About the Dog

Lots of people have asked questions about the dog, so I thought I’d share a little bit about our very special family member, Max.  Max joined Team Robinson in April 2014.  Before coming to live with us, Max was loved by friends of ours who felt like the farm and the family at our place would give him wide open spaces, abundant entertainment, and extravagant attention.  They were right!

Max is almost 4 years old now.  He’s a hairy and happy goldendoodle who has a very important job with Team Robinson.  Before I show you how adorable he is, I want to share a story about something that happened on Thursday at the airport and a few other long, rambling thoughts, if you don’t mind.

My story begins just after we survived security.  We all quickly put our shoes back on, headed down the escalator and elevator, and were waiting on the train to carry us to Terminal E.  Several people commented on Max and were surprised that we had him in the airport.   Most were kind and wanted to fawn over our handsome, furry, family member. One woman, though, turned to her companion and whispered something we couldn’t hear.  He responded to her loudly while rolling his eyes toward our Max, “That’s just a scam to get to travel with your dog.”  

I almost got angry, the kind of angry I get when people say things to or about my kids like, “What happened to her real parents?” or “Do you have any kids of your own?” but then I figured, maybe he just doesn’t understand disability and the supports available now for those with disabilities.  It’s possible that he doesn’t.  A few years ago, I didn’t either. 

Dean and I have been parenting children from places of harm for over 16 years now.  We’ve worked with many professionals over the years that have helped us learn what to do and what not to do to help children heal from the harm they experienced before coming to us.  I really don’t know what we would’ve done without the training and support of amazing social workers, physicians, and therapists who guided us through foster placements and forming a family through adoption.  Even today with so much training and many years of experience, we feel like we have a lot left to learn in order to do this job of rebuilding walls and lives well. 

Because of the joys and challenges of fostering and adoption, we’ve learned a lot about the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  One of the things we’ve learned is that the use of a service animal by a person with a disability is a right protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). According to the ADA, a service animal has been trained to perform a specific task for the person with a disability.  People with disabilities can benefit from having a service animal in so many ways. A guide dog is trained to assist a person with visual impairments or who is blind, increasing their ability to move around safely.  A hearing dog is trained to alert someone who has hearing loss or is deaf of a sound.  A sensory signal dog is trained to assist a person with autism by alerting him or her of repetitive movements like hand flapping, spinning, or rocking or keeping an individual safe from danger.  A psychiatric service dog is trained to do things scan a room or turn on the lights, which may not seem like much but can really help someone with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Through the joys and challenges I mentioned before, we’ve also learned a lot about the profound and complex impact of trauma, abuse, and neglect on the development of children. Did you know that children who’ve experienced trauma, abuse, and neglect are also at risk of the trajectory of mental heath disability?  Fortunately there have been significant gains in the field of mental health treatment for children from places of harm, including the use of psychiatric service dogs, emotional support animals, and therapy dogs.   Emotional support animals and therapy dogs do not carry the same protections under the ADA, neither do they have to have special training.  However, the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) requires airlines to allow both service dogs and emotional support animals, including therapy dogs, to travel with their handlers – even in the cabin of an aircraft. Because of this important piece of federal legislation, people with disabilities can travel with valuable support that can improve their physical, social, emotional, and cognitive functioning. 

Just for clarity, it’s important that you know, though, that you just can’t waltz onto an airplane with a dog – even a dog as awesome as Max.  Unless your dog is a service animal trained to perform a specific supportive task for a person with a disability, documentation of a mental health disability from a physician or licensed mental health professional is required by the airlines. 

I’m not going to go into all the hows and whys because of the obvious need to protect the privacy of my children, but our Max was able to legally travel with us on the airplane. He was a perfect gentleman throughout the flight, except for the moment when he broke the rules and climbed up into the seat with Wyatt.  I probably shouldn’t have snapped pictures of him and posted them on the internet, because he was supposed to sit on the floor throughout the flight.

Thanks for reading along about our Max.  We’re thankful for him and that he’s here with us in Honduras.

We are in Honduras

I can’t believe we are here in Honduras!!!  In my very best dreams, today couldn’t have gone better.  So many people teamed up to make today as smooth as possible, and we are beyond thankful. Everyone woke up at 3:00 in a good mood and cooperative.  My precious friend Andrea had picked up our luggage yesterday, so when 4:30 rolled around we just prayed, loaded up, and left.  We had first class transportation to the airport via our County Line Church bus, with Pastor Bill in the driver’s seat and dear friends who got up before the crack of dawn to ride with us to Atlanta. Our church family has loved us so well and it was awesome to see them just before leaving the country.

Our friends, Andrea and Kent, got to the airport with our luggage a few minutes before we did.  They had already notified Delta of the pending onslaught of people and stuff when we pulled up to the curb behind them. 

All the stuff was moved inside and tearful goodbyes were said, and then Dee Dee and Tree, our Delta check-in angels, did their thing.  They were amazing, and we were finished in no time.

The kids all sat on the floor like angel babies, weighing their things on an unused scale while we waited.  I kept glancing over there and thinking, “This is like a dream.” (I know that sounds like shameless bragging, and I’m sorta sorry, but I had so much anxiety about the potential chaos, and God was truly merciful, so I had to share in run-on sentence fashion.)

Delta gave us gate passes for my parents and Blake, which was a tremendous blessing.  Not only did we get to enjoy them longer, the extra hands made everything go smoothly.  I think all the other passengers were a little overwhelmed when the announcement was made that those who need extra time could board first.  It was a bit of a spectacle and not exactly comfortable, especially when people started taking pictures.  Fortunately all my people were well-behaved throughout the process.

The kids were so cute on the plane.  Only one little person yelled out, “Mommy, I spilled my drink all in my lap.”  Of course.  I'm thankful the cups are small and sprite is colorless. We all watched movies and napped, and I praise God for traveling mercies. 

Our flight landed here just after noon.  We stayed put until everyone had exited the plane and then made our way with all our stuff to passport control.  It was a little chaotic getting through with all the little people.  We sent Dean and the big kids through first so they could grab our luggage and boxes from baggage claim.  You should’ve seen the pile of personal items, pillows, carryons, suitcases, and boxes!! 

Customs went well.  I think they just wanted us to get our stuff and get out of the way.  We were getting excited about our quick and easy exit and then they approached us about Max.  It seems that there’s an inspection required by the agriculture department for dogs coming into country.  The kids were beginning to look droopy so we set the little kids against the wall and stood Olivia over them as a guard, while I went with Max to the agriculture office and Dean went with the luggage to the van. 

An hour later we were finally cleared to go.  It wouldn’t have taken so long but it seems that Max brought a plague of fleas into Honduras.  They found a flea on him.  One flea.  A plague, indeed.  We paid the plague of fleas fee of $35 and made our way through the crowd to the van, happy and excited to finally be here!

Our new friends Mike and Mark picked us up and carried us home to Siguatepeque. We arrived at our new home around 5:30 and headed out to the grocery and to Pizza Hut to pick up dinner.  The kids ran around this place for hours – literally running circles around the outside of our house – and are finally asleep on their pallets on the floor.  Tomorrow is set-up the house and find beds for all these kids day!

Thanks for reading along.  Your prayers, encouragement, love, and support are so appreciated!

The Final 48 Hours Before the Big Move

The final 48 was full of last minute errands, a few unexpected “incidents”, and intense speed packing.  Dean’s last day of work was Monday and mine was Tuesday.  I breezed out of the house this morning at 7:30 hollering directions for the day over my shoulder as I flew out the door, truly hoping I would come home to 13 sealed pieces of luggage and an organized house to leave behind.  

About 11:00 dear friends arrived for attempt two at wrestling our hog Pork Chop into a cattle trailer. FYI – Blake Robinson has now listed hog wrestling to his multi-talented resume. The Carlisles took one for the team and welcomed our Pork Chop to their little farm.  He’s one fine hog! 

Dean picked me up at my office at 4:30, and we headed for one last Walmart run. We pulled back into our driveway at 7:00 and the final countdown began.  We stayed up half the night trying to cover all the bases.  All was going pretty well until the Honey Incident happened.  I had bought sucky bags – you know, the bags you can vacuum the air out of – at the store and was thinking I could revisit one child’s suitcase and make more room.  I wish I hadn’t because I discovered the honey.  Looking back, I think I would rather have not known.  One of our precious ones had packed a canning jar of honey in her bag.  She loves this honey jar as much as Pooh Bear loves honey.  The only problem is said honey jar has a hole in the top and a little honey dipper poking out the top.  This little honey dipper made the very best drizzle stick ever all in the suitcase that it’s been packed in the past several weeks.  Nice!!

Wednesday morning rolled around a bit too early for those of us who stayed up all night long, but roll around it did.  One day left to get it all done.  Thankfully, so many showed up to help us finish up the packing and straighten up what we’re not taking.  At one point it got to be so overwhelming that friends came and took some of our kids away to play, and my dear friend Andrea swept me away for another last Walmart run.  This trip was for shoes for 3 children who somehow have no shoes one day before we leave the country.  I really don’t know what I would do without my friends and family.  I would probably lose my mind!! 

My parents, my Aunt Beth, my sister Heather and her kiddos drove down for the day and we finished up the night with some cousin time.  Watching the cousins together made me miss my sister Blake and her family so much!   All these kids are going to grow and change so much over the next few years, and it’s a little overwhelming to think about.

The teens and I made ONE MORE last Walmart run just before midnight.  I know it sounds terribly irresponsible of me to be tooling around with teenagers in the wee hours of the morning on the day of the big move, but meeting the needs of my people circumvents the anxiety of unmet needs.  And one of my people was anxious about the item of leaving the country unprepared, so off to Walmart we went.  Who needs sleep!!

Now it’s 2:00 and we leave at 4:30.  My parents and some of our kids are crashed on couches, looking frat-party-ish.  The bags are packed, everything is ready, and we can’t wait to see how God is going to work in us and through us in Honduras!

Thanks for reading along.  Your prayers, encouragement, love, and support are so appreciated!

It's almost go time

Life around here has been lively these last months.  Our move date has been set, 13 plane tickets have been purchased, and sorting and packing has begun. Our home has four bedrooms that are filled to the brim with people and their stuff.  Some of us are struggling with what to take, what to give away, and what to leave in storage here, while others are purging their belongings with abandon. As we sort and purge and store, there’s this dialogue running through us about an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, and my faith in it grows a little more each day. 

Each of us is packing a suitcase, a carryon and a personal item.  It’s been interesting to see what each person considers important enough to pack.  Piles of the obvious like clothing, bedding, and linens line the walls of the foyer.  The sentimental among us are focused on nostalgic things that give all the feels, while the practical are considering what they think they’ll need the most, like flat irons, peach ballet flats, gaming systems, and collections of books and games.  A certain 8-year-old is saving room in his suitcase for the essentials: a compound bow, some camo, a dirt bike racing suit, and a hermit crab from our May beach trip that is somehow still alive. Another someone who shan’t be named set aside a collection of 37 dum dum wrappers to pack, while putting most of her clothing in a pile labeled “give away”.  Go figure. It’s incidents like these that have prompted an increase in the level of supervision given to sorting, purging, and packing procedures. Me, I weighed my iron skillet this morning – the really big one – because I’m certain it’s more valuable than anything else I own and the airline says my suitcase cannot weigh more than 50 pounds.

Purchasing the airline tickets was a mountaintop experience for us, one of those rare moments of exaltation after a walk with Him through the valley.  I was surprised by the sadness that crept into my excitement when I didn’t purchase an airline ticket for our eldest.  The idea of leaving my firstborn baby here feels odd and a lonely sensation swirls around me at the thought of it, even though I know he’s all grown up and a college student and all.  Blake was only four years old when our family entered into foster care ministry.  For 16 years, he’s served alongside us, and his value to our ministry is immeasurable. I know letting go is what mothers must do, but it’s just as hard as I imagined it would be when he was tiny and college seemed like a lifetime away. God has provided me with some well-timed pep talks about change and transition over the past few months, and they’ve come in quite handy when the wig-out tries to creep in.  

We’re so thankful for the opportunities we’ve had over the past few months to share about ministry in Honduras and ways to partner with us in our work. We’ve been welcomed at churches, in coffee houses, in living rooms, and around dining tables, and each time we’ve been able to share confirms His leading in our lives.  Standing in front of people and talking is a new adventure for us as a couple.  Like most new adventures, there are things that stand out when we look back at them and talk about what that was like.  Our first Sunday sharing about our plans to care for orphaned and vulnerable children in Honduras, we stood before our home church and Dean read from Ephesians 3 about God’s power at work in us.  We had barely gotten back to our seats, when our pastor stood up and thanked Dean for preaching his message for him.  We had no idea that the message planned for that day was on Ephesians 3!  It’s moments like this that have been stepping stones of faith for us and the pull on our hearts has grown stronger with each step.  

We’ve had some humbling (and sometimes so funny) moments, too, like the time when I left all of Dean’s note cards in my Bible on my mother’s kitchen counter.  Every time I think about it, I get tickled again.  Dean says it’s really not that funny.   Here’s what happened.  I was reading over the beautiful message written on carefully prepared note cards.  He had his scriptures marked on them, so I thought I would go ahead and insert them into the correct chapters before we left for the church.  It was a nice thought, but I got distracted with hairbows and missing shoes.  I ended up sticking the whole stack into my Bible, thinking I would pick up the task in the van. I didn’t remember this plan until we were both standing behind the pulpit.  “No worries”, I told us.  I read the notes. I can “help” Dean by whispering all the scriptures to him at the right time.  All was going great until I whispered, “Hosea 6:8” instead of “Micah 6:8”.  Not the same thing.  Nope.  Dean tried to make it work while looking at me with such an unforgettable expression on his face.  We’re clearly rookies in the pulpit.  

Then there was the time we let the kids talk. We stood before the congregation, and I asked them questions like, “What are you praying for while you wait?”, to which one replied, “That we don’t have to go” and another burst into tears right there on stage.  A little unexpected, given that we had asked the children the same questions the night before and had gotten very different answers, not to mention all the excited and happy chitter chatter they engage in every time we talk about the future in Honduras. I love that the truth came out, right there in front of sweet friends who gathered around us on the spot and prayed for us and our children. The truth opened a door to working through things that needed working through.   You see, moving isn’t an unfamiliar concept for some of our children, and for our children, the memories that surround moving are frightening and lonely.  So many feelings swirl around the memory of moving then: fear of the unknown, fear of not understanding language and culture, wondering if you'll be liked, sadness over leaving friends and familiarity - the exact same feelings that swirl around the idea of moving now.  It was during this time that our pastor gave us a verse, Philippians 2:13.  For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.  His promises never return void.  As He’s worked in us, the desire to do what pleases him has unified us, and the swirl of frightening and lonely feelings has been replaced with a pulse of excitement and wonder at the adventure ahead. 

With the holidays upon us, I know that January 19 will be here in a flash, but there's still time and available dates for us to share about our work in Honduras with your church, in your family room, around your dining table, or in your community.  We're so excited about the next chapter of our lives with Legacy of Hope Foundation in Honduras: Defending Children, Preserving Families, Restoring Hope!

Thank you for continuing to pray for us and for your encouragement and support!

A New Direction

Do you have a favorite time of year?  I love October and it's right around the corner! Last October I was writing about transitions and how I would share more when we hammered out details and firmed up plans.  Well, it took us awhile, but we've hammered out some details, firmed up some plans, and now we have some super exciting news.  

Compelled by God's love and mercy to be a voice for vulnerable children, the Robinson Family is preparing for a move to Santa Rosa de Cópan, Honduras to serve with Legacy of Hope Foundation in the development of family-based solutions for orphaned and vulnerable children.

Our ministry first began 16 years ago when God opened our eyes to the number of vulnerable children in our community in need of the love and nurture of a family.   Since that time, God has allowed us to serve Him with our lives through foster care and adoption ministry.  These experiences have transformed our way of life as God has increasingly used our family to minister to children in need.  Drawing from educational, professional, and personal experiences, our ministry has grown from foster parenting to providing individuals, families and organizations with professional consultation, education and training, compassionate insight, understanding, empathy, and support as they care for orphaned and at risk children. 

As we’ve continued to seek God’s leading in our lives, He has directed our steps into international ministry and introduced us to our friends Matt and Marianne at Legacy of Hope Foundation. We’ve been dreaming and praying with them about this move since we met them and heard about their ministry. God continues to reveal to us His love for the vulnerable child, and we are excited that He has led us into ministry in Honduras.  We are looking forward to living and working in Honduras and are thankful for the privilege of being a voice for orphaned and at risk children. 

Please pray with us!  We covet your prayers and encouragement as we continue developing partners and raising financial support, and as we transition our family to Honduras.   

Partner With Us!  In order to provide for our financial needs while we are serving in Honduras, we’re asking family, friends, and even strangers to prayerfully consider partnering with us as we minister to orphaned and at risk children. These children need and deserve the love of a family and advocates who will stand up and be a voice for them. God has given us the faith to step out and say “yes”, but we cannot do it alone.  We need others to come alongside us as we minister to vulnerable children in need of the love of a family!  Will you say “yes”? 

We are currently raising funds for monthly support, as well as, initial investment costs of our ministry, including:  travel expenses, resident visa expenses, language school, and transportation for our family in Honduras.

Financial gifts for our ministry are tax-deductible and can be made to County Line Church.  Please designate “Robinson Family Missions” on the memo line and send your check to:

County Line Church

2552 County Line Church Road

Warm Springs, Ga. 31830

Thank you so much for praying for us and partnering with us as we step out in faith to be a voice for orphaned and vulnerable children!  If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach us by phone at (678) 758-6749 or by email at ministry@raisingteamrobinson.com.