Word of Mouth

Communication in Haiti is always interesting. Although everyone and their brother seem to have these cheap cell phones put out by Digicel, it is actually incredibly hard to find people. There is little structure with which to keep track of dates and times and central meeting places can be difficult to locate. All this is leading up to my discovery that "word of mouth" is by far the best advertising tool and means with which to let people know you are in town. I was not expecting to see many new families while I was in Port for only a few days, but on Monday morning, the day before I left, we had over ten new families arrive to ask for help. I have to admit that it was overwhelming at times, especially when there are children whom we cannot help or that it may be too late for us to help. However, there are always a few that pull at your heart and others that I pray we can find medical care for here in the US. This time was no exception.

There are two children that I would like you to remember in your prayers right now. The first is a two year old little boy named Elie and he has a problem with his intestines. He was born with an imperforate anus and they have done three surgeries in Haiti, including giving him a colostemy. Unfortunately, these operations do not always work and I am afraid that Elie is very sick. It is difficult for us to find care here in the US for this condition, but we are trying. The second is a young many named Charles. He has an infection in the bone in his leg and his need for care is immediate. I asked his mother if she had taken him to a doctor and she told us no, not this time. It turns out that Charles had this same infection 11 years ago when he cut his knee as a youngster. Not at 15 yrs old, the infection seems to have come out again. In fact, his leg has not grown as it should have due to this dormant infection. We are hoping they will get his medical records to us and some x-rays of his leg so that we can try and find him some help as well. Until the time when we can offer help, please help us by lifting these two boys up in prayer and ask God to do what he can for them where they are.

Chedner is sick again and I am not able to write for long periods of time. I will post again soon when I have more information on Nelson, Christy or Angelo and will also try and tell a few more of the stories of the children I met last week.

Blessings, Fran