Dear John

Family and Friends,

Day 79 of our Haiti Adventure!

Today we post with mixed emotions.  The missing mother of John, one of the boys in the orphanage, miraculously showed up today.  Mike and Pam had been led to believe she died in the earthquake with the rest of John's family.  John had been dropped off out here in the country to live with some uncle/cousin who turned out to be a terrible caretaker of children.  That was why John had been living in the orphanage most of this past year.

So today everything changed for John.  His mother showed up, and it turns out his other four siblings did die in the earthquake.  The dad is alive but the mother doesn't know where he is.  John's mother also has a newborn baby now.  She showed up and Mike and Pam have begun to discuss with her what will be best for John.  She seems like a good lady and obviously she has the right to take her son home to live, but it will be a hard adjustment for everyone involved if that is what happens. 

I haven't spoken yet with the other kids in the orphanage to see how they are reacting, but our kids seem a little bit stunned by the whole thing.  I asked Kester, "Will you be sad if John goes to live with his mom in Port-au-Prince?"  Kester replied with a distant look in his eyes, "Yeah, he's my best friend."  Alexandra said she doesn't want John to leave, and right now John himself is afraid to leave the safety of the orphanage.  He is ten years old, but not seeing your parents for over a year and gradually getting used to the idea that they were dead takes a toll for sure.  Now he may have to conceive of an entirely different life once again. 

So we are praying that God will make sure John ends up in the best situation possible.  Please join us in praying.

The team from New Life is here and hard at work.  Tonight we will have a "concert of prayer and praise" with the youth group.

God Bless!
-The Grimms