SMAD!

Today I was SMAD!

SMAD is a mix of two emotions..... sad and mad. I feel this one often. This happens when I waffle back and forth between sad and mad about something that happened or a comment that someone made.

Sad, because fundraising for a good cause leads you to see the best in some people AND it brings out the mediocre and even the worst in others. This also makes me MAD! Truly, I have a new appreciation for people who work so hard to motivate others to do good. I have been touched by the hearts of many who have embraced our efforts to make a difference in Haiti. Many have ordered one and some have ordered up to 200 cookbooks. The quantity doesn't matter as much as the attitude.

It has been challenging to communicate our Haiti experience. We traveled to Haiti one year ago and we still feel the urgency to DO SOMETHING! ......the moment I heard the orphanage had a list of children waiting to be cared for - I knew we had to do something. Transferring that urgency to others has been challenging to say the least. Some "get it" immediately. Why? Probably because life has provided them with experiences that allow understanding. Others "miss it" completely. Sad.


When Peter took us through the jungle in Haiti, we saw things that I had only seen in National Geographic. I witnessed the struggle for life. I saw children -- skinny and malnourished, smiling and curious, living life with way too little. These are the children on the waiting list. NOT because their parents don't love them....just the opposite! They love them so much they are willing to give them up so they can have food. FOOD!

I really should sleep now. This is sounding a little depressing and so much of our experience... in fact, MOST of our Haiti experience was exciting! We witnessed people, working together, determined to make change. I have five new people on my list of those who inspire me - all of them I met in Haiti last year. In two weeks I met five people who had dedicated their lives to serving children -- the children we met in the jungle, the little boy at the clinic and the little four year old girl who only weighed 18 pounds. Sadly I don't have a picture of this beautiful child. These children motivate me to keep going, to be a better steward of that which I have been blessed with, to give what I can - to work at understanding what the Lord would have me do.



We have sold 1400 cookbooks. 600 more to go. My goal - 2000 sold by the end of May! Then I hope Holt will run with it through the summer and sell another 2000. Look for the story at the end of the year. I think it will be a bit more cheerful than this one.

tash

A funny thing happened at church today...

During Sacrament meeting the little boy in the row in front of us vomited! Yes, that’s right….vomited. (YES Amy….. it was “child’s vomit”!?!) The little boy actually belonged to the couple speaking! So his grandma and grandpa got more than they bargained for today! His parents didn’t have a clue what was going on (thank goodness!)

Well, my instinct was to ignore the situation. At least for the time being, really, what could be done? Then my sweet Marisa leaned over to me and said, “Should I go get some paper towels?” “Of course”, I answered wanting to encourage her inspiration to help. So off she went returning with a wad of paper towels………what was she really going to do with that wad of paper? So I leaned up to survey the damage and suggested she first wipe of the hymn book. Then she wiped up what she could. I knew the only way to properly clean the cloth on the bench was to get my carpet cleaner. So Steven and I left for home. We came back just as the little boy’s father was finishing up his talk. After the meeting we checked with the first counselor about using our carpet cleaner in the chapel and then we began work to clean up the mess.

Many people expressed their gratitude to us for jumping in and cleaning things up as they noticed people leave quickly from the area following the closing prayer. Thanks to Marisa we had the opportunity to serve our Heavenly Father in his house today…..in an interesting, yet special way.

Here is the funny part. Last week was fast and testimony meeting. A family blessed their baby. There was only time for 4 people to bear their testimonies (because three of the four people were long winded and shared details we didn’t need to hear about). Details sometimes cause people to share too much about their trials in an effort to help an audience understand how it relates to their testimony. WELL, this day, one of the testimonies included details of vomiting every 45 minutes…..ugh. I made the mistake of voicing my opinion to my husband that I didn’t think testimony meeting was the place to hear the word VOMIT!

Ha, ha, ha…….so on my way home from church today – I laughed with Mark about the Lord’s sense of humor……even funnier, I led our family into the chapel today and we had a choice; to sit in the row behind this family or to sit next to them... which would have put ME in the line of fire! Thank goodness I picked wisely!

To wait... or not to wait?

TODAY....we rec'd our I171-H form which gives us approval to adopt orphan children abroad. We had this form already but it expired on March 13, 2007. On March 1 we started over and now we once again have our governments blessing to adopt our children from Haiti.

Our file just entered the Haitian passport office last week. Our friends who brought their little boy home in December had Senator Hatch's office contact the U.S. Embassy in Haiti who works closely with the Haitian Consulate to persuade them to move a little quicker on their childs passport. It seemed to work - of course, they had been stuck in the Haitian passport office for several weeks.

So we need to gauge whether making a phone call after our file just made it to the passport office is the right thing to do. OR....do we wait another couple of weeks before we pull these strings.

hmmm....

GOOD NEWS!!!

K's file made it!!! IT IS IN THE PASSPORT OFFICE in Haiti! Yeah!!! This is the final step before we get our appointment with DHS. The next news will be the call to GO TO HAITI for our appointment to bring her home! This picture from last year is of Me showing K & M my passport! FINALLY!

Tears of joy....!

Q: How is it that four little pictures can just MAKE MY DAY?! A: When they come as a surprise and they are of two of the cutest little people I know! Q: Why do they come with such power to make me cry? A: Because they look so happy and beautiful and every time I receive new pictures of my children waiting in Haiti, I am overcome with this feeling of joy! Every time we get good news or new pictures I experience again, the sweet confirmation that they are our children! We love them so much and miss them! It brings so much comfort knowing all three of them are being cared for while we are apart. For K at the Holt Fontana Village and M & R living with the Mardy's at Foyer. THEY are being cared for and it shows in their beautiful smiles!