Where Have These Last Two Weeks Gone?

Time is absolutely FLYING by! I cannot believe it has been nearly 2 weeks since my last blog post. We have been SO busy! Kim, Deb, Marcie, and I spent several days updating sponsorship pictures and delivering sponsor gifts to children. We spent a day in LaPlaine meeting with the very first children we ever enrolled in our sponsor program. Most of them are graduating or will soon be graduating from primary school. It was so fun to share hugs and smiles with all of them. We did receive some very sad news about a couple of our sponsored girls, Denise and Patricia Bazile. They were unable to make it to our sponsorship meeting because they were at a funeral in the mountains for 7 of their relatives - including their mother, sister, and cousins. There was a terrible bus accident along a busy road and only 3 people in the entire bus lived. None of them were their family members. These girls, and their 4 other siblings, have a long road ahead of them. They are now orphaned. Their extended relatives are too poor to care for them...those I have spoken with do not feel they can carry the burden of raising these children. Denise is also very ill. We do not know what she is sick with, but it does not sound good. Please pray for her health and that God would provide for these precious children.
Last week we had an AMAZING time at clinic! The medical team saw over 2,200 patients in just 6 days! We are completely out of medications down here! What was left after clinic was distributed to our wonderful Haitian nurses to use in the coming weeks. Medical clinics are such an important part of our ministry! Each of our programs relies on Captain Gail and her awesome medical teams to keep our children and families healthy!...and they do a great job! If you would like to donate to our medical clinics we are in desperate need of the "three V's". 1.) Vitamins (children's and adult's) 2.) Vick's vapor rub 3.) Vaginal wash! Lots of malnutrition, chest infections, and itchy vaginas! (I'm sorry if you feel this is inappropriate but the truth must be told!) For those of you who may feel called to do even more, we are looking for people willing to help sponsor our Haitian nurses! They are receiving exceptional training from Gail, treating people on a daily basis, and most importantly witnessing for Christ to the lost in their communities. If you are interested in donating medications OR sponsoring a nurse please contact our medical director, Gail McGee. (gmcgee51@yahoo.com)
Last night we received some terrible news that one of Frentz's friends had been shot and killed. He was on his way home from work when two men on motor bikes pulled up in front of him. They shot him in the neck and peed on him. He was almost home, and was killed on the same street that the old guest house was located on. Please pray for his family as they deal with such a great loss. He had a good business selling tennis shoes on the street and was able to support his family. Please pray for the men who shot him. That they will have a change of heart and stop killing people.
All of the children at HOPE House are doing well! They are all growing up so fast! Caleb and Pierreline will start pre-school in September! Naika and Sophonie both passed their grades and will be moving on to 2nd grade and kindergarten. David adjusted quickly to life at HOPE House. His favorite time of day is right after dinner when the sun is finally going down and cooling things off so he can run laps in the grassy area between my house and their's. He is actually a very fast runner! Pierreline usually comes in second.....and Caleb is always last. But he THINKS he's fast and that's all that matters! The three babies, Kimberlie, Guerlens, and Marise-Love seem to get bigger every day! We have THE greatest group of kids here at HOPE House! If you don't believe me, come visit!
Sorry there is no picture with this post...between one broken camera, one dead battery, and a very slow internet connection it just wasn't possible! Next time, I promise!

Meet Marise-Love and David

It has been a week of very slow internet and very little electricity! I feel like so much has happened I don't even know where to begin!

The new flooring has been completed in all three containers and it looks BEAUTIFUL! Thank you DeKuiper team for hauling all of that heavy tile down and working so hard to get it down! The team left on Wednesday, but not before completing everything they had planned to do! It was a great week! We are all excited about the gardens that were planted! Naika and Sophonie check them everyday to see if anything is sprouting up.

Kim and Deb arrived on Tuesday and Marcie came in on Thursday. We have been keeping ourselves busy with sponsorship updates and new student registration. In the past 3 days alone we are in need of over 70 new sponsors! (You can sponsor a child to receive education, food, and medical care for only $30 a month! For only $1 a day, you can change a child's life forever! Email us at haitipoverty@gmail.com)

Yesterday we took in a new baby and a new toddler! The baby, a little girl, is about six weeks old and weight 5 lb 5 oz. Her mother came to me when she was 7 months pregnant asking if I would take her child when it was born. For a while the baby was doing great and mom was breast feeding, which is what we always want! But as mom was trying to care for her other 5 children she felt overwhelmed and stopped giving little Marise-Love the time and care she needed. She was losing weight and her mother tried to drop her off and leave her. After further discussion with the mother she was enrolled in the business program and we took in her three year old boy as well. He is very malnourished and has a nasty eye infection and skin infections on his scalp. Once he is healthy he will be able to go back home to his mom after she is earning profits to care for him. He has already started is medication and fits right in here at HOPE House. Caleb was SO excited when we came home with a little boy his age. (They are actually only 8 days apart!) Caleb immediately began digging in the toy bin to get out all of his cars and balls to play with David. He took him by the hand and showed him his chair at the lunch table. He showed him how to wash his hands and where to put his dishes when he was finished eating. He introduced him to Papa Frentz when he came home and this morning when Micherlange came into work Caleb pointed to David and exclaimed, "Look! They gave me a gift! His name is David!" What a heart. We have the BEST kids here at HOPE House. They are such beautiful children inside and out!

This morning we said goodbye to our summer intern, Morgan. She was a tremendous help over the past 4 weeks! I am so thankful for her positive attitude and willingness to do anything! We are all missing her and praying she returns home safely!

Tomorrow we are going down to Les Bours to update sponsor pictures and meet with the teachers. There is a storm heading our direction and we pray it fades out before it hits us! Tuesday we get to pick up our new guard dogs! 4 week old puppies! Mom is doberman/Haitian dog mix and dad is a rottweiler. The puppies are too adorable for words! You will just have to drool over their picture!

Grace and peace to you this Sabbath day! His mercies are new every morning! Thank you Lord for YOU are faithful! Faithful to provide. Faithful to love. Faithful to save. I love you Father!