By Melanie Tucker | The Daily Times
Jeff Ledford is a deputy for the Blount County Sheriff’s Office who thought he had seen everything in his 16 years as a community servant. But when he arrived in Haiti back in January, what he saw not only changed his life forever but also set into motion the adoption of the 12-year-old girl the Ledford family will now be bringing home.
Working on a plan
Ledford was part of a group of about 15 from Foothills Church who arrived in the village of Camatin to help build a cistern. They stayed for seven days and had the construction project 90 percent complete. It’s now finished. While there, Ledford said his heart went out to the students living in the town’s orphanage. One girl in particular, 12-year-old Christella, stole his heart away.
The whole experience of being there, of seeing families living in them most primitive of conditions, weighed heavily on Ledford when he returned.
“I had never been on any kind of trip like this,” he said. “I was home for three or four weeks before I could even talk about it.”
When he was finally able to relay his experiences, Ledford said he talked to his wife Kyla about adopting Christella. The family already includes a 21-year-old daughter, and three sons, ages 4 to 13. Ledford admitted he had already decided before this trip that they were done having any more. “But God had a different plan for us,” he said. Kyla was just as excited as he was.
The required paperwork to complete the adoption has been turned over to authorities in Haiti. The Ledford family now waits for word they can go and get Christella and bring her home. Ledford said it could happen as early as December or as late as a year from now.
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