Two years ago today....

Thanks to the little sidebar note on Facebook, I was reminded that it was two years ago today that we brought Kate into our home.

Kate - Day 1 at Haven of Hope

Kate - almost two years later, visiting HOH for our annual reunion

I got the call the night before that there was an abandoned three month old baby for us to pick up from the government children's home. Jackie and I left the morning of September 1st, 2009 to go get our hair cut (reminder, again, courtesy of Facebook) and then to get little Kate. Kate was a chubby little beauty with lots of soft curls. She was the sweetest little baby ever! As Jackie dubbed her, she was "the easy one," for her first year at least!

beautiful Baby Kate, hours after we got her, looking like a China doll

Jackie feeding Kate during our shopping stop before going back to the baby house in Ngong

Oh, what a beautiful girl we were blessed to have! Kate lived with us for 15 months before returning to her mother. (Click on the tag of her name below to read the past posts of Kate's story. Short story: she was not abandoned by her mother, but was taken to the police and reported as "abandoned" by her biological father who claimed not to know her.) Her mother worked very hard to prepare herself to take Kate back into her home. She is a wonderful mother who loves her baby so very much and tries very hard to provide for her. She changed her name to "Kate" (or Cate), the name we had given her, and still brings her back to the baby house - even all the way in Nakuru - to visit her friends and aunties.

Shortly before I left Kenya, I got a call that their house burned down. They lived in a stretch plot of several connected homes (rows of single rooms, actually) that caught fire. They lost everything. We were able to help them relocate to their rural home and set up a new house there. They are recovering, doing well, and even returned to the HOH reunion in August.

Two years later....THIS is another HOH success story ~ the reason we are here. I am so blessed to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of babies in need.

A Visit from Kate

A special treat this week - a visit from Kate and her mama!

Kate's mother brought her to Nakuru to visit everyone.She has really grown. It is good to see how attached she is to her mother. They are doing well, though her mother is struggling to financially provide for her children, Kate and her older three siblings. But her mother loves her very much and they are happy to be together.

Jeremiah, Lizzy-Lou and Julia were so happy to see her! They had a great time playing together.

Baby Update - Kate

Kate's First Day at HOH

Kate Now (16 months)

From the moment we picked Kate up from Nairobi Children's Home, we knew there was something strange about her story. She was supposedly abandoned, yet she looked so well taken care of. She had obviously been with someone who loved her and treated her very well. She was clean, healthy and well fed. 

As it turns out, she was not abandoned, but rather taken to the police by her father who claimed to have found her on his doorstep. The story began to unfold last December when Kate was tracked down by the police and called to court as her parents were both being held on different accounts. As it turns out, Kate's mother did truly love her and was taking care of her, and Kate was wrongly taken to the police by her father. 

Sadly, the court case in which her father and mother are involved in is still unresolved and she is therefore not released to her mother's care until the case is closed. Kate must be present at each hearing, and we have been to court 11 times this year! Each time, the case is postponed for various random reasons, all most likely as paid off by her father. The next court date is set for December 21st. We hope and pray that the case will be dismissed and the judge will allow Kate to be returned to her mother. 

For Kate's complete story, you can CLICK HERE to read previous updates.

Kate is now 16 months old. She is a happy little girl. We often refer to Kate as the "bulldozer." She knows where she wants to go and gets there however she can, usually by bulldozing over the other babies. She is a big little girl but has such a soft side. She loves to sing songs and stack blocks. We love having Kate in our home! She brings such joy and laughter. Though we would be sad to loose her, it is our prayer that she will soon be returned to her mother's care. 

Kater-Bug, the "Bulldozer" :-) 

How can you pray for Kate?

Pray that....

* Kate's parents' court case would be dismissed and that she would be returned to her mother's care,

* Kate's mother will continue to prepare herself and remain financially stable so that she can take care of Kate,

* the transition of Kate back into her birth family would be smooth and easy,

* Kate will continue to grow into a strong, healthy little girl.

Back to Court....again

Please pardon the interruption of the regularly scheduled "Meet the Staff" Monday. :-)

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Once again, I write to ask for prayers for our Kate and the situation with her family as they go back to court today. I think this is the eighth court date in the past 9 months. It seems that no headway has been made at all. 

(For the story of Kate, CLICK HERE.)

There is most likely some behind-the-scenes stuff going on to delay the father from testifying and postpone any verdict against him. The past two hearings have been postponed for the most random, non-substantial issues. 


Meanwhile, we have had Kate in our care for 1 year, 3 days. Her mother has missed over one whole year of her life. Her first year, at that. Her mother loves her. Her mother is capable of caring for her. Her mother wants her. Her mother did not abandon her. Her mother calls to check on her baby whenever she has phone credit. Her mother cries each time she has to separate from her baby.


This is Kenya. Things are not always as they should be. Things are not always right. Corruption reigns. Especially in the courts. 


Now, we go back to court again, hoping that some progress will be made. Hoping that the judge will make a ruling against Kate's father. Hoping that a decision will be made regarding Kate's future. Hoping that Kate will finally be reunited with her mother. Hoping that this court date will be different from the previous ones. 


Please join us in prayer for these things. We know that God is in control and He has a plan for this little girl. Though we love having Kater-bug in our home, I believe that God's plan involves her being with her family and I hate to see that reunification prolonged for no valid reason. Kate needs her mama.


I hope we have a great report of progress to pass on to you tomorrow!

Update on Kate - Part 2

Kate is our baby who was called to court in December. 

If you want the back-story, go to the first Kate Update:

http://thelordprovides.blogspot.com/2009/12/update-on-kate.html 

Since that time, the judge released her mother from jail, bond-free. Obviously, he has found her not at fault as that is a rare situation.  There are fees, payoffs, and fines for everything, so the fact that she was released without having to pay anything is significant.  It seems evident that the mother left the baby with the father as she was desperate and unable to care for her.  The father did not want the baby so turned her over to the police rather than taking her to her mother. 

What does this mean? 

The mother has been released and given time to find a stable place to live and prepare herself for caring for her daughter.  We feel certain that the judge will place Kate back in her care at the next court date, February 2.

Is this a good thing?

I think it is.  I have yet to meet the mother myself, but the girls at the home have and I hope to within the next week. You may remember that Kate was in great condition when she came to us. Her mother had obviously taken very good care of her before she left her with the father. 

Our goal at Haven of Hope is to provide a home and show the love of Jesus to babies in need.  We will do that for however long God gives them to us. Ultimately, we want these babies to be with their "forever family," whether that is their birth family or an adoptive family. If the birth mother is capable and able to care for her child and provide the baby with a safe, loving home, that is generally what we want to facilitate.  

By Kate's mom having time to prepare herself, she is making herself ready to be a better mother to Kate. It is our desire to stand in the gap and take care of this precious baby while her forever family prepares to take her back. 

A final decision has not yet been made, but it is highly likely that Kate will be leaving us soon.  As sad as that is, I feel that we have done exactly what the Lord has called us to do - hold and love this baby in this season of her life when she (and her mother) needed us to.  

If the judge does not award the mother return of custody, we are MORE than happy to keep Kate! 

Please pray that...
* God's will will be done in this situation, 
* that Kate's mother will be able to prepare herself to be a mother again if she is to take Kate in February, and 
* that we would be the hands of Jesus, showing the fullness of His love and joy to this sweet little Kate (and all the other babies) while they are here. 

Thank you for caring for our babies at Haven of Hope! We are ALL so blessed to be a part of thier lives!