Haiti Hoedown!

Our friends at Artist for Hope are having a Haiti hoedown and silent auction this coming Friday.  Check out their blog for details!    There will be a team of four coming in late November to visit RHFH for the first time.   We are all getting excited to meet our friends face to face.

Green eggs and Spam says Anna I am

Green eggs and ham or spam.  Somedays you just have to start out having fun!  Thanks Anna for making life fun and real! 

 

Imagine trying to expain to the staff what we were having for breakfast today.  They think white people are weird anyway so we did not want to dispoint them

Questions?

Someone asked a few days ago why so many people have umbilical hernias here in Haiti.   Here is the medical stuff for umbilical hernia.   This is what I know about them, a remember no I’m not a nurse   Umbilical hernias are more predominant in the black race.  They are also more predominant in girls.  Most hernia resolve themselves before the child turns 5 years old.   In Haiti, with the hospitals that we work with, they do not repair an umbilical hernia until after they are five years old.  We have known of medical teams that come from other countries to Haiti that will perform these surgeries before the child is five years old.  Of course if the child is in danger and must have surgery they will do it at any age.  Many do not get surgery even after five because they would rather eat then get surgery to fix something that is not really a big deal to them.  I do not think it is more predominant in Haiti or third world countries.  I think that in more developed countries that a person would get surgery early and for that reason you do not see it often.   It has nothing to do with the way that the cords are tied at birth here. 

 

What do I do when a child is abandoned?

The first thing I do is look around for the parents or the person that was with the child.  Usually someone will remember the person that was with them.  You might just get this information.  She was a black lady in a flowered dress.  So you go outside and tell everyone to look for a black lady in a flowered dress. (you know there are a lot of white ladies walking around here: ) ) Then usually you will find someone who will say hey I saw a black lady get on a motorcycle and leave about 1 hour ago.  So once we know that the care giver is gone we call the local judge.  If he is working he comes down to the clinic or RC.  We have to leave the child is the same place that is was abandoned so that proper papers can be done.  We can not pick them up or change their clothes or move anything around them.  Once the judge is done with the papers he give us the permission to take the child into the RC.  We have had many abandoned children over the years that we have been here.  Several of them have been given back to their parents, or other family members.  Some have been put up for adoption, some have moved to other orphanages.  Each child is different.  I will do all that I can to keep a child out of a bad situation where there is abuse.  But I will do all that I can to keep a child with his birth family if that is the best choice for all parties.

Denise

This little girl was abandoned in the clinic yard on Tuesday morning.  She was found lying in the gravel beside where the patients wait to be seen.    Lori went out to the yard and saw her.  She began asking the patients if anyone knew who she was with.  Everyone said she had been lying there for hours.  Some remembered what the mother looked like.  We searched and searched but she was nowhere to be found.  She has hydrocephalus.  She appears to be blind.  She eats and drinks well and seems healthy otherwise.

When we took her over I wanted to talk to Deny (another child in the RC with hydrocephalus), but I become busy with something else.  Later that afternoon the nannies were feeding her  Deny went over to see her.  He told the nanny giving her a bath that he was so happy that I had went and found a sister for him.  He has been watching over her and making sure she is okay.  So sweet!  The staff named her this week-Denise.   Deny loves his new “sister”.

Emmanuel

Emmanuel June 2007  3 pounds 11 ounces

November 2008 going home first time 20.5 pounds

March 2009 back in RC for the second time with kwashiorkor.  His lowest weight 17 pounds

Going home July 2009 23 pounds

Back in the RC for the third time at 19 pounds Oct 2009

This makes three times this little guy has been here.  His mother is dead.  I have been in contact with his uncle/dad ( sometimes he tells me he is the uncle and sometimes he is the dad)  Meaning he brings him sick and then I do not hear from him for months.  I talk and talk and have the nannies talk to the family.  We talk about what food are good to eat, what causes kwashiorkor, loving him etc.  When he came this time he  saw us and began crying and reaching for us.  I put him down to walk and he started pumping his little arms up and down and yelling.  He ran to the table where the kids were eating and took one of their bowls of food.  He started eating as fast as he could to get as much food in.  He was starving and was so excited to see food.  The lady that brought him did not really know him that well.  She said the family said to tell me that he did not want to eat any food that is why he was so skinny.  I looked at her and asked he to please go back to them and tell them what she had just witnessed. 

These are the hard times and difficult times to make decisions about what is best to do.  They are not taking care of him.  They do not come to visit him.  They leave him with neighbors and other family for days at a time.  They will not put him up for adoption.  I cannot keep him long-term that is just not what we are set up for. Is helping him for months at a time here and there really helping him.  Why get him better to return to a home life where no one seems to want him or love him.  Should I get really mean with the uncle/dad and tell him that he is going to die if he does not take care of him?  What if I make him mad and then he does not return later when he gets sick again.  How many times can his body take this?  Or maybe I should just tell him I have reached my limit and need to pull back some?  Sorry no room today for him, my beds are all full?  These thought are all running through my head today.   What would you do?

 

New Children in the RC

 This is Mackenson.  He is 2 years old and weighs 18 pounds 10 ounces.  This is his second time with kwashiorkor.  He has 2 siblings.

This is Mysslande.  She is 1 1/2 years old and weights 23 pounds.  She has mild kwashiorkor.  She has had a high fever for 5 days with a stiff neck.  She is currently on a feeding tube due to not having enough strength to eat.

This is Oramene.  She is almost 2 months old and weighs 8 pounds 8 ounces.  She has gained 2 pounds in a month.  This would be good but she has kwashiorkor, so this is water that her body is retaining.  Grandma brought her.  Her mother does not want to take care of her.  She does not want to put her up for adoption.  She just will not sit and take care of her.  So grandma has been trying, but cannot afford the milk and need to work to provide for her own children that are still at home.

This is Prosper.  He is 5 years old and weighs 20 pounds.  He has diar, vomiting and fever.  We already have one of his siblings in the RC now.  There are 3 other siblings at home.  Father died about 1 year ago.

This is Andre Jean.  He is 7 years old and weighs 33 pounds.  This is his first time with kwashiorkor.  He is very ill.

All of these kids except Oramene (the baby) are on the medika mamba program.

The week ahead looks difficult for us.  The needs seem overwhelming.  But we are confident with God we will make it.  Are you with us?

Psalm 72:11-13 (The Message)

 ^9-14 Foes will fall on their knees before God,
      his enemies lick the dust.
   Kings remote and legendary will pay homage,
      kings rich and resplendent will turn over their wealth.
   All kings will fall down and worship,
      and godless nations sign up to serve him,
   Because he rescues the poor at the first sign of need,
      the destitute who have run out of luck.
   He opens a place in his heart for the down-and-out,
      he restores the wretched of the earth.
   He frees them from tyranny and torture—
      when they bleed, he bleeds;
      when they die, he dies.

 

The semi container arrived and made it out of customs last week!  What a blessing it had been for everyone. There are boxes and boxes of supplies to put away.  We are so thankful to all of you that donated  funds,  supplies, your time and your skills to get the container packed and here to Haiti.  We opened our last box of cloth diapers the day I arrived back from the states.  Lori was low on lot of medicine and  is now able to fill her shelves.  What a blessing it is to be able to restock our supply rooms.  God is Good!

 

Mommy never has time to go fun art things with the boys.  They have been having so much fun in art with Anna.  So of their recent creations. 

A beautiful flower.

Good Habits for little boys.

One day they had a lesson about covered wagons.  They had no idea what a covered wagon was.  So they just built one.

Colossians 4:2-4 (The Message)

 Pray for Open Doors

 ^2-4Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don’t forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I’m locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.

Sweet Story…

We need your prayers for Story.  Here is why.

In the beautiful name of our  Lord Jesus.  We pray for Story right now dear Jesus.  We ask that you help her get better.  We ask that you heal here.  We ask that you help the doctors, the doctors that you know so well to help find the right medicine for her.  We love her Lord so much.  We ask that you be with her parents and with her brothers.  We ask that you give them a peace in their hearts, a peace that only you can give.  God be with Story, wrap your arms around her and give her comfort in her time of need.  Help her not to have any more headaches.  Give her the strength that she needs to recover.  We thank you for helping her God.  We know that you are a faithful and true God to us.  We together ask this in the name of Jesus. 

The staff from Cazale.

I like you  Magda.  I like you papa and my mom.  I want Magda to be good not bad.  I love Magda.  I love Jesus. Make Magda play and watch movies.

Your brother Amos

We love you Sweet Story and are praying for you!

How Great HE is..

How Great is our God  Chris Tomlin

 VERSE(1):
The splendor of a King,
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice,
All the earth rejoice
He wraps himself in light,
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at his voice,
And trembles at his voice

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

VERSE(2):
Age to age he stands
And time is in His Hands
Beginning and the End,
Beginning and the End
The Godhead, Three in one
Father, Spirit, Son
The Lion and the Lamb,
The Lion and the Lamb

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

CHORUS(2)
Name above all names
You are Worthy of all praise
and My heart will sing how great
Is our God

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God