Thankful!

147 Million Orphans has taken their fundraising efforts for families a little further! Now you can shop through this special link below (just click on the picture) and approximately 30% of all your purchases will go towards our Heaven Sent Haitians!!

Feel free to get your Christmas shopping done a little early this year from the comforts of your own home!



THANK YOU 147 AND THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING HELPING TO BRING OUR 3 HOME!!

Thankful for News!!

We are in MOI, Ministry of the Interior.  We have to stop and ask ourselves how did we get here?  A year ago I (Melanie) was still recovering from major surgery and was very unsuccessful in obtaining the necessary documents needed for our dossier.  We struggled for several months just to get our home study done! Seriously what takes most families 3-4 months took us 10 LONG months.  So to be here is SO surreal!

We ordered a specific investigation to be done on our children to ensure they are truly orphans and provided that investigation doesn't take more than a minute our children should be home very soon!  Very soon to us is before the Holidays.  We had hopes the children would be home by October 15 so Monique could be home for her birthday.  Our God is a God of miracles but that is only 2 weeks away.

In the mean time we are looking at another fund raising event!  We are getting so close to bringing the children home and so close to our financial need!  Can you believe we raised almost $30,000 in just 8 SHORT months?  We can!  Because of your commitments financially, prayerfully and just walking with us God has answered and He is providing one dollar at a time!!  Thank you will never be enough!

Our next project?  We are hopeful we will be doing a both hands project.  This organization teams the adoptive family up with a widow.  We will send out letters requesting donations for the supplies and costs to repair her home.  The hope is we will have all the supplies donated, the funds donated will far exceed the costs, we have enough on deck hands to help and it will be a win/win/win situation!  The widow will have her much needed repairs, our kids will be funded and all donations are of course tax deductible!

We will need volunteers; the much appreciated ones who will donate, people who will write letters to their friends and family on our behalf, people who will help get supplies donated and of course the hard workers those of us who will do the actual repairing.  Please contact us at heavensenthaitians@gmail.com if you are interested in helping in any way with our adoption.

There are lots of ways you can help with our adoption besides prayerfully and financially.  This is the hard part for us, don't like asking for help and this help goes deeper.  Adopting takes a team of players, period.  Typically adoptive families have mom, dad, siblings, grandparents, and... the Colson's well we just have us and a few dedicated friends.  So we are looking for support team members.  The people who want to be apart of the adoption once the kids are home.  To help with getting settled into a daily routine, tutoring, encouragement, respite care and...  Basically this is loving us on the good days and well the not so good days and then the truly honestly horrible days.

Don't forget we are also selling gear through our "support us" tab and you can window shop on www.147millionorphans.com and then purchase through us via email or phone 615-594-9954 and a portion of each purchase goes towards feeding an orphan and our adoption.  I know 147 gear makes great Christmas and birthday gifts.

You all are fabulous and we are honored by each of you walking with us.

Blessings,
The Colson's
Steve, Melanie, Amanda, Joshua, Monique, Junior and Frantzy-Frantz!

Grieving the Loss of a Living Loved One

Well today we sit at 15 weeks out...  Out of IBESR.  It has been 13 weeks and 2 days (93 days or 2,242 hours) since we last held our precious Heaven Sent Haitians.  We miss them and grieve for them.

13 weeks and 3 days ago

Do you see the space in the back of this picture?  The space between me and Steve?  Yep, Amanda and Josh belong there.  They would fit perfectly.  I have considered photo shopping them in but... One day we will retake this picture and we will be one whole family and it will be a perfect picture no photo shopping necessary.

We have been patient through this journey or so we believe and like to think we are being patient.  But honestly, our hearts ache and they ache nearly every moment of every day. Not just mine, Steve's, Josh's and Amanda's.  Conversations start with "when the kids get home..." or they end with "I hope the kids will like doing this too." "Will the kids be home in time to watch one of my games this year?" "I am afraid the kids won't be home for enough time before I go to college."  Every prayer ends with the pleading for God to bring our children home and sometimes with tears.  This is a real life journey for each of us and we pray this is not too much for our 5 children.  We know and trust "this" is all in His hands.

If we have been asked once, we have been asked 100 times, "when will your kids come home?"  Our general response is we are one day closer today.  It's true we are, every day we are one day closer to bringing our precious children home.  The next question usually asked is "whose fault is this wait, they should be home already right?" We blame no one.  We can't control governments and how they process paperwork.  America has it's issues as well as Haiti and every other government on this planet we call Earth.  Yes, in our opinion our kids should be home already but we are selfish and want what we want.  Do we want them home at the expense of incorrect paperwork?  NO!  Do we want them home at the expense of anything? NO! So they shouldn't be home yet because the paperwork isn't right yet.

There is a lot to juggle in life, struggles, over comings, blessings and just every day life.  We are doing all these things with the hope we will be blessed soon with "that" e-mail.  Until then we covet your prayers, encouragement and if you feel led to contribute please see the information to the right of this post for immediate donations and tax deductible donations.  We also sell items on our "support us" tab.  You may also shop 147 Million Orphan gear through us (view on their website contact us to purchase).  We are so blessed by those who have already given, those who continue to give and those who continue to pray diligently.  God has an awesome plan and we will continue to do our best to be patient waiting on His plan.

In Him,
Steve, Melanie, Amanda, Joshua, Monique, Junior and Frantz
One day soon we will be ONE family under ONE roof!

Isaiah 41:13
I am holding you by your hand - I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, "do not be afraid, I am here to help you."

Some Days...

The adoption journey is described as a roller coaster by many.  This is true in my opinion.  One day I am up, the next day I am down feeling my stomach being left at the top of some high hill top somewhere wondering if it will ever meet back with my body.

Tears of joy, tears of deep aching and longing and bitter sweet memories of a time well spent in Haiti with our precious Heaven Sent Haitians.  We love them, have we mentioned that?

Monique, she has the most beautiful slightly bashful smile.  When she looks into your eyes you can see pure joy right down to her toes.  She has a gentle touch and a determined spirit.  When she comes to America she wants to dance and we want her to too! She is old enough to know we have accepted her and we love her for who she is and she is so excited to come home! 

Junior, such a gentle soul.  You can see wisdom and experience in his eyes and love that is unconditional with a distinct need to be loved back.  He wants to play football - blue like his brother Josh.  We can manage football but we can't promise a color.  Lord let him make the blue team next year and let him get his brothers number.  It is the simple things that make Junior not only happy but content.

Frantz, he is as curious and energetic as he is starving to be able to trust we will love him forever.  He wants to play football like his older brothers and he wants toy cars.  We think he wants his own things too, to not have to share.  We will make sure he has a few things to call his own.  Frantz is a year too young to get involved with sports of any kind so we will just work on English, getting him some toys and settling into America!



Priceless, they are priceless.  The moment we return to Haiti to bring them home will not be a moment too soon. 

We did some work on their bed rooms and bathroom closet...  We sure hope the kids like it!!

Junior and Frantzy

Josh and an extra

Monique

Amanda

Next Step....

Journal Entry June 20, 2011
Today is a new day!  With all the delays we finally made it home at midnight, by the time we went to bed it was early!  But we got up and were off doing the daily grind and trying to get things organized for the kids!  We do not have time to be sad just time to be excited!  We are in THE final process, our kids will be home before we know it so we will stay busy preparing for them!  Also, we still have items for sale so shop away!!
Thank you Lord for your faithfulness to answer our prayers!

Josh "helping" paint the boys room

OK...  so this philosophy although it sounds solid has now fallen apart!!  We have our moments, those moments of "I miss them so much I can't breathe!"  Every now and then it just hits one of us.  Josh struggles because to him this is still not real.  He has yet to meet the kids and although talking on the phone was cool he did not video chat and it is tough, he so wants them home.

We desperately hope getting the rooms complete will help our dilemma some.

Tomorrow there should be pictures of two completed bedrooms - one "all" boy complete with sports stuff and one girly girl complete with some pink, some polka dots and Amanda's all time favorite color chartreuse walls - Lord why did you let me give in!! LOL

God Orchestrats ALL

Journal Entry June 19, 2011

Happy Father's Day - Dad's!

Well, sleep was not really an option.  First there was a lizard on the wall...  Yep, I am just not fond of sleeping with reptiles.  You know I prayed that thing out of our room for hours, God must be busy answering my other prayers - IT is still here! Then the thoughts of when could the kids come home, how they will handle us leaving, how will we handle leaving and the "things" I need to do once we do get home ALL swirled around so much I did not sleep well.

Welcome to Haiti - right?

It is so much easier to pretend to be happy when you are over 40!

This morning there are a million emotions dancing in my head and heart and there are just as many things to do when we get home to prepare for our children's homecoming!  I will sleep later, I am sure.  We all started out fine but the question soon started "mommy me creche?" "no, pita".  As the time wore on the question was asked more and more, we tried explaining that after church they would go to the creche and that while they are at church we would go back to America to finish preparing for them to come home.  They would ask in 2 weeks we go to America, no.... Oh how I love Cindy and Nika, the translators for BGM!   We finally thought of writing to them where we are in the process and how we are praying for this last portion to go very quickly but that there is no specific time, we just have to wait for the papers to be finished and we are praying for them to finished very quickly.  They got it!  A few minutes later they got in the van to go to church, not happy but ok and we went down to our room, finished packing, wrote them each one last little note to place on their bed so when they go to sleep tonight, they will know we are thinking of them and we that we love them "muy anpil"!  Yes, I had a hard time with creole!  Our poor babies got Spanish almost as much as creole especially the first day.

The night before we left

Steve and I did ok.  We watched the Blind Side (again, just one of our favs!) during our 2.5 hour delay in Port au Prince and little SJ is so much like Frantz we would just cry!  Then there is Junior, oh how I long to hold his delicate soul everyday! Monique, "Amanda pale Joshie heeeeeeeyyyyyy"!, her smile and she calls us "Mommy and Daddy" yep we cried a little on the way home!

Besties Forever

Journal Entry June 18, 2011

Today the Kids are a little distant and we understand.  So many parents come and go and three families left today.  It is difficult for them to understand that we are so close to bringing them home.  There is the language barrier and then there is the fact we cannot promise a date.

We did get a lot of information from Dr. Bernard today.  We learned that our children are his cousins! (2nd cousins, in Haiti it is all the same)  Dr. Bernard said that because we did not have to go to court we should be through the final processes much quicker than most who have gone before us.  Only one thing will slow us down and that is if the US Embassy decides to require DNA testing.  We are on our knees for this portion of the process to be expedited, that there will be no DNA testing needed and that maybe in about 8 weeks we could be bringing our Heaven Sent Haitians home!  God has this under control, we are sure!

Daddy helping Ben and Babella

Emotions for me are never a dime a dozen, I am just not one to really cry.  This adoption has changed that a little, not that emotions are a dime a dozen but the tears have flowed.  It has been difficult to not cry in front of the children but we are doing a good job so far.  Quick trips to the rest room or the balcony to regroup, we can do this!  Tomorrow will be the true test.  Thankfully in the few days we have been here we have learned enough creole and the kids haven learned more English so we could encourage them to be happy rather than sad.  We explained time goes by faster when we are happy rather than when we are sad!  Monique understands, Junior not as much and Frantz, well he is Frantzy-Frantz.

Besties Forever

Inseparable

These two gorgeous little lades are inseparable!  We are so grateful we are getting to know Ruth's family too!  The girls will be able to keep in contact, skype and even visit from time to time!
There is a professional photographer here who came for two weeks to not only come on a missions trip but to also make a final decision on adopting from Haiti and NLL.  We enjoyed talking with them and we are so excited for their adoption process.  We are hopeful we can help them through their process as others have been so generous in helping us.
Sleep will not be easy tonight...

The Market

Journal Entry June 17, 2011

 

Today we went to the look out which has a small market and we went to the Baptist Mission which has a small market, museum, and a zoo, if you want to call less than 10 species a zoo.
The kids wanted to go to a different market but were happy to be out of the creche.  Monique and Junior had a really good time but Frantz was out of his element. We were not certain he was ecstatic  about us being his parents anymore!?  Once we returned to the guest house Frantzy-Frantz was back to himself!

This is NOT the market the expected

 Junior and Monique picked this picture out but it was not the "item" Junior was hoping for!  The kids want something to call their own but in an orphanage there really is no such thing.  We will take the painting home, frame it and hang it so when they come home they will have the memory of our shopping trip.  Then we go to the market (mall) and they can get a few things.  :o)

Port au Prince from  the look out

Bethel Guest House

Something about a bus ride

The kids are sad today because they know all the other adoptive parents leave tomorrow.  They think we are leaving tomorrow too.  We haven't told them when we leave but we did let them know we are not leaving tomorrow.  We haven't told them yet because we will spend our time together sad and we do not want to be sad.
We have had fun on this roller coaster visit.  The view, the people, the atmosphere, we love Haiti and we are thankful for her fruit.

Emotions are Needs

I slept well and can't believe I slept in!  Oh, just kidding!  The sun is bright in Haiti, I forgot! The time... It is only 5:15!
Junior is wide awake while Monique, Frantz and papa still sleep.  Junior on his own came and snuggled with me, this is one of the many reasons having children is worth "it".  I am not sure what your "it" is but children are worth "it".

Papa helping Ben and Babella

You will never realize the depth of your heart or God's love if you do not ever take the risk to pour into someone else. From the 1st moment we accepted the referral for our kids we loved them like our own flesh and blood.  Being here, seeing their precious faces, fixing their woes, yes we do love them like our own. There was no hesitation. 

So daddy took off his socks so Frantz could have them.  LOL

Junior love riding bikes!

We had a couple melt downs...  Momo lost her letter from Hudson, you would have thought the Earth shattered!  Ahhh but Mommy found it, it was never lost, just fell under the drawer...  Papa decided to wear socks, no big deal right?  Not to a 4 year old who doesn't have any!  Monique quickly corrected the no sock look and Papa opted for the flip flop look.

The kids were disappointed we didn't bring shoes for them...  We didn't want to guess wrong so...  We drew a few feet and are sending shoes with the a missions team leaving this Friday.  :o)

We have to get the right shoe size!

 We still cannot put into words all the emotions!  We knew the kids had an older sister who gave her baby up for adoption. We wondered if we would meet her.  Wonder no more!  Claudette is a little older than Monique and her baby, Peter is 6 months old.  We spoke with Claudette for a while sort of.  Claudette speaks little to no English and we speak just about as much Creole!  She has a big heart and seems to be pleased we are Monique, Junior and Frantz new parents. We struggle knowing there is nothing we can do for Claudette.  We are praying for her! Peter does have a family here in the states so we are very happy about that!

Auntie "M" and Peter

Junior, Monique, Peter, Frantz and Claudette

It is amazing how when I need Creole, Spanish comes out so easily!  We have all laughed so hard today over so many things, bonding and realizing God has His hand over our relationships!  To think we were so worried!

We were prepared for emotions but not this many!  Having grown up in a home where emotions were not allowed, I can say adoption is healing some of those remaining scars...  I have never been a "crier", that is until adoption...  Emotions are needs and tears of Joy are priceless!

We still do not have words and we just aren't sure this is really real!

Meeting Day - Monique, Junior and Frantz

Up at 3:00am, well ok, 3:10...  We are going to be late, I know, we always are.  In the 17 years we have been married I have finally learned to just accept being late rather ruining a perfectly good day by being angry with the man God made perfect.  I like to be early and he doesn't care if he is late.  The flight I am sure is over sold because we can not get seat assignments online.  Getting to the airport early is imperative for no other reason but to have seats.  We can do this!
We have last minute things we realize we didn't pack but want to. Josh, where are my head phones?  I know he has them, he told me he did - I forgot. He is in Florida!  I only use them on trips and didn't think to buy another pair until I reached for them this morning.
We arrived to the airport only 15 minutes later than planned which is good for us! Yeah!! There is a group of kids going on a missions trip and I am certain now the flight is over sold.  Why do they do this?  We have traveled enough so we know the routine.  Steve is calm, I am a wreck! In a few minutes they will start asking for volunteers to give up their seats...  Did we buy our tickets last or does it go by who checked in last?  Will we be the ones forced to wait for the next flight?  I would normally take the voucher and wait but today, no, today is special!  They need one volunteer...  No one is going forward.  I have these thoughts racing through my mind... I can grab the mic and plead for that one person to give up their seat, it is out of my comfort zone but hey I NEED to get to Haiti, you are just going on a vacation or on a missions trip surely for 3 orphans you will give up your seat?  Now that would be a missions trip sort of right?  Finally I get the courage to go up and check if we have seats, the attendant had called other names but not ours.  Surely asking before doing something so desperate would be wise!  AND there in her stack were our two beautiful tickets!  Yes, I cried, a little.  We even get to sit next to each other!  We have seat assignments for the reminder of our flights today and on our return home.  Today can only get better! (the turbulence does need to go!)
When we travel for obvious reasons we often times compared to the Griswald's.  We do laugh at ourselves!!

Papa and his three Heaven Sent Haitians

There really are not words to describe the moment my eyes met Junior's for the first time in 14 months, for the first time as his "mama blanc".  I did not have the camera but I will have his precious smile and the glow of his face forever embedded in my memory.  Frantz, he had a sheepish smile, excited and nervous but the all familiar words "mama blanc" resonate in my ears and will fill my heart everyday until I can physically here him again say "mama".  Monique - WOW!  So much more beautiful in person than cameras could ever begin to depict.  She has a smile from ear to ear but you can see the hesitation in her body language, she wants to be accepted and with open arms that is exactly what we did!

Mama and her three Heaven Sent Haitians

Daddy's little girl?

Yea, I think so!

A BIG shout out to Junior who was our photographer!  Yes, most of the shots you will see of our trip are taken by Junior, a few by Monique and well Steve and I took a couple but not many!

Check out our media page, we will upload all the pictures from and videos from our trip.

Thank you will never be enough for all your prayers and support!  Most importantly we give all the praise to Jesus!!  Today could have gone better!

Disclaimer...  You will not see many pictures of Frantz, it wasn't that he wasn't with us he is just fast, busy and well hard to get a still picture!!  We love our Frantzy-Frantz!!

In Him,
the Colson's
We are: Steve, Melanie, Amanda, Joshua, Monique, Junior and Frantz!

Mama ak Papa vini Ayiti vit!

One of the most amazing emails we have ever received and in the blink of eye we are headed to Haiti!!

For our precious FSM and FB friends...  2 days, 0 hours, 3 minutes and 196065 heartbeats away from our kiddos!! (yes, I updated this right before I hit post.)

Yesterday at church one of our sweet little friends (she is 5) came up to me and said "Mellie I understand you are raising money for your adoption so I want to give you this".  (Yes, she acts way older than 5!) To a child any amount of money is huge, they have no idea the value especially at 5.  The gift of her willingness to give brought me to tears. The widow gave her all and God blessed her beyond measure, I pray the same for this precious child of God.  Lee-Lee has always held a special place in my heart and I can assure you she will be there forever.  Sometimes God gives us something so little that gives us the reassurance He is in this "thing", trust Him.  I will hold on to this penny for the rest of my life.

We do need prayer for this trip.  Steve has not yet met the kids.  I have not met Monique nor have I spent a lot of time with the boys.  When we went to Haiti a year ago we had no idea we would adopt from Haiti much less kids we were playing with.

I can't imagine talking, laughing, loving and living together for 4 days just to say goodbye for an undetermined amount of time.  I am just not sure how to do this.  We need all your prayers this weekend.

Junior

Frantz

Monique

The next pictures we post will be of Steve, the kids and me!!!  How exciting is that?!  I am so excited!!!
We are still not fully funded so if you feel so inclined please send a tax-deductible donation to our church "Fellowship Bible Church" "I Choose You - Colson Family" at  1210 Franklin Rd Brentwood, TN 37027.  Be sure to write the check to Fellowship Bible Church and put I Choose You - Colson on the memo line.  We appreciate your support!!

In Him,
The Colson's
Steve, Melanie, Amanda, Joshua, Monique, Junior and Frantzy-Frantz!

Birthday, JoAnne's, IBESR and Haiti

Yes, they correlate sort of.

So...  I decided yesterday I would "run" to JoAnne's and throw this project together for the kids and get it shipped to Charlotte so our friends could take it to Haiti Saturday morning when they leave.  Well, I got side tracked.  Easy to do in JoAnne's right?

Haiti said yes!

Yesterday was Steve's birthday so as I am side tracked in JoAnne's talking on the phone to another adoptive family my personal cell phone rings (this will be Monique's cell phone for future reference), it is Steve.  Oh dear, the time is all I could think of.  It is after all his birthday and I am shopping at JoAnne's for a project I should have started last week!

Sweet, sweet Amanda answers the phone and she immediately gets the sense something is not right.  Steve asks if she read the email.  "What email? I don't read mom's email. Why? what's wrong?" By this time I am trying to get off the phone as the conversation was ending and I needed to buy my stuff and get home to rectify my husband's falling apart birthday! The rest is really a blur, something about reading my email, we might be out of IBESR and...

Can you say SCREAM?  Yes, I did.  Just once, one little or maybe not so little scream.  I was jumping up and down, crying and well I just don't care.  This is not news you get everyday, on your husbands birthday!!  Of course I was jumping, crying, screaming and...  I could  not focus but I did eventually make it out of the store with my purchases,  I will complete my project over the this weekend and I will take them with me next week when we visit our sweet precious Heaven Sent Haitians in Haiti!!  And Steve will get his birthday well maybe on Father's Day we will do a bigger better day for him!.

"Mama Blanc?" (he is always looking in the camera for me)

We just have legalization (times 4 steps) passports, visas and I am not sure what else but... we are over yet another hurdle in the adoption journey and we are so blessed to share it with you!

We are so close to being funded but we are just not there yet...  Would you consider a donation?  Just click on the image below and watch the thermometer rise!  Yes, you will see your donation that quick!

 

 Thank you again in advance for your prayers and support, we not only feel your prayers but we see God moving and we are so blessed!

 

Thank You!!

We want to extend a HUGE thank you to all our volunteers and all those who came out and ate with us today!

We didn't make as much as we wanted but we still know God is in control!  He gave us peace about our adoption, the finances and process so we know He obviously has another plan. 

We can say we are $2,700.00 closer than we were yesterday and we are so thankful!! 

For those of you who support us prayerfully, emotionally, financially and...  We just can't describe how grateful we are for each of you!!

Keep July in your bonnets for our next event!

Blessings,
The Colson's

Fund Raising Event TODAY!

We realize a lot of our friends and family are out of state, out of town or just have alternate plans today but we want to invite you all to a part of our adoption fund raising event today!  You can easily send a tax deductible donation to our church in our name (see details in the side bar to the right) or nondeductible donations can be made by simply clicking the donate button and following the directions. 

We are excited for what God will bring today! We always meet make new friends, learn of others adoption journey whether it is their own or the adoption of their child. grandchild, niece, nephew or...

We thank you in advance for your continual prayers and support in bringing Monique, Junior and Frantz HOME!