Merry Christmas from the Macomber Family

How do we deal with the waiting?

In response to a message posted on the Haitian-adoption online discussion group in which I participate, I wrote the following regarding the LONG wait that Haitian adoption involves:

We picked Haiti for our second adoption because we knew the process was so much FASTER and MORE CERTAIN than the U.S. foster-adopt process we tried to pursue. We adopted our first son, Charlie, from Haiti, at age 2.5 years, with a timeline as follows:
-- Dossier to Haiti: 09/01/03
-- Referral: 09/29/03
-- 2nd Legal: 12/30/03
-- MAJOR POLITICAL UNREST; HAITIAN PRESIDENT OVERTHROWN;
-- MANY DELAYS!
-- Travel to Haiti: 05/27/04
-- Home from Haiti: 06/04/04

In April 2005, we learned of a 6-year-old Haitian boy in Florida foster care waiting to be adopted. We were in contact with the social worker, who urged us to get a homestudy submitted within two weeks because decisions were about to be made. We did as we were asked. After being in contact weekly with the Florida social worker for several months, then realizing we were being led along, and after inquiring about 4-5 more boys in foster care in various states, all age 5 or older, we had gotten absolutely NOWHERE by mid-October. And we could tell it would be a mighty long wait with the very real possibility of NO CHILD at the end of the process. TALK ABOUT A BLACK HOLE!!! (By the way, 20 months later, that Florida-born Haitian boy is still not placed with an adoptive family.)

At that point, we gave up on U.S. foster care adoption, and decided -- based on our experience -- that Haiti was a QUICK and SURE ENDEAVOR which we were glad to pursue! Our timeline for this second adoption of 7-year-old R.J. goes like this:
-- Dossier to Haiti: 02/25/06
-- Referral: 04/07/06
-- Entered IBESR: 05/16/06 File #13480
-- Exited IBESR: 12/01/06

We are so pleased with the marvelous care that our son is receiving at his orphanage! Through correspondence we have had with the orphanage staff, we know our boy NEEDS the transition time between life with his birthfamily and life with us, his forever family, because the two lives are so drastically different! Meanwhile, he is loved, well fed, well clothed, healthy, getting lots of acculturation experiences (decorating Easter eggs, celebrating birthdays, learning Christmas carols, getting to eat new foods like pizza and hot dogs, etc.), and he is learning to read and write in English. Life at the orphanage is a HUGE step up (standard-of-living-wise) from the life he had before the orphanage, even though he was wonderfully loved by his birthfamily. And, because we get updates and photos each month from the orphanage, we have been calm and peaceful throughout the entire process, despite the waiting.

Sure we would love to have him home now, but we believe the good Lord knows when R.J. will be ready, and we're happy to wait until that time. (Besides, if we aren't willing to wait on these kids, what would become of them, anyway?!) We know from our first adoption that, once you get the child home, the anxiety of waiting disappears and it is honestly hard to remember that it was once so excruciatingly difficult. REALLY! This trial of waiting seems so minor in comparison to the joys and adventures we will have after our boy is home!

I would adopt from Haiti again and again and again (but we'll probably stop at 3, maybe 4). And I recommend Haitian adoption to everyone I know, if they give me a chance. We love the people, the culture, the language, the landscape, the short distance from here to there, ... everything about it! And, as my uncle once said, "a couple tens of thousands of dollars [less than a new car or a year of tuition at the college where I teach] isn't much to REDEEM A LIFE, now is it??!!"

Sincerely,
Angie

December Photos and Update from GLA

Dear Phil & Angie,

I hope thus far your Holidays have been full of joy and laughter!

Thank you for the lovely card. I printed out several copies, RJ of course was thrilled! (I emailed a copy of our Christmas card and asked Molly to print one for herself, Joyce, Dixie, and of course R.J.)

The celebrations here have already begun with our first gift being brought in by a team from the US , whom built a beautiful swing set and fort for the kids to play in. All four swings are in use from the moment breakfast is over, until the kids are called in to bathe in the evening! They have enjoyed playing house, pretend sailing, and platform performing in the fort. We are very grateful for the hard work these men put into this fantastic play set.

We will be celebrating Christmas at the toddler house a little later than the rest of the world this year. We will have our big day the 30th of December! The kids are all looking forward to it, singing, “Happy Birthday Baby Jesus”, “Joy to the World”, “Jingle Bells”, and seemingly the favorite for this year, “Jolly Old Saint Nick”. We have Christmas lights all around the balconies, and our very own miniature Christmas tree decked out in colored lights. The kids have been making decorations, and gossiping about what Santa will bring them! A church in Canada has graciously donated, wrapped, and delivered a personal present for each and every child at the toddler house. No one will be in the least left out. Each child has a stocking that will be full of treats, and we’ll be making a traditional Christmas turkey dinner with a Haitian twist!

I will be leaving Tuesday to escort a child out for heart surgery, and then continuing on to see my family. I will be back on the 28th of December.

I pray that you will feel the Lord’s blessings this season as you celebrate the birth of the Savior and the hope that He brought into the world that one starry night in Bethlehem such a long time ago.

Have a wonderful Christmas and blessed New Year 2007!
Molly

Our dossier exited IBESR

Hello Angia and Phil,

Yes, you guessed it! You are OUT of IBESR*!!! The wait is over! Congratulations!

What happens now? On Monday, your dossier goes down to the "parquet". Then from there, it will enter the courts. Then, once completed there, we have to get an attestation signature on Ronaldo's Act of Adoption. Then, we have all the documents legalized. Once through legalization, we can apply for Ronaldo's passport. Then, we will apply for his visa. And then ... YOU CAN COME TO HAITI AND GET YOUR SON!!!!! I will let you know when we are applying for his passport. Once we have applied for Ronaldo's passport, Dixie will be forwarding you all the necessary documents to complete your I-600 in the States. As soon as your I-600 has been approved, we can proceed with the orphan investigation as well.

Congratulations on making it through the longest and definitely most stressful stage! The end has just gotten so much closer!

Have a great weekend! I'm sure this news will help!

LaDawn

*See Timeline for completing the legal process in Haiti

November Photos and Update from GLA

We were especially thrilled to receive this month's update on the day of R.J.'s 7th birthday!

Good afternoon Phil & Angie!

WOW!!! We have been enjoying a GREAT November here at the toddler house, with so much to be thankful for!

Two new little girls came to live with us last week. Both have adjusted well, and are making new friends and bonding with their nannies. They are smart and happy little girls. They both LOVE to talk, so have fit right in!!! When I first brought them in to meet all the kids, the older girl said to me, “OH, They are making so much NOISE!” She was very clearly annoyed, but within two days she had joined in as one of the noise makers!

We have been blessed by a great group of volunteers; sadly five of them left us last week. They are sorely missed. Before they went though we wanted to have a party so we held our second annual Toddler House Carnival! Our 32 oldest children participated while the younger children napped. We had 7 event stations that each child completed. Two events tied as their polled favorites: “Royal Portraits” – where each child dressed up in any way that they desired and sat on the “throne” to have their picture taken; as well as the “Relay Race”, which is always a hit with these kids! They had to do four tasks, 1.) walk on stilt cans, 2.)jump through the course in a flour sack, 3.) balance a spoon on an egg while running to the finish line, & 4.) tightrope walk the balance beam. The first of these tasks was the most difficult for all involved, it was very touching to see the older children helping the younger ones stay on their stilts. When the day was over a few of the children even became quite good at it! I have the stilts tucked away now, out of sight but not out of mind, several of the kids have asked when they can play with them again! Other events included: “BIG Bubbles”, “Fishing Pond”, “Bean Bag Toss” , “ Juice Bottle Bowling”, and lastly “Water Balloon Throw”.

Joyce’s English class enjoyed two weeks of crafty lessons. There were a variety of projects ranging from glittery lunch bag windsocks – to learn weather vocabulary, cotton puff sheep – to learn about texture adjectives, all the way to making scaly snakes – for the age old counting game. The kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves and the change of lesson material, even though they still had to complete their daily worksheets as homework!

Joyce’s mother Barb came for her biannual visit the beginning of the month, and we were blessed with her energy and enthusiasm for two full weeks! The moment the kids heard that I was going to the airport to pick her up, they started chattering about the “katon sirét” which translates into a PINATA!!!! If Barb ever shows up in Haiti without a piñata I don’t believe the kids will be able to forgive her. We had a great morning taking turns hitting it open. Even the nannies took a swing, with the children cheering them on. The kids again impressed me with their thoughtfulness of the younger children and sharing their stash with them.

One more major event that will be forever a memory to these kids, was our afternoon of Crab Soccer. I don’t know if you are familiar with this game or not, but if not you are certainly missing out! Its goals and rules are the same as that of regular soccer, EXCEPT that the ball is 3 feet in diameter, and you must play in facing upwards walking on your hands and knees, hence “crab walking”. The ball was bigger than many of our kids are!!!! Some ran screaming after it, and then when it rolled back towards them they ran screaming away from it! I tried to keep the little guys off the playing field for fear that they would be bowled over, however two of our little ones were just not content participating in a non-active way, and made a game of being chased off the field!

There is never a dull moment here! And this year as we reflect on God’s blessings, I cannot even put into words how thankful I am for each of the sixty-two little angels that I am blessed to know and live among.

I pray that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and are surrounded by the love of friends and family! Know that Ronaldo is here giving thanks for you!

Blessings,

Molly

Molly answers questions about R.J. for us

Hello Angia,

It's very good to hear from you!

Thank you for your prayers, they mean more than you could ever know down here, where long days and continuously frustrations seem to be the norm. I really appreciate your support, and encouragement, it goes a long way!

Ronaldo was sad with Georgy leaving. He understood it very well though, and I am glad that Georgy's parents took time to sit down with him and explain that the boys relationship will continue, that this was not the end. Ronaldo seemed to really take heart with this, and he even talks about it now, "When I go home with my new mom and dad, I'm going to see Georgy too!"

You couldn't have done better with you package for RJ. He LOVED IT!!! LOVED IT!!! I don't recall ever seeing a basketball, with Ronaldo's things. So I am guessing that Cathy (Georgy’s adoptive mom) must have given it straight to the kids. I knew that she had said she put a basketball out in the yard, I guess the full meaning just didn't sink in. THANK YOU from all of the, they have been using in continuously! RJ shared the MONSTER bag of candy you sent with everyone else, and saved some also for himself. He was very good about being fair with everyone. Most of the stuff you send does not go into safe keeping for RJ. I hope that you are okay with this. He is pretty good about keeping track of his stuff. So I will let him keep one item that you send, then if it gets broken or lost, he takes another, then another, etc. The clothing I was not sure about, if it goes into the general pile, then it will be worn out and stained within 2 months. The camera was a HUGE HIT! Its funny, because all I had to do was show him how to use it one time, and BAM! he was off and taking shots, he did very very well with it. I will let you know when your Birthday Pkg arrives at GLA. Customs in Haiti takes from 2 days to a month, with no real rhyme or reason.

Your package has not yet arrived for Ronaldo’s birthday, but that is okay; no, he does not know the day of his birth, when it comes we will celebrate and that will be good enough for him. Plus since you just sent the package with Kuhn’s it will be nice to space the gifts out a bit. Each month we have a celebration for all the kids born in that month. We actually just had the November birthday party TODAY! Ronaldo had a blast! There were 18 children there. Ronaldo got to get dressed up in his “church clothes” and drove in the car to the main house where the party was held on the upper balcony, with lots of toys, cake, juice, and good times.

Most things Ronaldo get to use on a regular basis, I don’t save much away. Sometimes if a child gets a lot of things all at once, I will let them pick one thing each week to keep with them. So say you send Ronaldo a ball, a book, a car, candy, and stickers, then each week he will get to pick one more thing to keep with him so that by the end of 4 weeks he has them all anyways. But it helps to keep all the rest of the kids off of him, and he doesn’t have to fight to hold on to things if he has less. If he plays with something for a week just himself, then by the next week when he has something else new to play with, he is not as crushed or hurt if the toy breaks or is fought over by the other kids to play with. It is funny that you mention a book, because that is exactly what came to mind when you asked what RJ might like for Christmas, I think he would really enjoy a book, pictures are great of course, and simple English, maybe either a 1st or 2nd grade reader level. Joyce just asked me tonight for a picture dictionary for the kids in her English class and I told her I only had a British English one with French as well in it, so it is more confusing to them than not having none at all. She is a lending library for the kids. They are lent out a book and must take care of it and return it back to her after a set time (the weekend, two days, a week, etc) most of the kids are very good about this, they have learned if they aren’t responsible than they won’t be lent another book, and they are quite the entertainment here! Our kids LOVE THEM! Strange :). Something else I think that RJ might like would be along the idea of building… a lego set, building logs, or one of those little toy cars you take apart and put together again. He’s a very curious sort, and he does love to build. Just an idea to put out there.

Very nice of you to offer to send candy. I would just sent for RJ. Most adoptive parents bring candy down for all the kids to have when they come. So the kids get a sweet treat every week almost. This is good, if you were to send for all the kids, it would only add weight that is precious for the other goods you are trying to get here for you son. He does enjoy it though when you send him a treat :) it’s a nice touch, even a small pack of tic-tacs makes his day :) .

We have a CD player, VCR, and DVD player at the toddler house in the kids school room. They don’t watch or listen to things very often, but when they do they seem to enjoy it, and its easily set up for them to do so. John just brought back the newest Veggie Tales music sing along, which the kids laughed over so hard! They thought it was hilarious! They love videos, and have seen all that we have countless times, so, I guess the answer is yes, if you want to send something like that, they would all enjoy it, many times over.

Ronaldo’s friend Patrick, the oldest boy here at the toddler house, has a personal CD player. This is shares often with RJ under supervision. It is a nice idea for Ronaldo and his musical interest to get him player, but I think in the long run it would only create heart ache for him. The other children would fight for it, and since he can’t guard it all the time, it is likely that it would get into a younger child’s hands and be broken, and then of course RJ would be more hurt than if he had not had one in the first place. Patrick however lets him use his, and then also takes care of it and keeps it out of reach from the other children, since he values it very much. If you wanted to send RJ a cd, then he would be able to listen to it on Patrick’s player, and Patrick would also take care of it.

Ronaldo was quite pleased to hear that you were thinking and praying for him. He gets that thoughtful sort of happy grin on his face, and just kind of travels off somewhere else in his head. He prays for you as well. And I know he is anxious to get home to you, but also a bit nervous about the time to come, so maybe this extended wait in IBESR is God’s timing in helping to prepare RJ for the actual day that he gets on that plane :).

I did ask him about his name. He likes both RJ and Ronaldo, he has no real preference. I think it is wise to keep Ronaldo as his formal name. So often some of the kids that are adopted when they are older, want to change their name, their life, everything, and forget all that happened in Haiti, but then a few years down the road, they have a hard time with the cut off, the disconnection and seem to feel a bit lost in it. I think that it will be GREAT for Ronaldo to still have his name and still have that connection with his past, even if everything around him is not. I think you guys have done the right thing, giving him a nickname to feel new and excited about for his new life, but keeping his Haitian name so he has that part of his past. Nice choice!

Well Angie, I will let you go. Thank you for all your encouraging words. It really means a lot. Some days, as with every job and everyone in the world I am sure, everything just seems to be a fire to put out or a problem to deal with, and those days can wear you right down, but a kind encouragement from someone such as yourself, puts a little spring back in my step. I have been sick, and am still fighting to get healthy, but that shouldn’t be long now. I can tell my energy level is climbing again, praise the Lord! Thanks for all your prayers for RJ and the rest here.

God bless you!!! I can’t wait to one day meet you!!!

Kisses from RJ!

Have a great afternoon,
Molly

October Photos and Update from GLA

Hello Phil & Angie,

It’s hard to believe that another month has already flown by! It hope is has been a good one for you!

We’ve had seven children, from the toddler house alone, go home to their “Forever Families”. It has been an encouraging and joyful, but tear jerking month, as we’ve said good-bye to these familiar faces. The coming month looks to be full of even more children going home and we are praising God for the final break through in passports!

We’ve started a new menu here at the toddler house. Some of the old picks are still present, but we’ve also added a few new items. Hot chocolate, jello and pudding, sandwiches, soup, macaroni & cheese, corn meal & beans, and vegetable rice, have added some variety. Everything has gone over quite well, with the exception of the soup. The kids just don’t show much enthusiasm when this is served up on Sunday nights. We may have to change it out for a more favored meal, such as spaghetti!

With rainy season beginning its 6th week here in Haiti , I had expected the kids to be showing more cabin fever symptoms, as we had last year. But there is one great change this year, the added room of the new toddler house. Now each group divides themselves up and finds a quite place in the house where they can sing, read, play, and draw while the rain pours down outside. I am very pleased with how well the kids are entertaining themselves and getting along!

John and Dixie’s trip has been going well and, even though we miss them, I am glad they are able to spend an extra week in the US helping Jean Bell out at the GLA office. We have had many volunteers come in to help out while they are away. I am very thankful for their willingness to do whatever needs done! Sometimes though, when try as I may I can’t get the generator to run, or the pump to stop spewing water… I just wish John, and his vast expertise, were here!!! I have learned a lot about diesel engines in his absence. We look forward to having him back next week, after almost 10 weeks away!

Ronaldo is healthy and doing great! He has been on no medications in the last month, and has not complained of any illnesses of any kind. His current measurements are as follow:

Height: 46.5 inches / 118 cm
Weight: 44 lbs

Ronaldo’s friend Georgy is about to leave as I am sure you know, through your correspondence on the Haitian Angels group. Ronaldo is not so sure about all of this. He’s happy for Georgy, but also wishes he weren’t leaving right now. He will certainly miss him. So if you can specifically remember to pray about that in the next week I am sure your son will appreciate it. With this knowledge of his friend leaving though, we pulled out the photo album and had a chat about you guys. He was feeling better by the end, and wanted to show off his family again to all the kids, I know it helps not to feel left, to know that someone is waiting just for him. And soon it will be his turn.

Ronaldo is quickly taking on Georgy’s “big kid” role though. He is always on my elbow asking if he can help. This morning he had my keys and relayed the message that a worker could not unlock the door so was requesting my help. He stood and gave me the message, then I asked him to throw me the keys from a distance away. He certainly did, a nice shot too, but I missed (being the extremely coordinated person that I am, this came as a tremendous shock to me, j/k lol :) ). All the other kids in the room laughed at my lack of skills, but Ronaldo just said to me in a very sincere and honest voice, “Oh Good job, Molly” And that sums him up in every way. That is RJ right there, kind, encouraging, helpful, honest, and uplifting. He is the best example to the younger children that we have ever had. He is just an all around good kid, and each day he just reinforces his good name.

Last night the Haitian church he attends had an informal concert. He was picked as one of the 10 kids that got to go. He loved it! It ran for a good 3 hours, with many different groups singing; a men’s choir, children’s choir, soloists, and a junior women’s group. But he didn’t mind the length. He was quite with the beat, and clapped right along at whatever speed the tempo was. His friends also caught him humming along to songs and trying to learn the words of music he had never heard before. His lyrical knowledge is already probably above 50 songs… I can only imagine how much it will grow as he is exposed to more and more when he gets home with you. Be ready for a drummer though. He absentmindedly beats on everything and anything when he gets a tune in his head.

Hope you have a great week!

Ronaldo sends you his love! And blows lots of kisses for Mama!

Blessings,
Molly

September Photos and Update from GLA

Phil & Angie,

It is great to be writing you again!!! I had a wonderful time in the States with my family, after a year of being away. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them all, and being an active part of their lives for even just a short time. I spent one day helping move my little brothers into their University dorm. I spent three evenings celebrating my sisters’ birthdays (yes, all in that two week span!) I even had the opportunity to visit my older brother in D.C., who lived in Haiti for some time, and spent a weekend catching up with him. All around it was very good! The time went fast… and seemed too short, but I was eager to get back to the kids here at GLA. I prayed that God would give me a renewed energy and focus for the work here at the toddler house… and He blessed me with just that! So these last four weeks… we (the nannies, volunteers, and myself) have been busy! A good kind of busy, the kind that brings deep satisfaction. Illness has held a few of us back some… but none-the-less we’re moving forward!

And Now…

The GLA Toddler House & Co. would like to present to you, Monsieur Ronaldo Joseph, and his Top Ten favorite activities in life:

10.) ignoring you
9.) playing soccer
8.) spelling tests
7.) eating candy
6.) helping unload the car
5.) drawing pictures of trees
4.) putting stickers everywhere
3.) wearing sunglasses
2.) saying “Hi Honey” in English
And Ronaldo’s number 1 favorite thing to do is:
1.) being the teacher in class

A snapshot glimpse of his daily life follows below…

Have a lovely weekend…
Molly

August Photos and Update from GLA

Good Afternoon Phil & Angie,

I hope you are doing well, and August temperatures have not become too warm for you liking!

Everything is well here at the GLA toddler house. The kids are all healthy, and we’ve had the great joy of seeing three of our kids go home to their “Forever Families” in the last few weeks. Clifton ( USA ), Wilton ( Canada ), and Jude ( France ), all highly popular kids and they are missed by myself, Joyce, and all of their other GLA buddies. However, we are happy for them as they begin a new life, as a crucial part to their own new families! I can only begin to imagine where life will lead them!

I have to make this short. I am leaving for the US tomorrow for vacation. I will be away for two weeks, visiting both my family, as well as adopting families in the US . I look forward to it, though I know I will be homesick and eager to get back to GLA and my kids. While I am away Joyce Trainer, whom is in her third year of service at GLA, will be running the toddler house. She will not be answering emails, but she will be looking after the kids, staff, and daily dealings. Please keep her in your prayers over the next two weeks, she is a vital part of the GLA toddler house, and I know she will do a wonderful job!

I will be returning to the office the 2nd of September. I will try my best to answer all emails as quickly as possible. Thanks!

Have a great day!
Molly

July Photos and Update from GLA

Hello Angie & Philip,

It’s time for photos again!

I hope you have had a fabulous July so far. Things are going well here at the GLA Toddler House. Three kids graduated from the Main House and have now been added to our group, as well as two new little ones coming in to GLA for the first time. They all seem to have adjusted well, and the kids have welcomed them with open arms.

A few months ago a church in the U.S. got together a container of donations for GLA. They packed it and shipped it out to Haiti , where is had been sitting at the wharf, until earlier in the month when customs released it to us with very little hassle and a minimum fee! We are VERY THANKFUL!!! The container was driven up to GLA on the back of a semi. Being such a large vehicle it was difficult for the driver to make it up the narrow curving roads to the orphanage, but he did and we unloaded everything with excitement. On the driver’s way back to the wharf, he had many problems including sliding off the road and running into a neighboring house. Thankfully no one was hurt and the vehicle was at last towed down the mountain for repairs. None the less it for a very interesting event, and it was an unforgettable way to introduce ourselves to the neighborhood. Now we have begun sorting and looking through the boxes of donations… clothing, toys, many school lessons and activities, medical equipment, soap, lotion, baby wash, toothpaste, blankets, shoes, etc. So much stuff! We are blessed to have it and will be stocked up on many things for months to come! What a huge Praise!!!

Ronaldo is healthy and doing well! He hasn’t had any illnesses this last month, despite the strep throat that seems to be traveling around Haïti right now. His measurements are as follow:
Height: 116 cm /46 inches
Weight: 46 lbs

Ronaldo’s English teacher has been very pleased with Ronaldo’s progress and enthusiasm. Ronaldo has been the quickest she says in learning new words and how to use them. The other day his friend scored a yard game of soccer, and Ronaldo congradulated him with an “Excellent! Good Job!” He learns more from hearing it used over and over than he does from having it explained to him and working on it in the classroom. “Excellent” was never a part of their learned vocabulary, but he had heard it enough to know what it meant and when to use it.

Have a great evening!

God bless you!
Molly

More about R.J. from GLA volunteer

Hello again, Kristin!

I thought of something I was wondering about Ronaldo. How is his English coming along? R.J. just came to the orphanage February 27, 2006, and Molly confirmed for me that he had no formal schooling before being at GLA. However, from the updates we're getting, it sounds as though he is a very fast learner, so I'm just curious how his learning of English is coming along. (Is Joyce the English teacher you spoke of?)

Also, for their formal schooling -- other than the English they learn from the GLA teacher -- do they go off campus (away from GLA) for school each day? How far is that? I presume the kids walk. How many hours of school a day does Ronaldo attend? (I completely understand if you don't know, in which case I can ask Molly.)

Finally (for now), if you were to suggest some more gifts and/or toys for us to send to Ronaldo, what do you think he would enjoy the most?

That's all I can think of right now.
Thanks again,
Angie



Hi Angie!

I can definitely tell that Ronaldo is a fast learner. I think he’s at the stage where he understands a lot of English, but doesn’t speak a lot of it yet. I would ask him questions in English, and he would respond in creole. I’m sure that he will be doing very good by the time he comes home. He also hangs around with Georgy a lot, and Georgy is very fluent, so I’m sure he will pick it up. Joyce (the English teacher at GLA) teaches like 5-6 classes in the mornings, about 30 min. each.

GLA has a teacher come in to teach for their formal schooling. I don’t know how long he’s there, because they were off for the summer, but I know that in their new houses, they actually have a specific “classroom” to meet in which is pretty cool.

I think Ronaldo would love more little matchbox cars, those were the thing that he chose to take down with him. When kids get gifts from their parents, Molly lets them take one toy down to play with, and then they can get another one in a week. It makes them last, and it’s hard to guard all of your stuff against the other kids when you can’t hang on to it. He would also love a basketball. When we would go on walks, we would pass a house that had a basketball hoop. Ronaldo would always have to point that out to me “Gade, (look), basketball!” and then he would make these dribbling motions and pretend to do a slam dunk, everytime, without fail. It was pretty cute. A deflated one with a pump might send pretty easy. I think he would also love more pictures. I think he’s at the age where he really understands that this will be his new family, and he loved seeing the pictures of you guys.

Talk to you later, and let me know if you have any other questions I can answer.
Kristin

More Photos from GLA volunteer

Hi Angie!

Here’s a few more pictures, different ones this time! He loved the gifts in the backpack, and seeing the pictures. The glow on his face was too cool as he was realizing that this was his family. We were helping him going thru it, after a while, we would ask, “who’s this?” and he’d reply, “Papa ronaldo, momma ronaldo, Charlie,”…etc. It was really cute! He also thought your picture was Dixie at first because you guys have the same haircut and glasses.

Let me know if you have any questions about Ronaldo that I could answer for you…He is such a great kid, and I miss him a lot…He’s a sweetheart.

Talk to you later!
Kristin

You can see the complete collection of photos we've received from Kristin and various others who have traveled to GLA on our family photo album site at Webshots.