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Cane Stripe Christmas

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Videos of Carline Saying Family Names

**remember to pause music in order to hear videos**(go to bottom of blog)

I made a family photo album for Carline...She loved looking at the pictures

MiMi and Carline

Big Brother Landon

Meeting Carline for the first time

My mom and I had an amazing trip to Haiti. We got to meet Carline for the first time. It was an unbelievable feeling. It is so hard to describe, but I felt really connected to her instantly. She was so kind, calm and trusting.
We arrived at 7pm on a Friday. Her caretaker brought Carline to us & sat her on our lap. She sat quietly & watched us contently. We took her back to our room, bathed her and put on fresh pjs. She went right to sleep clutching 2 bath toys that she did not want to put down. She woke up each day with a big smile on her face, glad that we were still there. As we got to know Carline more and more each day, we learned that she likes to discover new things and explore new toys. She loved looking pretty and wanted to keep on shoes, hair bows and necklaces. If she wasn't wearing her shoes she would carry them with her.  She love to hold a snack by herself and was very playful. She loved to sing songs, dance, and hold hands.
The guest house and the orphanage are on the same property. We bounced back and forth b/w the two. We stayed in the 5 th floor, & had a beautiful view from our balcony of the Haitian mountains. The guest house is a 1 hr drive up the mountain from downtown PAP. PAP still looks devastated from the earthquake with tent cities, garbage, and poverty in every direction.
During our stay we helped feed the orphans, played with them, and gave them lots of the donations that we brought with us. Most importantly I got to know my new daughter and was able to form a bond with her that will continue to grow.  One thing I wish we had brought was school supplies. The children begin school at age 3. The school is located on the 3rd floor of the orphanage; the teachers come in from the surrounding community to teach.  Chalk and chalk boards were their only supplies.  There were about 80 children at the orphange and so many were being adopted. We even met this boy there (who was about 12yrs old) who told us he was Carline's uncle, and Dr. Bernard verified that they had the same last name.
Leaving Carline on our last night was one of the saddest things I have ever had to do. Words can not explain how difficult it was to say goodbye, knowing that at 2yrs old, she would not understand why I was leaving.

There is a Pool for the missionaries... The guest house holds over 80 people!

Carline played with this one toy for hours and never got bored!

MiMi and her new grandaughter

Goodnight my sweetheart

I love you Carline, can't wait till you are in my arms forever!!

**Health update: Carline's intestinal worms were gone.  Praise God! Thank you Betsy for treating her on your trip to Haiti last month.**

We have 2 prayer requests: 1st Carline had Scabies on her legs.  I treated her for them while I was there. We are praying that she is healed from scabies and that her open wounds(from scratching) don't get infected.

2nd Prayer Request...Our paperwork is still in IBESR Haitian Social services. It has been since May. Please pray that it is signed/stamed very soon so that we can move onto the next step in the adoption process.

Thank you for your love and support!

Kristen and Chad DeMura

Headed to Haiti...

I will be meeting Carline for the very first time in FOUR days! Let the countdown begin. My mom and I are flying to Port Au Prince on Friday. I am more than excited. Please pray for safe travels and that Carline is not frightened of us. I hope that she will be able to warm up quickly to my mom and I.  We will stay from Friday until Tuesday at the Bethel Guest House which is attached to Carline's orphanage. We are bringing a TON of stuff including 100 toothbrushes, toothpaste, formula, rice cereals, baby food, shoes and clothes for the kids, and fun toys too. My spare bedroom (soon to be Carline's room) is about to explode, with things going to Haiti! Can't wait!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Carline!

Carline's 2nd birthday is on October 26. Happy Birthday Carline! We pray that we will be meeting you soon! This is the first time we have really seen her smile. What a cutie.

(above)We sent a picture collage and laminated it. Our friend Emily tied it to her crib. You can see the edge of the pictures behind her ear. We also sent down the aquarium toy a few months ago, which is on the left side of her crib.

This picture is my favorite! I think Carline's eyes look beautiful.

We have a prayer request.... It is suspected that Carline has worms/a parasite. We have been told by friends that her stomach is very distended and has gotten worse. We hope to send medicine down with a friend traveling next month. Please pray that Carline is healed from parasites and that she is able to stay healthy.
Thank you for your love and support!
Quote from David Nasser :" God calls us to do things that are not in our "plan" or oun our calendar. He wants us to be stretched in our faith. It may not make sence at the time, but God has a great plan. Don't "inch" you way to what God tells you to do, RUN...and don't over think it."

September photo from New Life Link

 

New September Photo of Carline: 23 Months.

                                                  August 2011 Carline is 22 months!

Summer Pictures of Carline

Erica Ho visits New Life Link Orphanage(with Long Hollow Team) and gets to hold Carline!

Lisa and I went on a mission trip to Haiti together last summer. She returns to Haiti and gets to meet Carline on her way through Port Au Prince. 

Babies at New Life Link getting a bath.....

Status Update: Carline's paperwork had been in IBESR (Haitian Social Services) for 2 1/2 months. As soon as her paperwork is out of IBESR, we will travel to go to upper and lower court. We will get to meet her for the first time!
"For with God nothing will be impossible." Luke 1:37

One Less Orphan in Haiti......

"For nothing will be impossible with God." (Luke 1:37)

Carline resting on a missionary's lap

My friend Emily just returned from Carline's orphanange(New Life Link) in Haiti.  She took photos and videos of Carline for us.  It just brings joy to our hearts, to hear first hand details, about Carline.  We are estatic to know that her needs are being met, while we can not be there for her physically.  We are there with her in spirit and pray for her daily. We can't wait for her to become a part of our family.

Just came across some of these Haitian facts:
• In Haiti alone, there are 490,000 orphans.
• In addition, 300,000 children are in slavery.
• One in seven children in Haiti dies before their 5th birthday - mostly of preventable diseases
     We are humbled at these numbers, and thankful that we will be changing the life of a child in need.

We sent Carline a family photobook with captions in Haitian Creole.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress."                                    James 1:27


New Picture!

We received a new picture if Carline today, taken by a missionary last wk.  She is almost 20 months. It is so nice to see a smile on her face!  We can't wait to meet her.

Our fundraising garage sale was a huge success.  We owe Haiti an installment of $7000 in several months, and we have almost reached that during the past two weekends of garage sale, car wash, & monetary donations.  We are so thankful for all of those who donated items, helped sort, organized, cleaned up and volunteered at the sale. Honestly, we couldn't have done it without you!  It was definitely a team effort.
My favorite verse: "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to proper you and not harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future...Jeremiah 29:11

Bringing Her Home...Garage Sale Round 2: June 3 and 4 @7am

Last weekend was a huge success.  However we still have tons of great items.  We have also been receiving new donations all week, including : kitchen table and chairs, desks, end tables, patio table, outside bench, wine cooler chair and ottoman, and tons of clothes.  Please come and check out the sale this weekend and have a treat at the yummy bake sale.  Hope to see you .  Thank you for your love and support!
We live in the Maples which is in near the Sears outlet.
129 Judson Drive (take bonita parkway to waterview, left on waterview, right into eagles run sub, right on judson)

P.S. update on carline- her paperwork entered IBESR which is the first phase in the Haitian Gvt.  As soon as her paperwork is out if IBESR we will be traveling to meet her and attend court.

Fundraising Garage Sale with Bounce House

Things are crazy here at the DeMura Home.  I am sorting and pricing 1,000s of items.  I am so thankful for all of these donations. Please come out and visit our garage sale Friday May 27- Saturday May 28 at 7am. We will have a bounce house for the kids to jump on , a bake sale and TONS of items.  The kids clothes are awesome and NAME BRAND (abercrombie, gymboree,Limited too, justice, stride rite, Gap, hollister...). I feel like I am hosting my own private consignment sale!  There is so much stuff i don't know where to put it!!
Please come out and support us.  129 Judson Drive near Sears Outlet/Food Lion. Hope to see you . Please spread the word.

We Are Excited to Announce.......

DearFamilyandFriends,                                                                  

We are excited to announce the adoption of an 18 month old Haitian orphan named Carline.  We were matched with this precious little girl on April 28^th.  We are filled with joy and excitement!  You are receiving this letter because you have been a special part of our lives over the years.  It has been estimated that the process will take an additional year.  We will be required to travel to Port-au-Prince, Haiti at least two times (once for court and once to bring her home).

We want to thank you for your love and support since last November, when we announced that we were adopting.  We have coveted your prayers.  We also appreciate those that have purchased coffee at www.justlovecoffee.com/thedemuras

$5 from each bag purchased has gone directly to our adoption fund. 

We want to specifically ask you to pray for the following things over the next few months….

1. Please pray that nannies and missionaries will nurture Carline with loving kindness.
2. Please pray that God will provide us with the funds ($20K) to bring Carline home.
3. Please pray that our paperwork moves through the Haitian Government effectively with ease.

If you feel led to support us financially, we have a tax deductible adoption fund set up through “Lifesong For Orphans” between now and July 1^st.

Please make checks payable to LIFESONG. In the memo section please write “preference DeMura #1909 Adoption”.

Mail Check to:

Lifesong for Orphans

Po Box

40/202 N. Ford Street

Gridley, IL 61744                                                   

With Love, Chad, Kristen, Landon, Levi & Carline

           "Every good and perfect gift is from above."

                                        James 1:17

Adoption Garage Sale

We have set a date for our Adoption Fundraising Garage Sale: Friday May 27 & Saturday May 28.  If you have ANY items that you would like to donate, please drop them off on my covered front porch at anytime.  We live at 129 Judson Drive, in the Maples (near Sears Outlet/Food Lion).  We appreciate any and all donations!!  If you would like us to come pick them up, leave a comment and I will contact you or email me at kristendemura@hotmail.com.
P.S. We are still patiently awaiting our referral.

Our Paperwork Reached Haiti!

Hello Family and Friends! On Saturday March 12th our dossier (all of the paperwork we've been working on since end of November) was sent to Haiti. It was hand delivered by a friend of a friend who is on a mission trip at the orphanage this week.  He packed about 10 lbs of our paperwork in his suitcase, and personally delivered it to Dr. Bernard.  Late Saturday night, Dr. Bernard emailed us saying that we would receive our referral for a 0-3 year old female in the next 30 days. We are sending this message, not only to update you, but to ask for your prayers during these next few weeks while we patiently wait for our referral. We are leaning on this verse from Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your way acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths."  We can feel God leading us every step of the way!

Stay tuned....We hope our next blog post is an announcement of our daughter.
**I took the picture of the Haitian sunset on the last day of my mission trip last summer.

Best Valentine's Day Ever!

     Do you still believe in random acts of kindness?? I do.... Chad and I celebrated Valentine's Day dinner at Kohana.  After dinner, we walked over to the Starbucks at Barnes and Noble Book Store.  We brought our adoption paperwork to discuss a few loose ends.  After ten minutes, a man came over to us and said "Excuse me, I overheard you talking about your adoption. My wife and I have a heart for adoption.  We would like to write you a check to donate to your adoption, who can I make it out to?" Yes, a random stranger came up to us asking to contribute to our adoption!! Can you believe it?! When we asked him Why us?, he said that God had prompted him at that very moment.

     I never thought something like this would happen to us.  The timing was perfect.  We are just about to transfer a first instalment of $4,000 to the orphange in Haiti.  We were short on funds, and had been praying that we would be able to come up with amount needed.  We had just talked about this 4 hours before the stranger made his contribution.  God definately hears our prayers!
**This is a picture of the youngest paitent that came through our medical clinic in June, what a cutie!**

A Boy or a Girl??

I have had lots of you ask: Where we are in the adoption process, What sex are you adopting, What's the age??? So, here is the update....  We are requesting a little girl, 1-3 years old.  Hopefully the little girl will be younger than Levi.  We are about  3/4 of the way through our USA paperwork : this includes our home study, FBI fingerprinting, psychological evaluation, collection of a ton of paperwork, and having paperwork notarized/county and state certified.  The next step is to have everything translated into French.  Haitians speak Creole, however their national language is French.  After the translation, we will then send 4 of the documents to the Haitian Consulate in Chicago.  Once we receive those back we will send all of our paperwork to Haiti (about 30 pages called: dossier).
We are adopting from Dr.Bernard at http://www.newlifelink.org/.  The children that are being adopted from our church's orphanage in Jeremie will be sent here too. New life link is like a transition home for orphans.  The orphans will receive improved medical care, have running water, better living conditions etc.  There is a guest home attached to the orphanage where Chad and I can stay.  Many missionary teams stay here too.  We will hopefully have our referral in the next few months, and learn details about our daughter!

P.S. The picture above is from my June medical mission to Haiti. These orphans were holding their charts and waiting patiently to be seen.  One thing that was heart breaking to see, was the women and children wearing their "Sunday best" to come to our clinic.  We treated 100s of people from the village (along with all of the orphans).  The people dressed up to come and see us, they squeezed their children into shoes(that were falling apart or too small) and had them in "dressy clothes".  The were so respectful and grateful for our treatment. Some waited 8 hours and walked for miles, and never complained once.  This just brought tears to my eyes.  We take for granted being able to drive right over to Walgreens for some cold meds or prescriptions, everything here in America is right at our disposal.  I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to see how others live.

Why Adopt?

Why Adopt? We know that many people will wonder why we are adopting, when we have two beautiful children of our own.  Our life here on Earth is so limited.  An elderly person will tell you that the years fly by.  So, why not rescue a child from a life of despair, starvation, and abandonment. We have room in our home and more than enough room in our hearts, if we are willing to open up both. We know that the path will not be easy, but this does not prevent us from pursuing it. Adoption is a leap of faith, entering unknown territory.  We know that we have the love and support from friends and family, but most of all we will be relying on God for strength and endurance on this journey.    

"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." John 14:18
(this is a video clip I took in June when we first arrived at the orphanage, please scroll down & put music on pause before watching)