Merry Christmas to All!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

We hope this message finds you all enjoying friends & family during this holiday season. We wanted to take a few moments to update you on the children we currently have here in the US and give you some big news for our program in 2009.

The picture above is of little Chrisno. Chrisno came to the Roanoke area back in late summer/early fall for surgery to treat his hydrocephaly. The surgery went really well and he has done super during his recovery. His host family has been wonderful and he has made so many gains. His mother won't recognize him when he returns to her next month. We are also thankful to the Gunnell family for organizing an incredible fundraiser for AMH! Those much needed funds will go to help us develop a medical program in Haiti so that we can arrange treatment for more children.

This happy elf below is little Lena. You all will remember that she was so very tiny when she arrived that we had to delay her cleft surgery until she had gained some weight. Since that time, she has grown and changed so much! Her last surgery took place last month and she is ready to return to Haiti and her mother. Next month, Lena will travel with a mission team and be reunited with her family. I can't wait to see those photos! We send many thanks to Sarah (her host mom) and family for taking such wonderful care of Lena during her time here.

Little Pierre has also grown quite a bit since he arrived this past summer. Pierre had a terrible time during his first month here and was hospitalized in intensive care down in South Carolina. It took doctors there over a week to figure out what was wrong and he was diagnosed with Diabetes Insipidus. This is an usual condition where his body struggles to keep his sodium levels stable. There also seem to be some endrocrine system issues that will need to be monitored. We are hopeful that Pierre is with his last host family and will soon have his cleft surgery. Many doctors we approached would not agree to do the surgery due to his other medical conditions. We are very thankful that he will soon be on his way to a happy & healthy life.

The fourth little one here is Ellie Paul who is with our good friend, Kim and her family in PA. Ellie had surgery recently to treat his hydrocephaly and has done remarkably well. I will try and post a photo soon so you can see his sweet face.

Our big announcement for growth in 2009 will be made soon. Vanessa and Tom have been working endlessly to pull everything together....and there are many pieces to this puzzle! I have been so impressed how things have been coming along and the people that God has brought together to make this project possible. We hope to have the project up and running during the first quarter of 2009 and are so thankful for all our partners both here and in Haiti who are working to make it possible for AMH to provide desperately needed care to hundreds and dare we pray thousands of Haitian children.

Best Wishes to you all for a Happy & Healthy New Year!