Kids that are heavy on our hearts

Sisters Milange and Midrene are pre-quake adoptable orphans at HCRM. Elisabeth is very close to these girls and knows some of the background history on them. The family that was pursuing their adoption is now unable to do so. These girls will bring a lot of life to their forever family...please pray for the right family to have open hearts for these beautiful girls who long for a loving home!

Brothers Jeff and Colson are post-quake orphans that are heavy on our hearts. They are the sweetest boys and we would adopt them if it were the right situation. We are not the right family for them, but are praying there is a family out there that will open their hearts to these sweet boys, and let these boys bless them! We have no reservations about the personalities of these two although their adoption situation is not fully known to us. We are posting their picture in hopes of spreading the word about them, because we promised them we would!

I could just go on and on about Haiti, our beautiful girls, and all the precious children there, but I feel led to mention four specific children at this time. If you are reading my blog then you are probably adoption minded, know someone that is, and/or simply want to help "defend the cause of the fatherless" and spread their stories. There is a particular 12 year old boy named "Jeff" (a nickname he likes...his real name is Dennison) that I grew very fond of and bonded with on my April trip. I also adored his little brother Colson. We love these boys and if it was the right situation for our family, would have no reservations about adopting them (We have even dared to dwell on that possibility, but know it is not realistic or good to think of adopting more at this time especially with their ages being so close to our girls and being the opposite sex...not to mention another $18-20,000 we would have to raise!) Although I did bond in a sweet way with Jeff and Colson back in April, I don't believe I gave them reason to hope or believe that I was considering adopting them (although this is always the hope with all the kids). However, the hope was there for Jeff, and it grew and word got out by the time I returned in June. Other friends that traveled in May had told me that Jeff seemed very close to our girls and he was in nearly every picture with them. I know that neither Jeff, Colson, or our girls truly believed we were going to adopt the boys, but all felt that we may be considering that possibility. Shortly after arriving, we knew this was the case as many children asked me "You, Jeff's mom right?" I would tell them, "No, Marguerite and Delenda", and they would get wide eyed, cover their mouths and run off to inform all their friends. I was so burdened for Jeff and Colson who never asked but stood in the shadows waiting to hear what I would say. We loved on them all week, continuing to answer "no" when other children continued to ask if we were adopting them. It was evident to them that we loved these boys, and most the kids simply do not understand what adoption entails. Once when the question was asked with Jeff sitting next to me, I looked him in the eyes and said, "I wish I could Jeff, but we just can't". He looked down, then up at me and nodded giving me a sad smile as if he completely understood. I told them that if I was going to adopt Jeff then I would also adopt Colson. This made Colson smile big. The kids are used to seeing siblings separated often due to circumstances or ages of the siblings, but this is not the case with these boys (although they may still fear separation). There are some kids that you just get and that get you and you just naturally bond even if you didn't see it coming. Jeff and Colson are special to me in that way. Eric also enjoyed these boys and concurred that they were two of the sweetest boys at HCRM. We pray there is a family (selfishly praying for one that lives close to us!) that would allow these boys to bless their hearts and lives as they have ours! I have posted Jeff and Colson's picture (and I have a bunch more) if you know anyone that might want more information concerning their adoptions.
Now for the girls on my heart....Milange and Midrene are sisters ages 14 and 10. I've posted their picture as well (and have lots more of them too)! They were previously matched with a sweet adoptive family in the Dallas area that we have been talking to throughout this process. The adoptive mom sent care packages and many things for the girls with me when I went in April. They are good friends with our girls, so I naturally got to know them. This sweet family is now no longer able to pursue these girls, and as far as I know, the girls do not yet know this news (but will soon figure it out or be told). I am asking for prayer for them as the adoptive mom had already been to visit them, and the girls asked me about her continually on our recent trip. I knew that the adoptions had fallen through, but didn't have the heart (or permission) to tell the girls. These girls have a fairly rough background and I do have quite a bit of information regarding their situation. The fact that they are extremely healthy and lively after all they have been through demonstrates God's love, grace, and that He does have a special plan for their lives. Milange is a sweet, take charge personality (typical 14 year old) that I simply love to hang out with. I haven't seen any out of the ordinary behavior from her although she does have a strong will about her. She is very protective and loving toward her sister and others. Midrene (age 10) is extremely affectionate and simply wants someone to love her. She is very open about how she feels and usually responds in some physical way. This can be both a positive and negative for her. After observing her and spending a lot of time with her, I found that the more she felt accepted and loved by me the less clingy and touchy she became (in a very short amount of time). She did shred a shirt (and yes I mean shred...like in a hundred little pieces) I gave her, but I sensed at that time that another girl did have something to do with this as well (just couldn't prove it or get the explanation at that time). I scolded Midrene lovingly after this inappropriate behavior and told her to clean up the mess. She immediately responded in obedience and with respect and apologized. I later found out that the other girl was trying to take her shirt and calling her "little street girl" when she would not hand it over. She only destroyed the shirt so it would not be taken away. These girls have both lived in survival mode for their entire lives, and that is not going to change overnight even if their circumstance changes. However, I truly believe that in a loving, secure, home environment both these girls will flourish and bring much joy to their forever family. I love them dearly and would greatly appreciate prayers on their behalf (especially as they find out that they no longer have an adoptive family at this time).