious little girl named Mirloudes Massenat. I always knew I wanted to have boys, maybe 2... but my first trip to Haiti changed all that. There were only 7 children at Cabaret Children's Home when we arrived in '04. By the end of our stay this little tomboy and I were inseparable. She is the first child to really hold a special place in my heart. In subsequent trips there were a few times she was jealous of other children who had my attention. But as she grows older I know she understands she was the first and I will always love her :) Now I can't wait to have girls too and likely much more than 2 kiddos.

One of the orphans that lil miss Mirloudes was jealous of at first was Davidson Darisme. He was the number one reason for my deciding to adopt. I can't explain what happened to me after my trip to Cabaret/Bercy in January '08, but it was life-altering. Davidson has me wrapped around his little fingers. It's a good thing he doesn't realize to what extent. He came to the Orphanage very skinny and sickly. His older brother Wilguens is a very handsome little boy too. Davi has bad allergies and always runs around with scraped up knees and no shorts if he can get away with it. I will never forget his first trip to the beach when Rusty said he was big enough to go. He sat in my lap, facing me, in the tap tap and happily say Jesus Loves Me all by himself. I have a video of him singing to me again on my last trip in May and confess I watch it over and over sometimes. Cheryl... if you read this and you think there is any way to add him to my paperwork along with Kervenson's I still have that one wish to make it happen.

There are so so many other orphans that have touched and changed my life. A boy at the Children of Love Foundation in La Paz, Honduras. A beautiful, yellow-eyed girl at Bukedea in Uganda. And in the last year I have learned of so many people in my life that were once orphans and adopted at some point: from my neighbor, to a regular at Mosaic, to a friend who invited me on one of these volunteer trips. Last but not least, is the one most of you know about. My baby Isaac is the most precious thing that has ever happened to me. This blog is filled with updates and photos about him...

Sundays

Sunday used to be my favorite day of the week. It brings to mind a day to recover, relax, church, family lunches, nacho dinners, chillin at the pool, movies, and football in the fall.

But in the last year Sundays have become a sort of melancholic day for me... if that’s a good way to put it. Now this Sunday can be any day really. This summer when I work at The Jones on Sundays, my day is Monday. I assume when I start classes next year it could be Friday or Saturday that I feel this way.

Point is, after a busy weekend of work and being “on” all the time, I really enjoy my me-time. And in that slowing down and tuning in to what I have pushed to the back of my mind while I’m on the grind, I realize that I miss my baby. I wonder how he is, what he’s doing, what he ate for his last meal, who will put him down to sleep tonight... All in all I have faith that he’s okay. I’m good knowing that Isaac’s fate lies in God’s hands whether I have him right here in my arms or if he’s somewhere far away. But the mother in me (still weird to say) wants to protect, spoil, teach, care for him… And I just really miss him.

It’s a journey that I love and hate. I want him home with me, but I know that this process is what is meant to be. I have a new purpose for what I do. Not many people know what I do, no one really knows what I go thru. I’m not saying it’s harder or easier than others. That is not my judgment to make, but it is unique to me. I told someone recently that it had been kind of an emotional day. And they responded, “I imagine being emotional comes with caring about things, being passionate.” … Absolutely.

latest, greatest, family pics

Isaac and David in the Pak-n-Play

We were so lucky to get to visit Cabaret Children's Home the day the crew went to the beach. Such a weird feeling having my Bercy kids meet my bebe. The kids embraced him like one of theirs. It was so so precious. Especially Nalda... she just loved him!

Charlene, Isaac, & Vedeline

Nalda & Isaac

Vedeline, Isaac, & Mirlourdes

Wanna & Davidson

Mirlourdes, Wanna, & Me

Car ride thru Haiti

Gma, Isaac, & Me

bb asleep in his Husler onsie LOL

Posin' poolside at the Villa Therese

Playing at the restaurant at the Baptist Mission

Everyone's sleeping on the way back down the mountain!

Isaac sportin' his onsie from Africa :)

And playin with his giraffe Aunt Ashley get him at the market

Isaac & his older gf Livie ;)

Schella & Isaac. She's so good with him :)

Wow! pool water!

Nap time zzzzzzzz

Rosetaina Bertrand, born July 19 2007, died July 7, 2009.

Ti-Rose as they called her at Dorothy's... at 20 months weighed only 10.5 lbs when they took her in.

At Mama Dorothy's with Isaac & Gertie

Up playin way past bedtime!

Can u believe we woke him up to open his birthday presents with the rest of the kids at the O?! But Felinta was more than willing to help!

Sincere Thanks

To everyone who donated time, money, goods, effort to the children in Uganda and Haiti.THANK U. On the ground in Uganda we were able to provide $2500 to Rapha from money you guys sent! They are building a kitchen (mostly. . .just getting it enough done to make it workable and will have to finish it later) and buy supplies to be able to feed all of the children in the school. Note: They were originally going to buy beds, but it is more important to EAT then have your own bed! We provided $100 for rice, beans AND MEAT one day. And $100 for Nabakalu to provide the same for our visit there. We also purchased 150 nets (43 will go to Pastor John's Ministry along with 8 mattresses. They had NO nets and 8 of their mattresses had been destroyed in a fire). We also gave Rapha 7 nets to replace ones with holes in them. We provided 100 nets to give away in Soroti as we see needs. We got a GREAT price of 4800 ugx which is only $2.25 per net!... much cheaper than the states.

997 Toothbrushes

327 Tubes of Toothpaste + 161 one time toothpaste samples

4548 Pencils + uncounted crayons and markers

1061 pairs of underwear
1 suitcase full of clothes (packed!)

1 suitcase full of shoes

Also thanks to everyone who donated to HIS Home for Children in Haiti. It means so much to me, but even more to those who receive your generous gifts =)

Feed The Forgotten

Join us and Children's HopeChest to FEED THE FORGOTTEN!!! (CLICK HERE TO GIVE NOW) (note: please write FEED THE FORGOTTEN in the notes section)

For $0.14, we can (and WILL) feed someone a meal of posho (cornmeal) and beans to a child in Uganda

$0.14 a meal

$2.86 for 20 days

$1 per FAMILY

$20 feed a family for 20 days.

How much was my dinner tonight at LuLu's? How much is the lunch we eat out? Our grocery bill? Snacks at QT? How much is your Starbucks? The bigger question is how much am I willing to give up SO THAT OTHERS MIGHT EAT?

Spread the word, blog about it, facebook it, twitter it, ask your church or school or business to give, post the blog badge anything. Truly, we are begging you. . .on behalf of these children not to forget this post and move on to the next in your google reader list. Stop, pray, act.
GIVE TO FEED THE FORGOTTEN CHILDREN!!!!!

African family

I had three triggers in Uganda. I call them triggers because they were the times my heart broke or times that my broken heart revealed itself.

The first was at Bukadea when our team reached the care point midday. We were told the 500+ children had been waiting since early morning. Some had walked miles. Likely hadn’t eaten a single bit of food that day. We passed out the goodies, even mosquito nets for the HIV children. And we served posha (porridge). At some point in our hectic pouring, passing out, washing, refilling… we were told there wasn’t enough food for them all. So we downsized the portions, but the reality soon sunk in. It really hit me when one of the widows said “Just give to the little ones, they will be upset if they don’t get. The big ones, they are used to it.” REALLY? They have been disappointed so many times that it’s no surprise to go without food, a basic need? So with emotion welling up I kept moving, only to become overwhelmed with my next few bowls. All of these beautiful wide eyes, staring, patiently waiting, not knowing that it was almost gone… Who do you give it to? How could I pass one child and feed another? I will never forget that moment.

The second was listening to a young lady. She was the oldest child in her family and the head of her home. She told a heartbreaking story of how she lost her parents and moved and struggled for so many years. At one point, after her mother had passed and they were still with their father she mentioned how he had not “Cared for them in the good way.” This immediately brought me to the comment Big made about my baby Isaac. He said (and repeated multiple times) that I must always remember to “bring him up in the good way.” It hit so close to home my heart just broke.

The third was in the bus on the last day. We were each sharing about something that had been revealed to us. One of the women said that it is so hard to live somewhere (home in the US) when your heart is here (Uganda). I lost it. Many of my good friends have heard me talk about how my heart is in different places.

I can’t describe the feeling I had that day, but I can tell you that so many memories of my close friends came rushing back to me. I kept hearing my boy Paco, that passed last October, tell me that “one day I will go to Africa.” “one day he will take me to his home.” “one day I will love Africa.” I kept thinking, it’s not the country, as beautiful as it is. It is the people. And I don’t have this great expectation to change the world. as wonderful as that would be. I don’t just see streets and orphanages lined with starving children. I see my friends. I see my family. Big told me before I left for Uganda that it should have been Senegal. I was supposed to be with their families. Some of those guys were my family. I miss them terribly. Experiencing Africa without them was bittersweet and more bitter than sweet at this point.