Must be bad news, good news, or both.
It is both! First the bad news. Cholera is spreading rapidly. Yesterday I wrote about the increased danger of Cholera since the hurricane hit Haiti and that we are trying to educate our students. Today we know that several of our school students have it along with members of their families. It is all over the country now. Reports are coming in of lots of illness and deaths in Cap Haitian, Gonaives, and all over. More deaths today in St. Marc again. People are talking about nothing else now as it is not a good situation at all. It is no longer all around us, it is in the mission too now. Close to HATS, in Borel where Luckner lives, there are many people very ill with Cholera. Authorities from many countries predicted that if Hurricane Thomas hit Haiti the cholera epidemic would worsen quite quickly. Those were accurate predictions.
Today we decided to send all of our prescolaire students home until Monday at least. We will take another look tomorrow and we might send more of the younger students home, or even all of the elementary students. This morning Luckner and I gave our elementary teachers the good news that Liette and team will be arriving on Sunday with donations of Cholera vaccinations from caring people outside , and they will be on the receiving end. Wow. The relief and thankfulness was very evident.
Thank you to all who have donated towards the 60 vaccines that are coming down. Thank you for your continued prayer support for the people of Haiti.
Now the good news. Today another precious little one was added to our family. My family keeps increasing and we still don’t have the second Children’s Home up. This little guy is called Jofky, at least for now. He does not yet have a birth certificate so that might change. He is 1 1/2 and already a buddy for our little Karena.
This morning security came to tell me that someone was at the gate asking for me. He said the person was blind and had a small child with him, and wanted me to take him. Luckner and I met with the man and got necessary information. He is the papa but he cannot take care of his child. During our meeting the father said he lived in Verrettes and he has been blind since 1995. His name is Joseph. Something was triggering a memory and I kept looking at him. Then I remembered during my first year here in 1995 I had gone to Verrettes with someone to visit a Christian family who was building a school. While there I heard about a young man who had recently gone blind. I went to see the young man, who was called Joseph, and prayed with him, in English of course at that time. I know this is the same Joseph who came to HATS today to ask us to take care of his precious boy because he cannot. It is interesting to see God at work.
We agreed to accept the little boy into this family and to do so today while he was here. The little guy was confused and crying in his papa’s arms. Before the papa left him with me he knelt on the floor of our office, put his hand on his son’s head and prayed, and prayed and prayed. I had called Antoinette to come up and meet the little guy. When she arrived she found me standing in the office doorway crying as I was listening to the father praying. Soon Antoinette too was crying. It was obvious the man knew Jesus and loved his son very much, but knew he could not take care of him. When the father finished praying the boy was very calm and relaxed.
Jofky then came willingly into my arms (no fear of the blan lady at all) and cuddled into me and wanted to stay in my arms. He has accepted me and his new family readily and is already settling in nicely.
He and Karena are friends already.
All the children are happy to have another little brother and wanted a new photo which included him. All of these children are unique and special.
Please pray that I can find another lady to join HATS and work with Antoinette and Magalie and the children. There absolutely must be two people with them all the time. It is now becoming urgent.
Thanks again for all the support, all the love and acceptance.
IT TRULY IS ALL ABOUT THE CHILDREN.
~Karen
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