Update on Haiti and Our Kids

Lee and I have had so many emails, phone calls and messages that you are all praying for our family and for Haiti and we appreciate that so much. We are just absolutely SICK about the devastation. It is always terrible to witness a catastrophe, but how different it is when you have traveled there, developed a love for a place and the people, and have CHILDREN there!

We have had confirmed information that the kids are ok (praise you, Lord!) -- there are some bumps and bruises but that is all. The kids slept outside last night as there were 28 aftershocks averaging 5.0, which are large earthquakes on their own. I don't know if they are still sleeping outside. We know there is some structural damage to the orphanage as a wall fell on one of the nannies. We don't know yet the extent of her injuries or the extent of the damage to the orphanage itself. Also, Papi Pierre, pictured with us here in February 2008, sustained an injury to his eye but we don't know how bad that is yet either. Kiki, an employee of the orphanage (he processes the paperwork) and Pierre's brother, has not been located. Please pray for his safety.

We have learned that a French couple in Haiti to bring home their child was killed at their hotel while they were having dinner. Their child was not with them yet and now is an orphan once again.

So many need prayer, I don't even know where to start. One thing I will add is that we are praying for a miracle that maybe somehow the governments can work together to expedite the kids who are matched with families OUT of Haiti. There are many more orphans now who will need the beds at the orphanages. Let these kids come home! From the president of the board of directors at our orphanage:

I know many of you would like some adoption news. All Haitian adoptions will be impacted by this disaster. I have received news that the Joint Council on International Children's Services (JCICS) and the U.S. State Department are discussing possible solutions. Please be in prayer about this.

I fear if we do not get some sort of aid from the government, it could be YEARS before they come home.

If you have not been in our shoes, perhaps you can't understand the deep love we have for these kids - that we had in our hearts even before we met them. They love us just as much, and we are so blessed. What a joy to hear "Mama" and "Papa" from their lips, with their cute little accents. What we love is how they call us different names at different times... if they are TELLING us they are doing something or trying to get our attention to show of f jumping in the pool or the like, it's "MOM!", "DAD!" and if they want something it's "Daddy?" and Mama and Papa for "regular" conversation :) We love them so much our hearts ache. And we already felt so much for this country before this happened that this is very hard to take this in. We can't believe how much our kids have survived in their young lives. The orphanage expects to have trouble getting meds for the kids with medical needs; they are concerned about drinking water and are concerned about the looming possibility of disease.

Typhoid could be an issue and they want to get meds for that in case. Also, many times, the biological parents come back to the orphanage for food so suppl ies could be thin. If you feel led to donate to our kids' orphanage or read more about it, click HERE. You will receive a tax donation receipt.

James 1:27 - Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Psalm 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 - Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 - though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Urgent Call to Action for Haiti Adoptions - PLEASE HELP

This is lengthy, but for Patricia and Philippe and their fellow Haitians, PLEASE READ AND PLEASE ACT! It will only take a few minutes. Phone calls should be made today if possible, but don't have to be, and letters sent this week. PLEASE send an email to UNICEF - there is a sample below, just cut and paste and sign your name. This could directly impact when Patricia and Philippe come home!

Joint Council Haitian Children & Families Initiative

Dear Friends,

Over the past three years, the processing of adoptions in Haiti have slowed to a crawl. Abandoned children are enduring adoption processes lasting two or three years before being united with adoptive families. Not only is such lasting institutional care damaging to the children who wait and wait, but the slowed process has had a negative effect on the many desperately needy children of Haiti who are not waiting in orphanages. Orphanages in Haiti have traditionally been providers of humanitarian aid to their communities. Many support free medical clinics, schools, feeding programs and family preservation programs. Orphanages have been a resource for temporary care for children following a family crisis, such as a fire or illness. But now that children are languishing in orphanage care for years, orphanage directors report that the beds are full, the food and medicine supplies are insufficient, and the children needing temporary care are left on the streets with little prospect for life.



In a laudable effort to move towards transparent and democratic government, Haitian officials are now adhering to the Haitian Constitutional law regarding adoption, written in 1974 by Jean Claude Duvalier. While the law of 1974 places severe limitations on the size and age of those who may adopt, it does allow for Presidential Dispensation for those not meeting the family size or age limitations. Unfortunately, Haiti lacks an organized and transparent system for obtaining Dispensations. This confusion along with the absence of a sense of urgency regarding institutionalized children has caused extensive delays in the adoption process and further victimizes children who have already lost much. Haiti has a pending solution to this legal logjam. A newly proposed adoption law will clarify who may adopt, increase protections for Haitian children, their birth parents, and adoptive families, and streamline the adoption process. This legislation is supported by the United States and French governments along with the NGO community and UNICEF. The children of Haiti, the crèche directors who serve them and the adoptive families who wish to raise them need your help. We must encourage the Haitian government to pass the new adoption law and efficiently grant Dispensations in the interim.


WHAT CAN YOU DO?


Make five simple phone calls and write one letter.

1. Call your U.S. Senator. You can find your Senators’ phone numbers at www.senate.gov Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff

2. Call your second U.S. Senator.

3. Call your representative to the U.S. House of Representative.

You can find your representative at www.house.gov Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff

4. Call or fax UNICEF Haiti, or more simply, email! Ask to speak with Julie Bergeron. Their number is 011-509- 2245-3525.Their fax number is 011-502- 2245-1877. Her email address is jbergeron@unicef.org (Please note that calls and faxes to Haiti are international calls)

5. Write letters for the Haitian Prime Minister, President of the Haitian Senate, and the Minister of Social Welfare. Your letter can contain the same information as specified below. If you are an adoptive family or are close to a Haitian-born adopted child, insert a picture of the child or your family in your letter. Describe your family’s commitment to Haitian culture and the country’s well being as a result of your contact with a Haitian-born adopted child.


Mail your letter to Holt International, which has volunteered to collect letters and transport them to Haiti for hand delivery to the above government officials. Holt International Haitian Children & Families Initiative P.O. Box 2880 Eugene, OR 97402


6. Forward this message to everyone you know who cares about the welfare of abandoned children in Haiti. Individuals need not be personally involved in a Haitian adoption to let their voices be heard on behalf of children who have no one to speak for them!

When should you call? August 17th THAT IS TODAY!!!!!

What should you say or write to member of the U.S. Congress? Speak from your heart and give them the following information. Inform them that you are calling regarding Joint Council Haitian Children & Families Initiative. Inform them that the Haitian international adoption process is unreasonably delayed. Inform them that children referred to U.S. families are languishing in institutions. Inform them that the backlog of children in the process of adoption is preventing orphanages, who serve as local humanitarian aid providers, from continuing to assist their communities. Inform them that due to the interruption of services provided by the orphanages, Haitian children outside the orphanages are needlessly dying. Ask that their office to sign the Dear Colleague letter regarding the pending Haitian adoption law, sponsored by Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Senator Sam Brownback. The letter asks that adoptions currently in process be speedily granted Presidential Dispensation and that the new adoption law be passed.


Sample Statement


Hello, We are calling/writing on behalf of the Haitian Children & Families Initiative. We, as your constituents, are asking that the Senator/Congressperson sign the Dear Colleague letter regarding the pending Haitian adoption law, sponsored by Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Senator Sam Brownback. As you may be aware, the Haitian adoption process is unreasonably delayed. Children already matched with adoptive families are languishing in orphanages for two and three years. The orphanages, which have traditionally served as humanitarian aid outreach centers, have run out of resources and are no longer able to offer assistance to their communities. Haitian children outside the orphanages are dying needlessly as a direct result of the delayed adoptions. Your office must get involved and sign the Dear Colleague letter to support the Haitian government in their effort to assist the homeless and abandoned children of Haiti.



Sincerely,

(your name and contact info)


What should you say or write to UNICEF? Speak from your heart and give them the following information. Inform them that you are calling regarding the Joint Council Haitian Children & Families Initiative. Ask them to support the rights of children and lend their considerable influence to ensuring that intercountry adoptions currently in-process be speedily processed to completion under the existing Presidential Dispensation clause. Inform them that many adoptions are taking two or three years to process, during which time children languish in orphanages. Inform them that due to the overextension of their resources, orphanages are no longer able to provide their traditional humanitarian aid services to their communities, such as free schools, medical care, temporary child care for families in crisis, and family preservation programs. Inform them that as a direct result of the orphanage’s inability to provide humanitarian aid due to overly taxed resources, children are needlessly dying in the streets outside the orphanages. Ask them again for their support of the Presidential Dispensation and the swift passage of the new adoption law.


Sample Statement

Hello,

We are calling/writing on behalf of the Joint Council Haitian Children & Families Initiative. As financial supporters of UNICEF (through our tax dollars), we are asking that UNICEF lends its support and considerable influence to the Joint Council Haitian Children & Families Initiative. As you may be aware, the Haitian adoption process is unreasonably delayed. Children already matched with adoptive families are languishing in orphanages for two and three years. The orphanages, which have traditionally served as humanitarian aid outreach centers, have run out of resources and are no longer able to offer assistance to their communities. Haitian children outside the orphanages are dying needlessly as a direct result of the delayed adoptions. UNICEF must get involved to ensure that adoptions in process be speedily granted Presidential Dispensation so that they can be completed in a timely manner, and that the new adoption law be passed.


Sincerely,


Can you explain the problem behind the current crisis? Here is some additional information…The current constitutional law, written in 1974 by Jean Claude Duvalier, severely restricts who may adopt from Haiti. The only method by which the Haitian government may permit adoptions to non-conforming families is via Presidential Dispensation. The lack of a defined and efficient Dispensation process has caused delays of up to three years for children in the adoption process. Prolonged institutionalization has been scientifically proven to be highly detrimental to children. As orphanages expend their limited resources caring for children in the process of adoption over extended periods, they are unable to provide their traditional humanitarian aid programs to their communities. The existing adoption law provides almost no protection for the rights of abandoned children, their birth parents, or adoptive families. It offers no safe guards against human trafficking. A proposed adoption law will alleviate the crisis by standardizing and streamlining adoptions, and will far better protect abandoned Haitian children from child trafficking.


What else can you do? In addition to your primary calls to U.S. Congress and UNICEF, you can call the Haitian Embassy: Embassy of Haiti in the U.S. 2311 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20008

Office Phone 1-202-332-4090. Office Fax 1- 202-745-7215 embassy@haiti.org


Please share the message – post it to your blog, email it to your friends, add it to your Facebook page. It is time to act on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of homeless and abandoned children of Haiti.


THANK YOU EVERYONE!!
With love,
Dawn and Lee Shelton

Flip Flops Arrive in Ethiopia and Malawi!

Please click HERE to read more and see some great pictures on the Flip Flop Fleet blog!

Shoes to Haiti!

Check out the Flip Flop Fleet!!

Live Long and Prosper?

I am really attempting to THANK the Lord MORE for things. SO quick to ask but wow I don't say thanks enough. So, thank you, Lord, that my biggest problem right now is that I can't go to sleep yet because I have to wait for my oven, in my warm house, to finish baking the loaves of bread because I had too many (FREE) bananas.

Adopting has changed me, but adopting from Haiti has really changed me. What a constant reminder to be thankful when your children are from a destitute country.

Thank you, Lord, that this little girl, Venecia, got some nutrition and that she is doing better. Thank you that our son, Philippe, was brought into the orphanage in March and is no longer suffering from malnutrition. Thank you for the ABUNDANCE we have in this country, even in the midst of economic crisis. THANK you for the opportunity to meet our kids and THANK YOU for the privilege of thanking you.

I have never gotten on the prosperity gospel wagon. Nope. Not me. Doesn't jive for me. The picture below of Venecia contradicts it. The pain I have in my body contradicts it. The loss that I have seen good Christian people suffer contradicts it.

Our pastor, John Piper, has quite a strong thing to say about prosperity gospel in this video. It is three minutes long but he says so much in that time. It is powerful and eye opening. It may offend. I don't apologize. I believe that he is totally, 100% right on. Thank you, Lord, that we live in a country where we can share our beliefs.

If you are unclear as to what "prosperity gospel" is, here is one example. Listen through, if you will, and then listen through again, imagining that you live in Haiti. Or the countryside of China. Or what about all the people, some of my friends, who were recently laid off. Did they not have the right vision for themselves? And the reason I have pain is because I do not stand against it?

I Am Forever Changed.

Be careful learning about the plight of the orphan. Like me, you might be forever changed. You may think about them in the middle of the night (not just my three but whoever, wherever, the abused child, the street child, the hungry child, the homeless child); when you eat a delicious meal; or climb into your soft, warm, safe bed.

Please take a quick moment to hop on over to my niece Jenny's blog for her poignant perspective that she posted after reading my post at the Flip Flop Fleet.