ABOVE LEFT: Kids at the GLA Toddler House
ABOVE RIGHT: Joyce, Molly and R.J. with the donations we took along
BELOW LEFT: Papa pushing R.J. in the wagon
BELOW RIGHT: R.J. talking on the phone with Charlie
We talked to Charlie on the phone this evening! GLA has a satellite (high-speed) Internet hookup and Vonage telephone services with a Chicago number. The connection is clearer when calling from the States (rather than calling from Haiti to the States), so Aunt Pam had instructions to call at 8:30 tonight. The three of us talked to Charlie and Pam for 27 minutes!!! R.J. was grinning from ear-to-ear while talking with Charlie. Charlie had a hard time understanding R.J. because of his Haitian accent. It will take some getting used to (it has for Phil and me), but the phone makes it ten times more difficult, I believe.
Anyway, they'll call again tomorrow, then the next evening we'll see them in person! Time here is going quickly, but we are here for just the right amount of days. We're ready to start getting R.J. into the routine of our family life at home, and I don't think I could be away from Charlie at such an exciting time for our family any longer than these 4.5 days!
Check again soon for more updates. It has gotten easier to transfer and upload photos and to do email and blogging since Joyce lent me her laptop with a wireless card! I just have to contend with R.J. for computer time! :D He is quite good at using the computer: He has played Reader Rabbit's Kindergarten learning CD (numerous times), he has listened to music, and he has looked at the "Charlie Blog" videos today. We actually had to give a 10-minutes-more time limit at bedtime so he'd go to sleep! :)
Phil and R.J. got ready for bed and were falling asleep by 9:00 p.m. when I came downstairs to work on posting photos again. Tomorrow morning we can "sleep in" (maybe 'til 7:00??) with no early appointments to keep.
THANKS to everyone for your prayers on our behalf!!! WE CAN FEEL THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And we cannot wait for you all to meet R.J. Every single wonderful thing you have read about him from the updates over the last 14 months is true!
He's a keeper. :) :) :)
