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