Discharges: 1

Andrise went to another orphanage on Monday. Due to her situation, she was not able to be reunited with her family or adopted. The director reports that she is doing well there! I was very impressed with the care they give their children. They are big on the children’s emotional needs and make sure that every child volunteers in their community to build character. I think its a great fit and that  Andrise will do well there!

Prayer Requests:

• Jessika, one of our cooks spent nearly a month in the hospital due to stomach pains and fevers. She has been released and is doing much better!
•  Mdm Jossiers husband had been really sick and passed away a few days ago.  Please pray for her during this time of transition.
• Please pray for adoptions during this time. IBESR has put a hold on accepting new files while they do some restructuring. They are scheduled to reopen in July. They will continue to work on the files already in their office.
• Anderlin was a little baby we asked for prayers a few weeks ago. He has Spina Bifida and needed surgery to close a hole in his back. He was finally able to have the surgery last week! He  is still in the hospital in Santo Domingo, but we hear he’s doing well and should be coming home this week! Thank you so much for praying for him, please continue to do so as he heals and makes the journey back home to Haiti!

Birthdays: 0

Needs: 

• Nutramigen Formula
• Diapers (we have had 6 people sign up for the diaper program in the past 2 weeks, but we are still looking for 5-10 more).
•  Dove bar soap

Admits 2:

Last November we cared for Schneiderfor 15 days before he was reunited with his Mom.  After being reunited, his Mom left him and his two older sisters with a cousin while she went to Port au Prince to work.  She received a call stating that Schneider was very malnourished and needed to be taken to the hospital or he would die.  She rushed home and took him in.  He had lost over 5 lbs and stayed at the hospital for 2 months.  Mom was recently kicked out of her home as she doesn’t have the means to pay for it on top of his hospital bills.  Schneider has gained a little weight back but is still very fragile and tiny.  If he stays at home there is a good chance he will die.  We have admitted him and will keep him here until he is healthy and his Mom has a chance to get back on her feet.  Please pray for his health and his entire family during this time.

Kesly has been in our formula program since shortly after birth as his Mother was unable to breast feed.  At first he did really well and was about to gradate when he began to consistently loose weight, loosing a total of 2 lbs.  His Mom was recently kicked out of her house and has no where to go with him.  He came to us two weeks ago after having diarrhea and vomiting.  He was very weak and fragile.  His Mom was afraid that if we didn’t admit him he would die and we agreed that that was a very real possibility.

In the short time that we have had him, he has already made great progress.  He is eating well, gaining weight, and beginning to play.  Please pray he gains weight quickly and that his Mom can find a new place to live so that they can be reunited soon.

Discharge 2:

Theo passed away two weeks ago.  He hadn’t been any sicker then normal and even the day before he ate and slept well.  His nannies are greiving his loss as many of them took care of him for 2.5 years.  We are so happy that he is not in pain anymore and at home with his Heavenly Father.

Prayer Requests:

Anderlin is still in the Dominican Republic waiting to get life saving surgery for his Spina Bifida.  He has been there over a month and still has not received surgery.  He is going to becoming back to Haiti soon and we hope to have him go to Port au Prince

to have his surgery by a visiting Neurosurgeon.  Please pray for safe travels and good health for him and his Mom.

Building Update:

• Construction on the new houses is going really well!  The plastering should be finished on the inside of the first house and then we’ll start on the outside!
• The floor is poured for the second house!
• The Southern perimeter wall is finished to house number 3, and the trench is being dug for the next section we are adding to it!

Needs

-Diapers: We desperately need more diapers, sizes Newborn to 4′s.  We currently are not receiving enough and have had to buy Haitian made ones.  Normally COTP tries to buy as many of our supplies as possible in Haiti to help support the local economy.  However Haitian diapers are poor quality and leak through almost instantly, causing an unsanitary environment for our children.

If you would be interested in joining our diaper program, and sending us a box a month off of Amazon.com, please contact Nikki Stolberg at cotpnikki@Gmail.com.

-Rice Cereal

-Dove bar soap

-Nutramagin Formula (for our children who struggle to gain weight)

-Sandals size 1-9

 

Admits 3:

Midelson came to us a few weeks ago. We knew we would be immediately admitting him due to his fragile state. He weighed a mere 2.5 lbs and was in rough shape. The parents told us he had been vomiting before coming here. His twin borther passed away at 9 days old. Sheila started an IV on him right away. He was on and off oxygen for a few days. We took him to the Hospital to be consulted by some visiting pediatricians and we ended up having him admitted that day and he stayed there for nearly 3 weeks. He started doing better in the hospital, but unfortunately passed away a week ago. His parents visited him often in the hospital and had planned on taking him home in a few months when he was bigger and healthier.  Please pray for them as they grieve the loss of yet another one of their children.

Chadlyn was admitted this week. His Mom is mentally unstable and unable to care for him. This was her fourth child, the three older children have all passed away.  Chadlyn’s Aunt took him from his Mom when he was 3 days old but is unable to care for him because she is older and already has other children she’s responsible for.  He seems perfectly healthy and weighed 6# 8 oz at arrival.  He was 2 weeks old when he came to us!  He is doing really well here and gaining weight!

Andrise is the older sister of Emmalie (who was reunited with her father 4 months ago) and younger sibling of Wichlove (who was reunited several years ago).  She came to COTP two weeks ago after Emmalie passed away.  Her guardian was unable to care for her and was afraid that she would pass away as well.  She just turned two and has a lot of spunk!  Andrise is doing amazing in our care and is really fitting in well here.  Please pray for her as we work on deciding a long term plan for her!

Discharge 3:

Givens was reunited with his parents recently after living at COTP for almost 18 months!  During his time with us we saw a lot of improvement in his development.  When he first came to us he could not even sit up, but now he is walking and playing!  He has gained a lot of weight and is doing really well.  We are very excited that he is now living with his parents and two older brothers!  Please pray for him and his family during this time!

Alfred and Alfredo were reunited with their Father recently.  They have both done amazing in our care.  When they first came they weighed only 3 and 5 lbs.  They both gained over 10 lbs during their time with us.  Their Dad is a principle at a school and is very excited to have them home! They are in our Formula Program and have been doing really well at home!

Birthdays 2:

Wedly and Nickensly both turned 3, Christella, Robert, and Rodney turned 2, and Raphael and Gedline turned 1!

Building:

Our constructions continues to be moving along quickly.  Our crew poured the roof to the first house and are now working on crepying (stuccoing) the walls.  They have also began working on the foundation to the second house and will hopefully be pouring the floor this Saturday!  At the same time the Southern Perimeter wall is being constructed and should be finished next week.  We are so blessed to watch this process and see how quickly it is all coming together!  Thanks for your continued support and prayers.

Prayer Requests:

Several of our nannies are pregnant at the moment.  Please pray that they have easy pregnancies and give birth to healthy babies.

Please pray for our adoptions to be completed as quickly and efficiently as possible so that our children can be united with their families soon.

We recently helped take Anderlin, a 1.5 month old baby from our community to the Dominican Republic for Spina Bifida surgery.  He and his Mother are still there, but unfortunately the doctor is out of town.  We are now trying to decide what the best course of action is in order to help Anderlin receive the surgery he needs to save his life.  Please pray for strength for him and his Mom during this difficult time.

Needs:

-Neosure Formula (we currently have our 4 premies on this)

-Diapers size newborn to 4.

-Baby lotion

-Dove bar soap (this name brand works best for our children)

-Rice Cereal

-Antibiotic Cream

-Mupirocin Ointment

Admits 4:

Last Friday we admitted Evenson (24 days) and his older sister Sophonie (between 12-18 months). They were brought by their aunt and Pastor. Their Mom recently passed away and the Aunt isn’t able to care for them right now. Both of the children were sick when admitted, but a week later are doing much better. Evenson is still very tiny, so please pray that he gains weight quickly.

This week we readmitted Madianne into our care after being home with her father for nearly a month.    In her month at home, Madianne lost almost two pounds.  It is common for children to loose weight during times of transition.  We talked him through all of this, but he still asked us to take her again.  Please pray for her during this time of transition and for her father who once again had to make a hard decision.  She is still as cute and happy as ever!

Discharge 1:

Kervens was reunited with his father this past week!  He has a great Dad who was very excited to be able to care for him again.  His Dad asked to talk to the cook in order to know what Kervens has been eating and what to continue to give him!  We are so excited that he is finally home and know Kervens will do amazing with his father!  He is such a happy little boy who is always a smiling.

Birthdays:

Madianne celebrated her first birthday while at home.  We will also be celebrating her birthday soon!

Projects:

The construction on the house continues to move along well.  All the walls are built to the top of the windows and we should be finishing up with the rest of the walls next week and starting on the roof.

Needs:

-Baby lotion

-Ivory bar soap

-Lofas (for the childrens baths.  We are completely out)

-Diapers size 2-4.  (We would love to have a few more people sign up for our diaper program, shipping down a box every month off of amazon.  Email cotpfielddirector@gmail.com for more info!)

Discharges 0:
We have had a lot of children go home recently. All of these kids are in our formula program to ensure they have a smooth transition home! I am excited to announce that they are all doing well and continuing to gain weight in the care of their families! Please continue to pray for these children and their families!

Birthdays:

Prayer Requests:
This week we had a 3 week old little baby named Anderlin come to our gate. He was born with spinal bifida which is where there is a large growth on his spine. In the States babies born with this would receive surgery right away. There are no surgeons here in Haiti to do this. We are trying to help Anderlin and his family go to the Dominican Republic for his surgery, but are having trouble finding a doctor and someone to help them translate between Creole and Spanish. Anderlin needs this surgery in order to survive. Please pray we are able to get him the surgery he needs as soon as possible!

One of our Nannies sons, Marck passed away yesterday. We have known Marck for over a year and he and his Mom even spent a few months with us while he needed medical care for his heart condition. We have loved getting to know this entire family and watching Marck grow and develop over the past year. He was such a sweet little boy and he touched many lives during his 14 months of life! Please pray for his parents, Monia and Mackenson, as well as his 3 week old brother Mickenson while they are mourning the loss of Marck.

Development:

Anel is fully walking now! Ruth is crawling!

Building:
The walls are five blocks high on the first house and we our crew is in the process of making 3000 more blocks as we speak! It has been so fun to watch everything come together these past few weeks! Thanks to everyone who has helped with us so far in this process! Your prayers and support is still gladly appreciated as we move forward with the calling God has put on our hearts! We should be starting on the second house with in the next few weeks, which is very exciting!

Loudena came to COTP earlier this week with her Grandma and her Aunt.  Her Mom is in the Dominican Republic trying to find work and her father is not around.  She is malnourished and behind developmnetally.  At 18 months old, she can crawl but can not yet walk or talk.  Since she has been here she is already beginning to gain weight and her personality is shinning through!  She has began smiling and her personality is really showing!

Wilnes was referred to us by one of our nannies.  We have heard that several children in her family are malnourished, but she wasthe worst off.  She had advanced malnutrition called Kwashikor, which is where her body retains all of the water weight.  She was extremely weak and lethargic, but slowly started to drink a little at a time.  She is very ill at the time and unfortunately passed away a few days after we admitted her.  Her parents have had 12 children, but Wilnes is the 3rd to pass away.  The other 8 are all 19 and under.  Our social worker went to her house to check on the other children and see if we can intervene before they get any worse.  We have admitted her older sister into our Medika Mamba program because she is also very malnourished.  Please pray for this whole family!

Kendy was brought to us by his Mom.  He is 5 weeks old and weighs 3# 4 oz.  He was very dirty and had skin infections all over him as well as thrush in his mouth, which makes it difficult for him to drink.  His Mom was never able to breastfeed and gave him saltines in water to drink.  Kendy has been doing amazing in his short time with us.  He’s drinking a ton and gaining weight.  Please pray for him.

Josiah was referred to us by the hospital in Milot, where he lived for the first 5 weeks of his life.  He was brought to the hospital the day he was born, weighing a mere 3 lbs.  He is now drinking well and gaining weight!  We are excited to announce that he is going to be adopted by Nick and Nikki Stolberg, our field directors! He recently had to go back to the hospital for a few days in the but is now doing much better.Please pray he continues to gain weight and develop healthily!

Discharges 4:

Anderson was able to be reunited with his Mother recently.  His Mother loves him dearly and came to visit often.  Anderson gained 3 lbs during his 2 months with us and was doing very well developmentally!  His Mom has come back several times for check ups since he has been home.  We have used these times to encourage Mom in her parenting skills and to ensure that Anderson is doing well.  The first time she came back, Mom was unsure of herself, but I’m excited to announce that when we saw her yesterday, both Mom and Anderson were doing well and back to their normal selves!  Please pray for this family during their time of transition!

Chelie was reunited with her Mom and older brother this week.  Her Mom has recently started doing commerce and feels that with the money she is making from this she should be able to financially provide for her family!  Her Mom is incredibly smart and loves her children dearly.  Chelie had gained over 5 lbs during her time with us and even learned to stand.  She is on the verge of walking and should be doing so shortly!

Emmanuel was also reunited with his Mother and Father this week.  His Mom came to visit every two weeks and would always ask if he had gained weight and what he was doing developmentally.  Even during their time apart, she wanted to be as involved as possible in his life.  Emmanuel gained over 3.5 Lbs while at COTP and learned not only how to sit, but was also army crawling!  We are confident he will do well at home!

Madianne was reunited with her Father last week.  Every time he came to visit, he would stare at her the whole time and continually talk to her.  He is a good father and loves his daughter dearly!  Madianne recently learned to sit up and had gained 4 lbs during her time with us!

All of  these children are now in our formula program for a few months to ensure that they have a smooth transition home!  Please pray for them and their families during this time of transition!  We are beyond blessed to have had the opportunity to care for these precious children!

Adoptions 1:

Jedson’s adoption was completed this week and he and his Father were able to go home on Thursday!  We are so happy for him and his family and were very blessed to have cared for him during his stay with us.  Please pray for Jedson as he is adjusting to life in the States!  We already miss him dearly but know he’s where he was meant to be!

Birthdays 6:

Natalie turned three!

Rosar and Adlin turned two!

Ruth, Adleyson (Elijah), and Ella turned one!

Needs:

Blankets

Bottle Brushes

Sandals size 1-2

Diapers Newborn to size 5

Liquid Hand soap/Hand Sanitizer

Djennie is a sweet little 6 month old girl!  She was abandoned at the hospital about a month ago and just recently came to COTP.  She has the cutest little smile and is a very easy going baby!  Djennie is still very tiny and fragile.  Please pray for her during this time.

Peter Lee, the biological brother of Jennie Flore came to us at 4 days old.  He is a very healthy little boy and very cute!  Please pray he gains weight quickly and does well in our care!

Schneider: See below!

Davidson’s Mom passed away after child birth, and his father who was a chauffeur at the time had to quit his job to care for him and his two older siblings.  His Dad doesn’t have any family nearby or anyone who can help him care for the baby.  We will be keeping Davidson for a few months while his Dad works and saves up enough money to pay for a neighbor to babysit him during the day while he works.  Davidson is 1.5 months old and is a very adorable little boy!

Jeremiah was recently abandoned at a hospital in Cap Haitien.  He was brought to us by four Haitian Police and a representative from IBESR (Haitian Social Services).  We believe he is about 2.5 years old.  He is severely malnourished and refuses to eat much food.  Even so, he’s anincredibly happy little boy who smiles constantly!  He is already adjusting well here, but please pray he gains weight soon!

Discharges 6:

Judlin was reunited with his Aunt recently and we couldn’t be happier for him.  He has gained a lot of weight and done really well in our care.  We are confident he’ll do well with his aunt!  He has been back to visit since and is gaining a lot of weight.  Please pray for him and his family during this time of transition!

Keshla wasalso reunited with her Grandma who loves her dearly.  Her Grandma is very aware of the needs of infants and will be more than able to care for her.  Keshla’s Grandma came to visit often during her time here and was eager to take her home, which is always exciting!  Please pray for Keshla and her family!

Schneider came to COTP a few months ago and was admitted to the formula program as his Mom was unable to breast feed and His father, who used to purchase formula, had passed away.  Mom found work, but was unable to do so while caring for her son.  She asked us to keep him for 3 months so she could save up enough money at the new job to start commerce.  However, after being with us only 15 short days, Schneider’s Mom decided to take him back.  He was slightly ill when he left.  Schneider and his Mom returned a few days later and he was still sick.  They stayed one night with us as Schneider needed an IV.  They then went to the hospital the next day.  I am confident once he gets past this, he will do amazing in his Mom’s care.  She loves him so much!  Please pray he gets better soon and for his whole family!

Marclin was recently reunited with her family!  She is very well bonded with both her Mom and Dad and was always excited when they came to visit.  She always reached out for them and rested her head on their shoulders the entire time they held her.  She never did this with anyone else.  We are so happy that she is able to live with them again!

Emmalie was also reunited with her Dad earlier this month.  We have been out to visit her since she has been reunited and overall, she looks really well.  She will be in our formula program for a few months to help ensure she has a smooth transition home.  We are very excited that she is now with her family.

Loucianna’s Dad came last week to take her home.  He had been working in the Dominican Republic for several months, and is now at a place where he and his family will be able to care for her.  Loucianna had lived at COTP for over a year.  She has come so far since we admitted her and we are so thankful for the time we were able to spend with her.  We will continue to check up on her for a while to ensure that she does well in her home!

All of these kids will be coming back over the next few months for checkups and to receive more milk.  Please pray for each of these families!

Birthdays:

Pierre turned 4

Christine turned 3

Moise turned 3

Jedson turned 2

Davideson turned 2

Manuella turned 1

Rose Guerda turned 1

Development:

Ruth is crawling! Esther is sitting up and Rapheal is learning how to as well!  Anel continues to take more steps everyday!

Needs:

Blankets

Childrens Tooth Paste

Hand Sanitizer

Baby Shampoo

Newborn and size 1 diapers

Thanks to a grant from Haiti Serve, today we had our first Formula Program Class!  I was very nervous and excited to see how this would go.  We hired Mary Lourde, the lady that teaches our prenatal classes to do it.  I have honestly never sat in on these classes and had no idea how she would do.

I am excited to announce that she is AMAZING and defiantly the best fit for the job.  She did so well today with all the guardians of our kids.  She choose to talk about serum, which I thought was a great first topic since we recently had one baby pass away from Cholera and four others admitted to the hospital for diarrhea and vomiting.  She discussed how to make it from scratch, when you give it, and for how long.  At one point she even demonstrated how much water you would need by filling up two empty coke bottles with water and presenting them to the class.

I expected her to stand at the front of the class and just lecture the whole time.  This was not her approach at all.  She made sure everyone was involved in the discussion.  Instead of just saying “this is how you make serum” she asked the class who knew how to make it.  She then challenged them and asked where they received this information, if they actually do it just as they were told, etc.  Mary Lourde spent time making sure that each participant spoke up at least once during class.  She made great eye contact and just did amazing over all!

I was also nervous about what our parents/guardians would think of these classes.  I didn’t know if they would be accepting of the program or if they would be upset that there was now a hoop to go through to receive their formula.  I should have known the value that Haitian put on education and realized that they of course would love to go to our little “school” to help them learn how to better provide for their babies.  They were all very attentive and excited to be there.  Many even thanked me for the opportunity to go!

There has been 3 families in our program for several months now that all live very close to each other.  I have never once seen these families interact.  However, today they all waited for each other after class and walked home as a group.  By requiring them all to come at the same time and sit together, they are able to have fellowship and will hopefully build lasting relationships with each other.  They will be able to lean on each other in time of need and have someone to talk to that understands what they are going through.

The only thing that didn’t happen today that I expected to was prayer and singing with the our families.  Mary Lourde does this with the Prenatal ladies but did not do it today.  My assumption is that she choose to skip it since we started out with everyone signing contracts, but she agreed to do it next time!  I am also excited because this will take this program from being just a humanitarian program to a mission program!

For so long I have felt like this program is just a band aid; helping a few people with the problem thats here and now.  I have never felt like it makes a lasting difference in their or their children’s lives (minus the benefits from the nutrition).  Now however, I feel like we are teaching skills that these Moms, Grandmas, Aunts, Fathers, Uncles, Neighbors, and Cousins can take with them and spread to their community.  Now if any of their kids get sick or any of their neighbors children, they will be able to offer appropriate advice on how to make serum and when it’s necessary to give it to them.  They will not only benefit from these classes, but their entire family and community could as well!

I have dreamed, talked about, and begged for these classes for a year now, and today I couldn’t help but smile as I sat in the back of the class and listened to the discussions our families were having with each other and Mary Lourde.  It’s finally happening.  So much has changed, and it was all from a one hour class.  I can’t imagine what is going to unfold over the next several weeks as these families continue to met, learn, and grow together.  All I can say is I am looking forward to meeting with them all again in 2 more weeks to discuss whatever topic Mary Lourde decides to discuss then!

I love that COTP continues to do all we can to keep families in our community together!  With out this program, many of these babies would have been admitted to our care, become extremely malnourished, or potentially could have even died.  It’s great to know we are able to provide assistance to these 13 beautiful children which hopefully will help them flourish in their parents home!

Please pray for Mary Lourde as she is teaching and leading these families, pray they are able to use the information she is providing them, that they create lasting friendships with each other, and most importantly, that their babies grow and thrive in their care!

I know, I know, this is a long over due update, but things have been crazy around here!  At one point this week we were up to 61 kids!  I will try my best to add in every thing new that has happened, but since it’s been so long, I may miss some!  Sorry for the long gap between posts, hopefully things will slow down enough that this won’t happen again!

Sterly with his Dad and Grandma!

Irelene during her going away party with Evan, one of her nannies!

Development:

Fleurickson, Jennie Flore, and Loucianna are all walking!

Anel has taken several unassisted steps!

Keshla is sitting up on her own and Adleyson almost is!

Med Visa’s:

Guerlin received his med visa and has traveled to the States to receive heart surgery.  Please pray it goes well and he’s able to return home to his Mom soon!

Needs:

Rice Cereal

Kids clothes, size 9 months – 2t, especially shorts

Liquid Hand Soap

Hand Sanitizer

8 oz (or greater) hard nippled zippy cups