There is something special about Haiti that I can’t quite pinpoint. I kind of love it. I don’t know why anyone would choose Haiti. To choose to adopt from this poverty stricken, chaotic country is to choose a long, arduous road with seemingly endless highs and lows. But I guess its not the parents that choose their children to begin with, is it? And maybe that is why this place feels so special. If we believe that God is all knowing and has planned our days before the beginning of time, then it was not Kimberly and Michael Stewart who chose to adopt from Haiti in the first place. If God puts a calling on your heart, woe to the man who turns his back on that calling. I assume that is why I sit here, next to an oddly shaped swimming pool, watching dozens of families grip tightly to their Haitian children. Haiti is not an easy country to adopt from. It is not glamorous. There are not tourist trips to famous monuments nor street markets to bring back knock off souvenirs. It is a broken country, peppered with potholes, decorated in tents, and crawling with homeless, hungry children. The government is next to nonexistent and the country seems to be run by NGO’s. Despite all of this, it is beautiful. There is an untouchable hope in the air. The Spirit of God has taken up residence in the downtrodden hearts of many of these children. This is the 9th trip for the Stewart family. They began their adoption back in 2010 and have traveled to Haiti every 3 months to spend one week with their son. Families from all over the country, with children in the same orphanage, have been on a similar journey as the Stewart’s for the past 2-3 years. A bond has been formed. They have shared life giving joy and gut wrenching pain together. They watch aching hearts get temporary relief from this long distance relationship as they all gaze into the eyes of the ones they now call son or daughter. Then, in what seems like only a day, time is up. Their children are once again taken from their arms as they reach back and cry for their mamma. They are placed back in the orphanage, the clock starts over, and heavy hearts head home counting down the days until the next visit. This process never gets easier, but these families have chosen to live out the gospel. They will continue to find hope, joy, and peace, and like our heavanly Father they will not give up. This is the Stewarts 9th visit to spend a week with their son Kelly, in Haiti. They brought their eldest son, Wesley Grant, to meet his new little brother. This is their journey. This is their reuniting. This is Haiti.