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.