Cuddling a baby

GLA has wonderful volunteer oportunities. Because it is so important for each child to receive love and physical contact, they have a cuddling program. Volunteers come for a minimum of 2 weeks and are assigned 8 babies. The volunteer spends one hour with each baby just loving, holding, playing, singing, and nurturing. With any free time, the volunteer can go back and spend more time with the babies.

We didn't get a chance to spend much time at the baby house but we did have some time one afternoon. Patricia from France was with us and she had some presents from some other parents in France to give out. I didn't take any pictures of that, but it was sooooo much fun to see. Melanie and the short term volunteers get the babies all dressed up and then they help them play with their new toys and turn the pages in their photo albums. And Melanie takes the pictures. It really is fun to watch the entire process.

Because Robin and I were there unexpectedly, we didn't know who we were allowed to cuddle. So Nurse Susan pointed us in the right direction. So we took our 2 babies and headed up to the balcony with all the toys, rocking chairs, and mats. It was a beautiful time... totally addictive! I highly recommend baby cuddling at GLA to anyone who wants to make a difference in a child's life.

Cutie-Patootie

It was such a delight to finally meet Gaëlle. We have heard all about her "diva" spirit and have heard stories how she just snaps her fingers and her big brother jumps; catering to her every whim. Well, we did see that side of her. But we also saw a beautiful little girl who desperately needs some love. All that we saw has to be tempered with the fact that she's only 4. She is just starting to put the pieces of her world together, just like all 4 year olds. Just starting to connect the dots.

One thing she knows, is that she loves treats. In this photo she is ignoring the toys around her and getting at her package of gum. She ate piece after piece and shared her gum with others.



Gaëlle rarely sat still for any length of time and yet in between bursts of activity, she would frequently hold out her arms to us and we would sweep her up into our arms. Of course, she also held her arms out to us when she wanted us to carry her somewhere. We always obliged! It was incredible to finally hold our little girl.



Kaylin made sure we packed some of our special fun foods. Food we don't have all of the time, but all the kids love that she wanted Peterson & Gaëlle to taste. One of those snacks is Lucky Charms. I can say without hesitation, that Gaëlle is a HUGE fan of Lucky Charms. It didn't take her long to pick out the charms first, but she always managed to finish the cereal and if her bowl got empty (we always ate it dry-no milk) she would just dump the rest of Peterson's into her bowl. Such a loveable sneak.



Gaëlle discovered hand sanitizer while we were there. I don't know if she has been exposed to it before. It seemed new to her and she loved it. On our last day, Robin gave her a tiny bottle of it and she spent all morning trying it out. She poured out a little and rubbed her hands together then she would smell her hands. Then it would be our turn. When the sanitizer ran out, I put some water in the bottle for her to play with. Which she did. It was so cute to watch her.



Here she is sharing her hand sanitizer with the nannies and the little kids on the playset. She showed them how to rub their hands together and then she would get them to smell their hands. They all obliged her but I wonder what was going through their minds.



We quickly realized that we'll have to do more child proofing of our house than we expected. Gaëlle loves to pull out things and scatter toys, just like any child. However, she often took the time to pick up and place things back in their container. It was really cute to see her "organize" stuff. She really didn't play with toys, but she would take toys out and then put them back in her own way. Here she is picking up cards that she didn't play with. It will be interesting to see if she's just one of those kids who is just more inclined to physical activities or if once she comes home, she will learn to play.

I know we can't wait to find out.

Faces

There was a bit of a cold going around, so please forgive some of the runny noses. I just couldn't resist posting some of those sweet expressions. The kids who needed it were all getting their dose of medicine.

You have to read this...

Our computer had a virus last week and so I've been spending my time reloading programs and getting caught up on adoption blogs. Because I am not computer savy it has been time consuming and a bit frustrating. Today I read Licia's blog and it really made me stop and evaluate my life. At least those things in my life that I dwell on and stress about and gripe and complain about.

I know most people adopting from Haiti already read Licia's blog, but if you don't, please click on this and take the time to see how people in our hemisphere live.

Haiti 2009

A cutie with her medicine

The orphanage we're adopting from is going through a chicken pox outbreak. I can't even imagine 100 toddlers and children breaking out at the same time. Oh my!!! Robin and Emily took down some donations for GLA which I'm sure will be put to good use. Here's one of the babies... no chicken pox... surrounded by some of the supplies.

Terre Sel

Part of the bumpy journey up the mountain to Terre Sel.


A cutie at the current school in Terre Sel.


The current school in Terre Sel watching the video that Jeff, the HS principle sent to tell about their support.


Emily catching some sun on the boat ride to La Gonave Island.

6 degrees of separation; the theory that we can connect to anyone in the world through 6 relationships. In other words, person A needs a maximum of 5 people to connect to person B, supposing person A doesn't know person B. Volunteerism illustrates this perfectly.

Craig Kielburger of Free the Children comes to Halifax and gives a presentation to students.

Jeff Lewis, principle of local high school was a missionary in La Gonave, Haiti.

Students from local high school decide to raise funds to build a school in Haiti.

Robin & Emily visit Haiti and take cash donations for a school in crisis.

Robin & Jeff were university roommates and so a visit is made to the future school site along with cash donations given to Robin by fellow workers who are also anxious to contribute to something bigger than themselves.

A great partnership between people in Halifax, Nova Scotia and people in Terre Sel, Haiti.

They're home

Robin and Emily came home from Haiti this week. They were gone for 2 weeks and we are so glad to have them back. They had some great adventures, but they both said that one of the best parts of the trip was sharing it together.



We have a picture of Peterson standing in the exact same spot here at the Baptist Mission. GLA takes the kids here to see the little zoo and to have a treat of french fries.



Robin loves playing with the kids. Nothing like a man doing a little dosey do, holding a child at the same time. These kids are from an orphanage on La Gonave.



A former missionary to Haiti here in Halifax is raising money for this small school in La Gonave. They need to build a new building in order to qualify as a Compassion school. Then the kids will get sponsors and the community as well as lives will be changed. Robin said that the school currently has next to nothing. It was a slow 6 hour drive up the mountain just to get here.



Emily loving some kids in Bainet. Being around the kids was also a highlight for Emily but also difficult to see the hardship and sorrow some of them face daily.

Faces of Haiti

Last February Robin and Joshua were privileged to visit La Gonave, Haiti with a group from the Wesleyan Atlantic District. The girl in the above picture melted hearts. They met her in a church in Nan-Mangot and loved her spark and enthusiasm.

The boys in this picture just have a little mischief in their eyes, don't they? This group is from a church in Petit Anse.

Robin with Michelin and his 2 children. The kids look nice and healthy and plump. So good to see!

A lot has been made of the fact that Haiti, the poorest country in the hemisphere, is only 600 miles away from the richest country in the world, let alone the hemisphere. How can such disparity exist? How will Haiti move out of economic ruin into prosperity? The questions can go on and on and on. The answers remain elusive. People have tried to turn the country around and people will continue to try. Hope is good and powerful and will keep people alive.

Every waterfall starts with a drop of water. One person can change the world. A pretty common theme, but still compelling and full of truth. Examples are all around us of ordinary people living out their lives in simple ways and changing the world, at least their immediate world.


Meet Dick. Frere Dick to the residents of LaGonave. My husband felt like he was riding around with the Pope when he was with Dick. Everybody happily waved and shouted greetings to him. He certainly doesn't look like a powerful leader. Yet through hard work and sheer determination, he brought clean water to the island and therefore he brought life and hope.

One day he took the group from Canada up to the water source. They saw all the obstacles he had to overcome to bring that precious water line to where the Haitians live. In his own quiet and humble way, he has changed the world.

I will never have adoring crowds call out my name and yet I can still change the world one drop of water at a time. Lord, show me your will and help me to live simply so that others can simply live.