New Children in the RC

Has it really been 4 days since I last posted.  I have been busy here, really busy.  There are lots of exciting things happening here at RHFH.  We have admitted several kids in the past few weeks.  I wanted to share a story with you about little Joseline.  Each person that passes through our doors has a story, most are not happy, most are sad.  Haiti is a interesting place to live at times.  I am never sure what will be coming to our gate each day.  But I am thankful that we are able to be here for those that need some extra help.  We love Haiti, we love the people and we count it a privilege to be able to share these stories and the lives of the people here with you.

 

This is Joseline and her mom.  Joseline was born in Feb 09.  She will be 3 months old in a few days.  Her mother lost her mom and dad when she was younger.  She met the father about a year ago.  The father was killed in a terrible car accident at the beginning of the year.  That left the mom with no one.  She was ready to deliver the baby and she was mourning the lost of her husband.

She said she tried to breastfeed her but her body was not producing enough milk.  Also here in our area many think there breast milk is bad is they are going through a hardship or difficult time and will make the child sick if they give it to them.    So since  Joseline was born she has been feeding her crushed up cracker mixed with water.   She is a very sick baby.   The mom is sick as well.  She has lost a lot of weight and with everything going on in her life is just not well.  She was admitted into the RC on Tuesday.  Babies with kwashiorkor do not have a high sucess rate of living and recovering from it.

Here is what the textbooks say about Kwashiorkor

What is Kwashiorkor?

Kwashiorkor:Kwashiorkor is the medical name for malnutrition.When the child is weaned, if the diet that replaces the milk is high in starches and carbohydrates, and deficient in protein (as is common in parts of the world where the bulk of the diet consists of starchy vegetables, or where famine has struck), the child may develop kwashiorkor

Protein malnutrition.Proteins function in the blood to help keep blood from leaking out of the blood vessels into body tissues and cavities. When blood proteins are very low serum seeps in to the soft tissues and the abdominal cavities causing diffuse body swelling or edema, and abdominal bloating or ascites

Symptoms

• Changes in skin pigment
• Coma (late stage)
• Decreased muscle mass
• Diarrhea
• Failure to gain weight and grow
• Fatigue
• Hair changes (change in color or texture)
• Increased and more severe infections due to damaged immune system
• Irritability
• Large belly that sticks out (protrudes)
• Lethargy or apathy
• Loss of muscle mass
• Rash (dermatitis)
• Shock (late stage)
• Swelling (edema)

 

Licia defination:  The child is dying from the inside out from lack of food and protien.  It is a very painful and terrible death.  When they are very bad there body begins to shut down and die. 

 This is Ogeste.  He is 3 1/2 years old and weighs 22 pounds.  He is suffering with Kwashiorkor.   He also has a stomachache, fever and a cold.  This is his third time with Kwashiorkor.

 

This is Medeline. She is 23 months old and weighs 15 pounds.  She has 7 siblings. She has been swollen with Kwashiorkor for several months.

 

 This is Mackenia.  She is 13 months and weighs 14 pounds.  She is a only child. She has kwashiorkor, fever and does not want to eat. 

 

I posted pictures on Enoch a few weeks ago.  He is doing fair.  All of his swelling is going down.  All he does is eat and sleep and its hard for him to walk.

 

Look how small his arms are after losing his “water weight”  He lost a total of 6 pounds of water.

This is Wandy.  He is 30 months old and weighs 13 pounds.  That is bad.  He has had 2 other siblings die of kwashiorkor in the past two years.  He has 5 living siblings.

eSTNEL, 5 days old and 5 pounds, came into the clinic last week.  HIS mother died so they were feeding it the same as Joseline smashed up crackers and water.  He was severely dehydrated and very sick.  It died the same day.

Guivolida has not been doing well for the past few days.  We started and IV on Monday.  She has a long road ahead of her and even then she will never walk and most likely never even sit up.  Will you pray?

We are still need to get 30 pallets sponsored for the next trailer coming at the end of May.  There will be lots of medication and supplies that have brought at reduced prices to ship here.  This container will save us thousands on dollars in purchasing and shipping cost to keep RHFH running each month.

We are still in need of $1350 to cover the cost of the breast cancer treatement for Emila.  This is a urgent need right now.  

Psalm 33:21-22 (The Message) ^20-22 We’re depending on God;
      he’s everything we need.
   What’s more, our hearts brim with joy
      since we’ve taken for our own his holy name.
   Love us, God, with all you’ve got—
      that’s what we’re depending on.

Can you come up with a caption for this picture?

Walk to Lamy

These pictures are from a walk we went on a few weeks ago.  It was up, up, up to a village called Lamy.

This lady lives in this house with all of her 9 children. (one was not there for the picture)

 

 

carrying wood to cook with 

 

These men are all working together to get this large field ready to plant crops in.  Each one has a pick ax in their hand and the sing and chant and break up  the earth together until the job is finished.

 cultivating the land for planting by hand.  This is a very hard and difficult job.  He is on top of a mountain with a wonderful view.

beautiful sunset

 

Check it out.

There is a wonderful 12 minute video on Lori’s blog  about RHFH and us.  Check it out and let us know what you think.

We are up to 9 pallets being sponsored for the semi container.  We only have 31 pallets left to sponsor.  Dad has been working hard to get things organized for the packing and sorting.  Today he is receiving 45 pallets of medication from International aid.  Half of these pallets will come on the container this year and the rest on the next container.  We get these medications and supplies 90% off the original price.  This is a great, huge blessing for the people here.  The rest of the container will be filled with supplies for the RC and mission.  Please let me know if you are interested.  Each pallets can be sponsored for $250.oo.  Maybe your Sunday school class, small group or church  would like to help out.  If you would like to help but cannot sponsor a whole pallet, let us know , that it not a problem it all adds up and will help us to be able to meet this goal.  Thanks so much! 

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Imagine a doctor telling you that you have breast cancer.  Imagine that you live in Haiti and there is not hope for your to find treatment.  That is was what Emila felt like a few months ago.  But we serve a wonderful God.  Remember when I was sick and in the hospital?  The doctor that treated me was seeing on of his patients and asked me to come see her when I was there.  She had breast cancer and now he is able to treat it.   He wanted me to see her and talk to her and see the success that she was having with the treatment.  I was so shocked as we have never heard of someone being able to find treatment in Haiti for cancer.   The hospitals usually just send them home to die.  That same day I called Lori and told her from the hospital.  Just a few minutes later Emila came through the clinic.  I cannot believe anything else but that God brought her to us at the right time.  He is so good!  It will cost $1500 for her treatment and hospital stay.  If you would like to help let me know at licia@realhopeforhaiti.org  Lori also wrote about her here

 

My husband going on the Comfort ship

I do not have a lot of pictures of Enoch on the blog, and many of you ask about him.  So I thought I would overload you today.  These are pictures from last week when Enoch, Troy and Tara and Dr. Jen went to represent RHFH and got to visit the Comfort Ship.

We love the Livesay family thanks for helping us out!

Enoch and Troy with important people

inside the ship

this guy was very helpful to RHFH and very nice to Enoch

this was on top of the ship where they do repairs of the helicopters

this would be in the captians chair

at the wheel of the ship

he is thinking about me of course

this was on the boat over to the ship

It is not always easy…but HE is there

I have been trying to get out of the yard here each evening.  Taking a walk with the boys and Lori and just getting away.  Getting out of the thick of it to clear my mind some.  It is hard to live above the clinic, beside the RC and have others living with you in your own house.   There is never a moment to yourself, never a time that someone else cannot hear you or see you or know what is going on in your life.  Try having to have a discussion with you spouse in a whisper so no one will  know what is going on in your life.  Now try it 24/7 for over a year with no break.   God did not sign me up for a 5 day 9 to 5 job.  So back to walking…we headed out and there was already a line of people seated in front  of the clinic gate.  It was around 4:30 in the afternoon.  Those waiting planned to sleep there all night so that they could pass through the clinic early in the morning.  As soon as we headed out a man came up to Lori and said his child was very sick.  We asked him to wait until we returned and we would  talk to him.  He waited and when we came back he showed us his daughter, Kendina.  She was struggling to breath and had a 103.8 fever.   Her little body, that was only 10 days old, was so stiff and hard.   We took her in right away and began to look at her. 

We tried to understand why a baby this small could be this sick.  We began to talk with the father.  He and the mother of his daughter had another baby girl a few years ago.  She lived a few weeks and died of fever and diar.  They mother was very sad that her first child had died.  When she became pregnant with Kendina she was excited but scared.  Imagine the emotions within her.  She went through her pregnancy and all went well.  She delivered her baby girl without many problems. You know,  just like most of us,  in the dark with a small oil lamp burning, on the dirt floor.  She was fine for a few days and then began to get a fever.  The mother told the dad that she wanted nothing to do with her.  She was going to die just like the first one.  She refused to breastfeed her and all she could do was cry and scream and mourn for her second daughter.   The father did not know what to do.  He gave her water with sugar in it.  Then he made some porage for her to eat.  Her little body was so hot with fever and she was so stiff.  The dad traveled several hours by foot to walk to the clinic.  He just could not deal with both problems at once.  His child that was dying and his wife that is already mourning and going crazy.  He was so very tired.  It was very evident that he cared and loved his daughter so much. 

While he was talking I pressed my head against the wall.  Asking myself why I had just sat there and listened to that. It is easier, for me, for some reason, to not know the stories behind the sick kids.  Just to deal with the child and the sickness they have is enough.   Why have we been chosen to do this?  Why can’t we go on vacations, go to ball games, go to movies, read books, play games and have a somewhat normal life.  Why can’t my concerns be why the sheets are not just the color that I wanted, or that the walmart ran out of grapes or something simple like that.  Why does so much of it  have to life and death and sorrow and heartache.   Why can I never have a minute to even mourn the loss of these children?  I keep asking why and keep going forward as I do each day.  But it does not get easier.  I love what I do but need a break at times.  But to take a break, like I really need a break, I would have to leave one of my kids and my husband to travel to another place that they could go to.    So it would not really be a break but a separation of our family ..again.  No easy solutions.  But the great thing is that I trust God, I believe that He is in control and He and only He can help me through these times.  He calls us all to different things, different callings, different lives, and different places to minister to people. 

Kendina died on Wednesday night.  Just the day before the military doctor came.  I was able to hold her when she took her last breaths before she went into the loving arms of Jesus.  I am glad that I was able to do that for her.  I am glad that God called me here.  I was able to tell the father about the death of his second daughter on Friday.  It was sad.  The only thing he said was thank you and God did His work.  

Psalm 63:3-5 (The Message)

 ^2-4 So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
      drinking in your strength and glory.
   In your generous love I am really living at last!
      My lips brim praises like fountains.
   I bless you every time I take a breath;
      My arms wave like banners of praise to you.

 ^5-8 I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy;(rice and beans)
      I smack my lips. It’s time to shout praises!
   If I’m sleepless at midnight,
      I spend the hours in grateful reflection.
   Because you’ve always stood up for me,
      I’m free to run and play.
   I hold on to you for dear life,
      and you hold me steady as a post

Are you showing HIS love to someone today?

 

It’s amazing what can be accomplished if you don’t worry about who gets the credit.”
Clarence W. Jones

 

 “God isn’t looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him” — Hudson Taylor

 

 What are we here for, to have a good time with Christians or to save sinners?”
Malla Moe 

 

 Jesus said the harvest is plentiful. “Then why do many churches spend more energy improving what is on the inside four walls of the church, than bringing in the harvest that is outside?” ’Fields of the Fatherless’ 

 

“Let us see that we keep God before our eyes; that we walk in His ways and seek to please and glorify Him in everything, great and small. Depend upon it, God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supplies.” Hudson Taylor

Where is dad?

 Dad has been keeping himself busy while in the states.  He is speaking at churches each Sunday and a few week days.  He is also meeting with team members that are planning trips to Haiti in the next year.  He has been busy visiting with old and new friends and of course talking about Haiti.  He is also packing a semi trailer to come back down to Haiti, full of supplies to keep the clinic and RC running.  Each time dad goes out on of us girls tries to go with him.  This spring it was my turn.   Due to the fact that Carmelo’s adoption papers are still not finished with the US side I could not go this time.  Thanks dad for all your hard work to keep things moving and speaking at all the churches.  We miss you and love you!

 Looks like things got a little loud at church this past Sunday.

She’s back…

This had to have a post all to itself.   Lori, my wonderful nurse sister, is back to blogging.  Go see  and give her some encouragement!