This just came in this morning from Jesse Ostrander in Santo Domingo, DR, with an update on little Jackson. Please be in prayer for Jackson. God bless you, Jesse.

Missionary Bobby Burnette

Bobby,

At about 7 this morning Jackson and I made our way to the hospital in Santo Domingo where he is having a procedure done to put a peritoneal dialysis catheter in his abdomen. There are several doctors working as a team here including a pediatric anesthesiologist, a pediatric nephrologist, a pediatric urologist, and a number of nurses and other health care workers. He is in very good hands. At about 9:00 they prepped little Jackson for surgery and put them under general anesthesia. He is now in the operating room. They will operate on him to repair an umbilical hernia first and then install the peritoneal dialysis catheter. This will enable him to undergo dialysis daily while in Haiti. They told me that the procedures should take about 2 hours.

When everything is finished and he recovers for a day or two, he will begin dialysis. Every night Jackson will be hooked up to a machine that will remove the toxins from his body while he sleeps. He will have new hope and a positive future. We know that the dialysis is only a temporary solution though. It is a bridge to a transplant. We are praying for a kidney transplant for Jackson, but for now this daily dialysis treatment will keep him strong. He will be able to have this treatment while at the orphanage and Haiti.

Please continue to pray for Jackson’s surgery and his recovery. God is good and always faithful. Jackson and I prayed before he went into surgery. And although he was nervous, he went bravely into the operating room alone. But we know that he is not alone. And we know there are many people praying for him. I will keep you posted.

Best,

Jesse

Fabiola is now 13 years old. She is such a beautiful young girl. She loves to cook, do laundry, clean her room, and read. Her favorite thing is her toy Barbie. I know that young girls in the States would never jump rope, play with puzzles, or have a Barbie, but kids in Haiti are different. They are like how “kids used to be.”

Fabiola’s brother is Wiggins (Jacque). When their mother died, their stepfather could not or would not take care of them. Many times, he left the children unattended when he went to look for work. Fabiola and her brother became malnourished. He thought it was best to give the children to Social Services. Fabiola is a beautiful girl who loves to help with the children. The kids call her “Rooster” (Kok in Creole), because sometimes her hair is difficult to manage!

She is one of the best students in her class and she currently wants to be a pediatrician. Everyone loves Fabiola!

Sherry

We just distributed food to over two hundred “very poor” families in the village of Les Roches, Haiti. It would be hard to describe what it takes to get this food all the way from Minnesota down to Miami, and then via ship to Haiti. (Just finding a container in the States to pick up food is difficult now.)

Once it arrives in Haiti the process of getting it released from Haitian Customs begins! This requires a full team just to deliver paperwork from one Haitian Official to another for their approval and signature, and this is done by our guys on moto going around the gangs! Once it is released, our driver Casimi has to wait until the roads are safe. Sometimes, he even has to hide the container until the roads are safe. After that, he must safely get the container of food to Love A Child. From there, our security team must get the food safely to villages like Les Roches, which some call Le Roch!

You can see the joy on the faces of the poor! Each box of food is a MIRACLE!!!

Thank you to all our previous partners, who make these miracles of food happen to those you have never met in your life! That’s why we love you!

Sherry

Many of you have read the story of Mikenson, and his mother’s plight to keep him alive. This is what is happening here in Haiti, due to the gangs on the streets, and due to the stress of no jobs being available. Children are starving to death… by a miracle, Mikenson’s mother made it to our Love A Child Malnutrition Clinic. Here is the story told by Nixon, our Administrator here at the Love A Child Malnutrition Clinic.

The story of Mikenson Ador:

Mikenson Ador is a 4-year-old child who has been suffering from severe acute malnutrition for more than 8 months. Every day, his mother, Louisemene, cries when she sees the famine devastating her family. A 4 year old unable to walk properly, Mikenson comes from a province very far from us, and in this province, there are no hospitals for children. When mothers see that their children are losing weight, also when they have diarrhea and vomiting, they believe that the demons make their children sick.

Mikenson’s mother worked for people and sometimes went to sell coal at the market. She had two children who died because they were not taken care of after birth, so her husband left her alone with the children numbered five (5). She had to work a lot because it is the only way to earn some money to buy bread and sugar to prepare something for Mikenson with the others.

When Mrs. Louisemene goes to the garden, she has to put Mikenson in her arms on her way, and if she accidentally finds a green mango just give it to Mikenson, it will help him wait until later to give him bread and water sweet like soup. Going several days without food has become a habit for Mikenson. For more than eight months, Mikenson has been ill, his mother has no money to take him to the hospital, and the little money she receives is not enough to support the poor family. Grief and despair overwhelmed her when she saw her son unable to stand to walk.

For her to come to the clinic, the transport has been very difficult for her. For a few days Mikenson has been hospitalized in our clinic and the doctor has urged all the nurses to watch him. Every day he receives good food which will help to give him energy quickly. Now he has the strength to try to walk but he still can’t stand up straight to walk well. He used to weigh 7.7 kg – now he weighs 11 kg, Mikenson has a big appetite, he eats everything he is given without exception. Now he has gained the weight we are aiming for and is in good health, and she has enjoyed eating FMSC rice very much, now she comes home with a box of her beloved FMSC rice. Even after returning home, he will still come to the center to check his weight and health and will find a box of FMSC rice and a box of protein at each visit.

Thank you to all the supporters, we want to share with you even all the difficulties.

Thank you, partners, for all your love, care, and support. You have saved another life.  –  Sherry

Another warm story…

A few weeks ago, during a food distribution to the poor earthquake survivors of the remote area of Kwelan, I preached a message of encouragement to those that were given food. Madamn Guerline Guerier came forward and expressed how she and her two children were sleeping outside and needed a tarp or a tent. Not only did she get a tarp and a tent, but she now is also the recipient of Gabion House # 36 and is praising God for Love A Child taking her out of the sun and rain and giving her the house of her dreams!

Sherry, Jesse, Watson, and Dieuferly have plans on being in South Haiti the week of June 20th. We’ll be checking the Gabion Houses and will be giving out meals in remote areas sharing the love of God… Please pray we can obtain a helicopter from the UN.

Love is something you do!

Missionary Bobby Burnette