Thursday afternoon, nine days after a massive earthquake pitched this nation into widespread ruin, a group of Haitian nannies sang 83 babes off to new lives.

The children, from the God’s Littlest Angels orphanage in the mountains outside this city, were on the way to the United States.

After winding its way down a long mountain road and weaving through Port-Au-Prince on one last long day, the caravan of toddlers prepared to leave, kissed by lilting Creole lullabyes from those who delivered them to new lives.

These were not this rattled country’s newest orphans, born of the catastrophic Jan. 12 earthquake. Instead, these were the lucky ones.

View full sizeBruce Ely/The OregonianNurse Nicole Douglas holds baby Rose-leure as the group boards the plane bound for Miami. An infection caused seizures and breathing problems for the child early in the day, but was stable enough for the two-hour flight.They had survived the quake and instead of many more months — perhaps even years — of red tape, they were now on the way to join their newly-minted American parents.

While more bureaucracy surely lies ahead, much of it now lay in the ruins of the capital city.

Part of this group was a Beaverton man who, with his wife, had already been in the process of adopting a toddler from the God’s Littlest Angels. In fact, the Wilkins – Joe and Jill — had visited the orphanage just two weeks before the quake struck.

But Thursday marked the first time that Joe had seen the boy since last week’s disaster. While the big quake had damaged the orphanage, none of the 160 children who call it home were injured.

It seemed a miracle, especially after two more aftershocks shook the building in the final hours before the caravan was to leave.

So early on this long day, Joe Wilkins finally got to again hold Samuel Chancelet, his new 20-month-old boy.

Back in Beaverton, Jill works in communications at LSI Corp. and Joe teaches third grade at Greenway Elementary.

But on Thursday, while Jill waited in Miami, Joe made the perilous journey to the orphanage in Fermate, a village in the mountains southeast of Port-au-Prince.

Joe made the trip to the orphanage rode in a rented, 5-seat truck powered by an engine that sounded like an overworked lawnmower.

From Port Au Prince, the road to Fermate — the town where the orphanage sits — first heads east to Petionville, climbing into the cool green mountains. No switchbacks ease the way. Then the route turns southward, crawling down a steep, long slope.

Finally, a red truck in a valley between mountains marks the turn into the orphange. Inside a locked green gate sits God’s Littlest Angels.

Once inside, Joe was reunited with his son.

The Wilkins had worried that the earthquake would prolong the already lengthy adoption process. They feared months of paperwork were lost amid the rubble of government buildings.

But in this case, the quake had actually made things easier and Samuel Chancelet and his new father became part of the group that left for new homes.

Certainly, the final day here was anything but easy.

The aftershocks, one of which was later gauged at about 5.0, left the children frightened and crying.

Some workers and visitors comforted them as best they could, and took many outside, while others — Joe Wilkins included — were dispatched to help search for cracks in the walls, ceilings and foundation.

View full sizeBruce Ely/The OregonianJoe Wilkins of Beaverton holds his and wife Jill’s newly adopted son, Samuel Chancelet, 20 months, Thursday morning at the God’s Littlest Angels in Fermate, Haiti. Eventually, when the shaking had stopped, the director called for the children to be taken back upstairs to be dressed for their journey.

But even after a morning punctuated by the aftershocks, it wasn’t easy leaving. For one thing, Samuel and the others may miss out of the culture and history of their native Haiti.

And no doubt they will be deeply missed by the volunteers at God’s Littlest Angels.

But everyone knew a world of possibility awaits them

Finally, after the steep, scary return drive, the caravan reached the airport and the children and new parents waited to board their plane.

As it sat on the tarmac, a beautiful sunset rolled down while the children snuggled in the laps of the flight crews that welcomed them