There’s always something to be excited about here at Mission of Hope International in Haiti. God has been so good to us all over these past 12 years. There’s a song that we love to sing that says, “Everyday with you Lord, is sweeter than the day before!” This is my life!
Baby Kristie
A grateful Rosenie at church this evening.
Rosenie has been MOHI since day one, back in March 2000. We’ll never forget how she got right out there with the men, pounding the posts into our first church/school building. She’s always been a hard worker. She was one of our original staff of teachers, later becoming the school director. When we started micro-financing for women, she was again the logical choice for a director. She is from a family steeped in voodoo practices, but early on in her days at MOHI she committed her life to serving Jesus and leaving the practice of spirit worship. She has had many fierce battles over the years, but she and her four daughters have remained faithful.
Rosenie gave birth to her fourth daughter, Kristie and we all rejoiced with her. She weighed in at just over four pounds, but seemed healthy enough. At her first doctor’s visit, she had lost weight. The doctor told Rosenie that’s pretty normal in the beginning and not to be concerned about it. As time went by, she wasn’t gaining weight and then she started vomiting regularly. Rosenie went from doctor to doctor with no solution. Each doctor’s visit was costly, but she had to find a solution for her baby.
Bob and Sally along with their medical team.
One afternoon she called, in tears. She didn’t know what else to do. It so happened that we had a medical group from Bob Heier Ministries (Lehigh Acres, FL) and the Chapel (Akron, OH) with us. They had already finished doing clinic for the day, so Rosenie and Kristie went down to the mission compound to see them. They did what they could for them, but Sally Heier later told me that she needed to be diagnosed. She was concerned she might have been born with a condition where the opening to the stomach is not fully formed and therefore she cannot keep the food down. I explained the situation to Rosenie and gave her information that Sally gave me from a hospital in Port-au-Prince that provides free pediatric care.
Baby Kristie
Around the same time, Rosenie was told of an herbalist that could help her. She massaged some herbs and oil on the baby, wrapped her tummy tightly and gave her some herbal concoction to drink. She came to see me a week later and told me she was so excited because Kristie was doing so much better. She explained that the baby had blue vein disease and that she’s on the road to recovery now.
I’ve worked with many doctors over the years – American, Haitian, Sri Lankan, Canadian, Cuban… I’ve learned something from each of them. John Mulqueen, a pediatrician from our hometown, taught me to value the local, herbal treatments. Previous to working with him, I considered them all folklore and wives tales. The reality is that a good portion of these things are valid. The problem comes in the explanation of the illness – the diagnosis. Most of those aren’t even logical. So, I knew better than to tell Rosenie it was a bunch of junk. I explained to her that I was thrilled to hear that Kristie was doing better, but that I had never heard of “blue vein disease.” I told her that often the medicine is good, but the explanation is lacking. I made sure that she had the hospital information and I prayed for them.
So, have YOU ever heard of “blue vein disease?” I hadn’t, so I contacted Sally back in Florida. Sally is an RN who has been working in Haiti for years. She seems to have a great understanding of culture and medicine in Haiti and she LOVES to teach. She wrote back to me and saying, “Sure. In America we call it ‘failure to thrive!'”
A week or two after that, Rosenie called me in tears once again. Kristie was throwing everything up again and she was losing weight. She told me she contacted the hospital in Port-au-Prince and they could see Kristie that afternoon, but she needed a way to get there. It just so happened that I had a few people that were preparing to leave to go meet someone at the airport, so I was able to send the car to pick up Rosenie and Kristie.
Things happened quickly after that. The doctor sent her to have an ultrasound done. Lo and behold, the condition that Sally had referred to was indeed what showed up in the pictures. The opening to the stomach was a fraction of the size it was supposed to be, allowing a little sustenance to enter, but not nearly enough. She was to be operated on within 48 hours at another hospital that the doctor referred her to.
Remember, Rosenie has been spending money since the day Kristie was born. She didn’t have the $20,000 Haitian dollars (about $2500 US in a country where the average family brings in $400/year!) required to pay the medical staff to do the operation. She was distraught. She couldn’t let her baby die, how would she come up with that kind of money? She turned to God and her church family went to praying. The day of the operation she went to the hospital with only $3000 Haitian dollars. She gave it them and found grace. They operated, successfully, on Kristie. In order to bring Kristie home, she now had to pay over $30,000 (Haitian). The previous price they’d given her did not include the hospital costs, only the staff. She borrowed money from many sources and, by God’s grace, she found enough to bring Kristie home.
This morning Rosenie shared her story with the church in Thozin. She rejoiced over her little girl who is now making up for lost time. She’s eating without vomiting and already putting on a little weight. Praise God! I can’t even explain to you how difficult it is for people in this country to know where to turn for help. She went from doctor to doctor to doctor without finding a solution She spent all that she had. God sent Sally to bring the information Rosenie needed to save her baby’s life. If you’d like to help pay for this surgery (as Rosenie has a lot of people to pay back now), please make a donation and make a note that it’s for Baby Kristie.
Women’s Convention
Rita and Pastor Carlos Periera will be joining us in Haiti this week!!!
Our first ever Women’s Conference will be taking place Thursday through Sunday. I’m so looking forward to Pastor Carlos and his wife Rita coming to join us for this special occasion. Rita has been waiting for four years for this Conference. I’m confident the Lord has some wonderful things in store for all of us. I do a lot of one on one counseling, but I don’t get many opportunities to share in a service like this. I am looking forward to sharing on Saturday about what it means to walk in love and how we can apply it in our everyday lives. Your prayers for every aspect of the conference are greatly appreciated.
Construction
Construction on the school continues, although a bit more slowly. We have been doing a lot of back filling and are just about done with it. The timing is great, because the rainy season is upon us. Haiti’s torrential rains are the better than any compactor we could ever find.
English Service
Sunday night worship at MOHI in Thozin, Grand-Goâve
Sunday nights are now done in English at the MOHI church in Thozin. This has been such a blessing to the area missionaries that come, as well as to our church. Many of the high school students are getting extra practice with their English and applying it in worship. Someone translates the message into Kreyol for everyone else. We are so appreciative of Angela Parayson who has been leading us in worship. She and Alexis make an incredible team, switching back and forth into Kreyol on some of the choruses.