If I had not checked Facebook this weekend I would not have realized this was thanksgiving weekend. Things like this have a way of passing me by here. I do, however, want to say that I am thankful for so very much. I am thanking God for who I was at birth, the girl I was while growing up, the young woman I became, the family I was a part of. I thank him especially that all of this was in the wonderful place called Newfoundland. I am thanking him for the older mature woman I became, motherhood to two precious daughters, and the ‘older very mature’ woman I now am. I am thanking him that at this ‘older’ age I am not only mother to my two grown up girls and grandmother to seven precious grandchildren, but that I am also mother, by adoption, to a very ‘special’ boy, Ti Luckner (Ti Luc). This boy, who will hopefully soon become a Canadian citizen. I am thanking him for all the precious children he has entrusted me with here in Haiti.
I am thanking God for all “Friends of HATS” in Canada and the US. For all who have been a part of God’s work, called Hands Across The Sea, in this Artibonite Valley of Haiti, since its inception in 1995. I am thankful for all who have come down and helped, for all who have donated, all who have sent supplies. I am thankful for every nail, every sack of cement, every truck load of sand and gravel that has gone into building this mission. I am thankful for all the prayer support and for all the encouragement. I am very thankful for your being there for me, for the children, for Luckner, and the employees at HATS and at the HATS school. I am thankful for all who have sponsored the children in my care here, and for all who have sponsored the students in the school, which enables them to get an education.
T H A N K Y O U !!!
I am especially thankful for the presence of God in my life, for the fact that he has been thus since I was a girl in Springdale, Newfoundland. Thank you God.
Some of you have been asking about the accident when the moto driver slammed into the truck. The crazy saga is on going. After five weeks without a vehicle, and I might add it made life very difficult, we eventually took the truck to the dealership in Port au Prince and had it repaired. Things were not settled but we could survive no longer without having the truck operable. The driver of the moto, after admitting he was totally to blame for the accident and after many times thanking Luckner for all we were doing for him, decided to get a lawyer, change his story, and serve us with papers for a court date to try and get a large sum of money from us. Luckner went to court on the date and time of the first mandat but the moto driver did not turn up until 1 1/2 hours after the appointed time. Luckner had left by then so nothing was done. Another mandat was served for the following week but it was impossible for Luckner to go due to school. Thus nothing has been settled in this absolutely crazy saga.
Things for my boy and I are now looking up. I had been told the adoption was “completed” but I did not have any original documents and nothing at all on the last and final document – copy or original. Thus a big part of me was afraid to believe he really and truly was my ‘son’. Several times over the past few years I had been told certain steps in the adoption process were completed and then I would find they were actually still in process. Recently I was called by the lawyer’s office to send in new passport photos of Ti Luc, as fast as possible, as the ones done in June were unacceptable. This encouraged me as I knew the passport could not be requested without all paperwork really and truly having been done. I rushed off to St. Marc with Ti Luc and sent the passport photos to PAP right away.
Friday morning early I checked my email and saw one from the lawyer’s office, with two attachments. I quickly opened the first attachment and saw this – a copy of a passport cover. I was so excited.
Then opened the second attachment and saw Ti Luc’s photo, passport number, etc – then I saw that his name was not correct. Ouch! Double Ouch!! I was very sad. Many phone calls were made between myself and the lawyer on Friday, with the result being that it will need a little more time again, but it will be redone with his proper name.
So you can see that things are really looking up. He is my son. Dana and Liette have a little brother. He will soon have a passport that is correct. When that happens we will request a visa for a visit to Canada. Soon I will do Step Two to make him a Canadian citizen. Thank you for all the prayer support and all the encouragement as we walked this long – four years long – road together. I have appreciated you support so very much.
On Monday, October 21st, the Reimer family who have been a big help at HATS for the past nine months are returning to Canada. A big thank you goes out to the four of them.
On Monday, October 21st, a fantastic family/friend team from Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and BC, are coming to help. On November 1st another member of my family, Keith Wight from Montreal, is coming to help. While these helpers are here they will be keeping you informed and up-to-date with the goings-on at HATS. I will be passing the torch of blogging over to them.
Remember – several school children are in need of a sponsor.
Remember too – at HATS: I T I S A L L A B O U T T H E C H I L D R E N
Thank you everyone. God bless you all.
~Karen
