Monday, July 16, 2007

Praying for Geff ... Praying for Haiti

Some of you may remember my rather lengthy March 12 post regarding adopting internationally.

In particular, at that time we had spoken with someone involved in the ministry of Children of the Promise creche in Haiti, and she had mentioned a specific little boy to us by name: Geff. He touched our hearts in a special way, and had there been an open door for us to adopt internationally we would have loved to embrace him into our family.
I recently revisted the COTP website and saw that Geff is still listed under their "Waiting Children." Since then I have been praying that his forever family would find him very soon! One adoptive mom whose child is also from COTP told me, "I loved Geff when I was in Haiti. I wonder if his sad eyes in his photos have worried some parents. I can say he is truly a sweet heart and just shy ..." And another mom said, " I have also been praying for Geff in this respect. I am confident thatif we continue to pray, he will have a family."

Won't you take a minute to pray for Geff, that God will very soon match him with the perfect family He has chosen for this special little boy?

And while you are praying for Geff, pray for the entire adoption situation in Haiti - where one man has impeded hundreds of adoptions so that families and children who are waiting to be united have literally spent months and years apart. While they wait, hundreds of babies and children are literally dying in this country stricken by poverty and disease ... I close with these thoughts from an adoptive mom who recently traveled all the way to Haiti to plead the case for her sick child:

Orphanages are filled to their capacity because the
children waiting for passports, children who are legally adopted, children who have parents cannot leave. As a result, children who need to be in the orphanages are sent away. What happens to those children?


Prospective adoptive parents are turning away from Haiti. They no longer want to adopt from Haiti because there seems to be so many delays and issues. Those parents could have become parents of the children that the orphanages had to turn away. It breaks my heart.

I have some photos of a morgue in Port au Prince, Haiti that has dead babies stacked like dolls on bookshelves that reach from the floor to the ceiling. Dead babies! The photos are surreal. I had contemplated posting those pictures, but I think that it would be too shocking for anybody.

It makes me wonder why the world, as a whole, does not seem to care so much about children? Children are dying in the thousands each day, all over the world. Adoption is a drop in the bucket, so to speak, if you look at the big picture. Why are babies thrown away at birth? Why are children not regarded as worthy lives? Why do we live in a country where food is thrown away, where doggies are carted around in little strollers or carried around in little purses? Yet we, as a society, look away to the plight of starving and dying children?! (No offense to owners of little doggies...I have one too. It is just so ironic.)

4 comments:

Deborah said...

I, too, will pray for sweet Geff...

And I have not forgotten what you said, dear Steph...

Praying...

ERIN lee said...

that breaks my heart. i to will be praying for little Geff and all the children in Haiti.

I WOULD GATHER CHILDREN said...

Stephanie, this is off topic, but I'm trying to figure out the author of the poem, "I would gather children", the poem that is on my blog...it that a poem you wrote? If you have time go check out my blog, I have news!!
smiles,
jen in mi

Unknown said...

Thanks for figuring out my xanga post!! :) Estimated date of arrival is February 2008

I am still praying for your #4 to join your family soon!!

Julie