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.
