As I sit here on Christmas day, I grieve the loss of one of the most kind hearted, relentless, young ladies I have ever met.  I grieve for a mother who has lost her oldest daughter and a little girl who has lost her big sister.  On the morning of December 23rd Milonia lost her long fought battle with Diabetes.  She had been in the hospital for over a week...they gave her everything they could and helped her in every way they could.  Roseny stayed by her side (as she always does) and she said Milonia just "fell asleep and was gone." Please pray for Roseny as she must now do the unthinkable and plan a funeral in all the ruggedness of Haiti for her beloved first born.  She is barely holding herself together as I would probably be under the same circumstances.

In America, we are sheltered from death.  In Haiti, it is right in your face with all the harshness and in-sensitivities that go along with life here.

I've struggled to find hope in this situation that has overwhelmed me since we arrived.  However, hope is never hard to find when you turn to the word of God.  "But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory.  O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting? ...but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." I Cor 15:54-57.  Milonia is no longer in pain and I am grateful.  She is no longer weak, and tired, and feeling hopeless.

However, if we read on one more verse, there is hope in this for us as well.  "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."  The work you do now, is never going to be in vain as long as you are "always abounding" in His work.  It's when we get side-tracked and are abounding in our own work that we get discouraged and want to quit. When God's work seems overwhelming (which it has to me this week), we can take comfort in these verses.  Because of the fact that we have this ultimate victory, we will never stop abounding in God's work.

The funeral will be tomorrow.  We will all gather to honor the brave young girl who fought so hard and sought so diligently after God.

I'm Going to Haiti

I heard from Amy and she recommended that we take some protein powder to Haiti with us for Milonia to help her gain weight.  So we made a quick run to Sams to get the lowest sugar, highest calorie stuff I could find.  Pray it helps her put on weight.  We will arrive in Haiti on Monday afternoon.  Prayerfully Milonia will be out of the hospital.  If not, I will go there to see her.   I'll take pictures of our sweet girl for everyone.

Health Update

Jude says that Milonia is still in the hospital and in need of a blood transfusion.  She has probably become anemic due to malnutrition as a result of the diabetes.  Roseny is trying to find someone to donate blood, if not, it's very expensive to buy it.  Amy is in America right now but is going to call Roseny to try to get more information.

We are going to visit Haiti to pick up our boys and I am looking forward to spending some one on one time with Milonia and Roseny while we are there.  If she is in the hospital, Jude will take me to see her.  I pray she is better and at home by the time we get there.

Christmas Party

The wonderful girls at Second Mile decided to give their "staff" a Christmas party a couple of weeks ago..  What a treat for all these ladies.

Roseny is on the far left.

Roseny and Nellie.  Milonia wasn't feeling well enough to come.

Continue to pray for Milonia as she is still in the hospital.

In the Hospital

Jude told me that Roseny took Milonia to the hospital yesterday.  She is very ill to the point she couldn't stand up.  They want her to stay there for a few days.

We are expecting to be able to go within the month to pick up our boys in Haiti so I will be able to talk to Roseny and see what is going on and how we can further help.  I am guessing Milonia isn't being consistent with taking the insulin.

I'll update when I know what's going on.  Jude is going to try to go to the hospital today to see them.  Please pray that she has a quick recovery and that the doctors there can help them figure out what's wrong and give them directions (that they will follow) to help her feel better consistently.

Working

This is a picture of the group of ladies Roseny is working with at Second Mile making beads.  All these ladies have a child with a serious health condition, I'm sure Roseny appreciates being around others who understand.  Amy and Jenn say she is a hard worker and they are happy to have her as part of their team.

I  posted earlier how we want to empower Roseny, not just give a handout.  I'm happy to say that we can officially take Roseny's expenses down about $50/month because she is making enough money making beads to pay for food for her family.

I would like to set up a way to purchase her jewelry on this blog...I'm working on it.

Sick Again

Jude checked on Milonia yesterday and said she was very sick.  Roseny took her to the hospital in Milot today because she was in alot of pain.  They gave her IV fluids and prescribed medicine for her.  Jenn has set up an account at the hospital so Roseny can go in and not have to worry about paying.  Roseny used to wait until Milonia was on the verge of death before taking her to the hospital because she had no way to pay for it.  Now, she can take her before it becomes life threatening.  This has been made possible because of your donations.  They are now home and feeling better...just worn out I assume.  Hopefully we'll get more information soon and have a better idea of what was actually going on.
Milonia's struggles with her health seem to be never ending...please pray for perseverance, strength, and faith for both Milonia and Roseny as it takes a toll on a Mama just as much as a child when her child is in pain.