This week was a bit of a roller coaster. We have much to be thankful for:
 
On Monday, Fedlaine and I had an adventure. We were dropped off in a
nearby city to do all of Fedlaine's needed medical tests for the
adoption paperwork, along with one of Pierre's community laison...
Jestin is the unofficial mayor of Chambrun. We went to three different
places to do her bloodwork, a TB skin test, and a chest x-ray for TB.
Let's just say that although I feel somewhat guilty, I was glad that
Jestin knew everyone and was able to get us in to each place so fast.
There were at least 65 people in the waiting room at the TB clinic -
many of them coughing. We pretty much walked right in.
 
Also on Monday, our dear friend and nurse here at NVM, Aubree, was
sent back to the States for some medical tests. She has been having
trouble with her stomach for some time. Please pray for her quick
healing.
 
On Tuesday, Jay and Anna arrived safely back in Haiti....much to
Fedlaine's and my delight!
 
On Wednesday, Jay fell off of the hospital roof and hurt his fingers.
They are still somewhat swollen and stiff, but we are so thankful that
it wasn't worse. On the positive side, I got to spend Wed. afternoon
waiting on him and got to spend some time with him! Ha!
 
Also, on Wednesday, I wrapped up my first bead making training clinic.
I've spent the weekend sorting through the necklaces, trying to decide
which ones to buy. I also made notes on how the women did, so after we
run more clinics, we can decide which women to invite to "work" at NVM
on a regular basis, making jewelry. Please pray for this to be a
positive experience even for those women who do not currently have the
skills to make jewelry. Pray for the next 3 clinics we will hold and
that the devotions we do will touch their hearts.
 
On Thursday, we were thankful to discover that all of Fedlaine's tests
were normal. No TB, HIV, etc. She does have chest infection, but is
now on antibiotics.
 
We still have two items complete for her paper-work. First, we have to
figure out what vaccines she needs and get those started, or figure
out if there is some sort of waiver. Second, we are finding out that
they want original birth certificates for Fedlaine, her bio. mom and
her bio. dad. So, it sounds like we'll have to go downtown and get a
certified copy - which I'm hearing may take quite some time to
accomplish.  I must admit to being pretty discouraged...please pray
that we can keep our eyes on the Lord and trust His plan. At the same
time, we covet your prayers for this adoption to proceed quickly -
we'd love to be able to bring her home in October, but we have our
doubts. Now, we are just hoping for Christmas.
 
On Saturday, Pierre and the Haitian staff, along with our intern
Chris, did a food distribution in Croix de Bouquet. The crowd was
getting somewhat rowdy and people were pushing their hands up to the
truck. Apparently a 10 year old boy was reaching into the truck, when
lift-gate on the truck came down abruptly and cut off one of his
fingers. It was a very sad end to the day.
 
Today, after worship, we did another food distribution here on campus.
It went much more smoothly. Boxes of fortified rice and baby food were
handed out to everyone.
 
Tomorrow, Jay will be putting more trusses up on the hospital and will
be unloading a container that is supposed to come in tomorrow.
 
On Wednesday, I will be flying to the states for a week long visit -
can't wait to see my boys and family and friends and to get a dose of
Indiana. Thankful for the opportunity!
 
On Friday, we have a team of 27 Campus Crusade college students coming
for 5 weeks. Please pray for them and for us as we learn more about
serving the Lord together.
 
And again, we covet your prayers for a hedge of protection around our
family and that we will stay close to the Lord...that the kids would
have their hearts captivated by Him.
 
Amy Shultz

by Shelli Elliott, NVM Missionary

OK, bias alert: I LOVE TOMS SHOES.

Now that is out in the open, I want to share that TOMS Shoes came to NVM today to do a shoe giving for the young school kids.

If you haven't heard of TOMS Shoes before, they are a shoe company that has the motto "one for one™". It's simple. You buy a pair of their shoes and they give a pair. I have a pair of TOMS Shoes and besides being some of the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned, I feel pretty good about buying them knowing that my purchase provided a pair for a child somewhere. Today we got to see how happy those kids are when they get a new pair of TOMS Shoes.

For more info check out the TOMS SHOES WEBSITE and buy a pair! Or if you don't like the looks of them... send me a pair in a size 8!

 Fitting for a new pair of shoes.

  The kids walk back to class in new shoes.

  So excited about new shoes (and a break during school).

  Waiting patiently for a new pair of kicks.

Susan Kisinger spent a great deal of time during the winter of 2010 in Gulf Shores watching the news as the Haitians tried to “recover” from the devastating earthquake. “Whenever something like this happens around the world I am always drowned with the question that just will not go away, What can I do to help?” Kisinger stated.

Susan Kisinger working on a Little Dress.

“One day in the Gulf Shores library, I saw a display for littledressesforafrica.org. It hit me like a ton of bricks that I could make those dresses for the girls in Haiti.” Susan added.

Sewing is kind of second nature for Susan, having donated thousands of hours sewing costumes for the local civic theatre in Lafayette, Indiana. Making Little Dresses seemed like the perfect outlet for her talents.

According to Susan, “I had the opportunity to see these adorable dresses and talk to a couple of people about this effort. I believe it’s something worth supporting!”

Apparently many people have agreed.

Thinking back to the beginning is kind of a blur, Susan posted a simple status on her Facebook profile one week after coming up with the concept, since then, Little Dresses for Haiti has taken off like a little rocket that will not be deterred! She decided to create a Facebook fan page and a week later there were over 150 fans from all over the United States, many of whom have started making and sending in dresses to Susan to be shipped to Haiti.

“The very first shipment of 28 Little Dresses went to Nehemiah Vision Ministries one year ago.” she continued.

Guilberta Herard in her Little Dress.

“Today, Dresses are delivered around Haiti on a regular basis, so this is an ongoing project. I do need help though. Want to help? You have a couple easy options!”

I can’t speak for the other organizations, but as far as Nehemiah Vision Ministries is concerned, this has been a welcomed outreach. I have seen the smiles these dresses bring to the faces of girls who have no dresses at all.

It is important to realize that you don’t have to know how to sew to assist. you can donate new or gently used pillow cases and/or elastic, buttons, ribbon, ric rac, etc. You can purchase these at thrift stores, or raid your own linen closets! Simply contact Susan and let her know where she can pick them up!

If you live out of town and still want to create dresses, they can be mailed to Susan Kisinger, 1837 Mallard Ct., West Lafayette, IN 47906 (One pillowcase and some ribbon costs very little to mail.)

“Tell a friend about this project and pass on my contact information. I am sure there are many groups in our community, as well as others around the country, who would be willing to donate or sew for Haitian girls!”

“My goal initially was to ship 100 dresses a month to Haiti. We have exceeded that already! In less than one year, we have sent 1,489 Little Dresses to Haiti! “ Kisinger proudly stated.

One certainly cannot question Susan’s commitment to the cause, “These dresses have been sent to many organizations in Haiti like Nehemiah Vision Ministries, Kids Alive, Healing Hands International and Mission Ranch Orphanage. I currently have almost 100 more dresses in my dining room in various stages of readiness!
As long as you ladies and gents keep sewing; so will I.” exclaimed Susan.

Sergeline and Sergelande Jean Louis with the dresses they received.

by Dr. Kerstin Sobus, Team Leader

Today was a great day. We as a team of 8 individuals, 3 from the Indy area and 5 from the Minneapolis area had an awesome day. We all just were in sync as if we had been working together for years. We left the camp on US time at about 8:15 just as we were told we would be leaving and the day just kept going along so well. We had one bump but the interpreters negotiated it out real smooth. We arrived at the designated camp to find our site was already taken and they negotiated that this was our day and tent. So after a few minutes we proceeded and they moved to another tent and it all seemed to be fine. We saw 187 women, children and men today and the team felt like they wanted to set a goal for at least 50 more tomorrow. This team really worked so well together.

I was surprised by the high number of pregnant women, and also the high number of 3-7 month old infants. Over all most looked healthy in this camp. We did see one 3 month old with an eye infection, one 4 year old with pneumonia, some scabies, one burn from cooking and a lot of adult hypertension.

I did notice a wheelchair behind the clinic and the Rehab doctor in me and the PT in me got my curiosity up, so I went to see who it belonged to and struck up a conversation with a kind gentleman and his family. He had a newer wheelchair made from a lawn chair attached to a used sport wheelchair. He also had a walker and he said both were ok. He and his family and I talked a little with my broken French/Creole and smiled.

My high for the day is to of course see one of my sponsored children Guilanda. Always fun to see the children of Chambrun.

A week ago I found myself flying in the back of a pick-up on the way to the hospital again. With Aaron’s fantastic driving skills we raced through intersections, went the wrong way around a round-about, just in time to jump a curb and miss a tap-tap. Little did Aaron know I was praying not only for the man, Clerice had pinned down so he would not throw me out of the truck, but that God would clear the roads like he cleared the Red Sea for the Israelites and we would all make it to the hospital safely.

The police called Pastor Pierre that afternoon and asked if he could send his nurses, aka, Kacie and I out to set a man’s foot so he could than be transported to a hospital. Kacie was watching Baby Rose and so I said I would go, it would only be a quick trip anyways. We thought we were going to the police station about 10 minutes up the road, but when we arrived the police pointed toward the mountains and said the accident happened up there. A couple minutes later we saw a large truck off to the side of the the road and a man lying probably 20 feet away down in the ditch. Aaron saw him first and said, “EWW, his foot is the wrong way!”

Jumping out of the truck, I ran down into the ditch. No one had touched the man and three police officers and another man were standing near the road just watching. Blood was everywhere. I quickly assessed his neuro status which was not good. He was already in shock and couldn’t speak. I moved my eyes down to his leg to find the bottom and top part of his leg detached and it was only holding on by skin. Wishing I would have grabbed more materials out of the clinic I asked if anyone had a knife. The man standing by had a machete and I began to cut his pants open so I could see the injury better. I held pressure as best I could on the veins and arteries that were spewing blood. The man that gave me his machete, also gave me his belt and I tried to make a tourniquet as best I could.

We were not there more than a minute when I told Aaron we needed to get to the closest hospital right now. Talking with the police, who really did not want anything to do with the man told us we could put him in our truck. We asked if we could follow them, thinking they would know the best hospital to go to. After following them, driving 20 mph, to the police station we realized they were not going to help us, and Aaron took matters into his own hands and drove us to hospital we knew would help.

On the way to the hospital I wrestled with this poor man and by the time we arrived it looked like we went through a war with blood saturating both of us. The doctors intubated (put a breathing tube down into his lungs) the patient right away and were working on stabilizing him so he could go to surgery. It was at that time that I left and thought I would never hear about that man again.

Sunday, I was greeted by a smiling police officer. He extended his hand as I approached him and he asked if I remembered him. Of course I remembered him. We talked for a little while and then I asked about the man, we tried to help last week. I found out that he passed away and my heart sank immediately. If this would have happened in the U.S. this man might have lived. Instead, he laid on the side of a busy road, bleeding to death. No one, not even the police wanted to get involved and touch him.

I struggle with the injustices I encounter daily. People trying to survive and provide for their families day to day. It is not easy looking mothers in their eyes when they ask me for food to feed their babies and I cannot just give it to them, because if I did 100 more people would be lined up next. I hate watching sick children in the village suffer because their parents will not bring them to the clinic to get a simple antibiotic after we tell them we can see them for free if they do not have any money. I hate that people have to choose between healthcare and eating.
Mass grave site from the 2010 Earthquake

However, the Haitians have learned to depend on God in a way that I pray I will one day reach. They live day to day trusting that God will show up and provide. In the United States it is harder to have a faith like this because we have so many ways to provide for ourselves. When we need something, we simply run to the store and get it. In Haiti, Christians pray and know God will provide.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:25-27.

A lot has happened over the past few months and I am excited to announce that Pastor Pierre has asked me to stay another year, and I said YES!!! The clinic has been busy lately with lots of sick children. Diarrhea and vomiting seems to be going around which fills our beds with moms holding children receiving IV fluids.

For the past couple months Kacie and I have also been taking care of two older gentlemen that we look
forward to seeing their smiling faces coming to visit every day. One of the gentlemen has had three large leg ulcers for over three months and they were getting worse. He had been to another clinic, but they didn’t seem to be healing. Kacie, being the amazing nurse she is, sits down with little ole gramps and cleans his ulcers by scraping all the infection away every day. She then rubs lotion on his cracked, peeling skin and keeps him company while he is with us.

My favorite part though is when Kacie goes on and tries to explain his medicine over and over again and he is so confused. I hear her say this one you take two times a day, do you understand? Yes. Ok, what did I just say? I take it three times a day. Let’s try again. Now, the red pills you take every morning and the other pills you take two times a day. Now, tell me again, when do you take this pill? Three times a day. No, two times a day. What about this one? One time a day. No, three times a day…and on and on… She is so good and patient.

Lukner, the other gentlemen is also just as sweet and a little less confused. He arrived by motorcycle 4 months ago with what I thought was an above the knee amputation. Kacie and I recognized his family but could not place the patient. Natasha handed us his file and we quickly realized the last time we saw this man he had two legs. Lukner was carried into the clinic by his son. He winced and tried to smile as his family laid him on the bed. He came on a weekend and complained of a pain in the back of his leg that resembled a blood clot. We were not quite sure what to do for him, so we gave him a baby Aspirin and had him come back to see the doctor. Monday morning his family carried him back in and the doctor agreed with our diagnosis. She sent him to the general hospital to receive further treatment.

We had not heard from him again until his wife carried him in the door one Tuesday morning. It had been a few days since his surgery and he still had the same dressing on his stump. When we unwrapped the hardened bandages that were now growing into his skin, I could not believe what I saw. Lukner’s femur was sticking out like a skinned chicken bone with a ligament just hanging out underneath the bone, no skin to cover anything. It looked as if the surgeon cut off the bottom part of his leg, scraped off the cartilage and knee cap, then decided he would go to lunch. I was completely shocked.

We ended up sending Lukner back to the hospital, which took about two weeks for him to get there, make the appointment, and have another surgery. He had his leg re-amputated, the right way, and stayed in the hospital for about a month. Two weeks ago he came back into the clinic. His leg looked so much better, however he did have quite a bit of infection. Kacie and I went to his house every day for a week so he could get 4 shots of antibiotics a day. After changing his dressings today, his leg is healing and Lukner is in good spirits.

by Amy Shultz, NVM Missionary

Fedlaine and I were alone on campus today. Jay and the older three kids are currently living it up in the States. The other Americans on campus took off for the beach today, but I am just getting over a cold, so I decided to stay put. We had a great day... we slept in and cuddled and watched a movie in our jammies. I got some work done on the English curriculum I've been working on and we had a water-gun fight and a  tea party with her dolls. I miss my other three kiddos, but I'm enjoying this special one-on-one time with my newest daughter. Tomorrow, to celebrate Mother's Day we're going to paint each others' toenails...and she will probably want to do my hair. Ha!

Next week we're going to hold two paper bead making clinics for 20 women in the community. Two of the NVM kitchen workers who have been making jewelry will actually do the training, while I will be there as an extra set of hands. To date, we have sold almost $1,500 worth of jewelry and we are working on new techniques. For every item sold, the woman who makes it gets 20%, 30% goes to supplies, 30% goes to a scholarship fund for students to go on to a high school, and 20% goes to the NVM Church. Please pray for wisdom for moving ahead with this project and that we would touch many women with the love of Christ and give them hope for their future.

As I mentioned before, I am currently working on an English curriculum. We found a student book, which I am breaking down into lessons and writing lesson plans. Because I am busy being a mom and teacher and helping manage the kitchen, I have been reticent to take on teaching a class alone. We have an intern coming in a few weeks who I will team with and who will do the bulk of the teaching of a 10 week class that meets 4 days a week. In addition to conversational vocabulary, I hope to teach our class memory verses in English. Please pray for this intern and I to work well together and to teach not only English, but a love for the Word of God.

by Shelli Elliott, NVM Missionary

We made it home safely (nearly hitting a man on a bike who veered in front of me, and nearly getting squished between two large trucks who didn't want me squeezing thru an intersection).

Once on campus I noticed some damage immediately. The red and white stripped church tent was totally down, and a guard shack was tipped over. Other than that things were safe and sound.

As the rain pelted down I thought of all those in Chambrun living in their mud huts getting ready to ride out the rainy season. I am so thankful for our house here, little as it may be, that it is a good shelter for our family. How many times have I taken for granted the safety and comfort of my home in Indiana? Far too many.