There are tons of charities to give to. But I know that Compassion International has been in Haiti for a long time, ministering to families and orphans. They have embedded themselves in the community and have been a respected Christian organization for some time. But it really seems as if people are informed on where to send their money now.
It's been interesting for me, because the thing that has hit me most in all of this is the orphan crisis. Haiti already has a large percentage (I've read over a million orphans existed in Haiti....before the earthquake) of orphans. After this earthquake, not only will the number of orphans increase, but children already promised to adoptive families have died. As we were going through our adoption process, the second we got a referral picture of Makaria, our family changed. Once you have a picture of your child in your minds, you start to envision their personalities, dream about what will make them laugh, quiz your other children on what it will be like once she gets home. This dream has been shattered for so many parents.
I realize that this is a weird take on the whole thing. My heart aches deeply for all the communities that have been destroyed. But I've also found my heart aching deeply for the orphans and their soon to be families. We read a story of a family that received a new picture of their son and their orphanage that is now based out on a street. I cannot imagine the sadness this would bring for a family.
I had a dream last night where Matt Chandler (I know, that's rather random) and some friends asked me about our adoption journey. As I started to explain, I sobbed uncontrollably, out of joy. The joy in the adoption process, the rejoicing over our email inbox that showed us our new daughter, the worshipping that happened when we held her for the first time. It is overwhelming even now. Anyway, I woke up the next morning and my eyes were puffy and watery. I had actually cried in my sleep. I was overwhelmed in my dreams and my reality.
All of this rambling is to say that if you are contemplating adoption, I want to encourage you to take the plunge. Trust God with the details. Kids, like these in Haiti, aren't getting any younger. The window is small to be able to adopt. Meaning, that these kids will grow up. Make that phone call to agencies today. Do the research today. Pray today.
Children are waiting....and so is insurmountable joy for you and your family.
