The time in the states has been busy and a time full of emotions. Drew and Makayla are married. Giving your daughter away is no easy task even if it is to a great guy. I know I’ll always be her mama, but it will look different now. Why is letting go so hard???? It was a beautiful wedding and reception. I also left the day of another oral surgery for Meredith. It’s never easy to leave, but this time was especially hard for me. Being a missionary, your heart is split, my head knows I need to go do what God has called me to and I want to do that, but my heart loves and misses my girls and my family. 

We also celebrated 5 years in Haiti with a dinner and some worship while we were in the states. It was a wonderful night; God was glorified and we were so excited to see so many of you. Both of these events took a lot of time, devotion and help from a lot of people. Friends and family jumped in and helped us and we truly couldn’t have done it without you. It’s hard sometimes when you don’t have weekly relationships with people to ask for help, but so many of you blessed us immensely with your time and helping hands. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. 

There is no rest for the weary! Just as we were sat at the airport; we got an email from our friend Kevin and he arrived  two days after we returned so he and Troy to finish up some projects for a local orphanage. . We have discipleship to get back to and we've brought some new kid’s curriculum that needs to be translated and taught to our locals so we can pour into our young friends at our local church. ~ Gwyn

Life will never be the same..... 

Before we went to America for Makayla’s wedding, something happened which altered our lives. 

Many of you have visited the REV home and met the kids that live there. Under the direction of Amber Hasson, and support from Global Partners for Peace and Development (GPPD), the children have grown tremendously. Not only physically, but mentally and spiritually.  

Over the years, our family has worked with the REV home and the kids that live there. One of the girls that lived there became very close to Meredith and Makayla. It was a regular occurrence to go to church, come home, and see Makayla and her “bestie” under a blanket, curled up on the couch watching something on the television. 

Now on to the rest of the story......... 

Amber approached us before we left for America about taking Wilna into our home. We were shocked to say the least at first. We immediately began to pray. We prayed that if this was what God really wanted, for Him to reveal it plainly to us. It didn’t take long for both Gwyn and I to see that this was a great opportunity to pour into Wilna.  

While we were in the midst of wedding preparations and, five the year celebration planning, we were planning how to make the transition easy and seamless. We painted her room before we left for America and even decorated a little bit.  

I began to wonder if I was ready to bring Wilna into my home and treat her as my own. So many thoughts began to flood into my head.... “you’re too old”, “the cultural differences are too great”, “can I love her like I have loved my other daughters”. So many questions and so many doubts started creeping in. 

Then I began to think about my own situation. I was adopted, twice in fact. My younger brothers were both adopted. The example that my mom had set for me came into my mind. At that point, I began to realize that instead of trying to figure everything out, perhaps I should just welcome Wilna and love her like my mom loved me. 

Welcome to the family Wilna!

~Troy