PICTURES OF PETER AT THIRD BIRTHDAY

It was Peter's birthday and everyone had a great time. Because I've not mastered this blog thing, the pictures are not the way they should be presented but Peter is the chunky guy. The other one is Lesnelson. Believe it or not, Peter and Lesnelson are almost the same age. Peter turned three and you may remember we found him in a yard nearly a year ago, dying from malnutrition and diarrhea. There was no hesitation in getting him into our orphanage quickly. The caring love and attention given him by Al and Bev Carpenter, using the medical mamba peanut butter program resulted in Peter becoming that programs' most successful patient. Peter grew and grew and grew. To date, he's quite a hunk of kid! He's sweet, quiet, loves to sing in the morning when he first wakes up and is tender to the others if they are crying. Little Lesnelson is nearly Peter's age, but so much smaller. I guess my whole point in posting these photos is to show you how children thrive in safe environments. Our children are not for adoption. They all have at least one parent (except Junior, who was rescued from the orphanage in Bon Repos, along with his brothers and sister who got to go to the US on an Humanitarian Parole, and is now with the Picketts in Kentucky...Junior will be adopted by that family).

Did you ever think about how children suffer? What goes through their young minds when they are hungry, afraid, lonely, struggling to exist? Peter, for instance, was ignored by his young mother who didn't stay home much. When he got sick, his grandmother gave up and didn't attend to him, because she was so impoverished, she was worn out by all the other children there were in her house. Peter could barely stand. The effects of that hard time show up when it's time to eat. He ravishes the food like there may not be anymore later. He's not forgotten that terrible time when he was near death. And the compassion he exhibits toward others could be from knowing what being alone is like.

Our children's home, House of Hope, does exactly that, brings hope to the hopeless. Tires is happy, helpful, and yet the fears he dealt with when he had no hope, linger. The earthquake scared him trememdously. He dreams about his father dying and he cries at the slightest failure. He too, has a tender heart.

The girls' section is almost finished. The hard part is finding the right Haitian staff for the children who are with them overnight and on weekends. Housing children is a great expense, we appeal to anyone who would like to see lives saved from the horrible sufferings that go on here prior to and after the earthquake. Children die all the time. And, for every child we have (which are few in number right now) there are hundreds more. Because you give, others live happy, healthy, lives and learn that Jesus is real. They are Haiti's future. When Rosemary Sunderman (founder of Touch) was working in this field, she wrote a poem, Hait's Child.
I touched the heart of God one day

When Haiti’s child, in full display

With the world’s uncaring eyes to see

I took that child up to me.



I touched the heart of God one day,

For Haiti’s child I knelt to pray.

“Oh God, you see she’s all alone,

The world has dealt with hearts of stone.”



“For Haiti’s child, You shed your blood.

You gave your life, You gave her love.”

And so, we wait to hear her say,

“Lord cleanse me, Wash my sins away.”



The heart of God was touched one day

When Haiti’s child knelt down to pray. . . . .