3. Thoughts of Haiti on the 2 Year
Anniversary
January 12, 2010: A Day We Will Never Forget
A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti at 4:53pm local time.
January 2010 was a month full of highs & lows, sadness, fear, blessings, exhaustion
and complete happiness. In the end, we were the lucky ones – to have our son,
Samuel, finally “home” and in our lives forever. Out of this horrible tragedy was a
big miracle for us because we were able to bring Samuel home about 9 months
sooner than expected (Haiti adoptions were taking about 24-months at the time.) I
can never express what this meant for our family; we were given the gift of time.
Samuel has brought more joy and happiness to our lives than we ever could have
imagined.
January 12, 2010 will be one of “those days” that will forever be etched in my mind,
similar to when people remember where they were when they found out John F.
Kennedy had been assassinated or saw the Twin Towers fall on 9/11. I remember
vividly what I was doing… I was home sick that day and I was trying to make up
my mind about going to the doctor. I received a text message from my friend, who
was also adopting from Haiti, saying: “I heard something like an earthquake hit Port-au-
Prince!” I turned on the TV and from that point on, chaos filled our lives.
4. Thoughts (cont.)
We had been volunteering at God’s Littlest Angels orphanage in Haiti just
two weeks before the earthquake struck. And as odd as it may seem, when
the disaster hit, we would have given anything to still be in there. I
remember looking at my husband Joe, knowing we were thinking the same
thing. We both wished we were still at the orphanage, with our son and doing
something that mattered for GLA.
So we prayed…
And as things unfolded, there was an opportunity for both of us to be a
part of something amazing. Joe was able to go to Haiti just a few days after
the earthquake, where he helped care for the GLA kids and was on the
evacuation team that flew from Haiti to Miami with the 81 USA children.
At the same time, I was blessed to be able to go to Miami and be a part of a
group that organized supplies, media communications, logistics and
arrange for the adoptive parents to meet up with their children, once they
arrived from Haiti.
6. Thoughts (cont.)
It was an amazing journey and so special because we were both able to be
a part of Samuel's story, first-hand. By sharing our story with the media
and making a case with government officials, we truly prayed it might
help other Haitian orphans be able to go home to their legitimate, forever
families. The memories, pictures and videos will be priceless when we are
able to share the story with Samuel. He is an amazing child with a
beautiful heart. We love him so much and hope that one day; we can
adequately piece his story together for him.
Through our adoption process and the intensity of the earthquake
situation, we formed some incredible relationships. We never thought that
in addition to gaining a child, we would also form some life-lasting bonds
with people through this experience: GLA staff, volunteers, adoptive
families from around the world, media contacts and so many people in our
community who supported us. It really is awesome to think about the
people who have come into our lives because of this journey... something
we never considered when we started our adoption process.
8. Thoughts (cont.)
I have a huge heart for the people of Haiti. They are incredibly strong and giving
people. Beautiful people. Wonderful spirits. They are resilient, caring and very
gracious. I know so many who are strong Christians and put their hope/excitement
in “the next life” knowing that earth is not forever. The country is beautiful in my
eyes, and I will always wish I were making more of a difference for Haiti. So while I
am full of gratitude for having Samuel at home, it’s also hard to think of what the
people of Haiti have been faced with – the same earthquake that allowed Samuel to
come home, also created chaos in a country that didn’t need any more devastation…
and two years later, it hasn’t gotten much better or easier.
I am sad for their hearts - for the pain and suffering they have endured. I pray that
God will keep a special watch over Haiti and that He will protect those who have
given their hearts to Him, and continue to work in the lives of those who are still
searching. And I pray God will give our family opportunities to stay involved, to
continue to help the people of Haiti & God’s Littlest Angels orphanage (GLA),
however we can. I am proud to have a son from Haiti and a connection with the
country. We want to instill in him a deep love for the Haiti and its people. It is a
very special place.
9. Thoughts (cont.)
And as our story continues… we were actually “in-process” of our second adoption
from God’s Littlest Angels orphanage, when we found out I was pregnant with a
“miracle baby (Luke was born on June 28th, 2011 and Samuel has been a super big
brother!) We had to put our adoption on hold so that we could focus on the
pregnancy and have some bonding time as a new family. But you never know what
the future has in store…
My one last thought would be to ask for your support (big or small, time or
money…) of Haiti via God’s Littlest Angels orphanage. The orphanage continues to
take in more children, send local kids to school and is active in supporting the
surrounding community. It is an organization with a solid track record and strong
Christian foundation; it is an organization I strongly believe in.
I hope today is a day of celebration in Haiti... I hope that the people can rest, feel safe
& protected, knowing what is up ahead is far better.
Follow the Wilkins @: http://wilkinsstuff.blogspot.com/
10. If you’d like to talk about helping God’s Littlest Angels, please contact
Laurie Bickel at 719-638-4348 or lorlor@glahaiti.org or Tom Vanderwell
at (616) 884-8901 or tom@glahaiti.org. Thank you!
