Writing the Girls

Early Friday morning, our dear friends Leah and Adam will be boarding a plane headed for Haiti.  They will be at the orphanage where the girls are at until Wednesday.  We are excited for them to be going down because, aside from the fact that we love Leah and Adam, this trip has a special significance for us right now.  This morning I delivered to Leah an envelope containing a letter to Pastor Rigaud Antoine (who runs the orphanage), and a second letter to the girls that we have asked Rigaud to read to them if he agrees that it is appropriate.  In the letter my parents are expressing to the girls their desire to adopt thee girls and asking them if they would like to be adopted be us!

I couldn't help but be blown away today when thinking about those letters.  I don't know how they will react to it, but potentially, the news they're going to be recieving in the next couple days will be more life altering and impactful than anything I've ever experienced in my entire life.  Ever.

The reality is that the entire letter decision was a big one for us.  The situation is unique because, unlike a lot of the families we have talked to who have adopted younger kids, the girls are old enough to have an opinion on the matter.  While we're confident they will be excited about it, it's also a reality that they will be leaving everything they've ever known behind.  They will be leaving their friends in the orphanage.  Their lives will change in ways that will be so drastic, I can't even begin to relate.  To me, it would be understandable if they did not want to come (shocking, but understandable).  The decision to write them so early in the process was a tough one because of a couple factors.  For one; we want to respect the fact that they are old enough to have an opinion.  We would hate to have a situation where they arrive and are resentful for being "forced to come here".  And secondly, if we do make sure they want to come, they will now be waiting for what could be a very long process.

Ultimately, we clearly decided that since they are older we should respect their opinions in the matter, and also since they are older, they will be able to understand that it will take time.  They have witnessed a lot of the younger kids being adopted and probably have an idea of how it goes (as much as anybody can, which isn't much).  Of course, that is one of our reasons for letting them know.  We want them to know that they are not being "passed over" again for the younger kids.  We want them to know that someone is choosing them and cares about them.  It's for these reasons that this is a really REALLY exciting time for us.  We've asked Leah to be present during the letter reading so she can be our eyes and ears to how they react.  Leah will also be bringing back some pictures of the girls, which is always exciting.  And we will be waiting with baited breath for Adam and Leah to get home.

It will still be difficult.  Waiting is never easy.  There will be a lot of prayer over the next few days about how the girls receive the news and how they handle the waiting.  But we know that God is in control of it all and we're just excited about the entire process.

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Don't forget...

Saturday Night at the Dom Polski Club in Lowell.  6-10.  It's goin down.  Should be a great a time.  Hope to see everyone there!

Email me with any questions about the party.