ABOUT US

JOE, BETSY, YPHTERLINE, and RUBENS BRENTISE
MATTHEW 18:5 "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me"

PATIENCE- Trusting in God's Timing

 
We have been trying to have children for 10 years now.  We married 11 years ago and knew we wanted a family.  Initially, we did not give it too much thought and just decided it would happen if it happened.  After awhile, we became discouraged and started worrying about it more often.  At some point we began to use different methods to try and get the timing right such as the temperature method, making sure we were trying on the most fertile times, and eating the right foods.  After a few years without success, we saw a fertility doctor.  Betsy had a couple of surgeries to make her uterus a more optimal place to fertilize her eggs, but we still had no luck.  We then moved on to different medications and hormones which proved futile.  Throughout this time, we remained loyal to God and prayed that He may see to it that our family would become complete yet still it never happened.
In March of 2010 we culminated our battle with infertility with our first attempt at in vitro fertilization.  After weeks of office visits, shots, and raging hormones we received the news we had been longing for so long.  We were pregnant.  The next day after learning this wonderful news, Betsy began spotting.  Two weeks later we miscarried twins.  As we had implanted two embryos, we assumed both were fertilized but for some unknown reason the pregnancy had failed.  One week later the reason was revealed.  With continued cramping and bleeding we returned to the doctor to discover there was also an ectopic pregnancy.  Betsy was rushed off to emergency surgery and came out with even bigger fertility issues as her right fallopian tube had to be removed. 
Devastated, we decided to take a break from the fertility roller coaster and follow our hearts on a medical mission trip.  Originally, we had our sights set on Peru, but divine intervention led us to an orphanage in Haiti which our church was building.  We were going to be part of the first medical team to complete physical and dental exams on the children shortly after they arrived to their new home.  Less than one week before we left we learned the orphanage was not ready and the kids had not yet moved.  We would be traveling instead to the orphanage they were currently being housed at half way across Haiti.  These last minute changes brought angst for the entire team, however, we had long felt the desire to share the gift God had blessed us with as nurses and participate in medical missions.  We knew He would be with us and guide us on this journey.  Shortly after arriving in Haiti, we realized we were not there mainly to bless the impoverished people of Haiti, but that God was using them to change our lives forever!
As we arrived late Saturday afternoon, we had the opportunity to trek down the hill from the guest house to meet the 200+ children residing at the orphanage.  One little boy grabbed a hold of Betsy’s hand and didn’t let go.  We played and danced and sang with the children until long after dark.  The next morning we were blessed with the opportunity to attend church services in town.  Though we could not understand a word, we were deeply moved by the spirit that resonated throughout the service and the overwhelming presence of God.  As we rode the yellow school bus back down the pothole strewn rode to the orphanage, Betsy closed her eyes and prayed.  Amongst other things, prayers were sent up for all of us on this journey to have eyes wide open to see the true reason God had brought us to this place at this particular time in our lives.  We arrived back at the orphanage and were again blessed to attend the church service for the kids and community there.  We sat down on the back pew and God answered that prayer.  Ben, the little boy from the night before, tapped us on the shoulder and Joe pulled him over the pew into his lap and into our hearts forever.  We spent the afternoon playing with the kids and Ben was right beside one of us the whole time.  That night as we lay in bed talking it was not of if; but how we were going to bring this precious Haitian orphan into our family.  We had always thought adoption was probably in our future, yet we had not given up the hope that first through further fertility treatments we would conceive on our own.  Suddenly, adoption was now, and Ben was our little boy. We did not know how or if it was even possible but we had a peace about it.  Somehow we knew it would happen and that this is exactly why our lives had gone the way they had.  We knew that we had not been able to have children because God wanted our hearts and minds to be open for this child.  Two days later we found out Ben had a “sister” and the family we had just started to envision of three instantly became four!  (We found out the day before we left they were actually cousins).  If we would have not had the miscarriage we would have never came to Cambry in Haiti as Betsy would not travel while pregnant.  If Joe could have gotten off work for the trip to Peru, we never would have come to Cambry in Haiti.  If the new orphanage in Jeremie would have been completed, we never would have come to Cambry in Haiti.  It is amazing looking back at all the plans we made that fell through; it was all God’s plan all along!  After all the years of praying for our family and being discouraged that these prayers were going unanswered, we now realized He was answering them all along.  Here our children were. Eight years of intense prayer and a beautiful seven year old girl beside her six year old brother.  We truly believe this has been God’s plan for our family all along and although the process is painfully slow at times, we know in the end we will be together!  Just as He planned! 
MATTHEW 7:7 Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be opened.