Well, did anyone hear the fireworks going off over the US Consulate in Port-au-Prince today? No? Well there must have been some because GLA got another 4 visas out today! HURRAY! We were screaming, dancing, and praising God! Jimmy, Fabio, Jiovany, and Lucksonder all got their visas! Some of these children had been waiting for their visas since last summer! We also got a French visa for Cherlanda. So Five...yes, FIVE visas in one day! Hip Hip Hurray! We are very very happy! We have several more French, Dutch, and American visas in the works. Hopefully, we will see lots of children going home in the month of January.

While we were at the US consulate, they had a fire alarm go off and we all had to evacuate the building! My biggest fear was that something would go wrong and we wouldn't get our visas. I was not as worried about a fire as I was that the computers would go down!

Friday and today, a child got sick in the car on the way to the Consualte! Which means that the hcild has to be cleaned up before we can go to our appointment. Thankfully, Molly had packed lots of extra clothing for the kids!

Jean Bell arrives tomorrow. Our daughter-in-law, Holli and our granddaughter, Lilly, is coming to visit us, too! Lilly just turned 1 year old. I cannot wait to see how big she is and how much she has changed since the last time we saw her!

We plan on going to Jacmel on Friday and spend the weekend at a hotel on the beach. We have lived in Haiti since 1991 and NEVER been to the south of Haiti! When I went to Baie d'Orange with the orphanage association, it was the very first time that I had been south. I want John and the boys to see it too! I have never felt like we could leave the orphanage, but with our wonderful staff here now, we are going to try going for 2 nights. It will be nice to take Jean, Holli, Lilly, and John's cousin, Joyce with us. Molly and Joyce will also come along and enjoy the time with us.

The staff and volunteers spent last Saturday at Club Indigo which is north of Port-au-Prince. Pastor Joel took them to the beach for the day. Those of us going to Jacmel, stayed home and took care of the orphanages so everyone else could go. They had a wonderful time and said it was beautiful out there!

Now, for the most astonishing thing that happened today! After being an orphanage for 13 years, a baby was actually left outside our gate! We could not believe it! It is the first time a child has been abandoned outside our gates! It caused a lot of excitement. The neighbors were all very upset and we had to go to the police station and file a report. The police told our social worker, "Congratulations! It's a boy!"

The little boy is about 1 year old and has malnutrition. The mother had come to the orphanage and my new social worker told her that the mother would have to go home and get identification before we could take the baby. So she left him on a blanket outside the gate! This probably would not have happened if Magalie or I had been home. We would have taken him in due to his malnutrition and so she wouldn't have had a reason to abandon him. I doubt that our social worker will let this happen again!

It has been a very exciting day and I am exhausted! But I wanted to share our good news with all of you before I go to bed.

Today is a beautiful day at GLA! It's a day of Miracles! We received 4 visas from the US Consulate! Trying to get US Visas has been so difficult for the last year. Two of these visas were denied in May 2008 and we thought they would never be issued. But God is ever faithful and we received an email on Thursday saying come for a visa appointment and the visas were actually issued today! I cannot tell you how happy we are that Sonel and Sonia received their visas and can join their forever family very soon!

Jamesly also received his visa after many months of extra paperwork and lots of discussion. We are thankful that his is done and he can travel next week with his forever family.
Djemy is going to the STates for surgery on his nose. He has been approved to go to California and will be leaving next week also. His foster family while in the States is the same family that adopted Sonel and Sonia! We thought that Djemy would be at their house by himself and NOW they are taking 3 two and half years old toddlers home with them! Yikes. Rebekah and Ralph will need lots of prayers while they are adjusting to the kids and one of them needing surgery soon!

Our baby that we received on Christmas Eve died on Christmas Day. He was just too tiny and his lungs undeveloped for him to live. It was very sad and we resuscitated him for several hours before we finally stopped.

Tomorrow, the volunteers and some of the staff are going to the beach. John, Laurie, Molly, Joyce and I will stay here, but the rest are going. Pastors Joel and Yvonne Trimble have planned the outing as a special treat for everyone. Pray for safe travel for everyone and that the rest of us will have a nice quiet day at the orphanages.