Sleepless in Haiti

OK, so sleepless in Haiti doesn't have quite the same ring to it as sleepless in Seattle, but for the last 2 nights I have tossed and turned for hours trying to sleep...all to no avail. Last night I was awake from 3:30 am on and now tonight, I awakened at midnight and then couldn't turn off my brain. Truth be told, I'm also really partial to my own bed and can't wait to be back in it! I'm thankful that our girls have slept very well so far and hope that will continue at the hotel tonight and when we get home.  Please pray that I will have supernatural stamina today to get through this monumental day on VERY little sleep and that we'll all be able to sleep well at the hotel tonight.

I finally decided to give up the fight to go back to sleep and just get up and use this opportunity to update everyone before we start the new whirlwind of travel and arriving home to our 3 precious biological daughters that are anxiously awaiting our arrival. The guest house is very full with families and volunteers, but right now, it is completely silent.  I'm sitting in front of the beautifully decorated and lit Christmas tree and its like I've got the place to myself. The good news is that I know for sure we won't over sleep since we have to all be up at 5 a.m.and ready to leave for the airport at 6 a.m..
For now, there are just so many BIG things to process, both from the events of yesterday, as well as the events of today as we prepare to travel home and Chelley and Naika begin the biggest transition of their lives. Even when they suffered the loss of their birth family, they still had the same culture, the same food, the same language and the same climate. Today is the day that all of that changes for them.

Yesterday was hard. Chelley started to really feel the weight of all that yesterday entailed and we had a difficult morning full of sadness, both before and after church. She doesn't know yet that she can trust us, or that we really love her like we say we do. So she doesn't always want to receive comfort from us, which makes her sadness even more difficult for all of us. She's also testing boundaries to see if the same rules apply in her new family as at GLA. As you can imagine, this makes for complicated parenting decisions as to the best way to handle each circumstance and situation, especially in light of the grief she is processing. Toss in very little sleep and our own overwhelming emotions to control and you've got quite a mix. I sent up countless prayers yesterday for wisdom as to how I could best show our love for her in each difficult moment. We know you are praying and we have felt your prayers. Please continue those prayers for each of our hearts and minds as we undergo the challenges of this day full of travel.

Yesterday also involved both girls getting a chance to say goodbye to their nannies and friends. Naika didn't show much emotion as she said goodbye to her 2 sweet nannies, Betty and Chantal. Those sweet ladies have taken care of her since she was a chubby little 6 month old. We owe them a debt of gratitude that we can never repay. It was easy to see their love for her as they said goodbye and we are definitely praying for ALL the nannies and other staff as they say goodbye to so many kids in such a short time.

We were thankful that it didn't seem upsetting to Naika to be in her nursery again and she also wasn't sad to leave with us. I took video and lots of pictures so that she can look at those as much as she wants or needs to in the weeks, months, and years to come. The other kids hollered out "orevwas" and "bye-byes" as we left the nursery. Such a monumental moment, even though Naika doesn't fully understand that yet.

After some time packing and playing at the guest house, it was time for the goodbyes at the Toddler House. They have a tradition of gathering all the kids and nannies together and they sing several praise songs in Creole. Then they have a special goodbye song that they sing to each child that is leaving with their forever family. Chelley and 2 other sweet little girls are all leaving from the Toddler House, so they sang the goodbye song to each of them. Then all of the kids come up and said goodbye to each child that is leaving.  All of the parents were doing our best to hold it together, but not really succeeding. All 3 girls were just quiet and serious. Such a heavy moment for such young children. I really felt like a dam of all kinds of emotions from the last few days was trying to break loose in me but I knew Chelley was watching me, so I couldn't let go. She has such a sensitive spirit and is very tuned in to the emotions of those around her. It is a gift that I'm sure God will use for beautiful purposes as she grows and matures.

After a few minutes of goodbyes, we took Chelley's hands and walked out the door of the Toddler House for the last time. She asked Papa to carry her up the hill to the guest house and the rest of the afternoon was spent playing with all the kiddos here while Mama and Papa tried to pack.

One of the many highlights of this trip has been getting to see our girls' silly personalities come out as they begin to feel more comfortable with us. When we were here in May, neither one of them said much at all. Last night, we couldn't get them to stop talking. We have loved being able to be here with all of these other families so that we can see the way all the kids interact and play together. We love to hear them chattering away in Creole and laughing together. We saw more of Chelley's playful side last time, but this time we've gotten to see Naika come out of her shell as never before. She definitely has the spunk that we thought was hiding behind those mischievous grins and she will be giving her sisters a run for their money very soon!!

It has also been a joy to watch Chelley and Naika interact as sisters. Even though they haven't had a lot of time together, they know each other and were playing and being silly together quite a bit yesterday. My favorite was Chelley saying words in English and Creole and asking Naika to repeat them...so cute!!! I think they will be a comfort to each other in this transition and I'm thankful for that.

Well, that's all for now. It's almost time for the rest of the families to wake up and begin the first steps of this life-changing day. I'll try to post a brief update when we arrive in Chicago tonight. I will also include the link to the live stream of our homecoming that will be happening tomorrow (Tuesday, the 26th) at about 9:45 a.m.  So, if you want to try to catch that, be sure to check back here later tonight.

Thank you for reading, for caring, for loving, and most of all, for praying for ALL of us. Orevwa from Haiti.