More updates

We have been in Haiti for one week and our time here has been so sweet in so many ways. 

First, our girls!!! Seeing our daughters come together and so happily accept each other is beautiful. I am blessed to see their hearts weaving together. As our oldest daughter was going to school today and was on her way out Claire ran out because she needed a huggie and a kissy from her before she left. The girls were playing the other day and both got hurt and skinned both of their knees and it was so sweet as both were more concerned with the others injury than their own and took care of each other and then together hobbled over to mom and dad.

We have had so much time laughing and playing together.  This evening we played the board game sorry....do you remember how to play. The main gist is often bumping other players back to start. I have said over and over how sweet our daughter is, but I thought how she played the game was a true testimony to her kindness and sweetness. So as soon as she got the first sorry card she refused to play it and instead would try to send her pawn to start. You could tell it really bothered her to hurt someone or make them feel bad even though that was part of the game.  And she is that way with everyone and in everything she does. When around the babies at the creche she loves to make them smile and is so good with them and all the kids.  Yesterday we went to Duet, which is a very sad orphanage and she jumped right in and helped with those kids and was so sweet with them too.

I can see why our daughter has such a loving heart, as EVERYTHING Chances for Children does is centered around Christ and loving one another. The staff at every level are so tender and caring and you can see how much they love the kids. Yesterday when the girls hurt their knees it was well after shift change and one of the nannies, Madame Patrick, who had already been off work for quite a while and was heading out saw our daughters knee and turned back and took the extra time to take her in and make sure it got cleaned up and was not going to let our daughter go anywhere with a banged up knee. She also at another time came up to Claire to tell her what a great little sister she is and that she is beautiful.  The drivers, the cooks, the cleaners, the nannies, the teachers, the directors, everyone is so loving and kind and all are excited for our family. C4C works through Christ in such a loving way to be that first step in healing for an orphan and it shows in the joy that the children have. 

Tomorrow we are going to go shopping at the American grocery store with our daughter and she is SO excited. I don't know for sure, but I am pretty sure this will be her first time ever at a grocery store....at age 10!  We knew we were going to need to go and at first it looked like we were having to go today while she was in school and she was so sad. We definitely need some more lunch stuff and a few supplies, but she was so sad over not going with us we had decided if she couldn't go we wouldn't go and would just make due with what we have. God knew this was something special and it turned out no cars were available today so we had to go Saturday which meant she could go. It will ground you and make you fully aware of how abundantly blessed you are when you see the excitement of a child getting to go to the grocery store for the first time. She was praying about it and thanking the Lord for allowing her to go and how she knows He will be with us as we shop and with her while she sleeps dreaming of her shopping.  Ed and I knew that this could be an area she might over indulge in and we could end up with a full shopping cart for just a few days of supplies so we decided to set some ground rules that each girl could get two things outside of what we have on our family list. We thought this would be met with resistance, but instead it was met with gratitude and like we were allowing her so much. It also helped that here desired items made it on the family grocery list which are bananas and apples.

Such a great first week and every day keeps getting better as deeper connections are formed.

To God be the glory!