Christmas 2014

As one side of my family gathers together today to celebrate Christmas, I am spending some time remembering the events of my Christmas week. The kind of Christmas I never pictured when I was younger, away from my family, but still so thankful for everyone and everything that surrounds me. 

For several weeks now, we have been receiving Christmas gifts for our kiddos and staff. We are beyond blessed by how many people care about our babies and decided to send these toys, clothes and books - it was a fun several days of wrapping and sorting and labeling as we prepared gifts for each child! 

By Christmas Eve, all of the mail was received and we had every present wrapped and ready to go. We attended the Christmas Eve service with the other staff here at COTP and went to bed ready for a full day in the morning. 

On Christmas morning, we got everything ready for the party and the kids quickly noticed something was up; they couldn’t wait for their turn to come in and experience Christmas. We spent the next several hours celebrating in small groups with our kids, reading the Christmas story, decorating cookies, unwrapping presents and exploring new toys. Even when the kiddos were napping, we were still busy handing out the nanny Christmas presents. :)

It was a fun day that ended with happy kids and a roommate Christmas dinner, complete of course with fudge and a Christmas movie!

Our Christmas Whiteboard.

The stocking (ornaments) were hung by the (whiteboard) with care.

Gifts ready to be unwrapped.

The Nativity Scene we used to tell the Christmas Story.

Trying to sit still long enough for Tori to read to us.

Ready to open presents.

Professional cookie decorator... she took the task very seriously.

Excited to open presents... and possibly toss the paper everywhere in a minute.

Waiting very seriously to find out what's inside.

Unwrapping his new books was a tough job.

Everyone had to check out the fancy new car.

She loved the new trampoline that everyone gets to share.

He was excited for musical mats and bows this Christmas.

She loves her new stuffed kitty.

And she's pretty sure her very first Christmas was a success!

Children of the Promise has given explicit permission for the posting of photos on this site.  Photos taken of children in the care of Children of the Promise are not be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.

Fifteen

15 for 15 for 15. The theme for this year’s annual telethon. It is COTP’s fifteenth year. We exceeded a fundraising goal of $15000 in one day. We highlighted fifteen of our Haitian employees. But the number 15 is also very personal to us for another reason.

Fifteen is the number of kiddos with special needs who are here waiting for their forever families. Most of these kids have faced abandonment by their birth families. They have watched other kids go home with their adoptive families. They have heard us pray for families to find them. But still they wait. All fifteen of them.

From our human perspective, fifteen is a huge number. We realize that kids with special needs are harder to find families for. We realize that their needs can be intimidating. We realize that special needs adoption is a huge commitment. We realize that the older they get, the smaller their odds of being matched with a family. And these facts discourage us. Can we ever find fifteen families to love fifteen kiddos?

And yet, we believe in a big God. A God who is not at all intimidated by the number fifteen. These fifteen are his babies, designed by him, to bring him glory. We believe that he can speak to the hearts of fifteen families. We believe that a forever family is God’s design for the lives of our fifteen special kids that we love so much. 

We believe that fifteen is nowhere near too big of a challenge for our God, and we are begging him to lift up fifteen amazing families who are willing to overcome the challenges and intimidation. Fifteen families who are willing to step out in faith and commit to our fifteen kiddos.  

Will you pray with us for these fifteen kids and their families? That God would completely overwhelm us with his goodness as he brings them together. That the waiting for these fifteen little lives would soon be over. That fifteen waiting kids will no longer bring discouragement to our human hearts. That instead fifteen kids can be matched with adoptive families and become a testament to the goodness of God and his ability to place the orphaned and abandoned in families.

15 years.

15 thousand dollars.

15 highlighted employees.

15 kids with special needs waiting for 15 adoptive families.

Children of the Promise has given explicit permission for the posting of photos on this site.  Photos taken of children in the care of Children of the Promise are not be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.

A Happy Ending

My last blog post was about one of our shortest admits. An admit that did not end how we hoped it would. This post has a different sort of ending, and tells the story of another baby that spent only a few days with us.

Jodelin came to us in February, when he was only five days old and weighed just over 5 pounds. He was born at a local hospital and placed on oxygen. His teenage mom, frightened and overwhelmed, left him there alone. The hospital called his grandma and she came to pick up the baby, discharging him early because she could not afford any more hospital bills. The night before coming to us, Jodelin spent time with family members and neighbors, including one of our nannies. They told us that his breathing was shallow; they didn’t know if he would make it through the night. But he did. And they brought him to COTP.

First Day at COTP

We agreed to admit tiny Jodelin for the weekend so that we could observe him and encourage the little guy to drink regularly. They agreed to bring his grandma back on Monday to determine a plan for him. Over the weekend, Jodelin did really well. He stayed with volunteers, who fed him around the clock and encouraged Jodelin to continue drinking. His grandma agreed to take him back that Tuesday. He was enrolled in our formula program.

He arrived just in time for a photo shoot with Emily. :)

Jodelin has been coming to see us every two weeks since being discharged. At two months old, he is up to 9.5 pounds and doing great! All it took for this little guy was four days in our care. Four days to observe his fragile health. Four days for him to start fussing when it was time to eat. Four days for his family to figure out a care plan for their tiny baby. Four days to reunite Jodelin with his family.

Children of the Promise has given explicit permission for the posting of photos on this site.  Photos taken of children in the care of Children of the Promise are not be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.

In Christ Alone

Tuesday was her first birthday. Thursday was her funeral. Her name was Podelandine. She was suffering from severe kwashiorkor malnutrition, her swollen face and legs were visible signs of the serious illness raging inside her tiny body. Her papa brought her to us on the day she turned one, desperate to find help for his sweet daughter. Her mama had been sick for months and died the week before and her daddy was losing hope. He’d already taken Podelandine to a clinic who refused to help, saying that there was nothing they could do. He couldn’t bring her to us sooner because he was burying his wife and struggling to provide for his other two children as well. And so, we agreed to care for his daughter, promising to do our best, but knowing that it might not be enough.

Dad bringing Podelandine to COTP

Podelandine was only with us for a day and a half, and yet we will remember this sweet girl. How she used what little strength she could find to help hold her leg up when we changed her diaper, being careful around the open sores scattered on her tiny body. How she opened her mouth, trying to drink the water in her bath. How her face clearly let us know which medicines she liked and which ones she didn’t, and yet she drank them all anyway. How she cried from pain when we picked her up, but allowed us to cuddle her close and comfort her. 

First nap at COTP

Her papa has a year of these memories, from before Podelandine got so sick. He remembers the incredible love that everyone in his family had for Podelandine. He remembers how his baby daughter was beginning to talk. He remembers being her primary caregiver during these last few months of her mama’s illness. He remembers wanting the very best for his baby girl.

As I led her daddy upstairs into our house to say goodbye, we watched him cry over his baby daughter and we cried for his pain much more than our own. He has lost so much in only a couple of weeks, and yet he knows he still has two young kids to raise by himself. He is broken and he is grieving. Because we know his situation is a hard one, even for Haiti, our local church was able to help him with a small amount of money. The reality is, he will use this to pay off the debt from his wife’s funeral and buy food for his other two children.

In Christ Alone

Her funeral was simple. Her papa, a neighbor and several staff members gathered together in our white truck and made the short drive to the cemetery. Her grave was ready when we arrived and her tiny, handmade casket placed inside. Prayers of hope were offered, thanking God for the chance to reflect on Podelandine’s life and reminding us that death on earth is not truly the end. Bible verses were read, offering comfort. A song was sung reminding us that, “in Christ alone, our hope is found.” A little girl, only a year old, was honored that morning as we gathered together. 

And then her daddy, with fresh tears in his sad eyes, came up to each of us individually, to thank us. We did so little, and yet he was so grateful. And we are grateful too. For the chance to be a small part of this family’s story. For the chance to love this little girl and care for her, even for a short time. For how blessed we are to help bring hope when Podelandine’s daddy thought there was none. For how he trusted us to do all we could. And even for the undeniably hard privilege of standing beside Podelandine’s papa as he said goodbye to his precious daughter.

Children of the Promise has given explicit permission for the posting of photos on this site. Photos taken of children in the care of Children of the Promise are not be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.

Yesterday

Tuesday. Thursday. Friday. These are the days affectionately (or not always so affectionately) referred to as “gate days” here at COTP. These are the days when families can come to us asking for help. These are the days when we weigh kids who are in our formula and medika mamba programs. These are the days when families can come and take home their children. These are the days when families come to ask for updates and pictures of their children who have been adopted. These are the days when biological families can come to visit the kiddos in our care. These are the days when reunited kids come back to see us and check in. 

Some of these days are slow, others leave no time for a break. Some of these days are fun and uplifting, others are discouraging and overwhelming.

Yesterday was a busy day, an overwhelming day...

One of our reunited toddlers, together with his mom and three siblings, is now homeless, unwanted by friends and neighbors because there are so many children.

Another reunited child came back for a check up, sick and two pounds lighter than when we saw him last. 

A mom we’ve worked with for almost two years came and asked us for adoption for her eight month old, the youngest of two brothers.

We had to send home a baby to a really tough situation, with parents who love him but don’t quite understand how to care for their tiny son, especially now while he is ill. 

And yet, in the middle of yesterday’s chaos, there was beauty and encouragement... 

A biological grandmother came to ask us for an update on her granddaughter. I was able to print some pictures of her healthy, happy four year old granddaughter and her new family. I brought the pictures into the office and showed them to my Haitian coworkers, Eulalie and Roseline. One of them looked at the pictures and remarked how beautiful the once-extremely-malnourished little girl now looks. 

Then she looked at me and told me, “I don’t make a lot of money doing this job, but I love it. It is hard, but it is good.” 

Even though it is easy and even necessary to focus on the hard part of our job, these amazing women are daily becoming more passionate about their work. Even when not inside our gates, they are visiting homes, making phone calls and praying for our babies. They advocate for those who need it, they hurt with those in pain and they rejoice with those who are healthy. 

Even in the midst of this chaotic day, they took the time to praise kids for their weight gain, to offer candies to those who were frightened, and to proudly show a grandma the photos of her thriving granddaughter. I am definitely blessed to work alongside these beautiful women. :) 

Valdine

February 29, 2012: A healthy baby girl is born in a town called Dondon. Her mama names her Valdine.

January 31, 2013: This eleven month old baby comes to see us with her mama. She is breastfeeding and weighs almost 20 pounds! We reassure mom that her baby is doing well and does not currently need one of our programs. Like we always do, we told mom that she could bring Valdine back to see us if she is worried about her.

March 6, 2014: It's been thirteen months since we last saw baby Valdine. She just celebrated her second birthday and she comes to see us again. She still weighs only 19.5 pounds. Mom is worried about her young daughter...

During the time between her visits to COTP, Valdine stopped breastfeeding. She no longer got all of the nutrition she needed from her mother's milk. She lost weight and her body began to swell with the signs of kwashiorkor. Her hair thinned out and started turning orange. Her mama didn't know what to do, so she brought her baby back to see us. We agreed that Valdine needed assistance and enrolled her in our mamba program. Valdine was eager to try her medika mamba, although she was not a fan of her new antibiotic and protested loudly as we gave it to her! Her mom listened closely to every instruction we gave and plans to bring her baby back in a couple weeks to get weighed and receive more mamba. We are praying that very soon, Valdine will again become a happy, healthy little girl.