Recent article on Haiti

Hi friends,
I know that those of you faithful blog checkers will be disappointed to see that while I am posting something, it's not adoption related. All we've heard is that the law hasn't passed and that it's not actually that you have to be 29, but that you have to be 30 in 2008, which Sean will be. It's not that the law has NOT passed (how many negatives can I put in one sentence??) it hasn't been discussed yet. We had been told it would happen in January, and realize fully that January is over. And so we wait.

Marialyn is in Haiti right now and has promised to check in on the baby and take some pictures. She's not coming home for a few weeks, but it's nice to know that there are pictures and a report coming.

This post is more about distressing Haiti stories that I've heard lately. One is that Marialyn said that the day she arrived two Americans were kidnapped and are being held for ransom. The other is about how Haitians have resorted to literally eating dirt because food prices have gone up from the rates that they could barely afford in the first place. Both of these stories remind me that things are so very desperate there and of what people will resort to when they have no food or money, not to mention medical help. So, if you think of it, tag on a little, "Watch over the people of Haiti" prayer to the ones I hope you say that go something like, "Watch over Bedeline and bring her to Minnesota SOON!"

It's hard to sit here in my cozy beautiful home with a full fridge and to know how to help, and others who have read the mud article have also asked what can be done. One way is through Friends of the Orphans, (http://www.friendsoftheorphans.org/)which is where Sean works and how we sponsor Herbie. Because he's on the inside we know it's reputable and that 100% of sponsorship dollars go right to the orphan homes. We've also been amazed at how many Haiti non-profits exist, so if orphans aren't your thing, you could always google Haiti and non-profit or relief and see what happens.

Please don't think I'm trying to convince you to give away your money, I just know that when I finished reading the article, I was left with a feeling of wanting to do more and wanted to give some suggestions if you felt the same. The link to the article is: http://news.aol.com/story/_a/hungry-haitians-resort-to-eating-dirt/20080129175709990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Aside from the endless waiting game, things are going really well for us. Our jobs keep us busy, inspired, energized, and feeling like we're in the perfect jobs for us. This Minnesota winter has been less than fantastic with it's endless darkness and sub-zero temps, but we've filled our time watching Indiana Basketball (go Hoosiers!) and political debates. We have been feeling very fortunate to live in the Twin Cities lately since in the last month we've been to an IU basketball game, the play Peer Gynt, a concert of Luther College's Nordic Choir (this is the choir Sean sang in during college) and a huge political rally. Not a bad place to be once you get over the frostbite and light deprivation!

I hope this finds you all well and warm. Trust that I'll post something the second we hear, which I pray will be sooner than later. Love to you all.