Greetings friends! Sorry for the lack of communication!
I have been in the process of arriving in the US for my 11 weeks of travel. I appreciate your prayers for me, Linda and the HOH during these past few weeks. I have had regular contact with Linda over the weeks, and am so thankful for the ability to be in communication with them.
I am presently in Texas at my sister's house, we will be leaving here to go to Manitoba to our parents' place early next week. We have spent the past couple of days getting some of the needed school supplies for this coming school year, and plan on spending the next day or so packing and shipping these supplies to Haiti.
Linda has had several children leave the HOH and return home in the past couple of weeks, for those of you who remember him, Ti Papi was among those who went home. He was such a cutie, we will miss him! There have also been a couple of new children admitted as well. One specifically needs your prayers, his name is Ritchy, he is very young and extremely malnourished. His mother is just a teenager, but she is staying at the HOH to try and help take care of him. Another of our children, 12 year old Magdalène really needs your prayers as well. The doctors have struggled to figure out what exactly she has. They thought it was TB in her glands, but now are wondering if it isn't cancer. They have asked us to send her to Port-au-Prince to have some blood tests done so we can know for sure. Please pray for her during this coming week as her mother takes her there.
There seems to be a number of the children/young people at the HOH who are not feeling well these days, and Linda is among them, please pray for them all, for health and strength. The students are in their final semester of school. All those who will be writing government exams are studying hard to pass. Please continue to pray for them as well as Carl-Evens in Port-au-Prince as he continues to prepare for University entrance exams this coming summer as well.
I would appreciate your prayers for health and safety as I start my travels. Please feel free to contact me at the numbers that I gave out in our latest prayer letter, if you so desire. God bless, and thank you for your support.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Just this morning
Sonley passed away this morning about 7 am. As you can imagine his family is devastated, they really loved this little boy. Please keep them in prayer this morning, and through the next couple of weeks, as they mourn their loss. Their whole existence has been based around him for so long, and trying to find a cure for him, it's going to be very difficult for them. Keep them in your prayers.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Celebrating Easter!
What a great time we had at our Easter service this past Sunday, reflecting on and rejoicing over what the resurrection means to us as believers. Isaak and his family worked hard to make it a unique and special service. The special Good Friday supper St. Germain and the other young people prepared for Linda and I was a real treat. We had communion together before supper, and had a great time of fun and fellowship together in the meal afterwards. The picture shown here is of Linda, Jenny and Lala (Dieula) at the supper. The school students got an extra week of vacation this week due to the elections scheduled on Friday. They certainly don't mind the extra vacation time, and we aren't minding having them around, they can really be a huge help around the house.
Jenny leaves on Monday, so as you can imagine, we are so busy trying to tie down a number of projects. Not only are we preparing materials for her to use on her whirlwind tour through the US/Canada, we are also trying to get as much in order around the HOH as possible so the task of running things here will be easier for Linda. Please pray that the methods of communication (mainly via Internet) would hold up so that we can remain in contact during the coming months.
We've already received 4 new children in this week, all of whom have severe malnutrition. Their names are: Ludencia, Jamesly, Wildine and Wesnerlande; they could really use your prayers. Sonley continues to struggle, and we haven't yet received the results of his biopsy. He and his parents are really starting to become discouraged, so please hold them up in prayer. We seem to have a virus or something going through the house, and a number of the babies and kids have caught it. You can pray specifically for Landie, Magdalene, Lucvens, Evelte and Donald.
God really surprised us with a very generous financial gift to the HOH this month. What a blessing that was, and how encouraging to see our faithful God providing for our every need. Please help us Praise Him for His faithfulness, and also continue to pray for Him to continue to provide for what we need. We also got news that the boat is now in, so any of you who have sent things in the past couple of weeks/months, we should be getting them this week.
Thank you to each of you for the way you support us and hold us up in pray. We wish you a great rest of the week. We aren't sure when Jenny will get the chance to update things again, but hopefully it will be soon. Til then, God bless, and keep reflecting Jesus to those around you.
Jenny leaves on Monday, so as you can imagine, we are so busy trying to tie down a number of projects. Not only are we preparing materials for her to use on her whirlwind tour through the US/Canada, we are also trying to get as much in order around the HOH as possible so the task of running things here will be easier for Linda. Please pray that the methods of communication (mainly via Internet) would hold up so that we can remain in contact during the coming months.
We've already received 4 new children in this week, all of whom have severe malnutrition. Their names are: Ludencia, Jamesly, Wildine and Wesnerlande; they could really use your prayers. Sonley continues to struggle, and we haven't yet received the results of his biopsy. He and his parents are really starting to become discouraged, so please hold them up in prayer. We seem to have a virus or something going through the house, and a number of the babies and kids have caught it. You can pray specifically for Landie, Magdalene, Lucvens, Evelte and Donald.
God really surprised us with a very generous financial gift to the HOH this month. What a blessing that was, and how encouraging to see our faithful God providing for our every need. Please help us Praise Him for His faithfulness, and also continue to pray for Him to continue to provide for what we need. We also got news that the boat is now in, so any of you who have sent things in the past couple of weeks/months, we should be getting them this week.
Thank you to each of you for the way you support us and hold us up in pray. We wish you a great rest of the week. We aren't sure when Jenny will get the chance to update things again, but hopefully it will be soon. Til then, God bless, and keep reflecting Jesus to those around you.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Remember Kendly?
My deepest apologies for not updating the blog in such a long time. Things have been very busy around here as you can imagine. Things are coming together for my upcoming trip. It is going to be hard on all of us to be separated for 11 whole weeks, but we are thankful for the internet and hope to be able to communicate regularly.
We've had a tough couple of weeks with the children here at the HOH. Daphny Love ran away 3 times since we last updated, and we finally just told her parents to take her home, she refused to cooperate with us any longer, and despite the improvement we were making on her mouth, she just didn't want to stay here. We were sad to see her go like that, knowing that she will not have the continued treatment on her mouth, but she was a young girl used to getting her way, and nothing we did could satisfy her and make her want to stay and continue treatment.
We also lost a little boy who had been brought to us with extreme malnutrition and multiple handicaps. He passed away this week in spite of our efforts to help him. We know we serve a sovereign God, and that we can trust Him to do what is best for these little children, but it is always hard to have one die in our care.
Our students are all finished with exams, and have been enjoying a this week off of school. The house has been a very busy place, with over 90 of them scurrying about doing their different activities. The older boys finally finished off the changes they've been making to our yard. They poured a concrete pad to play basketball, and finished painting the lines on it yesterday. They are proud of their accomplishment, and happy for a place to play ball. Most of them begin school in the middle of next week, after the Easter weekend.
Which brings me to the fact that it is indeed Easter. We look forward to worshiping and remembering our Lord's death and resurrection this coming Sunday. He is risen indeed! Isaak (pictured here holding Kendly) is planning a very nice Easter service for our church here at the HOH, he is very gifted in that area. The kids have invited Linda and I to a special supper they are preparing for us this evening--very nice of them.
Not sure if you remember Kendly or not, I wrote about him back in November asking you to pray for him. Well you certainly must have prayed, and God certainly has been gracious. He is doing incredibly well, as you can see from his face in this picture. Thank you so much for your prayers. Also for your prayers for Sabrina. She's doing really well as well.
Please continue to pray for Sonley, and Magdalene, they are both really sick. Magdalene had to be sent to the hospital so she could be watched more closely this past week. It makes things easier for us, just a bit more expensive as we have to cover her costs, but hopefully they'll be able to figure out what's wrong with her very soon.
We appreciate your prayers for my upcoming trip, and for Linda and the kids staying here. Pray for wisdom in handling the many things we have on our plate right now. Pray also for upcoming elections in Haiti for the other government elected positions. Your support in this way is greatly appreciated! God bless...
We've had a tough couple of weeks with the children here at the HOH. Daphny Love ran away 3 times since we last updated, and we finally just told her parents to take her home, she refused to cooperate with us any longer, and despite the improvement we were making on her mouth, she just didn't want to stay here. We were sad to see her go like that, knowing that she will not have the continued treatment on her mouth, but she was a young girl used to getting her way, and nothing we did could satisfy her and make her want to stay and continue treatment.
We also lost a little boy who had been brought to us with extreme malnutrition and multiple handicaps. He passed away this week in spite of our efforts to help him. We know we serve a sovereign God, and that we can trust Him to do what is best for these little children, but it is always hard to have one die in our care.
Our students are all finished with exams, and have been enjoying a this week off of school. The house has been a very busy place, with over 90 of them scurrying about doing their different activities. The older boys finally finished off the changes they've been making to our yard. They poured a concrete pad to play basketball, and finished painting the lines on it yesterday. They are proud of their accomplishment, and happy for a place to play ball. Most of them begin school in the middle of next week, after the Easter weekend.
Which brings me to the fact that it is indeed Easter. We look forward to worshiping and remembering our Lord's death and resurrection this coming Sunday. He is risen indeed! Isaak (pictured here holding Kendly) is planning a very nice Easter service for our church here at the HOH, he is very gifted in that area. The kids have invited Linda and I to a special supper they are preparing for us this evening--very nice of them.
Not sure if you remember Kendly or not, I wrote about him back in November asking you to pray for him. Well you certainly must have prayed, and God certainly has been gracious. He is doing incredibly well, as you can see from his face in this picture. Thank you so much for your prayers. Also for your prayers for Sabrina. She's doing really well as well.
Please continue to pray for Sonley, and Magdalene, they are both really sick. Magdalene had to be sent to the hospital so she could be watched more closely this past week. It makes things easier for us, just a bit more expensive as we have to cover her costs, but hopefully they'll be able to figure out what's wrong with her very soon.
We appreciate your prayers for my upcoming trip, and for Linda and the kids staying here. Pray for wisdom in handling the many things we have on our plate right now. Pray also for upcoming elections in Haiti for the other government elected positions. Your support in this way is greatly appreciated! God bless...
Monday, March 27, 2006
One year ago
It's almost impossible to believe that one year ago this week we were brought a 4 pound 10 day old little girl that was so sick we wondered if she'd live. After many sleepless nights, numerous visits with the doctor, various treatments, and many cans of baby formula Dieula (or Lala as we call her) turned 1 years old on the weekend. She has been a blessing to us from day one, and it has been a joy to have her here with us at the HOH. After being treated for her initial illnesses, Dieula has really done well, and has turned out to be a very intelligent, funny and enjoyable little girl. Her mother died when she was 7 days old, her father tried to do his best for 3 days before he brought her to us, sick, starving and desperately in need of medical attention. Now a year later she is walking, almost talking (her favorite word to try and say is "Spot" our 5 month old puppy whom she loves dearly. Spot just seems to enjoy licking her face and knocking her off her feet whenever he is nearby-I can't quite figure out why she loves him so much!), and has learned to communicate using sign language (please, thankyou, goodbye, bravo, sorry), thanks to some advice from various friends to try and teach her. We are so used to having extremely sick and malnourished children and toddlers here, that it has been fun to have one who was ready to teach things like that.
We enjoyed our last group of visitors, and have no others coming in the immediate future. We are busy getting ready for my (Jenny's) departure for the US/Canada the end of April. We are working on materials for me to take along, and also working on getting Linda and one of our boys (St. Germain) more comfortable on the computers so we can keep in touch while I am gone. Please pray for us as we essentially have only 4 weeks to pull everything together. All of our students are busy writing exams this week. and would appreciate your prayers as well.
We admitted a 4 year old boy this past week named Sonley. He is extremely ill, we hope with TB in his lymph glands, but we suspect it is worse than that (possibly cancer). We are keeping his mom here with him since he is not doing too good. He has showed some improvement during his stay here, so we continue to pray and ask you to pray as well that he would continue to heal. They have taken a biopsy of his glands to send to PAP, so until we get that back we won't know exactly what he has. If it isn't TB, there's nothing that can be done for him in Haiti, so please pray that we'd get the results soon, and that he would continue to get better. We also admitted a young girl named Magdalene, who has TB in her lymph glands as well. Please pray for her continued recovery. All the other children we admitted last week seem to be doing ok.
Daphny Love's mouth is getting better and better each day. She can now fit in 10 tongue depressors lying on top of each other which is just great improvement from what she could do when she came here (getting one in was a tough job). She is talking more and able to eat with her teeth now. She's had a tough adjustment period here, she didn't want to be here, but seems to be coming out of that stage now and is making friends with the other girls her age. Thank you for your prayers for her.
We continue to thank God for all of you who read this and pray for us regularly. We appreciate you support in this way very much.
We enjoyed our last group of visitors, and have no others coming in the immediate future. We are busy getting ready for my (Jenny's) departure for the US/Canada the end of April. We are working on materials for me to take along, and also working on getting Linda and one of our boys (St. Germain) more comfortable on the computers so we can keep in touch while I am gone. Please pray for us as we essentially have only 4 weeks to pull everything together. All of our students are busy writing exams this week. and would appreciate your prayers as well.
We admitted a 4 year old boy this past week named Sonley. He is extremely ill, we hope with TB in his lymph glands, but we suspect it is worse than that (possibly cancer). We are keeping his mom here with him since he is not doing too good. He has showed some improvement during his stay here, so we continue to pray and ask you to pray as well that he would continue to heal. They have taken a biopsy of his glands to send to PAP, so until we get that back we won't know exactly what he has. If it isn't TB, there's nothing that can be done for him in Haiti, so please pray that we'd get the results soon, and that he would continue to get better. We also admitted a young girl named Magdalene, who has TB in her lymph glands as well. Please pray for her continued recovery. All the other children we admitted last week seem to be doing ok.
Daphny Love's mouth is getting better and better each day. She can now fit in 10 tongue depressors lying on top of each other which is just great improvement from what she could do when she came here (getting one in was a tough job). She is talking more and able to eat with her teeth now. She's had a tough adjustment period here, she didn't want to be here, but seems to be coming out of that stage now and is making friends with the other girls her age. Thank you for your prayers for her.
We continue to thank God for all of you who read this and pray for us regularly. We appreciate you support in this way very much.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Hope for Daphny Love
What a busy and yet very good week we had with the dental team here. We were able to help a lot of people in the dental clinic, and were so thankful for the team that came. The team was made up of some dentists and some other helpers from Seattle, and then there were also a number of students from the University of Nevada Las Vegas who are studying Dental Medicine. They were all a blessing to us, as we saw how they really came down here to serve as many people as they could. They worked hard, and many people benefited from their service.
We were able to admit a beautiful 14 year old girl named Daphny Love this past week at the HOH. She had originally came to the hospital clinic, and then was sent up to see the dentists. We aren't sure exactly how her problems started, but when she got here, she hadn't opened her mouth at all in 15 months. She had major infections going on in her mouth, and the dentists ended up pulling 7 of her teeth. Since she came she's been on antibiotics, and we are slowly starting to work on getting her to open her mouth up a bit more each day. We have already worked up to getting 5 tongue depressors in at one time. That may not sound like much, but it is progress! Please pray for Daphny Love, that her mouth would get better, and that she'd have a good attitude while being here. She did not want to stay here, but accepted it in the end so we could help her. She comes from a very good and strong Christian family, so it was hard for her to stay. Pray that she would have a good time here, make friends and grow in her walk with the Lord during her time here.
We admitted quite a few small children very sick with malnutrition this past week as well. One of these little ones, three year old Daphna passed away yesterday. We spent the entire morning doing all we could to save her. We were just in the process of getting blood to give her, and she passed away. Please pray for the others that we had come in, that they would respond well to the treatment here, and get back on a healthy track. Their names are: Lucvens, Jamesly, Youdna, and Guerda.
We are looking forward to having Jeb and Gail Bland visit us this week. They are coming from PA. They will be her for a couple of days, helping with various projects. They are the last team we have scheduled this spring. I will soon begin all the preparations I have to make for my trip to the States and Canada this coming May/June. We'd really appreciate your prayers for wisdom in decisions we need to make. For health and strength to do the many things we have to do before I leave.
Thank you all for your prayers on our behalf. Please continue to pray for God's provision of our needs, for spiritual growth on all our part, and for the students as they continue to study and prepare for upcoming exams.
We were able to admit a beautiful 14 year old girl named Daphny Love this past week at the HOH. She had originally came to the hospital clinic, and then was sent up to see the dentists. We aren't sure exactly how her problems started, but when she got here, she hadn't opened her mouth at all in 15 months. She had major infections going on in her mouth, and the dentists ended up pulling 7 of her teeth. Since she came she's been on antibiotics, and we are slowly starting to work on getting her to open her mouth up a bit more each day. We have already worked up to getting 5 tongue depressors in at one time. That may not sound like much, but it is progress! Please pray for Daphny Love, that her mouth would get better, and that she'd have a good attitude while being here. She did not want to stay here, but accepted it in the end so we could help her. She comes from a very good and strong Christian family, so it was hard for her to stay. Pray that she would have a good time here, make friends and grow in her walk with the Lord during her time here.
We admitted quite a few small children very sick with malnutrition this past week as well. One of these little ones, three year old Daphna passed away yesterday. We spent the entire morning doing all we could to save her. We were just in the process of getting blood to give her, and she passed away. Please pray for the others that we had come in, that they would respond well to the treatment here, and get back on a healthy track. Their names are: Lucvens, Jamesly, Youdna, and Guerda.
We are looking forward to having Jeb and Gail Bland visit us this week. They are coming from PA. They will be her for a couple of days, helping with various projects. They are the last team we have scheduled this spring. I will soon begin all the preparations I have to make for my trip to the States and Canada this coming May/June. We'd really appreciate your prayers for wisdom in decisions we need to make. For health and strength to do the many things we have to do before I leave.
Thank you all for your prayers on our behalf. Please continue to pray for God's provision of our needs, for spiritual growth on all our part, and for the students as they continue to study and prepare for upcoming exams.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
It's a zoo!
Hello to Everyone! It has been quite the week, and we are busy preparing for another one just like it. The kids were all home from school this past week, making the house seem like quite a zoo. They just always seem to find ways of keeping us on our toes, and usually laughing, like when some of the girls dressed 11 month old Dieula up in long fake hair they tied to her head. She was so proud, she walked around the whole HOH stopping in every room that had people in it and stomped her foot on the ground to get everyone's attention, demanding they admire her new look. We are always so grateful all of the young people here take such good care of the children and babies, making them feel special.
Linda and my trip to Port-au-Prince went well. God was really watching out for us, as it wasn't until after we got there that we found out Linda's Doctor had closed his clinic for the week (after giving us an appointment for Monday morning--go figure). We searched several other places that did the type of test that she needed done, and finally found one who could do it. Amazingly enough, that Doctor wasn't really working that day either (it was Mardi Gras week, so there were Carnival festivities going on everywhere), but had left something at the office and had come by to pick it up. We got there at the same time, and she was more than willing to do the test for us. Praise God, because if she hadn't we'd have had to stay in PAP until Thursday, and we didn't want to have to do that. In the end Linda's tests all turned out normal, so she is finally off of our Surgeon's radar screen for an operation, for now at least. We are thankful for that. Please pray that she would continue to regain full health, as her foot still gives trouble from time to time.
When we arrived back on Tuesday, we found some of the young people in the midst of planning and pulling off 2 days of recreational activity at the HOH. They had all kinds of games, movies, programs planned, and worked very hard to give all of the children here a wonderful two days of fun and relaxation. It is so nice to see the older young people being able to completely plan and pull off something like that themselves. Linda and I were able to just sit back and enjoy the fact that everyone was having a great time.
We also arrived back to find that there had been some type of power surge at some point while we were gone, and both of our inverter systems have stopped working properly. It's kinda funny actually, the inverter system that works one half of the HOH (including my house) won't give any power while the generator is running, but as soon as they turn off the generator we have power. The other half that's on the other inverter (including Linda's house) only has power when the generator is running, the rest of the time there's no electricity...so, things take a bit of juggling to decide where to do things, which room will have electricity at what time, but hopefully we'll get it all sorted out soon. The one inverter in my house will have to go to PAP to get fixed. We are checking things on the other one to see what needs to be done. Please pray we can fix this problem relatively quickly as we do so much here that requires the use of these things that God has given us.
Today we have a group of 11 visitors coming in, most of them dentists coming from the Seattle area to do a dental clinic here at the HOH, and also at Passe Catabois, a small village about 30 miles west of here. It will be a busy week as we help them all get moved around to where they need to be, and also help them with running the clinic. You could pray for physical strength for Linda and I, and also that we would reflect our Lord in all that we do. Please continue to pray for our young people, some who are really struggling in certain areas, that they would be open to the transforming power of God at work in their lives, and wouldn't fight it. Pray that they would grow in wisdom and knowledge, and strive to glorify the Lord in all that they do.
We appreciate you all, our faithful prayer warriors. "The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace!" (Numbers 6:24-26)
Linda and my trip to Port-au-Prince went well. God was really watching out for us, as it wasn't until after we got there that we found out Linda's Doctor had closed his clinic for the week (after giving us an appointment for Monday morning--go figure). We searched several other places that did the type of test that she needed done, and finally found one who could do it. Amazingly enough, that Doctor wasn't really working that day either (it was Mardi Gras week, so there were Carnival festivities going on everywhere), but had left something at the office and had come by to pick it up. We got there at the same time, and she was more than willing to do the test for us. Praise God, because if she hadn't we'd have had to stay in PAP until Thursday, and we didn't want to have to do that. In the end Linda's tests all turned out normal, so she is finally off of our Surgeon's radar screen for an operation, for now at least. We are thankful for that. Please pray that she would continue to regain full health, as her foot still gives trouble from time to time.
When we arrived back on Tuesday, we found some of the young people in the midst of planning and pulling off 2 days of recreational activity at the HOH. They had all kinds of games, movies, programs planned, and worked very hard to give all of the children here a wonderful two days of fun and relaxation. It is so nice to see the older young people being able to completely plan and pull off something like that themselves. Linda and I were able to just sit back and enjoy the fact that everyone was having a great time.
We also arrived back to find that there had been some type of power surge at some point while we were gone, and both of our inverter systems have stopped working properly. It's kinda funny actually, the inverter system that works one half of the HOH (including my house) won't give any power while the generator is running, but as soon as they turn off the generator we have power. The other half that's on the other inverter (including Linda's house) only has power when the generator is running, the rest of the time there's no electricity...so, things take a bit of juggling to decide where to do things, which room will have electricity at what time, but hopefully we'll get it all sorted out soon. The one inverter in my house will have to go to PAP to get fixed. We are checking things on the other one to see what needs to be done. Please pray we can fix this problem relatively quickly as we do so much here that requires the use of these things that God has given us.
Today we have a group of 11 visitors coming in, most of them dentists coming from the Seattle area to do a dental clinic here at the HOH, and also at Passe Catabois, a small village about 30 miles west of here. It will be a busy week as we help them all get moved around to where they need to be, and also help them with running the clinic. You could pray for physical strength for Linda and I, and also that we would reflect our Lord in all that we do. Please continue to pray for our young people, some who are really struggling in certain areas, that they would be open to the transforming power of God at work in their lives, and wouldn't fight it. Pray that they would grow in wisdom and knowledge, and strive to glorify the Lord in all that they do.
We appreciate you all, our faithful prayer warriors. "The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace!" (Numbers 6:24-26)
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Learning to walk...again!
Greetings from a much calmer Haiti! Thank you so much for your prayers on our behalf over these past few weeks. We ask for your continued prayers for this very troubled country. Our one group of visitors were not able to come last week as the flights into Haiti had been canceled, but we were able to receive the second team. They arrived on Saturday, and have been busy doing different projects around the HOH and the hospital as well. I know they would appreciate prayer that they would have good health while here, a number have been struggling in that area so far, and also that they would have a safe trip back home to PA on Saturday.
We were able to see a number of children return to their homes this past week. Our numbers are down a bit (we only have 87 now!), and somehow the house seems quiet without them. Most are doing really well, including these two cute little boys. Both Jamesley (left) and Daphno came here to the HOH with TB in their spines. While they had walked before coming to the HOH by the time they got here their TB was so advanced that they could no longer do so. It has taken several months of treatment, but slowly both these boys are starting to walk again. They get so excited when they get a chance to show off their new ability to walk. I had a hard time keeping them in one place to take a picture!
The Our Hope kids are back into school and also working hard helping with the work team here. The boys, and even some of the girls have been helping the masons put up the back wall at the HOH, it will be nice to have our yard completely enclosed. The girls have been busy making food for the visitors for the noon meal. We are so thankful for these kids and their very gracious servant spirits, so willing to help out.
The Psalms that the children and young people wrote on Sunday night were pretty good. One group actually wrote a Psalm that had music and could be sung, we were pretty impressed. Next week we'll begin to study Proverbs together.
Dr. Boucher is coming up again this week, so we are looking forward to having him here. Linda and I will be returning with him to Port-au-Prince on Sunday, so we can take Linda to the doctor to redo the tests she had done last September to make sure everything is ok with her Gall Bladder. So we would appreciate your prayers for a safe trip, and also for the HOH while we are gone. We will only be gone for a few days, we should be back, Lord willing, on Tuesday.
We were able to see a number of children return to their homes this past week. Our numbers are down a bit (we only have 87 now!), and somehow the house seems quiet without them. Most are doing really well, including these two cute little boys. Both Jamesley (left) and Daphno came here to the HOH with TB in their spines. While they had walked before coming to the HOH by the time they got here their TB was so advanced that they could no longer do so. It has taken several months of treatment, but slowly both these boys are starting to walk again. They get so excited when they get a chance to show off their new ability to walk. I had a hard time keeping them in one place to take a picture!
The Our Hope kids are back into school and also working hard helping with the work team here. The boys, and even some of the girls have been helping the masons put up the back wall at the HOH, it will be nice to have our yard completely enclosed. The girls have been busy making food for the visitors for the noon meal. We are so thankful for these kids and their very gracious servant spirits, so willing to help out.
The Psalms that the children and young people wrote on Sunday night were pretty good. One group actually wrote a Psalm that had music and could be sung, we were pretty impressed. Next week we'll begin to study Proverbs together.
Dr. Boucher is coming up again this week, so we are looking forward to having him here. Linda and I will be returning with him to Port-au-Prince on Sunday, so we can take Linda to the doctor to redo the tests she had done last September to make sure everything is ok with her Gall Bladder. So we would appreciate your prayers for a safe trip, and also for the HOH while we are gone. We will only be gone for a few days, we should be back, Lord willing, on Tuesday.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Prayer Needed!
Greetings to all of our friends who regularly read and pray about our needs.
A week ago a number of our young people over the age of 18 were able to vote for the first time in their lives. They were very happy for the chance to do so in spite of it turning out to be a very difficult thing for some of them to do. After standing in line a the polling place in our town for over an hour they found out they were not registered to vote there. So some of them had to walk 2 miles down the road to the next polling station to vote, while some of them succeeded in voting there others had to come all the way back because they weren't registered there either. In the end they were able to vote, but it took them most of the day to do so!
We had asked you to pray for 9 year old Enitel last week. Unfortunately he passed away on Saturday morning. We were sad we couldn't help him more, but were also glad that he was a believer, and is no longer suffering.
The kids were supposed to start school yesterday, but we've had two straight days of non-stop raining, so they've had an extra extension on their vacation days from the elections. We thought it was funny, some of our friends in the North East US were stuck at home for snow days, and we were stuck here with rain days! They've had a nice time catching up on work around the house, and even taking a few naps here and there, it's been good for them, sometimes life just gets too busy.
Four of our older girls started using their Child Evangelism Training this past week. Phania, Vonette and Dada are teaching two clubs, one at our local church on Sunday afternoons, and one here at the HOH on Wednesday evenings. Stephanie is teaching Sunday School here at the HOH to the younger children on Sunday mornings. We are excited to see them using their talents and skills to present the Gospel to children.
We are continuing with our other Bible studies during the week. We are just starting to study Prayer on Tuesday nights with the older kids, as well as God's plan for the family on Saturday nights. Sunday evenings we are studying the book of Psalms with everyone. This coming Sunday each of the family groups will be writing their own Psalm to share or sing to the rest of us. It should be very interesting.
We would ask you all to pray fervently for this country, pray for peace and stability, and safety for our friends, students and colleagues in PAP at this time. We also want to assure you that we are doing fine where we are, but do appreciate your prayers for us as well, it is always hard on the kids when there is trouble around the country. We have two teams scheduled to come in to help us out with various projects this week. Please pray for wisdom and safety as we make decisions and seek the Lord's direction.
A week ago a number of our young people over the age of 18 were able to vote for the first time in their lives. They were very happy for the chance to do so in spite of it turning out to be a very difficult thing for some of them to do. After standing in line a the polling place in our town for over an hour they found out they were not registered to vote there. So some of them had to walk 2 miles down the road to the next polling station to vote, while some of them succeeded in voting there others had to come all the way back because they weren't registered there either. In the end they were able to vote, but it took them most of the day to do so!
We had asked you to pray for 9 year old Enitel last week. Unfortunately he passed away on Saturday morning. We were sad we couldn't help him more, but were also glad that he was a believer, and is no longer suffering.
The kids were supposed to start school yesterday, but we've had two straight days of non-stop raining, so they've had an extra extension on their vacation days from the elections. We thought it was funny, some of our friends in the North East US were stuck at home for snow days, and we were stuck here with rain days! They've had a nice time catching up on work around the house, and even taking a few naps here and there, it's been good for them, sometimes life just gets too busy.
Four of our older girls started using their Child Evangelism Training this past week. Phania, Vonette and Dada are teaching two clubs, one at our local church on Sunday afternoons, and one here at the HOH on Wednesday evenings. Stephanie is teaching Sunday School here at the HOH to the younger children on Sunday mornings. We are excited to see them using their talents and skills to present the Gospel to children.
We are continuing with our other Bible studies during the week. We are just starting to study Prayer on Tuesday nights with the older kids, as well as God's plan for the family on Saturday nights. Sunday evenings we are studying the book of Psalms with everyone. This coming Sunday each of the family groups will be writing their own Psalm to share or sing to the rest of us. It should be very interesting.
We would ask you all to pray fervently for this country, pray for peace and stability, and safety for our friends, students and colleagues in PAP at this time. We also want to assure you that we are doing fine where we are, but do appreciate your prayers for us as well, it is always hard on the kids when there is trouble around the country. We have two teams scheduled to come in to help us out with various projects this week. Please pray for wisdom and safety as we make decisions and seek the Lord's direction.
Monday, February 06, 2006
She's back!!!
Happy New Week to all of you! We are so thrilled that Linda is doing much better, her leg is healing, and she is once again able to come down to the HOH and be with us. After over a month pretty much having to stay in her bed, or at least in her house, she is also thrilled to be able to come down to the HOH and give of her love to the children, and a helping hand to the rest of us. Thank you so much for your prayers on her behalf. Continue to pray for her to be able to rebuild strength in her leg.
Due to the elections scheduled to be held tomorrow, the kids are all out of school for the week. They are busy with a lot of different things around the house, the boys are all working on preparing the foundation to finish off the last little bit of wall behind the HOH that hasn't been built yet. Due to insecurities around the country we've felt for a long time that we needed to do this, and finally are able to do so. In a couple of weeks a team from Pennsylvania will be coming to help us actually build the wall and the boys and some local builders are preparing the foundation in the meantime.
We'd appreciate your prayers for the country of Haiti this week with elections being held. Most everything is closed down, so we made sure we bought food and supplies ahead of time last week. We would appreciate your prayers for safety during these next few days. And pray also for the Haitian people as they vote for the next leader of this needy country.
Health wise the children are doing quite well this week. Only one, Enitel is still really struggling, and the doctors have decided that he needs to go to Port-au-Prince to see a specialist. His parents will take him there as soon as the elections are over, please pray for them that they would find a doctor who can help figure out exactly what Enitel has and can help him.
Jackson is still doing ok. He was quite sick last week, but bounced back after receiving another blood transfusion. We appreciate your prayers for him and his family.
We appreciate you our prayer warriors, we really ask for your prayers this coming week, we know our Heavenly Father knows exactly what will happen in this coming week, pray that we don't lose sight of Him and His perfect plan for us and for this country in the days ahead.
Due to the elections scheduled to be held tomorrow, the kids are all out of school for the week. They are busy with a lot of different things around the house, the boys are all working on preparing the foundation to finish off the last little bit of wall behind the HOH that hasn't been built yet. Due to insecurities around the country we've felt for a long time that we needed to do this, and finally are able to do so. In a couple of weeks a team from Pennsylvania will be coming to help us actually build the wall and the boys and some local builders are preparing the foundation in the meantime.
We'd appreciate your prayers for the country of Haiti this week with elections being held. Most everything is closed down, so we made sure we bought food and supplies ahead of time last week. We would appreciate your prayers for safety during these next few days. And pray also for the Haitian people as they vote for the next leader of this needy country.
Health wise the children are doing quite well this week. Only one, Enitel is still really struggling, and the doctors have decided that he needs to go to Port-au-Prince to see a specialist. His parents will take him there as soon as the elections are over, please pray for them that they would find a doctor who can help figure out exactly what Enitel has and can help him.
Jackson is still doing ok. He was quite sick last week, but bounced back after receiving another blood transfusion. We appreciate your prayers for him and his family.
We appreciate you our prayer warriors, we really ask for your prayers this coming week, we know our Heavenly Father knows exactly what will happen in this coming week, pray that we don't lose sight of Him and His perfect plan for us and for this country in the days ahead.
Monday, January 23, 2006
The mumps have arrived!
How exciting it was to hear the cries of joy from the HOH children as the car drove up bringing me back from my vacation. It was even more exciting to see their bright smiling faces. There was just one problem. There were several that I didn't recognize, and since Linda had told me there hadn't been any new admissions since I'd been gone I found that very strange. "Who is that?" I finally asked one of the kids in the car with me. When they told me who it was I couldn't believe it. "How on earth did he gain that much weight in just three weeks?", I asked. They just started howling, "He has the mumps!" they replied to me. Yes it is true, we have once again been visited by the mumps and they are slowly making their way through our entire younger population! Sandley pictured here is one of the latest to catch them. I can't believe he's still smiling!
It is nice to be back again, although the pile of work awaiting me isn't too exciting! So sorry it's taken me so long to put an update on, things have been quite hectic to say the least. Linda's foot was beginning to do very well, and suddenly this weekend the infection has returned, and she is confined to her bed once again. Needless to say this is very discouraging for her, and frustrating for us all. Please pray for her leg, and for our patience as we wait for it to heal. Please pray for her not to be discouraged, and for us all to know how to help and encourage her, while trying to hold up the work load at the same time.
Unfortunately we haven't been able to find a place for Jackson in the US in spite of some people trying very hard to do so at St. Jude's. We know God has His perfect plan for Jackson, and we are pleased to tell you all that Jackson did accept Jesus as his Savior while Linda was visiting him over the holidays. We are so thankful for this, and continue to pray for God's perfect will to be done in this little boy's life.
We have Ken and Debbie Wills and a team from Seattle visiting us this week. They are all hard at work on different projects, we are thankful for their willingness to come and help us out. Please pray for their safety and health over the next week, and also for a safe trip home on the 29th.
We appreciate you all and your prayers on our behalf. The school children have all started school again, and would appreciate your prayers as they study, especially the ones with government exams to write this year. God bless and give you a great week.
It is nice to be back again, although the pile of work awaiting me isn't too exciting! So sorry it's taken me so long to put an update on, things have been quite hectic to say the least. Linda's foot was beginning to do very well, and suddenly this weekend the infection has returned, and she is confined to her bed once again. Needless to say this is very discouraging for her, and frustrating for us all. Please pray for her leg, and for our patience as we wait for it to heal. Please pray for her not to be discouraged, and for us all to know how to help and encourage her, while trying to hold up the work load at the same time.
Unfortunately we haven't been able to find a place for Jackson in the US in spite of some people trying very hard to do so at St. Jude's. We know God has His perfect plan for Jackson, and we are pleased to tell you all that Jackson did accept Jesus as his Savior while Linda was visiting him over the holidays. We are so thankful for this, and continue to pray for God's perfect will to be done in this little boy's life.
We have Ken and Debbie Wills and a team from Seattle visiting us this week. They are all hard at work on different projects, we are thankful for their willingness to come and help us out. Please pray for their safety and health over the next week, and also for a safe trip home on the 29th.
We appreciate you all and your prayers on our behalf. The school children have all started school again, and would appreciate your prayers as they study, especially the ones with government exams to write this year. God bless and give you a great week.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Linda is doing better
Hi all, and thanks so much for your prayers. Linda is doing better, I talked to her today. She is finally off IV's and is able to take her medication orally now instead of getting shots. We appreciate your prayers on her behalf, and for all of us at this time.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Linda needs your prayers
Hi Everyone, I know it's been a while since I've updated the blog. I've been busy and haven't had a chance to write. I've heard from Linda and the kids back in Haiti, and we really need your prayers. Linda got a bad case of malaria last week, and then fell and hit her leg. She now has a very bad infection in her left leg. She has been on several antibiotics that haven't worked so far, and they are now giving her shots and IV antibiotics to see if they can get it under control. She can't get out of bed because her leg is so swollen. As you can imagine this is a very difficult time for us all. I won't be back in Haiti until the 17th, so please pray for her and the kids. Pray for healing for her leg, for wisdom for the doctors, and for everyone's emotional needs at this time. Thank you so much, and I'll let you know as soon as I have more information.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Christmas!
Yesterday we celebrated Christmas at the HOH. We know it's a bit early, but that's what worked out the best for all of us here. Some of the young people are still writing exams this week right up until the 23rd when Linda and I will be leaving for vacation. We had a wonderful time yesterday, it was a lot of work preparing a meal for close to 180 people by the time you add all the children, staff, and close friends of the HOH. This year we left the program completely up to the Our Hope young people. They surprised us with a home made manger scene (pictured here) and quite a few nice songs and skits. They did a really great job, and of course were thrilled after all the guest left and they received their Christmas gifts. No one was disappointed this year! Thank you so much to all of you who sent them gifts. I wish I could bottle up all the excitement that was around here and pass it on to you all!
The excitement and joy was short lived when one of our little children passed away this morning. He wasn't doing well yesterday, but we were quite surprised when he passed away. We ask you to pray for John's family, his grandfather is a guard at our hospital. Unfortunately they waited too long to bring John to the hospital, and we weren't able to get him the treatment he needed in time. His family has had a rough time lately with many members quite sick, so they'd appreciate your prayers on their behalf.
As I mentioned already, Linda and I will be going on vacation at the end of this week. Linda will be going to see her family in Cap Haitian, and will be gone a week or so. I will be in the US visiting my family in Texas and will be gone a total of 3 weeks. We are thankful for the staff members we have who will be staying here at the HOH 24/7 during the time we are both gone. Please keep them in your prayers. Some of the Our Hope kids will be going along with Linda to Cap Haitian for a little vacation as well. Please pray for Linda and myself as well that we would get some much needed rest and relaxation!
All of the other children are doing very well, coming right along in their various treatments. We continue to search for a hospital for Jackson that will treat his leukemia, but so far we have had no success. We are in contact with one that we see as last hope, but we know our true hope is in Jesus, and we continue to pray and trust him that he will do His will in the life of Jackson. Please pray that as Linda goes and visits him over the holidays that she'd have a chance to present the Gospel to him again, and that the Holy Spirit would work in his heart and that he would accept the Lord as his Savior.
We wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. We'll write another update just as soon as we can!
The excitement and joy was short lived when one of our little children passed away this morning. He wasn't doing well yesterday, but we were quite surprised when he passed away. We ask you to pray for John's family, his grandfather is a guard at our hospital. Unfortunately they waited too long to bring John to the hospital, and we weren't able to get him the treatment he needed in time. His family has had a rough time lately with many members quite sick, so they'd appreciate your prayers on their behalf.
As I mentioned already, Linda and I will be going on vacation at the end of this week. Linda will be going to see her family in Cap Haitian, and will be gone a week or so. I will be in the US visiting my family in Texas and will be gone a total of 3 weeks. We are thankful for the staff members we have who will be staying here at the HOH 24/7 during the time we are both gone. Please keep them in your prayers. Some of the Our Hope kids will be going along with Linda to Cap Haitian for a little vacation as well. Please pray for Linda and myself as well that we would get some much needed rest and relaxation!
All of the other children are doing very well, coming right along in their various treatments. We continue to search for a hospital for Jackson that will treat his leukemia, but so far we have had no success. We are in contact with one that we see as last hope, but we know our true hope is in Jesus, and we continue to pray and trust him that he will do His will in the life of Jackson. Please pray that as Linda goes and visits him over the holidays that she'd have a chance to present the Gospel to him again, and that the Holy Spirit would work in his heart and that he would accept the Lord as his Savior.
We wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. We'll write another update just as soon as we can!
Monday, December 12, 2005
Christmas and Mangoes!
Great news! All the Christmas gifts that we had hoped would get here before Christmas have made it safe and sound. What a blessing, thank you for your prayers, and thank you so much to all of you who sent gifts to make Christmas a special time for our kids. Linda and I will be sending a lot of time getting things ready to celebrate Christmas here at the HOH. This year we will be having our party on Sunday the 18th, since the school students will be writing exams all through the next week. That is another prayer request for you all, they started writing exams today. Pray that they would be diligent in studying and would do better this cycle then they did on the last one.
We've continued to receive several new children. One of them is a cousin to Manouchka that we introduced several weeks ago. He is extremely malnourished and we are waiting for the results to see if he has TB as well. Kendly, Sabrina and most everyone else is doing just great. Thanks for praying for them. Marc Donald is pictured here enjoying a mango that a neighbor brought over for the kids. Everyone loves mangoes around here, and we don't usually get to have them at this time of year, but sure are thankful for the gift!
Hope you have a really great week. Please continue to pray as we continue to seek out research for Jackson, Linda's nephew who has Leukemia. We've come upon a lot of dead ends, and have just a few inquiries out there yet, but we continue to pray that God would open the door if it is his will.
We've continued to receive several new children. One of them is a cousin to Manouchka that we introduced several weeks ago. He is extremely malnourished and we are waiting for the results to see if he has TB as well. Kendly, Sabrina and most everyone else is doing just great. Thanks for praying for them. Marc Donald is pictured here enjoying a mango that a neighbor brought over for the kids. Everyone loves mangoes around here, and we don't usually get to have them at this time of year, but sure are thankful for the gift!
Hope you have a really great week. Please continue to pray as we continue to seek out research for Jackson, Linda's nephew who has Leukemia. We've come upon a lot of dead ends, and have just a few inquiries out there yet, but we continue to pray that God would open the door if it is his will.
Monday, December 05, 2005
No more Blacky
It was a sad weekend for us as we lost our old faithful dog Blacky (pictured here...ok, so he was a little camera shy, all I could find was a picture of the back of him!). He was very old, and was suffering a lot, so in one sense his death was a relief, but he was here a long time, and we all were used to him and loved him. So it was sad.
We are having a difficult time finding help for Jackson. The hospitals we have contacted so far have turned us down. If any of you reading this have any contacts that you could get in touch with that might be able to help us out please let us know. So, please pray that we'll have wisdom to know how far to go to find help, and when we just have to stop and say we can't do anything else, that's a hard decision to make. Also pray for him as he is suffering a lot, it is hard for his family.
We seem to be doing pretty good as far as the kids go here at the HOH this week, everyone seems to be coming along nicely, so thankyou for your prayers on our behalf. We hope you have a really great week.
We are having a difficult time finding help for Jackson. The hospitals we have contacted so far have turned us down. If any of you reading this have any contacts that you could get in touch with that might be able to help us out please let us know. So, please pray that we'll have wisdom to know how far to go to find help, and when we just have to stop and say we can't do anything else, that's a hard decision to make. Also pray for him as he is suffering a lot, it is hard for his family.
We seem to be doing pretty good as far as the kids go here at the HOH this week, everyone seems to be coming along nicely, so thankyou for your prayers on our behalf. We hope you have a really great week.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Christmas!
Greetings! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here at the HOH! We have had a lot of fun decorating, and watching the surprise on the faces of the children here. They just love all the color and the lights. For some of them they've never seen anything like this before, and children who have been here for a Christmas already are eager to fill in the new children on all the exciting details...especially about the gifts that so many of you send us. That is one request we have for you this week. Many gifts have been sent, but none have made it here yet. Please pray that the boat would get here before then, and that at least some of the gifts would be on the boat. We enjoy making this one Christmas a happy occasion for the children who are only with us this one time, and of course always enjoy having the extra opportunities to share with them the Good News of Jesus born so long ago!
We had a very nice week with Jeb and Leah Bland here. (Notice I didn't say James this time all you Elverson people!). Leah helped us get our prayer letter all ready to send out, and Jeb worked with our guys to start repairing the burned out building. They were able to get some posts in, and the guys are continuing to work on that this week. We know it's going to take a while to get the building ready to be used again, but it is nice to see progress starting on it. We'd appreciate your prayers that God would supply the needed funds to complete this project.
Kendly is doing much better this week, thank you so much for your prayers. The Dr. has put him on TB treatment, so hopefully that will be the answer for him. We've had a few new children come to the HOH this past week. There are just so many with very severe cases of TB and malnutrition. Please continue to pray for Haiti and this very difficult time for so many people.
We found out last week that Linda's 9 year old nephew has a very serious form of Leukemia. As you can imagine, it has been a difficult time for us all. What is especially difficult is that there is absolutely no treatment available for him in Haiti. Our hearts are just breaking for little Jackson, he is so precious, and is suffering terribly. We are starting to look into options to see if we can find a hospital in the US that would take him and give him treatment. We know there are such places, so please pray that God would direct us, give us wisdom, and prepare the way for us, if this is His will for Jackson to receive the treatment he needs. In the meantime pray for Linda's family, as you can imagine this is a difficult time for them all, and there has been so much expense involved in just finding out what has been making him sick, it has been a very difficult time for them all.
We appreciate you all and thank God for you. May you have a great week.
We had a very nice week with Jeb and Leah Bland here. (Notice I didn't say James this time all you Elverson people!). Leah helped us get our prayer letter all ready to send out, and Jeb worked with our guys to start repairing the burned out building. They were able to get some posts in, and the guys are continuing to work on that this week. We know it's going to take a while to get the building ready to be used again, but it is nice to see progress starting on it. We'd appreciate your prayers that God would supply the needed funds to complete this project.
Kendly is doing much better this week, thank you so much for your prayers. The Dr. has put him on TB treatment, so hopefully that will be the answer for him. We've had a few new children come to the HOH this past week. There are just so many with very severe cases of TB and malnutrition. Please continue to pray for Haiti and this very difficult time for so many people.
We found out last week that Linda's 9 year old nephew has a very serious form of Leukemia. As you can imagine, it has been a difficult time for us all. What is especially difficult is that there is absolutely no treatment available for him in Haiti. Our hearts are just breaking for little Jackson, he is so precious, and is suffering terribly. We are starting to look into options to see if we can find a hospital in the US that would take him and give him treatment. We know there are such places, so please pray that God would direct us, give us wisdom, and prepare the way for us, if this is His will for Jackson to receive the treatment he needs. In the meantime pray for Linda's family, as you can imagine this is a difficult time for them all, and there has been so much expense involved in just finding out what has been making him sick, it has been a very difficult time for them all.
We appreciate you all and thank God for you. May you have a great week.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Pray for Kendly
We could really use your prayers for little Kendly. He just doesn't seem to be coming around at all. Nothing we do seems to be working for him. Please pray for wisdom for us and the doctors to know what to do. Thanks you for prayers on our behalf. If you would please also pray for one of our supporting churches as well. The Simcoe Gospel Chapel in Simcoe, ON, is very close to the HOH, they send down teams every year, and we all have become close to a number of the members over the years. We just heard that one man, Rod Copeland, who had come down and helped us out a lot last February had an accident and died this past Monday. Please pray for Rod's family, and for the church as they go through this difficult time.
We have a busy week planned as we have some visitors here from PA. James Bland is here and is starting to work on the building that we had that burned this past year. His daughter Leah is helping me with some office work and playing with the children.
We want to wish all of our American friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. We have purchased a Haitian turkey to make for our visitors...it will certainly be a different Thanksgiving meal than they've ever eaten before!
We have a busy week planned as we have some visitors here from PA. James Bland is here and is starting to work on the building that we had that burned this past year. His daughter Leah is helping me with some office work and playing with the children.
We want to wish all of our American friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. We have purchased a Haitian turkey to make for our visitors...it will certainly be a different Thanksgiving meal than they've ever eaten before!
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Steady On!
Where does the time go? It's hard to believe another week is almost over, and so much for my attempt to get an update posted at the beginning of the week!
We have continued to receive new children, with several others being admitted this week. We were also able to send a few home, so that helps balance things out a bit. We had asked you to pray for Manouchka who has a very severe case of TB. Here she is pictured with her mother who is staying here with her for a little while as she is a very "high maintenance" child! Once she is better and doesn't need so much care her mom will leave her here for the rest of her treatment. Please continue to pray for Manouchka, she doesn't like to eat anything or take her medications, so that of course makes it very difficult to treat her TB.
Dieunika and Wesley are doing very well, and we think we finally have Sabrina and Kendly back on the road to health again. But please continue to pray for them. A new 8 year old boy named John came in yesterday also with a severe case of TB, he is very sick and could use your prayers as well.
We have had almost a week of rain and wind, with only a few spurts of sun, and believe it or not we've had to finally pull out the "winter" clothes! Everyone received a sweater this week, and is often seen layering up with several layers of clothes to keep warm. I know all of you who are from up North are probably getting a kick out of this, you'll really laugh when I tell you that the actually overnight temperatures have been 79 degrees F. But it feels "cold" to those who aren't used to it, especially with a wind coming off the ocean right through our windows all night.
We thank God for his provision for all of our needs, and appreciate your prayers for his continued provision. As you can imagine, so many really sick children puts a strain on our resources!
We have continued to receive new children, with several others being admitted this week. We were also able to send a few home, so that helps balance things out a bit. We had asked you to pray for Manouchka who has a very severe case of TB. Here she is pictured with her mother who is staying here with her for a little while as she is a very "high maintenance" child! Once she is better and doesn't need so much care her mom will leave her here for the rest of her treatment. Please continue to pray for Manouchka, she doesn't like to eat anything or take her medications, so that of course makes it very difficult to treat her TB.
Dieunika and Wesley are doing very well, and we think we finally have Sabrina and Kendly back on the road to health again. But please continue to pray for them. A new 8 year old boy named John came in yesterday also with a severe case of TB, he is very sick and could use your prayers as well.
We have had almost a week of rain and wind, with only a few spurts of sun, and believe it or not we've had to finally pull out the "winter" clothes! Everyone received a sweater this week, and is often seen layering up with several layers of clothes to keep warm. I know all of you who are from up North are probably getting a kick out of this, you'll really laugh when I tell you that the actually overnight temperatures have been 79 degrees F. But it feels "cold" to those who aren't used to it, especially with a wind coming off the ocean right through our windows all night.
We thank God for his provision for all of our needs, and appreciate your prayers for his continued provision. As you can imagine, so many really sick children puts a strain on our resources!
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Recently Baptized!
It was a great weekend! What a joy is was to see Jean Daniel, Mikerlange, Dada and Vonette (Pictured here the day of their baptism) be baptized and join the fellowship of our local church here in La Pointe. We already have other young people express a desire to be baptized when the church has another baptism in March. It's so exciting to see this spiritual growth in the lives of our young people.
On Sunday evening Ronel, Manno, Stephanie and Vonette sang in a concert with their worship group "Alleluia". It was encouraging last night to hear Stephanie tell how a Bible study we just recently concluded called "It's Not about Me" helped her change her attitude towards singing in public. She said she used to sing and take all the glory for herself. She has since learned that we are created for the Glory of God, and now when she sings she sings for God's glory. In her words she won't "steal" God's glory anymore! God is working and changing lives...thank you so much for your prayers on behalf of our young people.
We welcomed back Dieunika, a six year old girl we had asked you to pray for previously. She was so sick the Dr. decided to take her from the HOH and put her in the hospital for a while. It is truly a miracle that she is still alive. She went through a very rough time, her parents had even thought of just taking her home so she could die at home. But God had other plans and now she is doing just great!
We've also had several other very sick children admitted in the past week. 7 year old Manouchka is extremely sick with TB and malnutrition, and 5 year old Wesly has returned to the HOH for the second time extremely malnourished as well. Please keep these two in your prayers. Also, our babies, especially Sabrina and Kendly, are having a really rough time getting over the flu we had going around the HOH. Please pray for them specifically. Sabrina was doing so well, but has really gone backward health wise this past week. Please pray for her to start coming around again.
These past few children coming to the HOH puts our numbers at 102 children and young people. Please pray as Linda, the staff and I strive to take care of the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of all these precious ones. Please pray as well that God would send us the finances we need to take care of increasingly high numbers of needy ones with prices of everything continuing to rise in our part of Haiti.
We appreciate you all and your prayers are an encouragement to us. Thank you for your prayers on behalf of our friend Mark Fletcher, we received news that he was able to return home yesterday to spend a few days with his family before returning to have surgery this coming Monday, so please continue to pray for him and his family.
God bless you all!
On Sunday evening Ronel, Manno, Stephanie and Vonette sang in a concert with their worship group "Alleluia". It was encouraging last night to hear Stephanie tell how a Bible study we just recently concluded called "It's Not about Me" helped her change her attitude towards singing in public. She said she used to sing and take all the glory for herself. She has since learned that we are created for the Glory of God, and now when she sings she sings for God's glory. In her words she won't "steal" God's glory anymore! God is working and changing lives...thank you so much for your prayers on behalf of our young people.
We welcomed back Dieunika, a six year old girl we had asked you to pray for previously. She was so sick the Dr. decided to take her from the HOH and put her in the hospital for a while. It is truly a miracle that she is still alive. She went through a very rough time, her parents had even thought of just taking her home so she could die at home. But God had other plans and now she is doing just great!
We've also had several other very sick children admitted in the past week. 7 year old Manouchka is extremely sick with TB and malnutrition, and 5 year old Wesly has returned to the HOH for the second time extremely malnourished as well. Please keep these two in your prayers. Also, our babies, especially Sabrina and Kendly, are having a really rough time getting over the flu we had going around the HOH. Please pray for them specifically. Sabrina was doing so well, but has really gone backward health wise this past week. Please pray for her to start coming around again.
These past few children coming to the HOH puts our numbers at 102 children and young people. Please pray as Linda, the staff and I strive to take care of the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of all these precious ones. Please pray as well that God would send us the finances we need to take care of increasingly high numbers of needy ones with prices of everything continuing to rise in our part of Haiti.
We appreciate you all and your prayers are an encouragement to us. Thank you for your prayers on behalf of our friend Mark Fletcher, we received news that he was able to return home yesterday to spend a few days with his family before returning to have surgery this coming Monday, so please continue to pray for him and his family.
God bless you all!
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