Updates

Hi Everyone,

Please continue to keep Pierre in your prayers. He is still in the hospital in SC and we have not heard yet a diagnosis. We are hoping to get something more definite this week. Vanessa is in contact with his family so they know how sick he currently is.

We have two more children coming for hydrocephaly surgery in May. Little Dieuna and Juline will both be going to the Philly area to have surgery with Dr. Warf. We are still looking for a host family Juline.

Dieuna and her sister


Juline and her parents

Several of the girls are ready to return to their families~ Brenda & Pharah will be returning in a week or so. Hopefully Joanise will be returning soon as well. At this point, we are waiting for hear from the doctor whether or not Naphatalie will need additional sugery. We had heard that she would, but now the doctor is hoping that the surgery is working, just slowly.


As always, thank you everyone for your support!

Prayers for Pierre

Hi Everyone,

I am writing to ask for prayers for a little one we have here that is awaiting surgery. He is quite small and very ill right now. In fact, he had to be admitted to the PICU at MUSC in Charleston, SC. That is a wonderful hospital and we know they are doing all they can for him. He arrived from Haiti barely a week ago and since that time, he would not eat or drink anything for a number of days. His little body just doesn't have any reserves to live off of at this point. We will let you know how he is doing in the days to come.

Here Comes the Sun...

Driving in the beautiful Virginia sunshine today, I looked in my rearview mirror to see my lovely two year old son singing along with the radio. Playing on the station was the Beatles' song Here Comes the Sun and I was struck by how we have truly come into the light these past few weeks. The seven week marathon in Baltimore is slowly becoming a distant memory for all of us and we are enjoying each moment being out & about and being home with the rest of our family. For me, there is no question that God used that time away to teach me a few things about myself, specifically my persistent & irritating desire to be in control of all things...at all times. It also reminded me that I don't truly depend on God until God is all I have to hold on to. Chedner has come through the journey mostly true to his self. He has recovered physically and has not only caught back up developmentally, but is making big gains in his ability to communicate. I'd say the one lingering after effect of the hospital stay is his tendency to break down quickly and have massive temper tantrums when things aren't going as he'd like...then again, I seem to have the same response these days! We want to say a big thanks to all the wonderful doctors, nurses and staff at Johns Hopkins Childrens in Baltimore. You will see many of them in the slideshow. They were fantastic and helped to make a long stay much more bearable and even managed to make it enjoyable at times. They all took good care of both of us and we appreciate their efforts more than we can say. For the next year or so, Chedner has a break from surgery. He will need more in the future, but for now for the time being he can enjoy just being a little boy. And for that, we are eternally grateful...

The Happiest Patient...

Little Widline had her surgery a bit over a week ago and I received a wonderful update and these photos from her host mom. The surgery was a success thanks to the wonderful medical folks you see below. She had a pull-thru surgery done to correct her imperforate anus and did not need a temporary colostomy! They did, however, identify a number of other potential problems during the testing and procedure that will now need to be followed. Kate (host mom) says that she has two appointments arranged for further diagnostics, so we are asking that you all keep Widline, her host family and her Haitian family in your prayers for the next few months. Hopefully, the great medical folks at Columbus Children's Hospital will be able to figure out how best to help Widline so that she can return to her family in the best health possible.

From what Kate said, this little one is just a smiley girl and even after surgery bounced back to her happy self pretty quickly. She is so cute and is gaining weight and growing well. Thanks to all who are supporting her and her host family during this time!

Wonderful Update on Pharah

Here is an update from Pharah's host mom, Malia. She does such a great job describing little Pharah that I decided just to cut and paste rather than try to paraphrase it myself! A huge thank you to Malia and her family for taking such wonderful care of Pharah while she is recovering.

Dear Fran and Vanessa,

Hi! I just wanted to let you know how Pharah is doing.

Wednesday, April 5, 2008

Pharah is doing well, although she recently had a cold which lasted for two days. I was surprised at how quickly she recovered! Her head circumference continues to shrink. People who have not seen her for a couple of weeks can notice the difference.

Pharah continues to develop new skills. She claps her hands. She likes to clap and kick her legs to "If You're Happy and You Know It". She says, "Mama, Dada, gaga, and God or good" regularly and continues to try to imitate what we say. We are working on L words such as Aleluia, since she recently found her tongue. It's cute how she sticks out her tongue and waits for you to do the same! Although, her favorite game is still Peek-a-Boo. Pharah can roll from side to side and back to front and front to back. She is trying to roll across the room to a toy, but hasn't mastered that yet. So, I sing "There were three in the bed and the little one said,'Roll over, Roll over.' So we all roll over and..." Pharah, Scott, and I roll on the floor (Pharah, with my assistance). She laughs when we roll.

Pharah recently attended a birthday party at Romp and Roll. She enjoyed playing with the toys and toddlers in the inflatable play area (See attached picture). She also spent night with Russ and Kelly Lewis. She fell in love with them the moment she meet them. Russ has a beard and glass, which she loved grabbing! The had a Two year old daughter who loved playing with Pharah.

Now that the weather is getting warm, Pharah goes with us to the local community garden on Tuesdays. She enjoyss meeting new people and listening to the birds (There are no flowers, yet to see.). We also go outside in our yard and blow bubbles. Pharah also enjoys playing musical instruments, such as bells and the tambourine. This girl has music in her soul and love in her heart. She is always ready to hold hands and smile!

To God be the glory!
Malia Gordon

Riots in Haiti

We are asking for prayers from all the readers for the situation in Haiti. It is very volatile right now and things in Haiti sometimes do not get reported accurately. Basically, the people are hungry. Food prices have soared and the people simply cannot buy what they need. When you are this hungry, you have little to lose by demonstrating, even if those demonstrations get violent. I am always reminded when I see the pictures of these events, that I truly am blessed not to have to chose to feed my children dirt, oil and salt biscuits for dinner or send them to bed with empty bellies.

Our Haitian friend and fellow Angel Missions worker, Bernard spent a long night last night praying and asking God not to let the men who were trying to break into our new clinic (and his family's home) succeed in their efforts. God provided and they were unable to get inside, but we need to find the funds to better secure that building. The medicine, supplies and furniture can be replaced...Bernard and his family cannot be! I can't imagine how scared he and his wife were for their young son, Berny's safety.

Please take a moment today to ask for God's protection for Bernard, Susie and Berny as they struggle with the instable environment they are living in at the moment. Please also pray for all Haitians, their government and the world powers, that we can find a way to stop hunger. We know there are resources enough in this world to feed every person. So much goes to waste. There are ships in the port in Haiti full of food that has gone bad or just hasn't made it to the people that are most in need. Corruption and greed are not strangers in any corner of the world, it is just so much worse when those at the lean end have literally nothing.

Fran

Emerson's Homecoming

Emerson and Nyessa headed home last Thursday and his parents couldn't have been happier. They are wonderful folks. I met them last fall when we picked up Emerson and they were so loving and concerned for their son. Emerson had one of the worse cleft situations I had ever seen. Even his right eye was involved. In fact, the eye still needs some work, but the rest of his lip and face look wonderful following the surgery. He has grown alot in the last six months and is such a big boy. His family sends their thanks and said they will be praying for all the other children who need medical care.

Emerson is doing well and adjusting to life in back in Haiti. We will continue to investigate whether we can do more for his eye and keep track of his health as he grows.

Nyessa is doing well also and her family is thrilled to have that sweet girl home. She is such a character with lots of charm and sass. We will follow her as well and let you know how she is doing. I wish I had some photos of her homecoming, but our digital camera broke and we haven't been able to replace it yet. If anyone has an old digital that they would like to donate, we'd love to have it!

Again, we thank CMM for their assistance in finding both Emerson and Nyessa their much needed surgery.

Stephen Joseph Update

I have delayed in posting this as it has taken me a few days to make peace with it in my own heart. Since Vanessa and I found Stephen Joseph back in October, he has been on my heart. He is such a bright-eyed little man with a happy nature who was just looking for someone to play with when we visited the ward. Vanessa and I tried for months to get him moved to an orphanage we know would take great care of him until we could get him a medical visa. We have learned over the years, though that our plans are not always God's plans. Stephen did get moved out of the abandoned ward to an orphanage; unfortunately, it was not the one we had chosen. The good news is that he is out of the hospital ward. The bad news is that he is with an orphanage that will not work with us. I am sure they have their reasons just as I am sure that God has a plan for this little boy. My head accepts that my knowledge is incomplete and that I cannot know the big picture all the time (even some of the time, it seems these days); however, my heart is broken that we will not be able to help him. We thank all of you who have written of your support for Stephen and have offered assistance. Please continue to pray for him in the hopes that he may still get the medical care he needs and a chance at a better life.

Fran