“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
-James (Jesus’ half-brother), Chapter 1, Verse 27, the Bible
For those that have been following along with the story of sweet Daphne, I wanted to post an update about her here today.
If you missed my first post about her, here’s a link: The Most Important Post Of The Week
If you don’t have time to click through- here’s a quick synopsis of what it said:
Daphne is a 3-year-old girl that lives at the same (Haitian) orphanage our Sonny does. (Three Angels Children’s Relief) Back in February, I shared a blog post written by Three Angels’ medical director, Diane Kehrli. In her post, Nurse Diane said the first time she met Daphne (in April of 2015) she was propped in a highchair and almost completely unresponsive. She did not make a sound, and she did not cry. She could not feed herself and she could not sit up on her own, but she could pull herself up to stand. She spent most of her nights, not sleeping, but standing- looking out the window by her bed. She said she showed all the classic signs of neglect and fear.
___________________
After Diane’s post was published, I joined Three Angels in putting out a call for financial assistance so that they could *hopefully* get her the medical care and equipment she so very desperately needed: an MRI ($1300), a protective helmet ($180), a special chair ($360), leg braces ($500), etc.
Many of you rushed to her rescue, so I want to pass on some great news with you here today. Here is the update post Three Angels shared last month:
___________________
Thank you to everyone who has provided and prayed for our sweet Daphne. When we put out the call for assistance in February, we had no idea the amount of love and support that would come in for her. It has truly been an encouragement!
Daphne has received her MRI which came back normal! Typically with Cerebral Palsy, there are lesions that will be seen and none were found. Her brain and spine look good! While this doesn’t completely rule out CP, it does remove the worry that there is a lesion that could contribute to any disability or delay.
With the increase in Physical Therapy you’ve given her, she is now able to sit unassisted. She was able to be seated at the table with the other kids for her 3rd birthday last month and she blew out her own candles!
And best news of all? Little Miss is now walking unassisted! She has bypassed the need for leg braces and will be fitted with special shoes instead.
Again, we are incredibly grateful to each and every one of you who have been so generous. None of this would have been possible without you deciding to intervene on her behalf. With the extra funds you’ve given, we will be able to keep her kiddo-to-caregiver ratio low (2:1) and provide extra medicines, therapy, and any special equipment she may need. We are confident that God will soon bring a family who will want to adopt Daphne. And in the meantime, we look forward to being able to provide the best possible care and partner with you on this journey!
___________________
Isn’t that great news? And that video- aaahh! 😀
I feel so passionate about spreading the word about sweet Daphne in hopes that her forever family might see one of my posts. If you’d like to join me in praying for her and sharing about her, I know the folks at Three Angels would sure be grateful for the extra assistance!
I also wanted to share the news about three more precious babes that Three Angels has taken in recently. Meet Evens, Juvenson and Suzana:
They were all found (on different days) and after Social Services verified their orphan status’, they were brought to the Angel House. If you or someone you know would like to sponsor them until they are home with their forever families (which they also need!), you can click here to learn about how to do that: Orphan Care Sponsorship. (You can also click that link to read more about how to adopt a child from Three Angels!)
And remember little Imma that we met when we were visiting Steevenson last November? Look how well she’s doing!
(Left: November 6, 2015; Right: February 24th, 2016)
Clearly the “Angels” in Pétionville have been taking great care of her too!
Obviously, I can hardly wait to get back to the orphanage this summer. We’re hoping to receive Steevenson’s passport in early June! Prayers that there won’t be any typos appreciated. (Unfortunately, it’s a common occurrence, and sets folks back an additional 3-4 weeks every time a new correction is needed.) And that goes for our besties, Matt & Tacy, and their son Gregory’s passport, too.
(Matt, Tacy, Gregory (our Godson!), me, Kevin and Steevenson)
Tacy feels like a sister to me after everything we’ve experienced together on this journey, and we’d love to take our homecoming trip at the same time if the Lord allows it! 🙂
It’s so good to see and hear about how well Daphne and Imma are doing and to see the new, precious babies Three Angels is taking care of!
I do have an adoption question for you. Did you apply to adopt from Three Angels and then get paired with Lifeline or did you start with Lifeline first? My husband and I are in the very early stages of the adoption process and feel led to adopt from Haiti and we want to use Lifeline, but weren’t sure which to apply to. Obviously Lifeline uses Three Angels but they also work with other orphanages there, too, correct?
Hi Alison!
We applied with Lifeline first. They’re right up the road from us in Birmingham, AL. Once our home study was done, we got to choose with orphanage/creche we wanted to apply to adopt a child from. We chose Three Angels and they accepted our application. (Yay!) Here’s a link to our timeline if you’re curious about any of the steps between then and now! XO
https://theletteredcottage.net/adoption-timeline-list/
…and, yes. Lifeline is partnered with a few other orphanage/creches in Haiti, too. 🙂
I just love to hear about your blessed journey to become a family. Praying for your finalization to come soon. Thank you for sharing your story and the many other new families and children in need.
Thank you, Bridget! I feel so lucky to be able to share this experience this way, and I appreciate your kindness and encouragement so much! 🙂
Oh Layla, such great news about these children!! Little Imma does not even look like the same child. Daphne walking. . .God is good.
Yes! He created some spectacular little ladies, for sure! 😀
Thank you for sharing the pictures and words about the children at Three Angels. How encouraging! Having followed you online, for years, and through the adoption process….I am constantly in awe of how our Father God weaves lives together, even when there might be forks in the road and worn pathways, as well as uncharted territory. There are no surprises with Him! He sees each and everyone of these children. We are never too far from God’s amazing grace…..whether we live on an island in the ocean, across the world, or across the street. I am so happy for you and Kevin and your sweet little guy…….June can’t come too soon! 🙂
So happy to hear all this news.. Praying all goes well this summer!
Thanks for sharing! Sending prayers for all!
Layla, thank you for sharing this incredible journey. I have learned from you grace, patience, and to maintain faith. I am praying that your paperwork gets moved front and center quickly without typo’s! You are near to getting the pot of gold at your rainbow! You have walked faithfully.
Sometimes starting your day out with tears streaming down your face is a very good thing. Today was one of those days.
Reading your post about these remarkable children and their resiliency is humbling and inspiring. The physical and certainly the emotional improvements evidenced in these two beautiful young girls and all the children in the care of this orphanage is nothing short of miraculous.
I am not an overtly religious person but I pray that all the children find safe and loving homes and the process for their adoptions runs smoothly.
such beautiful sweet news.
Thanks for sharing so much need and so much hope with us! Your blog is such a sweet blessing!!
Layla,
I have been following your story with your blessed son for the past couple of years. I’ve spent my career in social work (30+years) and my heart goes out to you, Kevin, Steevenson and all the children at Three Angels. I keep you in my prayers and I am following closely. Can’t comprehend what you are going through WAITING. Can’t wait to CELEBRATE with you from a distance. May God continually bless you and your precious son. Can’t wait to see the Homecoming!!!
Selena
The stories of all of these children touch my heart and I KNOW God will bless them all and their futures will be blessings to those in their lives. The people who care for these children deserve blessings as well.
What great news for Daphne and all the young children who are found and cared for back to health (physically, mentally, and emotionally) by the amazing caregivers in these homes. These caregivers are hero’s in my book! I hope they know that the work they do and the love they give is such a gift!! I admire them all.
We are home with our little girl from Thailand, and we have an update on our blog today. We have been following your progress, and we thought you might want to see how our international adoption turned out. http://the2seasons.com/2016/05/16/adoption-update-we-are-home/
Praying for all of you right now, El! Love you so.
This is too precious!! I am so glad that she is doing well and that so many answered to her call and that video!!!! Ahhh
I feel your passport (without any typo’s) is coming soon!!
Lauren | Lovely Decor
xx
Hi there. I’m trying to find the key words but nothing is coming up- may I ask what made you decide on adoption vs having your own biological children? We’re currently going through IVF which is a fraction of adoption costs and decided to exhaust all of our finances with ivf first before deciding on what to do next. But the 40K price tag of adoption is astronomical.. I can’t even wrap my head around that.
Hi Cathie!
Thank you for stopping by today, and for sharing your heart with me here. I will certainly lift up a prayer for you as soon as I’m done typing out this reply. X
I have always been most drawn to adoption when it comes to building a family. I guess it was just “woven” into me when I was born. (Thankfully, my husband (Kevin) was on board from the get-go too.) Also, my dad was adopted, and his (adoptive) mom (my grandma Evelyn) was my favorite person on the planet. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up, and that included adopting my kiddos just like she did! 🙂
Fortunately, the $40K wasn’t due all at once (For us, it was several little payments over 3.5 years. Nothing over $3500 at one time, and many of the payments were spaced out by several months. Also, at least $15K of that was for travel back and forth to bond with our boy while we waited for the adoption to be finalized, so that part is optional.) We did a lot of praying about the financial part of it at the beginning, but God graciously reminded us that “if He calls you to it, He’ll get you through it”. We’re at the end of our adventure now, and it’s been so fun to see how He really meant what He said! 😀