Letters to Our Sons

We recently sent scrapbook albums to each of our boys. Inside were letters to them from us (in English and translated into Haitian Kreyol), a few of their referral photos, photos of us and the sisters, and pictures drawn for them by the sisters. I tried to keep the wording simple so it would translate easier and I tried to write M's letter in language a 3 year old would understand. Our plan is that each time we visit, we’ll take a few pages to add to their books, including pictures and stories about Haiti, the Children's Village, their caregivers and our prior visit. The idea is that they'll have books and pictures that their caregivers can read to them and they can look at while they wait and, when they finally come home, they'll each have a scrapbook documenting this part of their life story.

Here are the letters we included in our first batch of pages:

JM, our beautiful baby boy!
You are growing and changing every day! You are irresistible--we cannot bear to wait any longer to meet you so will be traveling to Haiti in a couple of weeks. It’s been a few years since we had an itty bitty baby in our family. Mama can hardly wait to hold you, rock you, and help take care of you. You have a strong, gentle Daddy who is also looking forward to meeting you. He has a special way with babies. Your big sisters loved to fall asleep in his arms. We wonder if you will, too? We have been gazing at your pictures for a couple of months now and we are so excited to get to know you and your little personality! It’s going to be so hard to say goodbye at the end of our visit. But know, sweet son, that we are always praying for you. That your tummy will be full. That your bed will be cozy. That your cries will be answered. That your dreams will be sweet. That your days will be full of sunshine and play. That your broken heart will heal. And that you will be protected from all sickness, injury and evil. We love you and know that God has a special plan for your life. We are so thankful that we get to be a part of it.
Love you to the moon and all around the world,
Daddy and Mama

Daddy and Mama are so excited about meeting our special boy, HM!
In a few weeks, we will be getting on a big airplane to fly to Haiti to visit you! We love the beautiful mountains and beaches in Haiti. We love Haiti. And we love YOU!
Daddy likes to play soccer. Do you like to kick a soccer ball? Mama wants to color pictures with you and sing songs. Do you like to draw and sing? We will bring some bubbles to blow with you and your little friends. We will also bring some books to read.
You are such a big, handsome boy! You are growing so fast and learning so much! While we are in Haiti, we want to learn everything we can learn about YOU! Who are your friends? What are your favorite foods to eat? What games do you like to play? Do you like to dance? Do you like to run and jump? What makes you happy? What makes you giggle? What makes you sad? What makes you feel cozy and safe? We want to talk to you and hear your sweet little voice. We are practicing our Kreyol so you will understand some of our words. We will bring our camera and take lots of pictures. You have such a precious smile! Do you like to make silly faces? We especially want to hold you and give you lots of hugs and kisses!
After our visit, we will have to go back to our house in Florida. We will set up a room for you and J with beds and toys and books. We will tell the sisters what you like to do so they can get ready to play with you. We sure will miss you! But we will be back to visit soon. One day, HM, J, Daddy and Mama will ALL get on the big airplane and come home TOGETHER. Won’t that be a great day? We have been praying for you for a long, long time. We love you so, so much! Jesus loves you even more than we do and He will look after you while you wait to come home.
Love you to the moon and all around the world,
Daddy and Mama