Waiting for One More

So, Chris and I try to be pretty transparent people.  I mean, there are definitely things we hold private - but for the most part -  we try really hard to be honest about who we are  and how we are still works in progress.  (Some days more work than progress...) This came in the mail today. 150 pages of "light" reading.  With my highlighter and post-it notes.  So this blog is going to be honest.  (I think you already knew that... but just to be clear.) Today we got the next round of paperwork we have to turn in.  And it includes a sheet where we have to get really specific  about the kind of child we are willing to welcoming into our home.  Will we welcome a son who has vision problems? Or a child who has a heart defect? Or one who is missing a limb? Who has cognitive delays?  And the list goes on... from least "severe" to most "severe." Whatever that really means...  ...

8% of Haitian children don't make it to their first birthday.  Half of the children under the age of 5 are malnourished. 64% of the population lives in extreme poverty, living on less than $1 a day. Unemployment is at 60% and 55% of the population is illiterate. It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.  While hard to actually calculate, because of the rough terrain,  loose family structure, and children given away because of lack of resources,  it is estimated that Haiti has half a million orphans.  500,000 orphans. 500,000.  Each one a child. Each one.  Each one worthy. Each one.  Each one who longs for a family. Who longs for a home. Who longs for love. I know that adopting one child might not seem like a lot,  when you see the number 500,000 - but we know that 1 child matters. Here is a good link for more information on Haiti: Haiti Statistics...