Johny Joseph, 13 months old, was brought to us by Sherrie Fausey on May 18th, a precious boy who only weighs 12 lbs. and has a bad ear infection which did not respond to antibiotics. We went to Medlab that afternoon for blood tests. Sadly, he is HIV positive, anemic, and has bacterial infections. Johny was admitted to the hospital this past week. They discovered he also has lesions on his lungs. Please pray with us for his recovery.
Johny is from Gonaives, an area devastated by mudslides a couple of years ago and still not recovered. His parents are both too sick to care for him. Pastor Genada, a Filipino missionary to that area, has been unable to find any programs in that area that treat AIDS. He asked Sherrie and I to help the baby. We are very glad to do so.
My 2 week visit to the States in early May was very busy. I saw doctors and filed taxes. I will return to Jacksonville on August 4th to prepare for a total knee replacement on August 25th. I should return to Haiti in early October. Praise God for medical insurance and a Christian doctor and hospital who will help with the cost!
Natasha is going to to extend her stay so she will be with the children while I am gone. In spite of being sick with fever and cough, she did a great job with the kids the 2 weeks I was gone. It is a huge responsibility and she is very brave to accept it for 2 months. We hope that friends of hers can visit during that time and possibly others who can help with the children's health needs. Please pray for her!
Getting ready to leave in April was hectic. Nerlande (10-11 mos.) had been very sick (vomiting) for over a week. As she was finally recovering, Nephtalie (5-6 mos) had to be hospitalized for a respiratory infection. She was released just before I left, after several days on oxygen and IV antibiotics. The bill for her stay at a private hospital took a huge chunk of our operating funds but God somehow still provided all we needed. Praise God for the recovery of these children and for His miraculous provision for our needs.
We really miss Jessica (1 year) who returned this week to the orphanage that brought her to us. They are starting to process her adoption. We took her in last July because her mother has AIDS and we were afraid Jessica would get the virus from breastfeeding. Jessica was positive but we all hoped she didn't actually have the virus and would revert to negative eventually. That is what happened! Praise God for sparing her from that horrible virus. Pray for her to be placed in a loving Christian home.
It is impossible to care for an baby, nurse them thru illnesses, hold and rock and sing to them, watch their firsts - turn over, crawl, walk, talk - without falling completely in love. It is hard to let them go. But it is our preference that children either be returned to their biological families or moved on to permanent families. Soon it will be time for Nerlande and Izaola to go home.
Several others cannot return to their families or be adopted. We will provide a permanent home for them. Pray that we will continue to have the funds necessary to educate and nurture these children until they become adults who will be Christian leaders in this country in desperate need of Jesus.
I am still learning about blogging and still have tons of information to post. Please feel free to make suggestions. Your comments are welcome, too. God bless you all!
Dorothy
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
April 21 2008 newsletter
April 21 2008
Port au Prince has been peaceful for the past week. Everything is back to normal. Praise God! Thank you for your prayers.
Baby Regina saw the doctor last Friday. He confirmed she has spina bifida and will never be able to walk. The goal of therapy and any surgery would be to move her legs to a more normal position. Her mother was devastated by this news. We have tried to reassure her that Regina can have a normal life in every other way but she will need her mother’s help.
Since there is nothing we can do to improve Regina’s condition, it is time for her to return to her mother’s care. Unfortunately, mom does not have a home of her own so we invited her to stay with us for a while. As I observe this young mother with her baby, I see that she knows absolutely nothing about how to be a mother or even, for that matter, how to behave in a home. All of us, especially our Haitian staff, will try to bring this young lady to Jesus and teach her how to be a mother. This is a tough situation for all of us. Please pray for this lady and baby.
Mackenzie, who was 3 years old in December, took his first steps alone this weekend. He is the little boy who has brain damage from being abused by his mother. When he first came to us almost a year and a half ago he could not even sit up. His progress is one of the most amazing things I have seen over the past few months. Praise God for saving his life!
Next week, on April 30th, I will fly home to Jacksonville for approximately 2 weeks. I will see a knee surgeon about repairing my right knee so I can go back to doing everything I could do a year ago. If surgery is indicated, it will be planned for late summer or early fall. Natasha is a little nervous about being responsible for all these children while I am gone so please pray for her.
Sadly, our puppy Goldie was poisoned. She died a very painful death Friday. We are still sad; I am angry at the person who did it; Kervens prayed for the person. I felt ashamed (of myself) and proud (of Kervens) that I wanted revenge but Kervens prayed for the person’s repentance and salvation. God is doing wonderful things in Kervens’ heart.
Natasha has been very sick for the past few days with a GI virus. She is finally getting up and around again. Baby Nerlande is much better. Baby Nephtalie is upstairs today getting the best treatment we can give her for croup: a bucket of hot water beside her bed with a sheet spread over the bed and bucket to make a tent. (A cool mist humidifier would be better but we don’t have one yet.) Our nanny Sr. Jesula’s 5 yr old son, Harry, has the same GI virus Natasha had. We brought him to our house today to rehydrate him.
This afternoon Gertie, Richardson and Isna rode in the car with Kervens and I to take our nanny and her son home. These three little ones - 4, 3 and 2 ½ years old - seldom get out of the house. Isna has almost never been out. It was so fun driving and hearing hushed voices in the back seat exclaiming with awe: “Gade!” (gah-day, meaning ‘look’). We stopped at the store and bought candy on the way home. They giggled when we went over bumps, a frequent occurrence since many roads haven’t been maintained for 10 to 20 years and driving is like off-road mountain driving. It was a wonderful end to the day.
Blessings to you all, and many thanks for your support in this ministry to poor children and families in Haiti. We love you.
Dorothy Pearce
Port au Prince has been peaceful for the past week. Everything is back to normal. Praise God! Thank you for your prayers.
Baby Regina saw the doctor last Friday. He confirmed she has spina bifida and will never be able to walk. The goal of therapy and any surgery would be to move her legs to a more normal position. Her mother was devastated by this news. We have tried to reassure her that Regina can have a normal life in every other way but she will need her mother’s help.
Since there is nothing we can do to improve Regina’s condition, it is time for her to return to her mother’s care. Unfortunately, mom does not have a home of her own so we invited her to stay with us for a while. As I observe this young mother with her baby, I see that she knows absolutely nothing about how to be a mother or even, for that matter, how to behave in a home. All of us, especially our Haitian staff, will try to bring this young lady to Jesus and teach her how to be a mother. This is a tough situation for all of us. Please pray for this lady and baby.
Mackenzie, who was 3 years old in December, took his first steps alone this weekend. He is the little boy who has brain damage from being abused by his mother. When he first came to us almost a year and a half ago he could not even sit up. His progress is one of the most amazing things I have seen over the past few months. Praise God for saving his life!
Next week, on April 30th, I will fly home to Jacksonville for approximately 2 weeks. I will see a knee surgeon about repairing my right knee so I can go back to doing everything I could do a year ago. If surgery is indicated, it will be planned for late summer or early fall. Natasha is a little nervous about being responsible for all these children while I am gone so please pray for her.
Sadly, our puppy Goldie was poisoned. She died a very painful death Friday. We are still sad; I am angry at the person who did it; Kervens prayed for the person. I felt ashamed (of myself) and proud (of Kervens) that I wanted revenge but Kervens prayed for the person’s repentance and salvation. God is doing wonderful things in Kervens’ heart.
Natasha has been very sick for the past few days with a GI virus. She is finally getting up and around again. Baby Nerlande is much better. Baby Nephtalie is upstairs today getting the best treatment we can give her for croup: a bucket of hot water beside her bed with a sheet spread over the bed and bucket to make a tent. (A cool mist humidifier would be better but we don’t have one yet.) Our nanny Sr. Jesula’s 5 yr old son, Harry, has the same GI virus Natasha had. We brought him to our house today to rehydrate him.
This afternoon Gertie, Richardson and Isna rode in the car with Kervens and I to take our nanny and her son home. These three little ones - 4, 3 and 2 ½ years old - seldom get out of the house. Isna has almost never been out. It was so fun driving and hearing hushed voices in the back seat exclaiming with awe: “Gade!” (gah-day, meaning ‘look’). We stopped at the store and bought candy on the way home. They giggled when we went over bumps, a frequent occurrence since many roads haven’t been maintained for 10 to 20 years and driving is like off-road mountain driving. It was a wonderful end to the day.
Blessings to you all, and many thanks for your support in this ministry to poor children and families in Haiti. We love you.
Dorothy Pearce
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Introduction to Haiti Infant Rescue
My first blog - how exciting! I have been dying to share news about the precious Haitian children who live in my home.
Faith Hope Love Infant Rescue is a Christian organization founded in 2005 in Port au Prince, Haiti to take in sick and malnourished infants from poor families who have no other hope. Whenever possible, we return children to their families when their health has been restored.
As of today, May 29 2008, we have 18 children in our care. They range from 6 months to 9 (almost 10) years. Most are still in diapers.
I am Dorothy Pearce from Jacksonville, Florida. God sent me to Haiti in 2004 to work with needy children and families in Haiti. I have two grown sons, one daughter[-in-law], one grandson, and am 60 years old and proud of it! Working in Haiti is the best job I have ever had and that is saying something as I have had some wonderful jobs in the past as a real estate paralegal.
To introduce you to our everyday life I am going to post emails that I have previously sent. Here is a picture of me, Natasha Taylor and Mary Dekoter (l-r). Natasha came in January 2008 to help out for 6 months. We have persuaded her to stay a little big longer. (She adds so much joy and love to our household we never want her to leave!) Mary is a nurse from Canada who visits twice a week to check on the children. (We would be lost without you, Mary!)
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