We are asking for prayers this week as the following was posted on the orphanages website. We are asking you all to pray for a miracle, that God will throw open these closed doors.

"News this last week has been that on April 15 there will be a meeting between IBESR and Parquet about the issue of dispensations. We were told that hopefully the decision will be made to go ahead and sign all dossiers up through December 2008 without having to have the dispensations! I will post what we hear after the meeting.
I also heard this week that a special "investigator" for the prime minister's office is looking into the problems with adoptions. This investigator has interviewed the president of the association of orphanages. We will just have to wait and see if this helps make a difference in the speed of adoptions.
It is impossible for me to believe that going from 3 months for an adoption to finish in 2001 to 18 to 20 months for an adoption in 2008/2009 is better for the children! UNICEF has stated at meetings that it needs to be longer to make sure everything is done legally. What does the length of time have to do with doing it right? "

Marcus continues to do well. The good news is that he is now walking. I only wish we had been able to be a part of this milestone. I remember when Steve and I were discussing the merits of adopting a toddler vs. an infant. I agreed to go older,"as long as I got to see his first steps." My how things can change in a couple years. For the last two months I have been praying for Marcus to take those steps without me.

I am peaceful knowing ultimately Marcus is God's child and he will be entrusted to my care when the timing is right. Just like Bri and Tea'. God is ultimately their father and creator, and he picked just the right time to place them in our home.

Thank you all for your encouragement and support over the past couple weeks. Sometimes I wonder how much the girls are processing this whole adoption thing. Today while driving to a meeting at Bethany, Matea had a precious moment. She said "Mom, you are going to meet with Belinda, right?" I said yes, and she said " Can you say 'Please, can Marcus come home with us.'" Like maybe if you asked in just the right way, they would let him come home. I started crying and said "Sure Matea, I will ask." It is amazing how the small things can set off a cascade of thoughts.
How old will he be when we meet him? Will he be excited to come home or just scared? How will the girls adjust to the reality of another child in the house? How will Marcus interact with his sisters? Will he mind them in his personal space all the time? How will Steve and I parent a boy? Is it different than a girl? And that is when I just start praying for wisdom and patience. Grace and Peace to you all

Habakkuk 2:3----"But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, be patient! For it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day."

What a good reminder of what we already know.

After almost seven months of waiting, we finally have made it into the Haitian court system. We have an official number and everything. Thank you all for your prayers and support. This has been an unbelievable time of waiting, frustration and sadness. But I am happy to report that we have hope once again that Marcus will join our family.

"Seriously, a Santa hat? My mom is not going to like this . . ."

So the big question then becomes: "What does that mean? How long are we looking at?" What this means is that now we can begin to move his paperwork through the various courts that need to approve his adoption in Haiti. We now are in the 9-18 month waiting period. While that may seem like a long time to most of you, the joy we feel at being able to say we are in the process of moving forward is unbelievable. It far outweighs the time frame. We can continue to pray that somehow our paperwork just sails through the system. As LaDawn, an incredible woman from Bethany said "You guys just might be due a miracle."

I will close with a line from my very wise Uncle Norm:

God is Good, All the Time. All the Time, God is Good

"Come on, just a little hug"

A pyramid of cousins Marcus in September
Night Swimming

We are wrapping up our fun filled summer. I thought I would post a couple pictures of our camping trip to Pentwater. The girls absolutely loved hanging out with their cousins by the beach.

We are now in the full swing of fall. Seems our days are filled up with school, and evenings with various activities. Bri is loving Potter's House pre-K. She is growing up before my eyes. Matea enjoys "doing school" with Mom. She is working hard at writing her own name. The girls are both into crafts so if you happen to receive random scraps of colored paper in the mail, they just might be from us. . .

Here is the latest picture of Marcus as well. No new progress in our case to report.

A little update about Marcus and Haiti in general.

Haiti has been facing some real struggles lately with all the recent hurricaines. This was posted on the Orphange website earilier this week. Please keep them in your prayers. It is especially hard knowing our son is part of this without his mom and dad to cuddle him during the storms.

"Hurricane Hannah brought destruction to Haiti last night , September 2nd. Gonaive had flooding with some deaths reports. Our area sustained downed trees, toppled brick walls, and roads blocked. People are already out cutting the trees blocking the roads. Our metal roofs got blown off the house and we lost the internet dish at the Toddler House. The wind was blowing so hard the rain came in around the closed windows of the orphanage and flooded our dining room table and floor! There seems to be as many leaves inside the house as outside! Thankfully, we are all safe and God kept us from harm. Now we just have to clean up from the storm. This was much worse than any storm we have personally seen in the 17 years we have lived in Haiti."

The adoption process seems to be going a bit quicker lately, so we are prayerful that Marcus could be home in the spring/early summer. Our case has not even gotten into the courts in Haiti yet because they are still gathering all the information/paperwork that they need before submission. Pray that this can be completed soon. The good news is that some of the paperwork needs to be completed in Haiti now so we are hoping to make a trip to see Marcus some time this winter.

Here is the update we got on Marcus in August, sounds like he will fit in this family just fine.

"Roodley continues to do so well and to make progress developmentally. Roodley has started putting weight on his legs, and he really enjoys doing that. He is trying to stand on his own, although he needs someone else to help support him. Roodley is also a very social little boy! One day when I went into the nursery I saw him in his crib. Roodley had his arm out of the crib, reaching over toward the child in the crib next to him. The other child just kind of looked at him like, “what are you doing?” but Roodley definitely wanted the contact with others. He loves playing with other children and adults."

Thanks for your support and prayers. God is good, all the time.

Now, formally introducing. . . Marcus Woodley Deters. What with all the changes in our lives in the past month, we are finally wrapping our arms around the idea that this handsome guy is going to be part of our family. We are optimistic in hoping he could be home next summer.
Thank you all for your prayers. We ask that you pray for the orphanage, God's Littlest Angels as well. With adoptions taking so much longer, the cost of caring for these kids is increasing drastically. They are really struggling right now. Somehow it becomes a little more personal when you know your sons caregivers are strapped for cash. We know that they are good stewards of what they have and faithful to God so we rest assured. But prayer is really powerful, as we know.