From Jacksonville ...

I flew to Jacksonville on August 4th and have been busy doing pre-op stuff. There was a slight snag when I failed the EKG but that was resolved when I passed the stress test. Whew! Surgery is scheduled for August 25th. I expect to be back in Haiti before mid-October.

Natasha is staying with the Haiti family. She has been hit with one crisis after another but is meeting every one of them like a champ. I'm relieved to have her in charge and proud of the job she is doing.

Poutchino is our biggest worry. Despite being treated by the doctor through two rounds of 3 antibiotics, he is still coughing and having fevers. The fevers often trigger gran mal and petit mal seizures. Natasha will try to find help at an excellent, free pediatric hospital, Nos Petit Frères et Soeurs. (We call it Ti Frere et Ti Soeur, or Little Brothers and Little Sisters.) Please pray that they will accept Poutchino as a patient and that they can find out what is wrong with him and fix it.


Her next major problem is our car. Cullie Woodall took it to fix the brakes and discovered that the steering box was about to fall apart. Praise God that he found it before a bad accident occurred! I am waiting for a detailed list of parts needed so I can ship them to Haiti asap. I think it's time we started praying for a new car, 4-wheel drive, big enough to haul children, strong enough to handle Haiti's roads, and new enough that we don't constantly fear breaking down in a bad situation. Please pray with us!

tor The doctor who was treating baby Mickenson for his ear infection has prescribed a very expensive series of shots to help his testicles drop. I'm not familiar with this treatment and would appreciate any information you have. Please post comments.

You prayer warriors out there keep on praying, okay?! We need you! God bless you all.

Dorothy