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.