Utah family finds joy after devastation in Haiti

When Tonya Mae Wilson was growing up in Kaysville, she dreamed of someday having a family of her own. But, after years of unsuccessful attempts, she had given up hope.

Then in January, the St. George woman, 33, lost her job.

For days, she was despondent and frustrated with life when she heard about the calamitous earthquake in Haiti. Watching and reading about the devastation made her feel worse.

But knowing that focusing your efforts on another can make you feel better, Wilson decided to follow a prompting and sent Jeremy Johnson, whom she had known from high school, a Facebook message telling him how much she admired his relief work in Haiti and encouraging him to be safe.

The wealthy St. George businessman first flew his private jet to the area just two days after the quake hit and has since made several repeat visits, bringing donations and many volunteers to help in the chaotic aftermath.

Within five minutes of sending her e-mail, Johnson began chatting with Wilson from Haiti. Over the course of their conversation, Wilson mentioned how she would love to be in Haiti helping as well.

Then Johnson posed a life-altering question.

"Do you really want to go to Haiti?"

"Yes!" she replied, not thinking "in a million years" that she would actually go.

"Pack your bags," Johnson told her.

Within hours, Wilson and her husband were in Las Vegas, waiting for a flight. Like a blur, Brian and Tonya Wilson were on their way to Haiti.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Wilson, her mother had also contacted Johnson.

"I e-mailed him and shared my private wishes that (Tonya) would be able to bring home two or three of the orphans. He told me that he would grant my wishes," Nihla Judd said.

Within 10 minutes of visiting Haitian children at a makeshift "orphanage," something came over Tonya Wilson.

"Babies were in hot, dirty, fly-infested tents in the back of filthy old trucks and in cribs out in the hot sun," she said. "A lot of those kids just reach their arms out to you. … They really just get their basic needs met."

Tonya Wilson had never heard so many little voices saying "mama" almost in unison and over and over and over again.

"It took Tonya all of five seconds to give her whole heart to the children of Haiti," said her husband.

"I realized that I didn't have to biologically have one of these children to be able to take them in and give them what they needed, which is love," she said.

Later that night, the couple had one of their most heartfelt and significant talks of their marriage and made a decision that many other families in Utah and around the country have made.