Fred's Family

 

A woman came to us this week seeking help for her 8-month-old baby boy. His name is Fred. He was dehydrated and malnourished. He weighed only 8 pounds. The mother doesn't breast feed and doesn't have funds to buy baby formula. We brought them to Bernard Mevs Hospital.

Bernard Mevs Hospital and Project Medishare have been helping out by doing the exams and a cat scan free of charge. The fontanels are still open and the skull bones haven't fused together yet. His hair also has a tint to it that shows he has malnutrition.

We pick up the lab test and cat scan results on Monday.

This side view shows the overlapping of the skull bones.

The family lives in the Ti-Place Cazeau area off of Delmas 33. Fred has 2 brothers; Frantz who is 2-years-old, and Benji who is 7-years-old. Frantz broke his lower leg a few months ago and has trouble walking. We are going to take him to an orthopedic doctor next week to check it out.

The family has been struggling since the earthquake. They lost their home and important papers like birth certificates during the earthquake. The mother rents a 1 room home for her family.

Today Fred's family came and visited us. Benji has never gone to school and we told Benji and his mother that he could attend classes here. Please keep Fred and his family in prayer. We are supplying Fred's mother with baby formula and shared some of our Feed My Starving Children Food with them

Gertrude Charles - Hospital Admission

Gertrude Charles was admitted to Hopital La Paix today. Last week there were no beds available and today there were The doctors prescribed the medecine and supplies they would need for the surgery and her brother went to the Red Cross for a pint of blood. If all goes as planned she will have surgery tomorrow. Please keep Gertrude in prayer.

Tante Linie - Obituary

Tante Linie was an aunt who was kind hearted, and with a love for missions. She was a great encouragement for me and our work here in Haiti. "Mwen sonje ou". We'll miss her but rejoice that she is now with the Lord. Condolences to our family.

Obituary

Rikselina Schuurman (nee Bultje)
(May 21, 1929 - Nov 19, 2013)

In His time the Lord called into glory Rikselina Schuurman on Tuesday, November 19, 2013 at the age of 84. Loving wife of the late Willem (2008). Devoted mother to Mieke and John Jager, Alice and Pete Halsted, George and Cathy Schuurman, Philip Schuurman, Barb and Murray Foekens, Karen and Shaun DeJonge, Frank and Karen Schuurman. Oma to 17 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. Survived by her siblings Babs (the late Kees) Van Dijk, Berta and Jan Haveman, John and Ann Bultje, Grace and George VanAndel, Bert and Jane Bultje, Albert and Grace Bultje, Linda and Ike Vanderee, Alberdine and Keith Louwerse, Phillip Bultje, and Sharon Bultje. Also survived by many relatives in the Netherlands.
Visitation at CORNERSTONE CANADIAN REFORMED CHURCH, 353 Stonechurch Rd. E., Hamilton on Friday, November 22, 2013 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. where the Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 10 a.m. Interment to follow at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Mission of T.E.A.R.S. Haitieen Project Coram Deo would be appreciated (http://www.haiticoramdeo.blogspot.ca/)

Please sign the Book of Condolence.

November 18, 2013 Anti-Martelly Protests - Port-au-Prince

Video footage from Le Nouvelliste of the November 18, 2013 Anti-Martelly protest on the streets of Port-au-Prince.

Lauren Pierre - Nose Surgery

 

When the Leap Foundation was here in Haiti was a day of turbulence in Cite Soleil (actually for the last few weeks it has been like that almost every day). Lauren Pierre lives with her mother and twin sister in Cite Soleil. Lauren was born missing the cartilage in her nose. Dr. Hobar had seen her in May 2013 and wanted to do surgery for constructing a nose in October 2013. There has been a lot of shooting and gang fights in Cite Soleil. Cite Soleil is a slum of over 300,000 people, yet gangs of 20-30 when they are fighting with other gangs create havoc for the people who live in the area. They struggle to go about their everyday lives. Lauren's mother called me that morning and said that there was shooting going on. We told her not to take chances but if she could get out of Cite Soleil when it was calm we could pick her up at Carrefour Aviation. Around noon she was able to get out of Cite Soleil and called us from Carrefour Aviation to drive her over to Hopital Espoir. We have good news! Dr. Hobar told Lauren's mother that the surgery is too complex to be done in Haiti and they want to bring her to Dallas for surgery in 2014. Pray for all the mothers in Cite Soleil who are trying to raise their children in a violent environment. Pray for peace in Haiti.

These twin girls are Laurence and Lauren. They are inseparable. Where one goes so does the other :)

Please pray for the paperwork process for Lauren's passport.

Anti-Government Protests In Haiti Turn Violent

ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS IN HAITI TURN VIOLENT
(USA Today) - AP

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Thousands of critics of Haiti's President Michel Martelly staged protest marches Monday that turned violent as people threw rocks and shots were fired in the air.
...
It appeared at least one person was shot. An Associated Press reporter heard several gunshots, and then a crowd loaded a man onto a motorcycle and took him to an ambulance. The ambulance driver said the man was shot in the back. His condition wasn't immediately clear.

The marches were among the biggest demonstrations against Martelly since he took office in 2011, and the crowd in the capital swelled as protesters passed each neighborhood. Their complaints ranged from the cost of living to high levels of corruption.

Protesters lit fiery barricades of discarded tires on one of the busiest streets as they called for Martelly's departure from office. Demonstrators also smashed car windows and tore down posters and billboards bearing the leader's face and burned those too. Pro-Martelly groups held separate marches, and the two sides took turns throwing rocks at each other as riot police dispensed canisters of tear gas.

"We are moving forward to removing him from power and won't stop until he leaves," said demonstrator Jean Daniel.

Martelly, his prime minister, Laurent Lamothe, and the first lady attended a church ceremony in the northern city of Cap-Haitien, the site of another, smaller protest Monday, a national holiday that commemorates Haiti's final battle before it secured independence from France in 1804.

In a speech that followed at a historic site where the fight apparently took place, Martelly appealed for unity. "If we didn't put our heads together, we wouldn't have had the Battle of Vertieres," he said. "If we didn't have our heads together, we wouldn't have a Haitian state."

The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti on Saturday urged Martelly and opposition parties to sort out their differences in a peaceful manner. The world body also dispatched armed troops for the demonstration to join riot police with shields and helmets.

The mounting tension between Martelly and his opponents stems in part from the government's failure to hold legislative and local elections that are two years overdue. The U.N., U.S. and others have been overly supportive of the Martelly administration but relations seemed to be straining in recent months because of the delayed vote. The election was supposed to have been held before year's end, but it most likely won't happen until next year.

"The international community should take notes," said Moise Jean-Charles, a senator and vocal critic of the government. "The people are rising for a change. Martelly and Lamothe aren't doing anything for the country but stealing money."

Haiti's Remembrance Day - Battle Of Vertieres

November 18, 2013 - Haiti's Remembrance Day

Today is a national holiday in Haiti. The Battle Of Vertieres was a revolutionary battle against slavery and resulted in the birth of Haiti as an independent nation. It was through this struggle that the Haitian people defeated Napoleans' forces and also resulted in the state of Louisiana being formed. To cover his losses in Haiti Napolean sold the Louisiana territory and an American state was formed.

Today there are protests happening. One group of protesters who don't want Martelly as president are walking through the streets of Port-au-Prince are voicing their opinions for his removal as president. Another group of protesters are walking to voice their support for Martelly. Pray for unity in Haiti.