On the afternoon of October 29, 2002 a mountain of paperwork was handed over. In a Miami airport immigration office they were declared Livesays and distinguished residents of Minnesota, USA.
There are portions of that emotional day in 2002 that are vivid and crisp in our memories. The moment the airplane tires lifted off from Haiti - the strange and inexplicable combination of grief and joy over what they had overcome and what they had lost.
We arrived to our Miami hotel for the night, turned on the TV, and saw that a boat full of Haitian people had arrived in Miami at almost the same time as us. The news coverage showed their desperation and panic as they were being chased down and detained. There we sat with documents of legal citizenship in our hands. 'Sobering' isn't a strong enough word.
There is no way we could have known or even imagined on that day that we'd be so blessed to return to the country of their birth to live, work, learn, struggle, and grow as a family.
We're grateful to be raising these precious children. We're grateful that God has made a way for them to have open adoptions and removed our fears and reservations surrounding that. We're grateful for healing that has taken place in each of them. We're grateful to a gracious and faithful Father that continues to love, heal and provide lavishly for Hope and Isaac. We're grateful for their U.S. citizenship - but even more grateful for their true citizenship in The Kingdom of Heaven.
