Generational effects

A week in Haiti is not new to me.  I think this was my 6th or 7th visit.
This one, though, was unlike all the others.  It carried far more weight and anticipation and joy.
To give it justice, I'm compelled to retell just a bit of the story that led us to this particular visit. The layers and intersections are such evidence to us of God's presence.  The way our story goes should give everyone hope that what you are doing today can have a power that ripples through generations.

Willie and Marge were missionaries.  At home and abroad.  Their impact on my life has been deep and wide.  As grandparents they moved with us a few times to stay close to the chaos that was our family.  I didn't really appreciate that until I was older and away from my parents raising a family of my own.  They were always just there.  Around.  In our lives.  Looking back, my life would have been missing some critical lessons and experiences had they not been there in the way that they were. 
To connect the dots from their choices and life to our current situation makes me miss them so much.  I know they would have relished in our hope and fears, in our stories and plans.  I can't tell you how many times over the past few years, I wished I could have a sit down with Marge.  She just KNEW me and knew how to keep what was important in focus.  I miss that lady often.
To make a really long story short, here is how our adoption connects. 
Their missionary work took them to Haiti for a short time and that forged a lifelong friendship with several pastors in Haiti.  One of those was a Pastor Thomas Bernard.  I met Thomas when I was 7 or so when he was at the seminary. His young face is imprinted in my memory.  As a family, we spoke of Haiti relatively often.  Always mentioning "Thomas and Israel", the two young pastors my grandparents helped through seminary. My grandparents worked with an organization, Haiti Lutheran Mission Society, for years and their work and relationships were common knowledge. The organization, of which my father is now the President, still works closely with Pastor Bernard and the Lutheran church in Haiti.   That organization is where Chad and I first started our search to find a way to visit Haiti after we decided we wanted to adopt from Haiti, but wanted to visit first.  Through a series of emails and calls and questions, we lined up a trip to meet two members of that board, Kim and Keith, in Port au Prince August of 2012.  We would be traveling around with them and see the country and meet people.  Thomas Bernard would be one of those people.  I had contacted him prior, not knowing that in fact, he was the "Thomas" of "Thomas and Israel" of my youth.  We exchanged several emails in which I mentioned our desire to adopt and asked about orphanages that he may have knowledge. He mentioned his sister in law operates one and he thought we could visit when we came down.  Only after all that did my dad mention that the Pastor Bernard was in fact, "THE" Thomas.  That was a fun email to send to tell him that I was Sarah DAHLKE and Marge says hello!  He hadn't know I was who I was either!
It was such a joy to travel there and carry my grandma's greetings to Thomas and his back to her.  She knew we wanted to adopt and it's such a tragedy to me that she and Willie will never get to meet their Haitian grandchildren.  Man, they would have loved them.  We will tell them about Willie and Marge.  They will know how God used them to bring us all together.
I can't tell this story, of this trip, without acknowledging my grandparents hand in the whole, dang thing and how I feel their presence when I'm in Haiti.  I thought of them every day.   They exist there in a way for me that is different then here at home.  It's a side of them that I couldn't have imagined as a child, but can vividly conjure up now.  Their part in this story makes it all the more compelling. 

They were the stone that caused the ripples of Haiti and adoption to cross into our lives.

It makes me wonder what stone was tossed to send them to Haiti originally and what stones we are tossing now that may ripple through our children or grandchildren....

Next up, getting to Haiti, delayed...