Thanksgiving in Haiti Nov 21 2009

It's almost Thanksgiving. I am SO thankful, for more things than can be named. This past week while we tried to give baby Dathsun a chance for life we were especially thankful for the oxygen concentrator, inverter and batteries, hot water bottle, feeding tubes, syringes, blankets, preemie baby clothes, preemie-xs diapers, our pediatrician, pediatric nasal cannulas and tubing, Karen who drove us everywhere we needed to go and kept checking on the baby at the hospital. And so on.

Dathsun was born Nov 7, 2 months early, to a 13 year old girl in Gonaives. He was 1 lb 10 oz and hypothermic when he came to us Nov 13. We took him to General Hospital the next day. They said he was too old(!) for an incubator and put him in a small cribwith no warmer or other special support. General Hospital went on strike over the weekend. They stopped treating Dathsun and all other patients. Dathsun came home Tues Nov 17 weighing only 1 lb. He stopped breathing twice that day but was resuscitated both times. Oxygen, a hot water bottle and regular feedings thru a feeding tube kept him alive until Wednesday evening. We lost electricity and could not use the oxygen concentrator. Dathsun passed away not long after.

As we used these items I kept thinking of our friends in the U.S. who sent or brought all these things. People say nice things about those who go to other countries to help others. But, don't forget that no one could do anything without all the wonderful people at home! Being allowed to go is a wonderful gift. The real heroes are the ones who stay home and make everything work. How I thank God for you!

Jerry Cheatham brought a group to Haiti recently. As usual a few members of the group spent each day with us. They REALLY loved on the children. They also brought lots and lots of goodies for us, stuff for fun and stuff we really need for operations. They were lots of fun!!!

Myson was pretty sick when we saw the doctor Thursday. She said he would have to go back in the hospital if the antibiotic she prescribed didn't work fast. Praise the Lord, it worked fast! Myson has not had fever since he started the antibiotic and his breathing is much better. Praise the LORD!

Agape Flights graciously delivered turkeys yesterday! We have a nice little turkey that cost only $8 USD in the U.S. Here it would have been at least $50 USD. We are planning a feast! I hope you enjoy your feasting as much as we expect to!

Mostly, I am thankful that the Lord who created the entire universe is personally interested in every human being who has ever lived on earth. He sees past our faults; He care about the smallest details of our lives. Through Jesus He made a plan to forgive our sins. He offers us eternal life with Him in heaven, a perfect place where death and illness and pain and suffering will not exist. All we have to do is repent our wrongdoings and follow Him.

May the Lord bless and keep you.

November 11 2009 Update

November 11, 2009

Myson was admitted to the hospital a couple of weeks ago with bacterial pneumonia. He is home now and doing better. The doctors gave up their plan of waiting until he's 2 before starting aids meds. He started the meds while in the hospital. Praise God! I was afraid we were going to lose another child to aids. Treatment gives him at least a chance for a good life.

Emmanuella survived another bout of pneumonia. This week she has enjoyed attention from ladies visiting from Kentucky. They even read to her! It is wonderful to watch these ladies showering love on our children. The kids have had a blast! (I also had a blast, and appreciate all the goodies they have brought: food, diapers, washcloths, towels, clothes, shoes, and so much more.) We have been enormously blessed. Thank you, Lord!

A very sad thing happened, too. A sick baby came in from Gonaives and died the same day. It is always hard to lose a baby. Only knowing that he is in heaven brings comfort.

Dianne Groves spent a week with me! She got more of an adventure than she expected. We went to General Hospital to the pediatric ward and then to the abandoned children's ward. Four kids to a crib, cribs crammed into a too-small room --- it was horrible. Then I got bronchitis and then the baby died. Dianne got a taste of the reality of day to day life here. God has something special planned for Dianne to use this experience. We are eagerly waiting to see what it is.

The Lord has answered prayers in special ways. We have sponsors to pay our pediatrician for the next 13 months! Our staff is paid for October, rent paid for November. Our car's wobbling wheel is steady again and the muffler is almost repaired. The neighbors for a couple of blocks around us no longer know when I leave home and return! [grin] The computer died last week and a new one will be delivered tomorrow! Yay God!!!!

Never underestimate the power of the living God. He created and owns everything. He cares for the smallest details of our lives. He never forgets anyone or anything. Even when we don't understand what is happening or why, He already knows the beginning and the end and is working everything out. He has wonderful things planned - greater than we can imagine - for those who follow Him.

Life is a challenge for all of us and I thank you for continuing to support us even in hard times. May you receive the very best that the Lord has planned for you.

Blessings!
Dorothy

October 23 2009

Dr. Pierre-Louis, our Haitian pediatrician, has been busy. He is expensive, at US$350 per month but has really earned his pay. We are still praying for a sponsor to pay his salary so we can keep him.

• 9/25, before his contract started, he treated Herode for pneumonia.
• 10/1, the first day of his contract, we called him about 2 week old Marcus having a fever
• 10/1 he made a house visit and saw Marcus, Marvens, Leika
• 10/2 put Marcus in the hospital
• 10/3 hospital visit
• 10/5 hospital visit
• 10/9 house call, saw Leika, Claudine, Marcus, Poutchino, Myson
• 10/12 phone call, Johnny
• 10/15 phone call, Marcus
• 10/18 house call, Rosa, Claudine, Poutchino, Mackenzie, Marcus, Tree
• 10/16 surgery on Marcus to remove infected 6^th finger
• Office visit, Leika
  
• 10/23 house call, Leika, Frantzo, Sara

Leika is a baby girl who came to live with us on October 1^st. Her mother died when she was born, on September 23^rd. She is a beautiful baby girl!

Richardson has a school sponsor and a home sponsor! Praise God!! The home sponsor contributes towards his living expenses and, more importantly, prays for him regularly and sends occasional small things to let him know someone out there cares just for him. 14 of our children do not have sponsors.

Myson does not have tuberculosis (sputum cultures were negative) but is being treated for it anyway because something shows on his chest xray. His immune system is low – CD4 9.5% in July – but they are trying to wait until he is 2 before giving AIDS medicines. Pray for him!

Emmanuella improves daily. She actually smiled at a nanny and reached out to touch her face. Aron is growing normally. Gerdeline is now strong enough to turn over and to lift herself on her elbows. Poutchino routinely stands alone now. Kervens, who never had French in school before, is getting A’s! Rosa has settled into our routine and is overcoming her fear of men. Tree’s weight is in the normal range for his age and build. He will go home soon. Herode is in good health again and walking everywhere. We see God's miracles every day. What a blessing!

October has been a blessed month. We got new inverter batteries, paid our rent, paid our staff, etc. The car is still a concern: the front left wheel is wobbling now, I don’t know why. The mechanic is due back in town Monday. The owner of our house will sell the house to us for $210,000. Only a miracle of God can supply that much money but HE is able! We wait on his decision.

I thank God for all of you and for your prayers. Blessings on your households!

Dorothy Pearce

September 30 2009

September 30, 2009

Our nanny, Claudia, had a baby girl on September 18th. It was a month early but mother and daughter are doing fine.

Myson is the 18 month old boy we took in from the HIV clinic on Aug 18th because his mother was too sick to care for him properly. We learned today recently that she died on Sept 15th. This very sad news is, unfortunately, very common here. Myson is pretty sick himself. He's being tested for tuberculosis this week. I thank the Lord that He provided a home where Myson will receive loving care.

We have contracted with Dr. Pierre-Louis, a Haitian pediatrician who works at St Damien's Hospital in the HIV clinic, to visit our home once a week and to be on call for emergencies. We are required to affiliate with a Haitian pediatrician in order to get our license. I'm still reeling from "sticker shock" - his fee is $350 US per month. We have a 2 month contract to be extended if someone volunteers to sponsor his position. Please pray for a sponsor for our doctor!

Herode had been on augmentin for 5 days and still had a fever. Dr. Pierre-Louis said he had pneumonia, gave him a shot, and ordered blood tests and xrays. What a blessing that the doctor came just when we needed him!

Next month we need to hire a fulltime nurse. As I reported before, Emmanuella was gravely ill when I came back from the States. Natasha had left several days earlier and our staff didn't recognize the severity of Emmanuella's condition. The nurse would give the medicines (a major chore), make sure the kids with respiratory problems get breathing treatments every day, give physical therapy, monitor and treat fevers, do staff training, and so on. Please pray that we will find a loving, competent, Spirit-filled person for this position.

Twin boys! Sherrie Fausey is at it again: this time she sent us twin boys born September 12th. Their mother died, they need baby formula and first year care. They are 4.5 and 5 lbs., named Marcus and Marvens. They appear very healthy, especially if you judge by the strength of their cries when they're hungry!

Please pray for our nanny Jesula Joseph. She is our best worker, one of the sweetest people I have ever known. The love of God shows in everything she does. Her blood pressure is high and I am concerned for her health. (By the way, it would be nice if someone would sponsor school for one of her children!)

Richardson loves school! He needs a sponsor to pay for the school, $525 a year. Please pray for a sponsor for Richardson's school.

Have a wonderful week! May God bless you!

Dorothy Pearce

Ketlyn Marvens Nazaire, born 9-12-09

Ketlyn Marcus Nazaire, born 9-12-09

Gerdeline Beaubrun, 7 mos.
New room plus new toys = Happy Girl!

Claudine St. Felix, 3 1/2 yrs old, 9-4-09

We moved the babies upstairs to the guest room next to my bedroom

Sunset from our roof

Haiti - home again!

Sep 21 2009

I got back in Haiti Friday late afternoon. It was great to come home! It has been hectic ever since I got here.

When I got to the house Friday evening I went downstairs to hug and love all the nannies and kids. Emmanuella was last as she was in her crib. She didn't look good. Brought her upstairs and Laura Lynn (visiting) walked her to Dottie's guesthouse where a doctor friend was staying. Big ER scene! She had pneumonia. She was so dehydrated the doctor couldn't find a vein anywhere for an IV. He gave her shots, put in a feeding tube. I sat up all night long giving her little bits of pedialyte at a time to rehydrate her. Praise God, she revived!!!! Still in bad shape but has a good chance. (By the way, she's up to 14 lbs!)

Pipes from the water pump had a leak so we were having to prime the pump every time we wanted to use it. The mechanic took it all apart yesterday and, si dieu vle (God willing), all will be fixed today.

The mechanic found a broken belt on the generator. He hopes to bring new belts today and get it running again. God is good!

We had very heavy rain last night. I was sitting in my chair reading - all the kids were tucked in - and wondered why my foot got wet when I put it on the floor. Looked around and water was pouring in through an electrical outlet! The whole room was flooded! So, outside with a flashlight and umbrella. Found that leaves had plugged a drain hole on the roof. Once the leaves were removed, the roof drained and the flooding stopped. Life is just full of surprises!

Saturday I found out new car dealers here don't sell used cars. Toyota wanted $53,000 for a new 4 runner, Hyundai wanted $36,000 for a new Santa Fe. I'm calling around for references to good used car dealers. Pray for a good find! We must have a 'new' car!

My visit to the states was wonderful. I praise God for all the wonderful people I was able to see. I am sad that there were many more I didn't get a chance to visit with. We received enough donations to get out of the hole we were in. People are so generous!

Now we just need to get monthly income up to adequate levels. Pray about sponsoring a child, or a staff position, or just contributing monthly. Even $20 a month is a help. Nothing is too small (or too big).

Praise God, we have a school sponsor for the triplets! Three girls get to go to school, $30 a month total covers all their expenses!!!!!

If you would like to receive updates by email, post a comment with your email address. I am on Facebook, too: dorothypearce47 I love to share stories and news about these precious, adorable, wonderful, beautiful children (I'm not at all biased: this is all true!)

Just found the camera last night! Will send pictures next time. Or, check my blog, I'll update it as we have electricity!

God bless you and keep you! Thank you for your love and prayers.

Dorothy Pearce

Faith-Hope-Love Infant Rescue

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." I Cor. 13:13

Emmanuella's Story

A Sad Story
Emmanuella might be her name, or maybe not. She is somewhere around 3 or 4 or 5 years old. We have no way of knowing. What we know for sure is that, depending on your position when you look at the scale, she is 12 or 13 lbs. , unbelievably skinny. We know she has seizures that almost never stop.

On July 23 2009 a mission team found a woman carrying Emmanuella, searching for help. The Americans were appalled at her condition and frantic to help. They took them to a missionary, Sherrie Fausey. Sherrie had her driver take the woman and child to two different hospitals to try to find help. The first hospital - Port au Prince's finest pediatric hospital - said it was too late to save Emmanuella and sent them away. The second hospital gave prescriptions for amoxicillin and phenobarbital and sent them away.

The next day Pastor Luke (summer pastor at our church) found the woman wandering the same streets, again looking for help. Emmanuella was worse, if possible. Pastor Luke brought them to us at Faith-Hope-Love Infant Rescue. I thought Emmanuella was in a coma, dying even then. Luckily (if you can call Divine intervention luck), a medical group was in the neighborhood. Two of the doctors dropped everything and came straight over.

Except for constant seizures, muscle contractures from seizing over a long period of time, and extreme malnutrition, Emmanuella seemed healthy. That word, "healthy", doesn't seem to fit but the child's hair was black and thick, her skin good, lots of healthy teeth. The doctors started her on phenobarbital to reduce seizures, approved our normal routine for treating severe malnutrition, and returned to their clinic.

A strange twist
Another woman (I'll call her "the mom") who was staying with us for awhile said she knew the woman calling herself Emmanuella's grandmother ("the grandmother"). The mom said that she, the mom, found Emmanuella in the parking lot at a store, lying on the ground, obviously abandoned. The mom took Emmanuella to the Catholic sisters (Mother Teresa's order) but the Sisters could not take her in. So the mom left Emmanuella on the ground outside the Sisters' gate.

The grandmother came along and saw Emmanuella and picked her up to use her as a prop for begging. According to this vague story, the grandmother expected to use Emmanuella to get money. Blan (foreigners) get really teary-eyed over handicapped children and hand over cash, lotss of it, to help.

Apparently, Emmanuella was in worse shape than the grandmother thought so she went searching for help. After Emmanuella ended up at my house, the grandmother came to visit for the first couple of weeks. She never asked for money but hinted that she was homeless, etc. Our policy is to never give money. We give help. After a couple of weeks the grandmother stopped coming or calling.

Current status

We don't know what to believe. The mom, who told us the wild story, was sick with an infection that can affect thinking. The grandmother had absolutely no information about the child --- no idea when or where she was born, no idea of her medical history. The grandmother simply said that her daughter had gone away a few years ago and they had no contact until just a few days before when the daughter showed up, dumped the handicapped child on the grandmother, and left. A pretty suspicious story, I thought.

Whatever the truth may be, our goal is to protect the child, Emmanuella. I went to the police and to social services and told them the whole story. Both issued orders that Emmanuella is to stay with us and cannot be removed without their permission. Praise God! We were given the legal right to protect her!

Since Emmanuella started getting good food and high calorie supplements, she has started gaining weight and becoming aware of her surroundings. She is now trying to use her right arm to push food into her mouth. She still has seizures frequently but they are better since starting phenobarbital. We cannot evaluate her fully until the malnutrition is reversed: it can cause seizures itself.

Eulogy for Mackenson Edouard

Mackenson Eduoard
Born Oct 24 2006
Died February 2009


Mackenson was born with multiple congenital defects. Our Haitian pediatrician sent his mother to us for help in February 2007 when he was 3 months old. We provided milk and medical care to help his mother take care of him at her home.

By September 2007 she gave up, she couldn’t deal with him anymore, and brought him to live with us. He remained with us until his death on February 4, 2009. He was just over 2 years old.

At 10 months old, Mackenson weighed just over 9 lbs. We tried everything we could to get him to gain weight but he never weighed more than 12 lbs. Mackenson never interacted with his environment other than to call out at mealtime so he would be fed, too. He did not respond to sounds, toys, mirrors, hugs, laughter, or anything else we tried. But still we loved him. There was something very compelling about Mackenson; he couldn’t be taken casually.

He died in February 2009. I still mourn even though I know it was a blessed release for him. I was present at the moment he slipped away and the angels carried him to his Father. It was a very precious time. All of us who knew Mackenson were forever changed by his presence in our lives.

Natasha holds down the fort!

Natasha is in Haiti taking care of everything while I am in the States. She has taken in one new child, Tree, as well as a new mother and her infant. She is there with Kervens and Richardson for their first day of school.

Natasha is dealing with serious illnesses in the children, staff issues, inadequate funding, and all of the many things that must be dealt with every day in a family of 14 children, and she is doing it with LOVE, MERCY AND GRACE! She is an angel on earth. Here is the latest addition to her blog.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

follow up....

so the father of tree comes everyday almost...hes a good dad. tree is having diarrhea and vomiting, but i put him on sulfaprim and thank God no more vomiting and the diarrhea seems to be stopping. if that doesnt work we will put him on flagyl. i hope to take him to med lab sooner than later. i hope jeremie (the father) can get things together...funds for a home and job to take him back sooner than later. pray for him. when dorothy can she is thinking about buying some of his art work to help decorate the house....but that may be awhile....many things need to come first.

PRAY PRAY PRAY! she still needs a new car...a generator and invertor...constant sponsors to get funds for water, gas, medicine, doctor appointments for the kids, paying staff, etc.

the mother and baby that are staying here are doing well. i was informed on several things referring after birth and breast-feeding that helped tremendously. i tell you...chris nugester is still such a life savor to me when dorothy is not here and i am in charge. marie (the mother) has all her milk now...it just took a few days to come in with a good supply. her baby is very healthy, but a couple nights ago there was drama surrounding here umbilical cord. in haiti they usually tie a string around it after its been cut and then bandage it which often causes tetanus. chris helped me with this and now we are cleaning it...blessings. dorothy thinks that maybe we can help the young mother get into a sewing school so that she will have a trade, be able to get a job and get back on her feet. pray for this as well.

what else...i was able to get Kervens into school! he is going to TLC the same school that gertie had gone to and richardson will go to! its very exciting!! he will be the first child to come into TLC at his age...so its a lot of responsibilty and honor to have the opportunity. they are letting him in because his english is so fluent and its an english speaking school. its great because it gets him out of the house for about 7 hours a day, he'll be able to walk cha cha home, he'll learn french and he'll get to meet more kids his own age. i am very excited for him and glad to have been a part of making the connections! THANK YOU DOTTIE & TLC!!!!

so i think that is about it other than the fact that ours funds are farely low and i will not be able to take johnny or tree to med lab for tests...like i had planned for tomorrow. we didnt have funds to pay the staff this month so we gave them what we could and then with sr. claudias money missing we have helped her with school fees and then the triplets mom we always help. so its been a bit rough, but this is where you have faith...God will provide and where you can you do with out...but overall...at the end of the day we have a roof over our heads...and SO SO SO much more.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR DOROTHYS FUNDRAISING. it looks like she will not be back before i leave, which is hard for my heart...i am so used to changing my ticket when i am here (wink) and would be more than willing to if it would work out. i dont like them to not have someone here that can drive to all the doctor appointments...etc. God will make a way.

thanks to all of you for reading, for praying, for taking time out of your day to be a part of my journey...this journey...its full of blessings and each one of you are....Gods, grace, mercy and love fall upon you...

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Barbara Hughes Art Show Features Our Children

“Little Ones of Haiti”
a show of paintings by Barbara Hughes and weaving by Larry Cardon

September 28 to October 25, 2009 / Opening Reception, October 3, 3:00 PM to 5:00PM
Shenanigans Gallery, Corner of University Ave and 41A, Sewanee, TN
Info: bhughes@sewanee.edu

Barbara caring for Lovensky
Renowned artist Barbara Hughes spent a week in our home in November 2008 helping to care for our children. She has painted many of them and will exhibit the paintings at a show starting October 3rd in Sewanee, TN. God willing, I will be there for the opening. Barbara has caught the unique personality of each child. Her paintings honor God, reflecting His care for each individual. The work of the Holy Spirit is abundantly evident.

You'll love her website: http://barbarahughesart.com/

Update August 2 2009

August 2 2009

Sharing Lots of people send us clothes, so many that we can't use them all, so we share. Our nanny Rose took clothes to a family in her neighborhood with 10 children. Mostly the children go naked because they don't have any clothes. Rose was immensely touched when the mother cried with joy because of the clothes Rose brought. Other nannies have had similar experiences. Seeing that they can make a difference has inspired them to even greater efforts to reach out to their neighbors. When our staff share clothes, shoes, blankets, etc., they also share the message of Christ. Praise God that we are helping Haitians reaching out to Haitians!

Kids
Johnny's immune system is crashing and he needs AIDS medications quickly. His blood test last week showed a CD4 count of 383, 5.9%. The clinic approved him for medications but before he can start we have to take a class to learn how to give the medicines. Class is set for August 7th. We are trying to keep him away from anyone who is sick. Please pray with us that Johnny will stay well so he can start the meds right away.

Tuesday of last week, 7/21, a friend called to say there was a crying lady with a 1 month old baby at her house looking for help. They were homeless. This is her 3rd baby. The other 2 died as infants, she doesn't know why. I brought the baby boy, Hulkeluno, and his mother home to stay in our back room until he is older and she can find a job. He has 12 fingers and 11 toes! Our doctor said that can be an indication of heart or kidney problems and we need to get him evaluated. We ran the usual blood tests: he has syphilis! She probably does, too. We'll get them both treated.

Friday of last week, 7/24, was hectic. first Pastor Luke brought us a grandmother and little girl, Emanuella. Emanuella was seizing constantly and looked like she was dying. The day before Sherrie had taken them to two children's hospitals. The 1st hospital said the little girl was too far gone to help. The 2nd hospital gave prescriptions for amoxicillin and phenobarbital and sent them away. 'Luckily' I knew there were American doctors doing a clinic in the neighborhood. Two of them came right away. They said it looks like Emanuella is around 3 years old and has had chronic seizures for a very long time. They loaded her up with phenobarbital and told me how much to give her daily.

I have since been told that the 'grandmother' is a stranger who picked Emanuella up off the street. Our staff is afraid that she will try to use Emanuella to get money from a foreigner so we took Emanuella to the police Friday and told them the whole story. Staff from Social Services were there also and made an appointment for us to meet with them Monday morning. They will let me keep Emanuella and will help me to become a licensed orphanage.

Just after we got Emanuella settled, St. Damien's Hospital staff brought Rosa, a 4 year old girl, and her uncle. Rosa has TB and HIV. Both parents are dead. The staff was concerned because Rosa's caretakers were not giving good care. Some of her behaviors make me suspect she was also being sexually abused. She is beautiful, scared, and doesn't know how to behave in a safe setting. Praise God, our nannies are loving and patient. I am SO grateful that God brought Rosa to a safe place!!!!

Later that afternoon Pastor Emory brought Amania and her mom from Gonaives. Amania is 3 and still doesn't walk so we agreed to let them stay here while we have Amania evaluated. We have an appointment with a doctor next Wednesday.

Sterline's mom brought her along when she needed to get more formula, baby food and vitamins. With a heavier-than-normal head and casts on both legs, 7 month old Sterline only weighs 11 lbs. We gave as much as mom could carry and counseled her on feeding Sterline more food more often.

Kimberly's mom called and said she will come today to take Kimberly home with her. Apparently she has found a home. Praise God! We love it when children return to loving families.

Gertie spent July with her mother in their village of Thomazeau. They came back 7/30 so Gert could get ready to go back to school. But Gertie did not want to leave her mom; she cried. We gave them money for Gertie's school fees in Thomazeau (about $50 USD) and asked that she please come stay with us during school vacations. It was hard to let Gert go - I have raised her for more than 3 years and love her very much - but it was the right thing to do. Her village is beautiful and her mother now lives in a nice home and can care for her.

House hunting We know the mayor of Delmas will force the owner of this house to remove part of the house but we don't know when. Our rent is paid thru September and we will be allowed to stay on a month to month basis ($700 USD per month) until the mayor makes her start work. I have been looking for a new house to rent. Ouch! Anything large enough to house a lot of sick babies and toddlers with occasional mothers is way more than $700 a month, more like $2500 a month. It's time to think about buying a house. I hope the owner will agree to sell us this house for a reasonable price and that we will be able to raise the money to buy it or another suitable house.

Car We don't have a new car yet but the old one is currently running. Like the "little engine that could", it had a really hard time climbing the hill to the lab for blood tests but it made it at last.

Equipment Both the generator and the inverter have stopped working. We are now totally dependent on Haiti's erratic electric service.

Tidbits

• Hulkeluno was born June 24. On July 21 his mom told us he was 2 months old. She thought babies were 1 month old at birth.
• We had a stinky weed growing near the back steps. One nanny didn't want us to pull it up because, she said, it keeps the lugaru (some kind of evil spirit) away. I made sure to remove it completely and tell her that God and His angels are all the protection we need.
• God promised to supply all my needs for this work in Haiti. Luck had nothing to do with having American doctors in the neighborhood when a critical child was brought to my home after being refused help at 2 hospitals. God is always good!

I will go to Florida on August 26th for a 3 to 4 week visit and would like to speak to as many groups as possible about the infant rescue mission. Please let me know if you would like for me to speak to your group.

Prayer requests

• The spiritual growth of our staff, for them to be bold to speak the gospel as they reach out to their neighbors
• Good health for our children
• Protection of all missionaries from spiritual attacks. Many of us are experiencing more than usual equipment breakdowns, frustration of our plans, personnel problems, bureaucracy, etc.
  
• Our equipment needs
• Our house
• Replenishing our pantry with foods to give hungry families
• School sponsors for the triplets, Richardson, Gertie and Rosa
• The group coming to do Bible studies with our staff
• For all of us to remember to praise God for all that he is and has given us whenever we are tempted to worry about what we don't or may not have

God is good, ALL the time! Thank you for your love and support.

Haiti Update July 9 2009 - Back Online!!!!

Hello to all! We haven't had internet for over a month. It's good to be back in touch with the world but there's LOTS of news!

I am typing on my own new computer, a generous gift from Casey! Her computer-genius friend saved everything from the hard drive of my dead computer and loaded it on this laptop. This email will be sent from my satellite dish thanks to a new modem contributed by a church in Georgia. I praise God for the wonderful way His people care for each other in His name!

We desperately need a new car, a reliable late-model vehicle sturdy enough for Haiti's roads! Please pray about this with us! The last problem I mentioned in May was fixed only to be followed by a new problem with overheating. Since then the alternator and battery have stopped working. It seems a waste of money to pour more money into repairing a 17 year old car. Not having a car makes it almost impossible to care for sick children.

Our precious Rosetaina went to heaven on July 7th. She left many broken hearts behind but I am relieved that her suffering is over and she is with Jesus. Doctors had planned to start her on anti-retroviral meds on July 1st but her AIDS was too advanced. She was admitted to the hospital on June 15th with vomiting. She improved briefly but then went downhill quickly. Ti-Rose's mother was with her throughout this last illness.

When the hospital got Taina's history from her mother at admission we learned that the mother has had 3 previous children who died around the same age, maybe from the same illness. She also aborted 2 fetuses. It is hard to believe that she didn't know she is HIV positive and I had a real problem with anger towards her. Then I watched the pain in her face as she tended Taina. After that I remembered God's grace [defined as "showing love and kindness to someone who does not deserve it."] and remembered that Jesus willingly died for our sins. He forgives all the awful things I do. He turned my anger into compassion for a sick, hurting woman.

This is the second time I have watched a baby die from AIDS. Fabienne died in 2006 when she was 16 months old. Rosetaina would have been 2 yrs old on July 19th. In both cases the babies were very malnourished when we took them in even though their families had done the best they could. In both cases we were able to restore the children to fairly good health that allowed them to enjoy their lives. In both cases we lost the final battle.

But did we really lose? I don't think so.

• God has both babies in heaven for eternity, now healthy
• Our nannies, and by extension many others, learned that people with AIDS are normal people with a nasty disease. They deserve our loving care. The nannies are no longer afraid to care for the sick babies.
• The children's families, our staff, our community, have seen God's compassion, Jesus' tender loving care, in action. His loving grace draws people to Him.
  

Doctors were pleased with Johnny and Lovensky at their last visit to the AIDS clinic. We left the house about 7:30 am and got home just before 4 p.m. Lovensky is a very active little boy. It’s a minor miracle that we all had a good day. We updated their chest xrays and will get the results at next month’s visit. So far they’re doing fine without ARV therapy. Both boys are now walking! Praise God for their continued good health!!!

I surprised myself at the AIDS clinic. For 4 years I have repeatedly, vehemently stated that we only take infants. The psychologist in the clinic asked if I would agree to take an abandoned 9 year old HIV+ girl when she is released from the hospital. Without a second thought – and with great peace – I said YES. Starting a home for children with AIDS has been in the back of my mind for a long time. It seems to me that God is ready for me to leave the ‘thinking’ stage and move into the ‘planning’ stage. I envision an organization composed of Americans and Haitians so the work will continue long after I am gone. Please pray about this new venture and whether God has a role for you in it.

The laboratory couldn't get any blood from Aron to run tests. A visiting surgeon was able to get a little blood. All we learned is that he is severely anemic: his hemoglobin is only 6.2. He should be given a blood transfusion but it isn’t a good option here in Haiti. Aron has finally gained enough strength to drink from a bottle. He can smile and coos interactively. It would be impossible not to fall in love with him. He’s up to 7 lbs.!!! His head seems to be growing which means he couldn't possibly have total fusion of all the suture lines in his skull. We need a CT scan - $300 USD - for a precise diagnosis.

Madeline and Roseline were picked up by the Merritts to return them to Bercy. Once again Rusty ‘accused’ me of substituting new children for the ones he left in April (smile). Madeline (between 2 and 3 years old) gained 4 lbs. – from 14 lbs to 18lb 6 oz. The most dramatic change in 6 yr old Roseline is her beautiful, lush, black healthy hair. Madeline cried, as would any small child making yet another major change in her life. Roseline was sad to leave Gertie but happy to be returning to her mother.

Eileen Murphy came to visit in June and, as always when she comes to Haiti, she brought her tools and gave me a beautiful professional haircut. It was a treat! Praise God for faithful friends.

Sterling went home with her mother on July 3rd after having the last set of casts put on her legs at Healing Hands. The surgery in March to treat her hydrocephalus was not successful - her head has grown 3 cm since coming here - so she will need a shunt when the surgeons return in November. It is important for Sterline and her mother to remain bonded but her mother wasn't visiting very often. I sent baby formula, cereal, baby food, vitamins, and everything else we could think of because we know her mother cannot buy these things. She can return for refills but must bring Sterline with her so we can keep an eye on her health. Sterline's vision has been affected but she loves singing, especially Rogers and Hammerstein soundtracks, and tries to sing along. Pray that God will prevent further brain damage from the increasing pressure in her head. Pray that her mother will treasure every minute she spends with her beautiful daughter.

Jameson went home with his mother the same day. He had been here over a year. His mother decided she didn't want to take him back but she doesn't want to give him up either. She is looking for an orphanage to raise him for her. I cannot not agree to do that. My work is to help families stay together. I wish I could find a way to help her move to a better area than Cite Soleil and be able to support her family.

Miltha’s mother took her home on June 22nd. Miltha cried and I wanted to join her. I don't feel confident that her mother will take good care of her. Though my goal is to keep families together that isn't the best thing in every situation. Please pray for God to guide me and all the other missionaries here trying to make tough decisions: we want to help but not take over. We want for people to be able to stand on their own, looking to God for all their needs and giving back to Him everything they have and are.

Jim Hambrick from Christian Light Foundation brought a group from Virginia to visit us. They were very sweet, really interested in the children. They brought lots of goodies, like pediatric masks and nasal canulas, formula, diapers, wipes, vitamins and other things we really need. Mostly they brought love for the children and for me. They prayed over us and left us feeling really blessed. Thank you all, Jim and group!

The triplets (remember them from a couple of years ago?) came to visit a couple of weeks ago. They needed food. As part of our follow-up care with children who return to their families, we provide food and medical care as we are able. (Thanks to two great organizations – Feed My Starving Children and Love A Child – we still have rice to share though we can no longer give milk, peanut butter, oil and other staples.) The 3 girls are due to start school this year. We want to find a sponsor to pay their school fees.

Prayer requests:

• A new car
• A new home to rent. Part of our house will be torn down in the mayor's road-widening project
• Sponsors to pay for the triplets' schooling
• Funds to re-stock our stores of powdered milk, peanut butter, oil and other staples we send to our reunited families
• God's guidance for handling children who truly need long-term care, whether orphaned or not
• God's guidance on whether and how to start a facility primarily for children with AIDS.
• Praise God that earlier this week we were able to pay our staff for May and June. Pray for His blessings on these wonderful workers.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers. Blessings on you all.

POUTCHINO WALKS !!!!!!!

5/30/09

For the first time in his life (6 yrs), Poutchino took steps all by himself today! He walked just a couple of steps to Beaver Brooks. Poutchino was every bit as excited as Beaver. The rest of us jumped for joy when Beaver told us. This achievement is the culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people to help Poutchino progress. Oh, how I praise God for this precious boy!

Baby Aron is still fragile. We have told him 'goodbye' a few times, sure that he could not live another few hours. I have shaken him to make him start breathing again. He keeps rallying! He has survived edema that made him stiff as a board all over - even his cheeks were too hard to move - and a day of rectal bleeding, lots of clots but fresh blood too, plus seizures. The really scary part is that I have dealt with all of this at home with the email guidance of a wonderful pediatrician in the States. God promised me when I came here that I don't have to know everything because HE does and HE will supply whatever is needed! He has surely done that!

I learned that Aron's fused suture lines (skull) might be fixable but we need a CT scan to get a better picture of his skull and brain. Then, I started finding suture lines running out from his fontanel! Was the radiologist wrong? Did God perform a miracle? No matter how you look at it, this boy is a miracle baby. Praise God for what HE has done!!

Keziah left Haiti a couple of weeks ago. Dannae will leave tomorrow. Casey will leave in a week. It will be the first time in almost 2 years that we haven't had another American living here. I wonder what it'll be like, how everything will get done. These young women have greatly enriched our lives. But change is a part of life and I look forward to seeing what God has in store for us next.

A team from Kentucky came and fixed our plumbing! They also played with the children, cuddled babies, cleaned the yard, and brought us lots and lots of supplies. We thank God for sending such wonderful help.

Something happened to a major power plant in Haiti. We haven't had any electricity for a few days except when we run the generator. Without a car to go buy more diesel fuel we can't run it often or long. I will keep in touch as best I can til the problem gets fixed.

Healthy babies go home

May 24 2009

Do you remember that our mission is to help families keep their children? We take babies in when they are sick or malnourished beyond their family's ability to care for them, nurse them back to health, then return them to their families. We have sent three! healthy children home with their families in the past 2 weeks! Praise God!

Pierreline came in June 26th last year. She was about 6 weeks old, a healthy 9 lb. baby but her mother had died. Her papa visited often during the 11 months she was here. She was happy to leave with him and he was ecstatic to take her home! We had fun packing cute baby girl clothes for her and as much food and stuff as we could spare.

Eliezer just came here in February with swollen legs from beginning kwashiorker malnutrition. Sadly, his mother cried when I said he was going home with her --- not because she doesn't want him but because she can't give him all that we can. I wish she could understand that the love, the belonging, that she can give him are far more important than our food. We gave her lots of food and clothes and assured her she can continue coming here for help. My heart aches for all the families like this one who want so much for their little ones.

Bethsaica came to us early January. She had been losing weight since her mother stopped breastfeeding her at 4 months. We built her up to a good weight and sent her home with food and clothes also. Hers is a close-knit family and we were all glad to see them reunited.

It's hard to describe the mixed feelings I have when a child goes home - sadness at letting them go but rejoicing that a loving family is reunited. Oh, and lots of worry that something might happen to them. I have to remind myself that they belong to God, not me.

Little JJ went to live at Sherrie's orphanage. At over 2 years old and in good health now, he needed to be with older children where he could run and play. Sherrie's kids were his neighbors in Gonaives. When they saw his baby pictures and were told he was coming to live with them, they said that couldn't be true because that baby died! The last they remembered, he was a sick malnourished baby going off to the hospital. Since he didn't come back from the hospital they assumed he was dead. What a nice surprise for them to see him alive in Port au Prince!

As we move healthy kids out we make room to bring in more babies who need help.

Sterline came to us on April 29th. She was 4 months old and had just been operated on for hydrocephalus. She weighed 6 lbs. The physician visiting us from Miami said she probably would have been only 4 lbs. with a normal head. She is gaining weight. Her twisted feet are being treated at Healing Hands for Haiti. She may have vision problems but otherwise seems normal. She reached out and touched my face today. It was a sweet moment...

Herode and Aron came in from Gonaives Friday afternoon. Herode is 18 months old and very malnourished. He has been in the care of a missionary family for a couple of weeks. They did a great job getting him on his feet again. He will only need to stay here a couple of months and can then return to Gonaives.

Aron is only 2 months old, 4.5 lbs. He was in very bad shape, very stiff, tremors, wandering non-focusing eyes, no suck reflex, etc. Worse, we couldn't feel any suture lines in his scalp. The next morning a radiologist confirmed that there are no suture lines: his skull is completely fused which means his head cannot get bigger and there's no room for his brain to grow. We are searching for treatments but the likelihood is that all we can do for this precious boy is give him hospice care, making him as comfortable as possible for whatever remains of his life. Pray for him, please!

Madeline and Roseline came in April to stay with us temporarily while the Merritts, who are going to accept them into their orphanage, are out of town. Madeline, somewhere around 2 or 3, was severely malnourished but now she can stand on her own and should walk soon. She looks like a different child. Roseline is 6. She had nasty sores on her foot so she needed to be in a place where she could be treated every day. Both have been a joy to have in our home.

Our need for a new car is getting very pressing! Part of the cooling system, where a radiator hose attaches to the metal engine, rusted out. Friends - who are busy with their own ministries - are driving us around. Please pray for us to get a new car, a miraculous gift from God of a reliable vehicle so we can get sick babies where they need to go when they need to get there!

My computer died. I am typing this on a laptop loaned by Sherrie Fausey. The pictures I had picked out for this email and my blog are on the dead computer. Praise God for selfless friends, and pray for a new computer for me and for all of our pictures and data to be saved from the dead computer.

We have been going thru a lot of supplies with these sick babies coming in. If you can help, we need:

preemie diapers for babies over 4 lbs
baby formula with iron - regular and preemie mixtures
zantac for Poutchino
singulair for Kervens
injectable phenobarbital for babies like Aron
liquid vitamins with iron for babies
pediatric nasal cannulas

If you can provide any of this, contact me about getting it to Haiti. Shipping thru Agape Flights costs me about $2.25 per lb. so i would rather find someone coming to Haiti who has room in their suitcase.

I would greatly appreciate your financial help should God lead you to send donations thru Christian Light Foundation. Our wonderful staff need to be paid on time but that isn't possible this month.

Keep checking the blog for updated photos! Many thanks for your prayers and support for these sweet children.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus laid down his life for us. By his resurrection he defeated death and gave us THE way to have eternal life (John 3:16). Join us in praising God for his immeasurable love and in celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

News update
Hooray for the US Navy. The Navy medical ship Comfort was in Port au Prince last week with an amazing number and variety of medical specialists. They will provided medical care and surgeries to hundreds of people. We praise God for this wonderful gift!

Friday Poutchino was privileged to see a pediatric lung specialist. She can't say whether he has had TB or not but she is certain that he has lung problems due to aspiration of food and liquids. He doesn't swallow properly, probably due to neurological damage caused by hydrocephalus. Poutchino needs a feeding tube inserted into his stomach to keep him from aspirating any more food for a while --- this is to give his lungs a chance to clear out the junk and recover. Given his neurological problems it is too risky to do on the ship. The surgeon who couldn't do the surgery on the ship wants to do it in the states when he gets back to his practice. We have started the process of getting Poutchino a passport and visa. Please pray that the hospital will agree to allow the free surgery and that all the things that need to happen to make this possible DO happen!

The clinic we visited was in Cite Soleil, one of the worst slum areas of Port au Prince and the former (we hope) stronghold of some of the worst gangs. Luckily Karen Bultje is familiar with Cite Soleil and drove us to the clinic. The clinic wasn't where it was supposed to be - we got to the hospital and no one knew where we should go. We ran into a Haitian carpenter Karen knew and he told us to try the wharf. We drove around a while, asked pedesterians for help, and finally found a compound surrounded by bare concrete block walls topped with razor wire. There were no signs but inside the partially open gate we saw lots of people. It was the clinic! We are still thanking God for guiding us that day and covering us with his protection.

About a hundred people were waiting outside an inner gate, clutching tickets which they had obtained locally the previous week. There were people bent over in pain, people limping on bent or broken bones, people with huge tumors, emaciated, sick, desperate people. It was heartbreaking to see them but heartening to know they would get help. Most impressive was the respect, gentleness and kindness shown to these suffering people by the Navy personnel. We didn't see any Navy people who were not actively working to guide and comfort confused, frightened patients. What a blessing!

Lovensky saw an opthamologist from the USNS Comfort. His right eye is too badly scarred to be helped but his left eye is in great shape. Thank you Lord!

Baby Rosetaina doesn't need a feeding tube anymore. She is doing as well as can be expected for a child with advanced AIDS. We pray she will get treatment that will improve the quality of her life in addition to prolonging it. In the meantime, my main concern is to assure her comfort as best I can. She often looks like she just feels miserable. We can get her to laugh sometimes, though. Pray for her comfort, please!

Madeline is another new child. We were told she is 2 yrs old but think she is more than 3, possibly even 4. She only weighs 14 lbs. and is pitiful to look at. She is lovely, though, with the longest eyelashes! She smiles easily and seems grateful to have enough milk to drink and food to eat. Another Haitian beauty! Praise God for bringing her here!

A mother and uncle brought a two month old baby boy to the gate. Ricardo Joseph weighed less than 5 lbs. and was very dehydrated. His mother said she couldn't breastfeed him anymore, that her milk had dried up. He was in bad shape. I gave him 10cc of half strength formula and gave them money to take him to our best children's hospital where he will be treated for free. Thank you, Lord, for a Christian hospital to treat poor children.

Haitian Senatorial elections will be held tomorrow. We are told to stay home. Private vehicles will not be allowed on the streets. We stocked up on generator fuel and food so we can stay in for a few days if necessary. Please pray for peace in this very young, fragile country.

Blessings to you all, and may the peace of God be upon you.

Dorothy Pearce

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." I Cor. 13:13

April 4 2009 update

Rosetaina is 20 months old and came to us March 20^th weighing 10.5 lbs. She had been released earlier that week from a hospital after treatment for malnutrition. Sadly, she has AIDS. She refuses to take food by mouth so we are tube feeding her. She has gained 1 1/2 lb. in the 2 weeks she has lived here. With a CD4 count of 273 (6.6%) and AIDS wasting syndrome, she needs ARV therapy soon. We enrolled her in the AIDS program and will find out their plans on April 30^th. Pray for this precious little girl!

Our landlord has appealed the mayor's decision to take part of our house to widen the street. The government will have to compensate her for her land and they are not in a hurry to give money to anyone, so we won't have to move in April. Whew! We are looking for a new house for when this lease expires in October and hope the appeals process will keep the bulldozers away until we have moved. Please pray urgently for us to find a new home and for this house to remain intact until we have moved!

Casey has been a blessing! Our walls are covered with new artwork. Kervens is enjoying school. I really appreciate the help with running errands, hugging kids, teaching manners, covering us all with prayer, and all the other wonderful things Casey does for us. It will be sad to see her leave in June but I'm trying not to think about that yet. Praise God for our wonderful helper, Casey!

Poutchino’s fingers are clubbed from chronic oxygen deprivation. They are getting worse, not better, with TB treatment. An American doctor who examined Poutchino and his test results thinks the coughing is caused by aspiration, not tuberculosis. It is possible he doesn’t have tuberculosis at all (PPD negative, x-ray not characteristic of TB). We need to have a bronchoscope and culture done on him. I am trying to find a doctor who can do it. This is an urgent need.

Johnny (2 yrs old today) was diagnosed with tuberculosis. It must be treated before he can receive AIDS medicines.The hospital also decided to treat Lovensky (17 months old) for TB although they aren’t sure he has it. He, too, cannot be treated for AIDS until he finishes TB treatment. TB treatment is a minimum of 6 months.

Johnny (CD4 15.6%) and Lovensky (CD4 25.7%) are both are so sick with AIDS that they qualify for AIDS medicines now. Please pray that they will survive six months of TB treatment.

We have some big needs right now:

• 5 ml slip tip syringes - 1 case
• 60 ml luer-lok syringes - 1 case
• 30 mg phenobarbitol tablets - a large supply (Poutchino takes 1/day)
• zythromicin for prophylaxis for the kids with AIDS

Dorothy

Sweet Baby Girl

Rosetaina Bertrand came to live with us on March 20th, brought in by her mother and big sister. What a precious little bundle she is. But she is so frail - 20 months old, 10 1/2 lbs.!

She had just been released from the hospital after two weeks of treatment for malnutrition. Released! This sweet baby girl has AIDS and I think her emaciation is more due to AIDS wasting syndrome than ordinary malnutrition. She has refused all food except small bits of cheezits and peanut butter crackers. We give her Pediasure thru an NG tube. She has gained 1 lb since coming here and has gained enough strength to crawl and pull up to standing. She is miserable most of the time but does laugh sometimes. She makes us laugh with her imperious demands!

Kez and Casey enrolled her in the AIDS clinic yesterday. She will go back tomorrow for tests. The tests done by the other hospital show her CD4 count at 273, 6.6% (she's very sick). Pray that she can get the help she needs.

Haiti Update - March 17 2009

March 17 2009

Dr. Karen McCarthy was in town again! She often sends us babies she sees at medical clinics and this trip was no exception. Eliezer Pierre came to stay with us on February 25th. He is 15 months old and weighed 14 lbs. His lower legs were starting to swell from a protein deficiency (kwashiorker malnutrition). The swelling is going down but the skin is still stretched so tight it is shiny and scaly looking. His blood tests look good except for infection and anemia. I expect he will recover fully in time and return to his family. He is adorable!

We started homeschooling Kervens recently. Casey brought books and lesson plans. I am searching for books and movies to make school more exciting. He will study astronomy in science. Do you have videos, DVDs or books that you don't need anymore and would be willing to share? Homeschoolers, please let me know about great resources you have found. Kervens is very bright and needs a variety of materials.

It's time to give the next round of DPT and polio immunizations but - guess what! Haiti doesn't have any vaccines! We'll just have to wait until they get a new supply. The kids who are old enough to remember 'pickies' (as they call them) are very happy.

Thanks to Janice Taylor and lots of very nice people in Kansas and Missouri, Mickenson got his surgery! He is home now and pretty much recovered. Praise God!!

Our dry season is so wet we had 3 inches of water downstairs on March 6th. About 9 pm we had to go down and bring up all the children and mattresses and put up anything that could be damaged by water. The children and nannies slept in the living room. Even though water still comes in when we have heavy rain it has not again flooded so badly. Unfortunately, the water comes in under the walls so there isn't much we can do to stop it. We hope to get a new house in the next few months.

Please pray for Claudia Dorvil, one of our nannies, whose home is scheduled to be totally destroyed April 5th. She doesn't have any idea what she is going to do. She and her daughter could come here, at least temporarily, but we can't house her pig and chickens. She will need money to pay rent at least 6 months in advance, around $600 USD.

The mother of one of the children we have sent home has 5 children. Her husband is abusing her and last week tried to kill their oldest child. We hope to be able to help her find a home for herself and the children. We will also need to help her start a business so she can support her children. Please pray for both of these desperate situations.

Frantzo is 3 years old today. I can't look at him without thanking God that he is alive. He is truly a miracle baby. Twice, 2 years ago, I saw him on the brink of death - the doctors were sure he couldn't live. But he did!!! I prayed very hard for God to spare him and not let him have severe brain damage. Though his development has been delayed, he is now developing like a normal little boy: he is beginning to talk and to tease us and to do all the things he should have done at 1 to 2 years of age. Rejoice with me and praise God for miracles!

We had a fun week with a group from Dublin, Georgia. Will Cooper was pastor of my church in Jacksonville when God told me to move to Haiti. It was a joy to see him and three members of his new church in Dublin, Karen, Paul and Anthony. They did lots of work, especially by building shelves on the front porch and in the depot. Our cat and dogs are happily catching the mice that were displaced when food was moved off the floor. I am happy that our food supply is now safe! Karen fell in love with the kids and was in tears when she had to leave them. All of this wonderful group blessed us. Thank you, Lord!

God bless all of you. I love you and thank you for your support.

Dorothy Pearce