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
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