Haiti’s Miracle

Over the past week our little commuity in the heart of the Midwest has had the privilege of celebrating first-hand a God-sized miracle.  Out of the tragedy and devastation of Haiti’s horrific destruction has come a story that only the Author of Life Himself could have scripted. The details of the story are vast and remrkable, as reported by ABC news in the aftermath of Haiti’s January 12 earthquake, but the bottom line is this:  GOD HEARS OUR PRAYERS.  While the death toll in Haiti is an astounding 200,000 and rising; nine helpless children living in a small orphanage in Port-au-Prince were spared as their city crumbled into rubble.  Out of these nine children, five of them were in the process of being adopted by families in our community. 

I love the way God crosses our lives with others when He is scripting His Kingdom story.  While none of the three families in this miraculous story were people with whom we have shared a long and close history, my children and I were blessed to have prayed for one family in particular. Having always had a heart tendered to adoption, I tend to gravitate to those around me who also have hearts broken for orphans. So, one sunny day this summer as I watched my kids splash about the local swimming pool, I shared a conversation with another mom sitting beside me.  Knowing very little about this beautiful young woman except that she had children near the age of mine and she was in the process of adopting two others from Haiti, I began to ask her about her adoption journey.  Before I left the pool that day, I promised Andi that I would join her and her family in praying that God would “move some mountains” in order to get their Haitian children home by Christmas. Little did I know that when school began just weeks later, our daughters would befriend each other and become “kindergarten buddies.”  As the advent season approached, Hannah joined me in praying fervently for the miracle that would bring her friend Abbi’s two Haitian siblings home in time to celebrate Jesus’ birthday on American soil. Christmas came and went and the “miracle” failed to happen. I found myself wanting to defend God to my little prayer warrior; while at the same time I silently questioned why He seemed to be turning a deaf ear to the countless pleas sent heavenward on behalf of these Haitian children.

The new year dawned. The waiting continued.  Three years had passed since Abbi’s family had begun the process of bringing their chosen children home, yet the obstacles still loomed large.  Paperwork seemed to multiply; the “rules” seemed to constantly change, and the bureaucratic hoops continued to mount. Each night, Hannah prayed that God would “bring Abbi’s new brother and sister home forever.” Twelve days after the new year, God did what He does best:  He pierced through the darkness and worked triumph from tragedy.
As our family prayed and watched God’s hand move in unexpected and undeniable ways, we were reminded once again that God, indeed, hears our prayers.  And sometimes His answers are “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20) 

As a Mom, I’ve been humbled by the child-like faith of my six year old who was not a bit surprised when God’s mighty hand delivered the Christmas “miracle” just a bit late. As we drove to the humble airport near our home to give Abbi a hug and meet her new siblings, Hannah reminded me, “God really DID answer our prayers.. it’s just that He knew sometimes it’s REALLY FUN to get a present when Christmas is over. You, know, like when you’re not even expecting it! :)”

My nine-year-old, Lizzy, spent a good chunk of her “no-school snow day” writing her own version of  “Haiti’s Miracles” in our midst.  I promised to post it, so I’ll let Lizzy’s simple words tell a few of the details I’ve left out… 
On January12, 2010, Haiti experienced the worst earthquake in 200 years. The earthquake left three Pella families wondering if their children were alive.All three families- Mandy and Matt Poulter, Dave and Andi Vanderhoff, and Les and Tracie Fuller- were in the process of adopting children from an orphanage in Port-au-Prince, the capital city where the destruction was the worst. These local families have been waiting for three years to bring home their adopted kids. They knew it would take a miracle to get their children to Pella once the earthquake had struck. ABC news heard of the story and went to look for the kids in the rubble. Once the news team found the orphanage, they called to Pella with good news: All nine kids where alive. So the Poulters flew to Haiti in hopes of bringing the children home to Pella. On January 19, the Poulters and the 5 Haitian children with families in Pella hopped on a flight bound for the U.S. and landed to a big welcome at the Pella airport at 7:40 PM. At least 200 people greeted the families as they were finally united. The Haitian children looked happy, but sleepy as they clung to their new parents. Some of the adopted children’s families wore t-shirts that said:“Haiti’s miracle …To God be the glory, great things he has done.”