Adoptive mother still waiting on word from Haiti

Edith McClellan laughs while inserting elastic bands into a dress she made from a pillowcase at her home in Provo on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010. 

McClellan is making dresses to donate to children in Haiti. On Thursday, a friend of McClellan donated 260 pillowcases to be made into dresses. JAMES ROH/Daily Herald

A planeload of Haitian orphans won't be getting into Utah today, although there are more questions than answers as to why.

That leaves Brent and Lori Rosenlof, of Lehi, and many other families like them almost back at the beginning and wondering if they'll ever get ahead. Brent Rosenlof still is in Haiti with 2-year-old Nathan, and 3-year-old Jessica has been found but may be difficult to get out.

On her blog, Lori Rosenlof announced that although all of the children with Hope for the Little Angels of Haiti have received humanitarian parole, they cannot leave without the signature of the prime minister. So they're waiting on that. The process also changed; now the children, when they are released, will be taken to Miami and put in government custody for a number of days while the government determines that each child is OK and that the parents are legitimate adoptive parents.

The parents have been asked to not go to Miami until the government can answer more questions and perhaps work through the need to have the prime minister's signature. Lori Rosenlof also encouraged people to contact their elected representatives to find a way to help them; so far her government interaction has been less than effective, she said.

She remains motivated by the thought of her children crying in terror every time there is another aftershock and that soon, she will be just down the hall when they cry.

"It's the kids that are suffering while these governments try to work stuff out," she said.

Ways to help locally

International Aid Serving Kids is sending a team of medical professionals to Haiti from Feb. 18-28 and is looking for volunteers. Founder Illens Dort said they need two to three surgeons and a pharmacist to go; returned missionaries from Haiti in these fields would be ideal. Dort also is collecting donations to buy medications. For more information go to www.liftalife.org or e-mail him at idort@liftalife.org.

Meanwhile, Edith McClellan, 72, has made 75 pillowcases into dresses to send to Haiti, and on Thursday afternoon a youth group dropped off 260 more. She'll take more pillowcases and elastic to make the dresses, but she also now needs help. Anyone interested in donating supplies or helping McClellan can contact her at (801) 374-5728 or can drop the supplies off at Macey's Food and Drug at 1400 N. State St. in Provo. She also needs a transport method.

"I need to find somebody that will take them and make sure they get right to where I want them to go," she said.

There is a Help for Haiti bake sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at 800 N. 700 West in Provo and another fundraiser in Eagle Mountain at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at city hall, 1650 E. Stagecoach Run.