Meeting Jonas:
Was a dream come true!

We left on Tuesday evening from Evansville and flew thru Chicago to Miami. There we camped out at the airport to sleep a few hours before catching an early flight to Haiti. I can honestly say I don't ever want to sleep in an airport again! Between the bright lights, announcements every 15 minutes, carts beeping by, and the hard floor, it's a miracle that I even got an hours sleep.

Flying to Haiti was nerve racking! All the "what if's" started. But before I knew it we were landing. The airport was a blur I knew it we were heading to the "O". I highly recommend if you have a weak stomach NOT to ride in a vehicle in Haiti!!!!! Very interesting to say the least. We were at the "O" in a blink of an eye. And then the one thing I had been dreaming about for months happened. I met my son, hand picked by God. Jonas. He was beautiful! So very sweet. He gave me a hug and just kinda took it all in too. He gave me kisses with a little prompting from Angela (you You), a girl staying at the "O" for 6 months. I could not get over just how perfect he was! His smile is delightful! I held him for the next few hours. I just didn't want to put him down! It was so hot and my back started to hurt so I found a rocker and sat and rocked Jonas and sang to him like I had the girls so many times. He fell asleep. It was a very precious moment to me. He trusted me. Todd and I had prayed for weeks leading up to the trip that Jonas would instantly feel safe with me. And to see the answer to our prayers come true was really faith building!

After a short time we headed to St Joseph's. It is a home for boys that have been rescued from the streets of Haiti. They run a guest house as part of the program there. All the girls stayed in one room and all the guys stayed in another. There were bunk beds, wood with thin mattresses, but when your tired you don't care! Bathroom sare interesting in Haiti. You don't flush because they don't have running water to flush with. So after you go you take a bucket and pour it into the bowl to wash everything down. You do NOT put your toilet paper in the toilet, you place it in the trashcan next to the toilet. All that training from mom, no good in Haiti! HA!
The motto is "if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down!"
The food at St Joe's was excellent! The boys and Michael(founder and runs it) were wonderful! It is 7 stories high with a breath taking view! Of course it is completely surrounded by poverty, and yet it is beautiful! Many mornings I would sit on one of the many balconies and listen to the day to day goings on all around. Happiness is what I heard. These people were living not sitting and feeling sorry for themselves! The mountains all around were amazing!

Most days we spent at the "O" cleaning and organizing. We girls used bleach water to scrub down walls. Michelle and Angela poly urethaned the upstairs nursey to ensure the murals painted by the previous group would be around awhile. The guys fixed the whole in the roof and painted the ceiling. Then they built the changing table and washing area for the baby nursery. It is the one Gretchen talks about in the video Frank Lazono did on the "O". It was awesome to be apart of the group that made it come to pass. The men on our trip were work horses!!!! They were amazing. And Michelle, she did soooooo much. She is the glue that got it all orchestrated to completion. She really has heart for Haiti and these kids at the "O"!

I got to meet Jonas's birth mother. She is a sweet lady. We had an interpreter to talk to each other. She had only one question for me, "was I a Christian?" That was one of the easiest questions of my life! YES,YES,YES! But I assured her I wasn't just a Christian by name, I lived my life by God's word and have a personal relationship with Jesus on a daily basis. After that she seemed more relaxed. She wanted me to understand that she brought him to the "O" not because she didn't love him, but BECAUSE she loved him. She looked around and saw other little boys in the street and didn't want Jonas to be the same. She wanted a better life for him. I told her I would give him every opportunity here in the states. That I would make sure he had a good education. This pleased her to tears. Education is VERY important to Haitians! I also told her I was keeping his given name and that he would know she named him. She was happy to know that. With all the aid of the interrupter, I feel God allowed our hearts to speak even more to each other. I really felt the Holy Spirit during this meeting. She is a sweet soul. I promised her I would do everything I could to send pictures on a regular basis. She liked that. I asked her if she wanted a picture of my family , the family that Jonas would be apart of. She did. And at that moment I realized why I had grabbed that loose family picture at the last minute before I left. I showed her the picture page I made for Jonas' crib so she could see our house and Todd and the girls. Later, Michelle told me that Gail had said it was one of the BEST parent meetings she had ever been a part of. We said our goodbyes and we hugged. It is amazing how one hug between strangers can speak volumes! It is French custom to kiss on the cheek. Well she kissed me on the mouth. Gail said that shows I am now a part of her family. I felt honored!

Saturday we went sight seeing of sorts.We headed up the mountains to the Baptist Missions and Wings of Hope (a home for disabled children). The ride up there was interesting. There were 20 people in this van. Packed like sardines brings a whole new meaning. It was so much cooler up there. We did all our shopping up there. The street vendors are anxious to make a deal with you. It was hard to decide what to get. Todd and I want things in our home for Jonas that show him his heritage. Plus I needed to get gifts for various people. The Missions had an American cafe of sorts. A cheeseburger never tasted so good, so I'm told. I got chicken fingers, Jonas likes chicken.

Well Jonas LOVES to eat! And he is a pooping machine! I woke one morning to a gift from my son, a pool of poop in our bed. Seriously. It was one of those times where you don't even know where to begin. As I cleaned it up, yep you guessed it, he slept thru the whole thing, cleaning and all! Well two other times in the morning he pooped a diaper full of poop soup! Gross, yes, but we moms just take care of it. His last gift was the day we left. I was not happy. But he just smiled thru the whole thing. Ahhhh, to be a toddler again. HA! All the extra sugar from the food he got while with me made him poop more. The kids bodies just aren't used to a variety in their diet like we are. Beans and rice is their staple.

The last two days I was there I was sick. Really sick! Sunday night I threw up and had diarrhea for three days. Even as I type this my stomach is still not back to normal. Hopefully my doctors office will have an answer for me tomorrow. Being sick is no fun, being sick in a third world country is worse. I missed the whole last day with Jonas. The group took him to the "O" with them while they worked. I slept most of the day. By that evening I felt a little better. We went to an Italian restaurant the last night. Who knew you had to go all the way to Haiti to have the BEST Italian food ever! And my stomach was still upset so I didn't get to eat it all!

This trip really affirmed the fact of this adoption for me. My God has called Todd and I to adopt Jonas, and I have never been more sure of anything in my life! I am in awe how God has provided thru this whole process. Todd and I have worked our butts off to do fundraiser and God has blessed us for our work. I am dumbfounded by others generosity. But as one person told me, it made them feel good to help bring even a small change in someone else's life. I know many feel Jonas will be blessed by us adopting him. But the truth be told, WE are the ones being blessed! I have no fear of the future finacially or other wise. My God will supply all my needs, all He asks in return is for us to obey. And though it has caused stife among my brothers I will never regret making this decsion. Because I know God holds all of us in the palm of his hand and HE and HE alone will make us complete.

One other thing that was a blessing to be a part of, a couple on our trip, Sean & Angela, decided to adopt two children while there. They had come on this missions trip with an open heart to the fact that God may call them to adopt, and he did. They have committed to adopt two 8 year olds. A boy named Steven and a girl named Angela. No, they are not related. They are beautiful! We got to be there when they asked the two children if they would like to be a part of thier family. They answered "YES" with real big smiles.




At the "O" when you are an adoptive parent the other children call you by your child's name. I was MaMa Jonas, or MaMA Jo Jo, a nick name they use for him. It was sooooo sweet! The whole time I was there, I showed Jonas pictures of PaPA Todd and his sisters too. By the end of the week he could say everyone's name. Jonas also has the sweetest voice. It is low and raspy. He can sing "What a Mighty God We Serve" perfectly in English. It was the sweetest sound ever. As if a little angel was singing it! And YES I did get it on video! So precious! He is a happy child who LOVES to give kisses! It is a gift to watch him and be a part of his life!

I would highly suggest everyone who is given the opportunity to visit a third world country to do so. You will never be the same again. You will truly see just how blessed you are. I am a better person because of it. Thank you God for this amazing journey! And thank you all for your love, support, and prayers.
Kristina