Both Ends Burning

Adoption policy has become a frustration for me.  Adoption policy worldwide varies.  Here in Haiti those looking to adopt must meet these requirements:
-age 35
-less then 2 biological children
-married for 10 years (if married)

Yet, if families looked to another country for adopting the policy would be completely different.  I definitely see the great need for policy, yet wish that the policy could be more uniformed. 

Chante (a staff member at COTP) shared Both Ends Burning with me.  This is an organization setup to "to promote a culture of adoption and to implement policy change."

If you would like to read more click the image above.

I decided to sign the petition.  This petition will allow the organization Both Ends Burning to meet with the United Nations to discuss this issue.

Guest Sunny1

Hello, everyone.
I'm sunny(sunghee) from Champaign, Illinois. Mateja and I have been friends for a couple of years.
I'm visiting Barrett's in Haiti. It has been quite an adventure to get here in Cap-Haitien.
Well. I recommend to come directly to Cap-Haitien.
Before i forget.. there are good things to have husband in mission field.
1. You don't have to translate. Have him to learn the language. (of course, mateja can speak creole :) )
2. He can be good light-offer. Did you ever feel being lazy turning lights off?
3. He can eat what you don't want to eat..

I'm keep making a list :) Adam is so nice and caring for Mateja!!~ So good!~~~

Well...
First day, I woke up with organic alarm clock i didn't set up and expected.
Rooster...They started crying around 4:00 clock..

In the afternoon, we went to get cokes. Not to gas station or Hybee haha~
It's quite a journey with bumy road. But, it was fun.
The coke tasted better than i had in the States.


The next pictures were taken when we went for a walk.
Isn't the sunset beau~~~tiful? :)

The next day, we went to the beach. It took about 1 hour due to gravel road.
We all are relaxing and swimiming.

I have a few more days with Barrett's.
I'm learning a lot here that i can't tell all about it. But there is one thing I can tell on top of everything.
The most thing they need is your prayers :)

The second one will come soon..Stay with us... :D

What God Will Do

In the last 2 days I have been getting some of the best emails.  One of them linked me to this blog.  If you have time read What God Will Do.

Update on the Rat-Beware Animal Lovers

We were disconnected from the Internet for some time, so I am sorry this update is late.  But, here is what we think to be the fate of the rat.  (I didn't get a close enough view to tell if this rat had a hurt hind leg.)

Last week I went into the office to call Adam's parents.  While sitting down at the computer out pops this little fellow below.  I am tired of chasing rats, so I recruited Roxie (the dog) to assist.  She thought the rat a yummy snack.

The photo is a bit dark due to it being night.

Welcomed Home by a Rat

Traveling to Haiti can be exhausting.  Even though Haiti is just around 700 miles south of Florida it still takes forever to get there.  Adam and I left early morning on Monday and got to Haiti at noon on Tuesday.  The 30 hour trip was accompanied with sleeping in the Ft. Lauderdale airport.  Therefore, when we arrived at COTP we were excited to get unpacked and go see the children.

After entering our apartment it became evident we wouldn't be unpacking too much that night.  Despite our efforts to clean before we left (Adam bleached the floors.  I packed up what I thought was all the food and we got our clothes washed), the apartment we came back to was not clean.

The window screens were chewed out.  The corner of our door was gnawed on.  The guitar case also had various nibbles taken out of it.  And, our almond package was partially eaten.  Our clean towel pile had rodent hair on it.  The clothes in my drawer was made into a nest.  Droppings were scattered throughout our room. All the evidence pointed to one thing...a rat.

You would think after cleaning all that disgusting stuff up we wouldn't be able to sleep.  Not so.  We looked everywhere.  I mean everywhere.  My cousin told us a story about how rats entered a prison through toilets, so we even looked there.  After all our searching we went to bed assuming the rat had vacated his new home.

The next day after school I came into our apartment to find a new dropping, just one on the fan.  Adam and I debated whether the the dropping was in fact new or had we just missed it.  We determine since we could only find one we must have just missed it.

While laying in bed I told Adam that I heard scratching.  We got up and looked around for awhile, but found nothing.  Adam told me it was probably just the rain.  (It rains pretty hard at night and all kinds of weird noises happen during rain storms.)  After falling to sleep Adam jumps out of bed startling me too.  He claims now he hears scampering.  The noises I heard too confirm there is a rat.  Not outside, but inside our apartment.

The rat attempted hidding from us, but his original spot wasn't so good. 

Adam hit him with a broom, but failed to kill him before he escaped out our front door.  Now there is a gimpy rat running around the COTP compound.

What do you miss most?

Since we arrived back in the States I have been answering the question, "What do you miss most when your in Haiti?"

It seems like a retorical question in the way that I believe the answer is obvious - people.  I miss my mom and dad, and the rest of my family and friends.  I knew that being away from the people I love would be the biggest struggle before I left.  Now that I have been gone for 3 months and been away from these people it seems even more overwhelming to return.  Who would choose voluntarly to live apart from the people they love.

But, after the past 3 months my emotions have become even more jumbled.  As I currently sit at my home in the States I miss the children.  I just want to know how they are doing.  I want to be there.  I await Tuesday when I am able to hop out of our red Toyota and hold the children I love.

I wish that I could gather all the people I love and live with them in one place.

Second Mile Ministries

Amy and Jenn worked with us at COTP.  They are starting their own ministry that will, "provide for the physical needs of sick and malnourished children while empowering their mothers through health education and small business opportunities." 

If you would like to see their website click here.  I also wrote about their ministry in an older post click here if you would like to see it.

E-Newsletter

While at home some people have asked us how they could follow us in additional ways.  We have two e-newsletter options.

Barrett Family Newsletter

Adam and I plan to send out our personal e-newsletter bi-monthly.  If you would like to receive our e-newsletter please email mateja.b.barrett@gmail.com

Children of the Promise (COTP) Newsletter

COTP also puts out an e-newsletter quarterly that you may receive.  If you would like to sign up to receive that newsletter click the link below. 

World AIDS Day

The past 3 months children who are HIV positive have been on our hearts.  A few of our children at COTP are HIV positive.  These children contracted HIV through mother-to-infant transmission.  Mothers who are HIV positive infect 15-20% of their babies with HIV.  Thankfully moms who receive proper treatment can reduce that percentage to less than 1% transmission rate.

With the current ARV meds these children who are HIV positive have the hope of living normal life spans.  We are so thankful for these meds.

In honor of these children take time to read some facts about HIV:
HIV Transmission (Loved this website.)
HIV/AIDS - Myth versus Reality

Please pray that HIV positive children awaiting adoption will soon be matched with their forever families.