1/20 Update: Please Read

We have adjoining rooms at a hotel.  It has become like “command central.”  We are just average people, but we are working to move mountains.  I am currently sitting on the bathroom floor typing, so as not to wake my roommate.  I needed to get this out before the craziness hits.  There is just no time once we start moving.  Things change EVERY 15-minutes.  Last night, we helped some kids get reunited with the gracious help of Samuel Dalembert (Phil 76er) last night (will try to get some pics posted later.)  Tanya was calm, cool and collected to think through what to do; we got all the legal stuff documented (pictures, signatures, etc…) 

I also ran into one of the BRESMA sisters in the hotel, who was with the little girl who held up the plane (feel asleep.)  I told her she was amazingly strong for holding her ground and getting those kids out.   I hope the precedent has been set for GLA.

Tanya is my new hero today… Please pray that God gives us all clear thoughts as we move forward.

Dixie is working like hard today – to figure out what our next steps will be.  She needs your prayers RIGHT NOW.  She will most likely be traveling to PAP…  making decisions of what makes the most sense to get the kids out.  Pray for her, please…

We had amazing help from Carlos, a friend of a friend, here in Miami, who went out and got a bunch of baby supplies to have on hand, as we were expected to get some children who needed our help on our charter flight back.  The kids didn’t make the flight in time.  However, we may need to do the same in the next 24-48 hours.  I got to the hotel and the room was stocked with stuff for 3-5 babies!  Carlos – THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.  You didn’t even think twice!

People are asking how to help…   These are the best things you can do right now.  Please continue to support GLA and donate funds…  Spread any links or media coverage you can.  PRAY.  (God is bigger than this and he is with us every step of the way.)  Pray for “command central” in the States today, but even more so.. pray for Dixie and the people making decisions about our kids.  Parents… hang in there, remain strong.  Don’t panic, just wait for direction… we are hoping we hear some good news soon.

After we received this email from the JCISC yesterday (see below)  AND had found out the BRESMA kids got out, we knew we needed to work harder than ever.  I was so disappointed that we had Skype issues AND that the political discussion trumped our Larry King Live segment.  We needed help to get this message out.  There is talk of more media coverage today (Larry King, CNN and potentially Campbell Brown’s segment.)  Watch for these and please spread links if you see them.  My Larry King Live producer is working hard with us to continue to get us help and I thank her for that, from the bottom of my heart.

Please get this one out: 

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/larry.king.live/index.html   A Couple's Desperate Journey (a MAIN box on the front page!)

Things are changing so often.  You have to be ready to completely give up what you are doing and move on to the next.  We need supplies today for whatever might come.  We need to be ready to get kids out and are working with many contacts (stay tuned.)  We will not give up until we have the kids out!

Please continue to use Blog comments, FB comments/email! I can only respond to urgent stuff right now, but I need the continued encouragement!  Joe and I can’t talk other than “business” – when he can call, we have to be brief and stick to the facts.  I miss our “chat time.”  But hopefully soon, we will get to the other side of this madness.

JSCIS 1/19 Email

Another day come and gone and no change.  Despite extensive Congressional support and all of your calls to your Members of Congress we have hit roadblock after roadblock.  At this point we respectfully ask that you stop contacting your Members of Congress requesting their assistance with obtaining security, transportation, and water for the location. The Department of State has not and apparently will not provide the small assistance that we have requested.

Given the current circumstances, at this point we are recommending that someone from each orphanage escort the children who qualify for humanitarian parole or adoption visas to the U.S. Embassy in Port-A-Prince.  We recommend that the orphanage staff arrive with the children and any adoption paperwork that has not been destroyed as early as possible in the morning in order to attempt to obtain visas or parole for the children.  Please understand that this option may not be considered safe and that the U.S. Embassy did not allow some orphanages onto the premises today.  Additionally, please note that it has been reported that there is no food, water or facilities for the children to use while at the Embassy.  As noted during our conference call earlier today, these are our recommendations only and should not be used to replace your or your orphanage director's good judgment.

There are so many more things to say… but I just can’t seem to capture it all.