Found

Okay, so there were five of you who bought the calculator and used it to do big-people math. Sorry to have generalized that way. You're not all drop-outs.

The problem has been solved. We have one on its way down. Thanks Lisa B!

Matt Cleary- Troy said, in response to your snide remark, "Uh, I didn't need one, I did it in my head."

Of course he did.

Frugally Yours-
tara :)

Photos

Troy is now forgetting which photos he has used, and which ones you have not yet seen. Sorry if any of these are repeats.

Maybe my favorite photo ever...

Tonight Hope and Noah crashed hard and early, so before bed-time Ike got a chance to hang with us and love on his new baby sister. Isaac is easily the most joyous child I've ever met. He EXUDES enthusiasm and has a zeal for life. He keeps telling me he really-really-really loves his new sister. Look at this photo. I believe him.

We forgot to share his initial reaction with you. The VERY FIRST thing he said when he saw her, "Ohhhh, (long pause) She's brown!?!?" (perplexed)

I guess he was expecting something different. We really think he has no idea how it all works, and we think that rocks. Oh to be so simple. Wouldn't life be easier that way?

Before I crash too, I will share the small moment of excitement in our day. I was down checking in on the two school girls and their progress. Their rooms are faaaar away from the main part of our house. Isaac came bolting into Britt's room where we were chatting and said "Come see come see, I blew up a match!" Confused by his choice of words, we quickly decided to trust the urgency in his voice, and sure enough, he had a decent sized fire going in the kitchen drawer. The fingernail clipper kit is all melted into a mass of plastic and some paper was on fire too.

After we got it out, like a dummy, I asked him how he did it. He picked up the match book and demonstrated how to strike a match- proficiently I might add.

In this instance, it is extra-good to live in a cement home.

Drop Outs

I think I have discovered a weakness in this blog's core audience. None of you ever took a math class that required a fancy calculator??

Like me, you took consumer Math in college and found ways around Algebra II and Calculus. Other than balancing your check-book you feel there is no need to EVER do Math. Some of you don't even do it then.

Well ... that's all fine and good people, but it leaves me with a real issue on my hands. I, a proud half-dutch woman - and a cheap-butt missionary to boot - am going to be forced to buy an $90 calculator. Do you know how difficult that is for a person like me? Clearly you don't.

Checkin In - By Paige -

I got a bad wasp bite the other day, normally I do just fine with wasp bits. Not in this case though. My arm swelled up really bad, it looked like I had Elephantitis. It never really hurt, it has really itched a lot though. I have been putting cream on it and ice wrapped in a towel. The swelling has gone down a little today.

Seems there have been so many pictures of Phoebe, my mother is making me put this one of me as a baby up. I was a funny looking baby. Now the whole word knows, even all my friends.

Also, I had a lot of fun answering the questions from great Uncle Al about school in Haiti, so if anyone wants to ask anything about living in Haiti, e-mail me at paigeinhaiti@yahoo.com I will answer it on the blog.

Have a good week.

The Dutch are a Frugal People

Last time I tested the power of the Internet I located a baby carrier in like 37 seconds.

I am testing it again. And, I am also being cheap. This item is spendy and not very exciting to purchase new.

If possible, we would like to buy a used TI-83 or TI-84 graphing calculator for Britt. She needs it yesterday, so if you have one please let me know. We have people coming from three different states in February and I can have it mailed to one of them to bring down to us.

Thanks!

Prayers Needed

Hey all-

Hope you are ready to start a new week. We feel mostly ready. Phoebe had a great night again, she slept from 11pm until 7am. Noah did not. He came to our bed crying at 3am and kicked us in the Kidney's until it was time to get up for the day.

The burn patient that traveled five hours by donkey, and then another 90 minutes by truck to get to Lori, needs our prayers. Her name is Seramise. Lori has the latest update up with lots of sad, difficult to see, photos. The pain of burns is horrific. Please pray for Seramise. This next week is critical.

There is also a little 3 year old girl and her family in a serious situation that need our prayers.

-Tara

PSALM 20

1May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!

2May He send you helpfrom the sanctuary And support you from Zion!

3May He remember all your meal offerings And find your burnt offering acceptable! Selah.

4May He grant you your heart's desire And fulfill all yourcounsel!

5We will sing for joy over your victory, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.

6Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven. With the saving strength of His right hand.

7Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God.

8They have bowed down and fallen, But we have risen and stood upright.

9Save, O LORD; May the King answer us in the day we call.

Sunday Phoebe Photos

(Above) Britt and Phoebe before heading out for church.

Early this evening Hope informed me that Phoebe wanted a bath. Phoebe is lucky to have found such a capable, assertive, and caring spokesperson. Hope and I disagreed a bit about the best water temperature. Eventually, the wise one convinced me that she knew best. ;-) Phoebe may come to dislike having anywhere from two to four mothers. Maybe not though.

*THIS* is what her eyes look like when she is startled. Those are not my man-hands, by the way...

I shave the hair off of mine.

Deuteronomy 31:6

"Be strong. Take courage. Don't be intimidated. Don't give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down; he won't leave you."

Happy Birthday Mom/Grandma

"Other than that, not much planned..."

That (the title of this entry) is what I *said* we had going on for today. A little Math, a little hanging out, nothing major.

Haiti says "Ha HA HA .. I laugh in the face of your plans, I scoff you, I mock you. You idiot!"

We had a busy day.

First I offer you my small early-day success ... Find below the "before" photo of Hope, Isaac and Noah's bedroom. When Troy saw it he said "Isaac, did mom see this? What did she say?"

Isaac said, "She said: Oh Crap"

And, I wish I could tell you that he was just being funny ... But no, that is indeed what I said. And now Isaac is repeating me. Nice.

I sent them out to play and went to work trying to create a system of order and structure. I succeeded, find proof here in the "after" photo. And, yes, of course I told them they cannot play with their toys anymore. Toys are just to look at and admire from a distance. Everyone knows that.

Britt and I got back from our run around 11:30am. As we turned the corner up our drive we saw a large group gathered by the gate. We knew somebody was hurt. (Don't scroll down too much further if you are a weak tummy person.)

`

We came inside the gate to find this poor woman, badly burned, laying on the grass at the front gate. She had just endured FIVE HOURS on a donkey to get to the mission. It certainly convicted me of my impatience over things like road-construction in Minnesota. AT LEAST WE HAVE CARS AND ROADS and HOSPITALS! This woman was horribly wounded and in terrible pain and her options were- A. Stay in her mountain village, to suffer and eventually die or B. Get on a donkey and try to find help.

`

That's it, her only two options.

`

Britt got to work, Troy left and went to find Silvadene (thank you L and L and Big Z.) As she began to look at it we realized this was very serious and needed Lori and an IV and full-time care for awhile. Britt and Paige worked together for about three hours, peeling off the burned skin, getting it cleaned up and putting dressings on it.

`

Sadly, once again, misinformation about the healing properties of Crest are circulating and they had put toothpaste on some of the burns. (Thus, the white stuff.) That just adds to the pain and the work for the patient and the nurse.

`

As the girls worked, I emailed photos to Lori and it was agreed that she needed care we cannot provide. So, once she was wrapped up, Troy took off and is now bringing her to Cazale. Thank you L and L for your input and hard work! We are blessed to know you and learn from you.

While this work was going on, the food delivery showed up, which is no small thing. So we hung a sheet to try and shield this lady from that chaos.
`
Then, when I was down helping Britt and Paige for about two minutes (to hang the sheet) -- Hope displayed her amazing skills of independence. You know the saying "many hands make light work." Well, in these parts it is "many hands make for mass confusion." Hope decided that Phoebe was hungry in the two minutes I was not around. So, in her ever-self-sufficient way she found a bottle and popped in Phoebe's mouth as she sat in her bouncy chair. Sounds awesome, right?
`
No, not so much. Hope chose the bottle that was sitting with the dirty dishes, it was about 12 hours old and smelling pretty sour. Phoebe seems no worse for the wear, but I am learning that Hope might need some gentle reigning in. Self-sufficiency may be her undoing.

And, for those of you who are not yet tired of Phoebe ... A photo from morning nap time.

Noah said today, "Set that baby on the couch Ma, hode me!" He is not shy about his jealousy. I keep telling him he is still the baby BOY of the family. Being two and a half can be rough.

So, there you have it. A Saturday without much planned. Now it is time to make dinner and collapse.

Love to all,

Tara

Nobody is Safe

So, we've made fun of MN's Fourth Judicial Branch, Ohio, North Carolina, My Dad, Smudge ... It's all been in good fun. For the next roasting I am not sure if we should be ripping on the Pope (GASP! - HAS SHE NO LIMITS??) or, the Peoria, IL pundits.

See this headline: (click for link to story)

"Pope Benedict Says Hunger is Bad"

Well .... if *HE* said it, it must be true.


The story is interesting to read, the headline needs a little work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't want you to hate me ... no, it's fine ... go ahead and hate me. Phoebe sleeps through the night people! All three nights, to bed around 8pm or 9pm --- not waking until 5am. Is it too soon to call that a pattern? I think not.

The mornings are so cute. After she is cleaned up and fed when the three other little ones wake up they come straight to her and gather round and discuss how she is doing, if she is happy, if she wants anything ... and on and on. They just sit around and stare at her. Hope seems to know it all. "Mom, she is cold." "Mom, she is hot." "Mom, I think she's hungry." It is so wonderful, I can't stop smiling.

All the birth-mother discussion and adoption discussion and just making sure Hope and Isaac are understanding things has been interesting and cute. Isaac said "No body can take me away from this family, I am a Livesay." To which we said, "THAT IS RIGHT BUDDY!" Then, later we were talking about Beanne and then Ike's birthmother, Joceline. We used her name and Isaac said, "I know who Joceline is -- she is my "FAIRY GODMOTHER." The terminology is getting mixed up with Cinderella, but we think it works.

We are taking Ike to visit his birthmom in a few weeks, at her request. Open adoption was something that freaked us out and much of the reason we chose to adopt internationally. It is kind of funny that we are where we are now. The God kind of funny.

I will be honest and say, I am kind of glad that Isaac and Hope have not picked up Creole quite yet, it makes the birth-parent meetings feel safer to me. I want their biological moms to be able to see them. I just like the safety net of knowing that if they say something a five year old cannot handle, we can just choose to not translate it. Culturally, what we would say to our young children does not necessarily match up with what they might say.

We just don't want anybody telling them "Please come save us and everyone in our gene pool from poverty when you get big." If they choose to help their Haitian families we will cheer and support them, but we are not putting that on them at such tender ages. If they choose to live in America and never come back to Haiti, we will support that too. Those are their choices to make.

Happy Saturday! :)

Weekend Outlook

The weather has been beautiful, maybe warmer than this time last year, but still lovely. Lots of kids find plastic and make kites like this little guy. It is amazing what kids create to play with when not loaded down with a billion battery-operated toys and video games.

There is a funeral to attend today. Britt and Troy are going to go and represent the fam.

We're looking forward to the weekend. The food delivery comes tomorrow for the next month, Paige and Troy have some math to work on, we have a baby to get to know better, but other than that we're not planning much.

We hope to get to Port for church on Sunday and lunch with friends afterwards. Have a great weekend!

An Open Letter to My Father

Note to the masses: Lest you fear that this blog will become the ALL Phoebe blog ... fear not. We will return to things non-Phoebe very soon. Really. We will.

1-19-2007

Dear Dad,

I've always known you love me. Then, we saw the way you agreed to love Troy after he proved himself worthy. ;-) And of course, I've always known you love all my kids. As fast as the kids come, you keep up and take it all in stride.

`

We're fairly sure you know that we love you too.

`

When we think about the ways we can make you FEEL our love, especailly from such a distance; we consider the Five Love Languages described by Gary Chapman. And because we know that your ultimate love-language is the yet-to-be-named SIXTH love language, known as politics; we offer you proof of our undying affection.

You see, we are always looking out for you Dad. We have done our part to help you out in the 2024 elections. Do you feel it now? The love. No need to thank us. It is just one way we can give back to you.

For obvious reasons, we're not guaranteeing anything from these two. But you can count on Phoebers in '24.

So, let it be known: We love you.

Sincerely and Truly Yours,

Troy and Tara

Explanation

Because there is no t-shirt that says:

"Really, I am not startled,

my eyes are just too big for my head"

The Rest of the Story

**Edit 10/2010 - We have always struggled with how the systems of poverty causes families to be torn apart. We are now (through growth in this journey) working to keep families together. In the case of Phoebe we asked her first mom if there was any way she could keep her (even suggesting financial support to do so) and she said that no matter what she was placing her. She gave us her reason, which I won't share here.

Tuesday night we had a family meeting to discuss and pray about Phoebe and what we should do. We knew that all we could do was wait for God to show us His plan, and we really had not seen yet what the plan was for this baby girl. We had a long discussion about the risks involved (mainly the chance that the adoption could not go through for any number of reasons), and whether or not we were prepared for the pain of losing her after having her with our family and getting attached. It was decided that even if she isn’t meant to become a permanent part of the family we want to have her with us and give her the love and attention she needs while we can. We decided the risk is worth the reward, both for Phoebe and the rest of the family, and then gave the whole matter over to God and promised to wait to see how He worked it out. We didn’t have to wait long.

We had been waiting for the last week to hear from the mother, Beanne, and find out what her intentions were. No one had been able to find her, after a couple unsuccessful and very dangerous trips to Cite Soleil.

I was already planning on going to Port-Au-Prince on Wednesday, to take care of some business and vehicle issues. I planned to visit Phoebe as well, and find out if there was any possible way I could bring her home. I had no peace at all with the idea of bringing her home without speaking to Beanne first, even if that was possible. No one knew that I was coming to Port in advance except Eddy, who – trust me – does not and will not ever be involved in anything as huge and important as an adoption…for obvious reasons. Ok, in case it’s not that obvious – he drives me nuts. But that’s another story.

It was a strange and awesome feeling to just put it all in God’s hands and wait and see what He would do. I guess someone else did know I was going to Port – HE did.

In our prayers over the issue, Tara and I both asked God to shut doors and make it clear if we were not supposed to pursue this further, since we were really at a loss for what to do and how to continue. I told Tara that I would call a couple of our mentors/friends on the way to Port to see if God used them to tell me we were crazy. I was figuring on closed doors for sure. After speaking to both of them, the message was clear, and it was the same – be bold and go see what God does.

I didn’t know who to talk to or where to go or what I was going to do. I decided to take care of business first, and went down to the “circulation” department for another non-inspection inspection of our other truck. I sat there making a list of all the places I needed to go and other tasks to accomplish. As soon as I finished the list, I threw it away because I knew that I was supposed to just go to the orphanage where Phoebe was and see what happened.

I tried calling the two people I knew who worked at the orphanage over and over again, but didn’t reach anyone. I was worried that I was already going to hit a dead end. When I arrived, I was relieved to find out that one of them was there, and he let me in. Last time I paid him a visit, it was to inquire after Beanne and see if they could help locate her…that’s when I was shocked to learn that the baby we’d been praying and fretting over was there in the same building with me.

This time, he had more shocking news. (Remember, I thought that I was there to- at the minimum – see Phoebe, and at most – talk to him about the possibility of bringing her home while we waited to find Beanne.) He told me that Beanne had just been there minutes before and was on her way down to the McHoul’s house to see if they could locate me. For the second time in a week, I almost fell down on that same tile floor out of shock. Then I remembered who was running the show, and whose plan this was…and was no longer surprised. I left without even seeing Phoebe, but felt sure I would be back for her.

Now my task was to try and connect with a Haitian woman from Cite Soleil who was traveling from the Delmas area of Port-Au-Prince down to Tabarre, using Taptaps and other ridiculous methods of public transportation – in a city of nearly three million people. I just smiled and knew God could handle that – no problem.

Using the terribly poor cellular telephone network that hardly works - I called Johnny Mack (as I call him behind his back), and informed him of the situation – but he was at least an hour out from his house and unable to help me. I eventually found Beth (Mrs. McHoul – she is sweet so doesn’t get any secret nicknames) and was glad to hear she was at her house. She told me that the other worker from the orphanage was indeed there (hooray), but not with Beanne (no good) – another woman was with her – the first mother of some other children who had been adopted by another family a few years ago. My mind started racing and I quickly assumed the worst – I was ready to freak out and learn that this was all some big mix-up and the baby that we thought was Hope’s sister was not related at all…and so forth.

During all this, I was “racing” (at 10 miles per hour) over the side “streets” (alleys) of Port getting bounced all over trying to talk on the phone and get down to the McHoul’s to meet with a person who was possibly the wrong person altogether. Somewhere in there, Zach called to see how things were going. (His calls usually have two purposes – to encourage me and to entertain himself with all my rookie mistakes and stories). I told him I felt a little like Inspector Clouseau, chasing down some mystery that made no sense. As usual, he was very encouraging, and also – as usual – laughed at me.

I arrived to find our Haitian friend from the orphanage sitting in the driveway with a woman that I had never seen - definitely not Hope’s first mom. After a painstaking eternity of questioning and re-questioning (making sure nothing was lost in translation) – here is what I learned:
Beanne had been at the other location that day, and she was supposed to have come to John’s house as well. No one knew why she hadn’t showed up yet, or where she ended up going. The other mother had an appointment with John, and was supposed to be there as well. One out of two isn’t so bad, I guess, but it wasn’t the one I needed.

After another hour or so of talking to these two women and waiting for the one I needed to see, I had all but given up. After speaking with Beth for a while, I was left trying to decide if I should go get Phoebe and take her home without speaking to Beanne. I explained to Beth that our family had decided to take the risk and take Phoebe home to love her while we could, whether she she would end up being with us or not. I still really didn’t like the idea of doing that without seeing Beanne first, or have any peace about it. I decided to leave to think and pray and go about my other business of the day. When I opened the gate to go out to my truck parked in the street – there was a woman standing there like she had been waiting for me. It was Beanne. I don’t want to get too ridiculous in my story-telling…but she was wearing all white – and she certainly looked like an angel sent from heaven to me. I was kind of shocked and definitely confused – but more than anything I was amazed at how God works.

I sat and talked with her for a long time, trying to determine her intentions and understand what happened since the baby was born. We have always had a heart for this woman, especially since she gave up a child that is now a precious part of our family – but in our confusion and hurt and fear over what happened with the new baby – I’ll admit we were angry at times. All of that left me while I listened to her tell about living in a place surrounded by daily gunfire, her struggle with another child of hers in the hospital, and the constant fear she lives with in Cite Soleil. We asked her once before what things were like around her home. All she said was “we’re always running”. The things we had been worrying about all came into perspective and I was truly just thankful and full of praise for the safe and healthy baby, no matter where she ended up.

Beanne told me that she intended for the new baby to live with us all along, but with all her other difficulties she hadn’t been able to do anything other than bring Phoebe to the orphanage in Port so she would be safe and cared for. She wanted Phoebe to be with us and her big sister, which of course is a what we were trying to confirm and an answer to our prayers. We discussed the details and necessary steps for the adoption to move forward, and made plans to meet her with both Hope and Phoebe sometime soon.

I left to go back to the orphanage and get Phoebe. I called Tara to let her know the short version: “I’m bringing Phoebe home.”

The rest of the afternoon is a blur and one of the most surreal experiences I can remember. Bringing her home was awesome.

I definitely felt and experienced the “peace that surpasses understanding”, and the joy and wonder that comes when you see what God does when we let Him work. Bondye Se Bon. God Is Good.

Last night I went up to the prayer rock to unwind and process it all. As I sat in wonder trying to remember and praise God for all the things He has done for us I was totally blown away and amazed. Then I noticed something – there was no moon last night, and there were millions of stars shining above this dark little village. It looked like more stars than I have ever seen before in my life. My life seemed a lot smaller all of the sudden, and so did all of the things I’d been stressing about. Even the amazing day I had seemed small in comparison…because we can’t even imagine how much more God has in store for us. What God did for us yesterday was HUGE to us, but nothing to Him. The God who hung all those stars in the sky and knows every one of them came down and blessed our family yesterday with a little star of our own. Praise HIM. Amen.

-Troy

(Tara's addendum: No, the bouncy chair is not the preferred method of transporting a baby, but it is what Troy had with him. We're simply embracing the culture by having no sense of safety or precaution.)

The Stats

Day One-

Rating: Easy

Ratio of People wanting to hold her vs. people who got to hold her: 6:1

Naps: 3

Baths: 1

Outfit Changes: 3

Number of times Noah asked what her name is: too many

Fighting Weight: 11 lbs. 9 oz.

Height: 23.5" (Or just short of two feet for those keeping score at home.)

And in important news:

About the North Carolina Dog who is being tossed aside by his owners ... he goes by "Smudge" for whatever reason. It seems the neighbors had already used Mud, Skid, and Fudge, leaving the Sexton family to take what was left.

He was once a male, but due to a cruel operation, now struggles with his identity and really just wants to be accepted for who he/it is. The owners note that he/it is no slacker. He has goals and aspirations. Mainly, "He has big dreams of someday belonging to a family who will actually let him sit on the couch."

If you are interested in North Carolina Smudge, send an email to amiefamie@earthlink.net

The New Neighbors

Have you ever had one of your best friends move in next door? Yeah. Me either. Until now.

`

These are the coolest people we know in the SE Quadrant of the U.S, specifically NC, that we spoke of earlier. We are receiving hate-mail and death-threats for stealing them away from the church they serve in, but we don't care. NA-NA-NA-NA boo-boo we win!

`

Tim and Amie Sexton and their three youngun's (that is what they call children in them-there parts) are preparing to move to Haiti, with a target date of June 1, 2007.

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If the funds show up earlier, they will too.

`

The reason for this post is four-fold.

ONE- To ask you to pray for Tim, Amie, Nathan, Mamoune, and Isaiah as they prepare their hearts and heads to leave their family & friends and begin a new adventure.

`

TWO-To suggest that if you have some cash lying around, that you might like to unload on a good cause; these people are a good cause.

`

THREE- To tell you that the dog in the photo needs a home. We have contacted Billy Graham, Soupy, and Clay. None of them want the dog. We've had difficulty locating Sugar Ray, so that option still hangs in the balance.

`

FOUR-To tell you the greatest part of all of this. Amie is now the head chef for both families and has agreed to cook dinner for both families six nights a week. On the seventh night Tara will be in charge and that is the night we will have Haitian cooking. (As in, a talented Haitian lady cooks, and Tara sets out the plates.) In exchange for cooking for the whole missionary community in LaDigue, Amie will receive our warmest personal regards AND, and... A reward in Heaven.

One Year Ago Today

• Troy got on an airplane and moved to Haiti - The weirdest day of his life.
• Tara questioned every decision she had ever made in her entire life as she hugged and kissed Troy goodbye.
• Britt, Paige, Isaac, Hope and Noah capitalized on the misery and confusion of their mother and spent a wonderful day at the Mall of America soaking in every ounce of American culture available to them.

At the time, it all seemed like a really big risk. Now, looking back, it does not seem like it was that big of a deal.

Today, we enter a new phase of risk, that feels big ... As we believe in the Lord for Phoebe and for a successful and completed adoption. We did not know how it would work out when we moved. We do not know how/if/when the adoption will work out. It is scary.

There are no guarantees in life - EXCEPT this: God loves us and He will always give us what is best. The difficult, the scary, the uncertain: He is in it all. We're thankful for that.

My calendar this year looks just a wee bit less insane. Troy's looks busy, mine looks like this: Wake up, support the family, teach some science, cheer for Britt, cheer for Paige, do laundry, play shapes and colors bingo, discipline a wild two year old, clean-up, remind Troy of a few things, hang out, do more of the same. Every day. I love it. I do not miss going, going going, dentists, doctors, sports, lessons, more sports, more events, and general insanity.

BUT, on my quiet calendar, I do note a birthday today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICOLE VIK.

We love you!

~~~~~

Programming notes-

• Phoebe Joy slept from 7:45 pm until 5am. She ate and went back to sleep by 5:30. She then slept until 7:30. She's going to be a whole lot of trouble, we can tell. ;)
• As if things could get any better, I've won the UK lottery and my long lost relatives with a fortune in Cameroon have located me to collect what is rightfully mine. It's about time.
• That's all fine and good, but I really hope I actually win the trip to see Jack Bauer and a taping of the show 24. I entered a Circuit City contest. Mark my words, I will win the 24 trip. I am not sure who I will take with me when I go, but I am considering Tina, Beth, and Jennifer J. They are each equally obsessed with all things counter-terrorism-intelligence and Bauer. If for some strange reason I do not win, I will do what a few people here did when they did not win the Digicel Four-Wheeler. I will stand around and argue about how many times I entered and that it is not fair that I did not win. I will stage a mini-protest of sorts.
• We officially have a new family preparing to move to Haiti to work with Lifeline. They happen to be on the top of our list labeled: "Coolest people in the South-East quadrant of the USA, specifically North Carolina." Just after them, it is Billy Graham, Soupy Sales, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Clay Aiken . In that order.
• Every time I look over my shoulder to peek at sleepy Phoebe, Hope is standing right next to her grinning ear to ear. It is the cutest thing ever.
• After the last round of Malaria I pulled out of the Miami Marathon officially - I had this sense/realization that A.) training and running *here* for super-long distances sort of sucks and I am not able to run more than 8 miles before I begin to hate everything and everyone - so because as a mom I am required to like people, specifically my children it began to look like a bad idea B.) that a baby would show up at a time that would make it difficult to depart on January 26 (I had no idea how right-on that would be) C.) that I could face letting Beth down even if it was really, REALLY hard to do.
• It seems like I made a wise decision, which is rare and wonderful.
• Beth runs the Miami Marathon in ten days. She is the toughest woman I have ever met. Pray for her.
• Running is fun when there is no pressure. Britt is a runner now, so that is pretty fun for both of us.
• Troy is still decompressing, but he promises to share how it all went down and details about our thoughts and plans and the way God showed up to save the day.

There is no good place to start the story of today... It was a GOOD day!

I need to let Troy tell the story. It was really his experience and the rest of us prayed and chewed our fingernails all day. Right now he is in one of those emotional states that does not allow for coherent discussion. He looks like a large truck hit him. He said, "Just so you know, at some point I will melt down."

`

And he's earned it!

He will tell you the long version when he has had some time to process. The short version goes like this:

"Today Troy went to Port au Prince, and God showed up."

The END.

`

What felt like an eternity of waiting, has now melted into nothingness. SHE'S HERE - SHE'S HEALTHY. It was difficult waiting, we really wondered what God was doing some days. For reasons only He needs to know, we believe this timing - was His timing - and we'll take it.

`

I need to go stare at our sleeping angel. She is not nearly as impressed with us as we are with her. She fell asleep 45 minutes into her welcome home party. We have so much to say and so much to be thankful for and so much ahead of us ... but for now we need to soak it in and thank God for His goodness. We are so touched by your interest and blessed by your kindness.

-Tara

PS- Hope's response to it all is so wonderful and beautiful. She is overjoyed. We all are.