Saturday, May 9, 2009

haiti update - may 9, 2009

“…I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:3-5

Hi! This week was busy avoiding protest demonstrations. On Monday we were driving up Delmas and saw a group of around 200 protestors walking in the opposite direction down Delmas. They were carrying signs requesting the Mayor of Delmas to give them a market area to sell at. They were happy with the fact that all traffic coming down Delmas was following behind them at their pace! Later we were driving down Delmas 31 and saw a group of protesters in front of the Mayor of Delmas’ office. We just took a little detour to go around them. On Friday we detoured to avoid a protest demonstration coming up Rue Pan American. They were heading to the Dominican Republic Embassy. An incident happened in the Dominican Republic that has upset the Haitian people. A Dominican decapitated a Haitian man in Santo Domingo in the middle of the afternoon in a public area and nobody stopped him. Some of the Dominican onlookers cheered and took pictures with their cell phone cameras. Haitians living in the Dominican Republic have always had problems. It is estimated that there are over 1 million Haitians working legally and illegally in the Dominican Republic. Mostly they work in the agriculture and construction sectors. The Haitians experience a lot of racism there. Some Dominicans don’t want them there. The group of demonstrators who went to the Dominican Republic Embassy burned a Dominican flag in front of the embassy as well as removing the Dominican Republic seal from the walls of the embassy. Benson’s father lives and works in the Dominican Republic. His father’s name is Benito. When Benson came back from his Easter visit with his aunt he told me that his older brother Emmanuel went to the Dominican Republic with his father. I don’t think that he went the legal way though. Pray for peaceful Dominican and Haitian relations and also that a way can be found for Benson to keep in contact with his older brother.
We have a new student in the school program here at Coram Deo. One of the hydrocephalus parents went to the province to help look after her sister-in-law. Joana (Chrisno’s mother) came to us last Thursday and introduced her niece. Loudmy Valcourt is her name. Her mother died a few weeks ago and she never knew her father. Her 7-month-old baby sister died one week after her mother and she now is an orphan. Joana and her husband are now going to raise her. Joana had asked if she could be a part of the school program in September but I thought it would be best for Loudmy if she started right away. This way she could get to know some people here in Port-au-Prince. She is a quiet 6-year-old girl who has never been to school. The first couple of days she didn’t want to sit in class but now she is smiling and taking part in class. We give the Lord thanks that we are able to help her.
This week we registered a few hydrocephalus patients at Healing Hands. For the first time, I have met an untreated hydrocephalus adult. Pastor Emory sent Chalmay “Charlie” Jean-Jacques from Gonaives to get registered at Healing Hands. Charlie is 25 years old and his head circumference is 85 cm. He was born caesarean section with an already developed hydrocephalus in a hospital in Cap-Haitian. His mother brought him to Port-au-Prince when he was a baby and the doctor told her how much a neurosurgery would cost. She couldn’t come up with the funds and the doctor told her that the baby would be in God’s hands. She did the best she could to look after him and he continued to live and thrive. Charlie walks and talks and attended school for some time. When we made the dossier at Healing Hands he supplied the answers to all the nurse’s questions as well as knowing contact telephone numbers by heart. He communicates well. I have never seen an untreated severe hydrocephalus live long and he sure is a unique case! I think he is a walking miracle! He is a good example for hydrocephalus parents to see and will give them hope for their own children. This week we also helped another mission get a medical visa for a boy who needs to have his eye removed and a prosthetic eye put in place. Pray for Clepson and the travel arrangements that are now being made for him to travel to a hospital in the United States.
We received word on Monday afternoon that Sammy died. He was 20 years old. He lived here at Coram Deo from when he was 11 years old until March 2008. I met Sammy for the first time when I went for a visit up to Fond Baptiste to see how Jacob was doing. It was then that a Haitian man told me about his younger brother Sammy. We went down a hill to their home and saw Sammy sitting there. He was near death and his eyes were glassy. Even though he was 11 years old I could carry him with one arm, as he didn’t weigh much. He thrived and grew here at Coram Deo into a young man. He was mentally handicapped and still had the mind of a child. Even though he was mentally handicapped he observed the actions of those around him. I had problems with some of the people who lived here. He observed how they acted to me and duplicated it. After these people were no longer a part of Coram Deo he didn’t realize that these actions couldn’t continue going on. He also started being more physical to the younger children who lived here. In March 2008 I sent him back to his family in Fond Baptiste. We received word a couple of weeks ago that he wasn’t doing well. I sent word to bring him down to Arcahaie and that I would drive there and see him. I never heard back from the family and assumed that he was doing alright. It was a surprise when the next communication came that said he had died and was already buried. I wish that I would have done things differently and gone up the mountain instead of waiting for others to bring him down. Sammy is in heaven now. God knows how his mind was. Our mission here is called “Coram Deo”. It means “Before the face of God.” Sammy is now with God and is suffering no more. Even though he would act up and was very animated and energetic here at home he always behaved in church. He would sit quietly through the service from beginning to end. He knew that church was a special place and that it was God’s house. Some of the people who used to be part of Coram Deo said, “that the children here are not my family”. I try my best to raise the children living here as my family. They know that this is their home. Sammy is now home in heaven and one day we will be together again. Please pray for our family here at Coram Deo.

In the bitter waves of woe
Beaten and tossed about
By the sullen winds that blow
From the desolate shores of doubt,
Where the anchors that faith has cast
Are dragging in the gale,
I am quietly holding fast
To the things that cannot fail.

And fierce though the fiends may fight,
And long though the angels hide,
I know that truth and right
Have the universe on their side;
And that somewhere beyond the stars
Is a love that is better than fate.
When the night unlocks her bars
I shall see Him – and I will wait.
Washington Gladden

Karen Bultje, Coram Deo

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