April Update 2012

Happy Easter from God’s Littlest Angels, Andrew and Christy!

Here at GLA, we are praying each of our adoptive families had a blessed and fun Easter this past month!  There has been much activity happening around here.  We have had a new team in each week since the end of March.  Each of them has been a blessing.  Some worked on building/maintenance projects while others did ministry in our community and with our kids.  Our Easter holiday here in Haiti was a true blessing.  The kids at the Toddler House enjoyed dying Easter eggs, having a special meal, and learning about how Jesus died for their sins while the babies at the main house received a special treat and spent time with their nannies and volunteers.

The Toddler House has really been brimming with activity this past month.

Easter brought about much excitement and fun as well.  The kids each got to use their creative skills in egg dying on the Friday before Easter. Berline chose the color blue to dye her egg. She waited patiently for the dye to color the egg, the whole time with a smile on her face as she anticipated what it would look like when she was finished. She did an excellent job using the tool for lifting the egg in and out of the dye.  After the egg was dry and a beautiful shade of blue, she carefully covered it in stickers.

Easter morning brought much excitement as well. Berline was excited to eat the egg she had worked so hard on.  She then attended church at the Haitian church next to the Toddler House, where she attends Sunday school each week.  At church they sang songs and watched the Veggie Tales Easter Carole, and received a sack of goodies.  For lunch all the children gathered around for one of their favorite meals, which included fried chicken, rice and beans with red sauce.  On Monday all of the kids received a package of Easter candy.  Each of them were thrilled to see what was inside. We were amazed to find that Berline’s Marshmallow Peeps lasted her an entire week.  She carefully rationed them so she could have one each day.  Apparently she has great self control!

Cinema Night is an event that has been occurring at the Toddler House for a few months now.  It is when, after dark, a movie is projected on a screen in the yard at the Toddler House. There have been 4 so far, held about every other Saturday.  All of the kids at the Toddler House get to be involved and it is a very exciting and fun event!

The three cinema nights held since then have been on Saturday nights and the movies have included Surf’s Up, Garfield, and Chipwrecked.  All of the kids get so very excited when they smell the popcorn cooking and see the chairs being set up for cinema night.  When they see and smell these things happening they have learned what will be coming and the anticipation and excitement is evident.  Popcorn making begins around 4:00pm and the smell wafts through the entire yard.  All of the kids begin asking one another if there will be a movie and what they might get to watch.  They go in for supper around 5:30pm and when they are told they need to go bath and change their suspicions are confirmed because typically they will be going back outside for a little while before bed.  They eat their supper and race to their rooms and will get undressed for their bathes before the nannies even make their way up to the room. Berline leads all the little ones to the room and helps them get ready for their bath. After they are bathed and ready the older kids will come help set up chairs and the little ones will stand on their balcony’s and watch their play space transform into an outdoor movie theater.  Before the last movie night we had a little dance party and Berline was one of the leaders who showed the smaller ones how to move and groove to the tunes.  After the screen, the projector, the speakers, and the chairs are all set up and the sun starts to sinks below the horizon the kids are told they can go find a spot to sit.  Everyone rushes down to the yard and finds the best seat or finds their best friend to sit by.  Music is playing and popcorn is passed out to each child as they wait for the darkness to allow the screen to illuminate so the movie can begin.  Some of the kids sit in stillness and awe as they watch the movie, others watch for a while and move to a different seat, and some will jump up from their seat whenever music plays. Berline is definitely a girl who likes to make sure everyone is comfortable in his or her spot and can see the screen well.  She also likes to do a little dancing when there is music on.  After the movie is finished, everyone heads to bed with a smile on his or her face from such an enjoyable evening.

Berline is healthy and growing:
Height: 124 cm
Weight: 52 lb

I understand that the adoption process you are currently working though is long and often painful.  I pray over each of these updates as I write them.  I pray that your patience with the process will be multiplied, as you trust that God’s timing is supreme.  I pray that as you wait, you draw closer to the Lord and that the child that is about to be yours forever will fit perfectly into every aspect of your life when she comes home.  I pray that the updates you receive at the end of each month are a blessing to you.

Blessings,

Meeting Berline

We took Jachin to Haiti with us over Spring Break.  We started the trip at Hands and Feet Orphanage with 18 people from Redeemer Church.  Then at the end of the trip after they all went home, we traveled to God's Littlest Angels where Berline lives!  We spent two days getting to know her.  It was amazing and hard.  She is such an sweet little girl.  She bonded with us so easily.  We can see how she will fit in our family perfectly.  We hated leaving her, but we are confident she is in a wonderful place.  It is not as good as having her home with us, but it is the second best place.

March Update 2012

Update from GLA:

We are starting to feel the effects of rainy season here at GLA.  It is typically sunny and beautiful in the morning and then the clouds start to roll in around noon.  The rains then come in the late afternoon and evening.  We also observed daylight savings this year, which has not been done in Haiti since 2005 I understand.  It has taken a fair bit of adjustment but it seems everyone is now on time to where they need to be.

All of the children at the toddler house continue to be active and happy.  They are going to school each day and enjoying their free time on the weekends.  We welcomed one toddler to the toddler house and 5 babies into the main house.  One of our two year olds made his way home and more of our angels have been matched with their forever families.  We have also seen movement with some of our files that have been in process for a long time! We are all very excited around here!

This month’s update theme is “A Day In The Life”.  I want you to get an idea of what Berline’s daily life looks like.  I was able to get a number of candid photos of her and put together a collage that you will find attached here. I did my best to capture different parts of Berline's day.  To go along with this theme Molly and Joyce helped me come up with a general outline of her daily schedule.  Here is what her general daily schedule looks like:

6:15am – Wake-up.  As the sun breaks through into the day the kids at the Toddler House begin waking up.  Each of the kids starts to get ready for their day. Berline will fold her blankets and tidy up her bed. The next step in the morning routine is teeth brushing.  Berline helps pass out the toothbrushes in her room.  She takes this responsibility very seriously and even helps the younger kids in their room put the toothpaste on their brush. Next everyone receives his or her gummy vitamin. 

6:45am – Get Ready. The kids line up outside the bathroom and wait for their turn in the bathtub.  They step in while their nanny pours a bowl of warm water over them, then they soap down and close their eyes as the nanny pours more warm water on them to rinse off.  Next they step out and towel dry.  After they are clean their clothes are taken out of the cupboard and piled in the middle of the floor as each kid picks out what they want to wear for the day.  Berline will dress herself and then help the smaller kids find their leg and arm holes.  Next everyone gets lotion.  All of the kids love to lotion up, and they always make sure to get every spot. After they are dressed and ready everyone finds their sandals that are kept outside their room door and head downstairs.

7:20am – Breakfast Time. The breakfast menu consists of a 5 meal rotation consisting of porridge and bread, corn flakes with milk and bananas, boiled eggs and red creole sauce with bread, spaghetti with hamburger sauce, or oatmeal with bread.

9:00 am – Berline has school with her teachers Elange and Michaelle.  This is all the subjects and it is taught in French and Creole.

9:30 am – Snack Time. Everyone gets a snack typically consisting of peanut butter sandwiches and juice.

12:00pm or 12:30 pm – Lunch Time.  There are two shifts of lunch and all the kids eat at a different pace.  Their midday meal is the biggest meal of the day for the Toddlers and generally consists of a rice or pasta dish.

1:00pm-3:00pm – English class with Joyce.

3:30pm – Snack Time.  An afternoon snack is served to all the kids consisting of cookies/crackers and juice. 

4:00pm – 4:30pm – Play Time.  When Berline has had her snack she will go to the yard to play until supper-time.  She will frequently take a walk with her nanny and then play in the yard.

5:30pm – Supper Time. Dinner is served and it is generally a lighter meal then was served at lunch.

6:00pm – Play Time. The nannies or the big kids will frequently organize a game for the kids to participate in if they want to.  That might include activities like a potato sack race or a jump rope contest.

7:00pm – Bath Time.  Everyone heads inside to his or her respective rooms to have another bath. 

7:20pm – Berline will settle into her room or just outside on the balcony to do her homework. By 8:00pm they are required to have their lights out and be in bed.  

Berline is healthy and growing:
Height: 122 cm
Weight: 51 lb