Category: News (Page 53 of 100)

Hi everyone,

We’ll start with Terry’s medical “report” first. I guess you could say the implant was/is a success. Except for a very few brief periods, it has stopped any leg or foot pain. The problem right now is recovering from the incisions. There are two, each approximately four inches long — one alongside her spine and one just above and with her belt line. Although they are healing well, they are both in areas that are in constant contact when sitting, so sitting is difficult. But, this will pass and it will have been well worth it. Thank you for the prayers, emails and notes.

This month we want to share some photos of the school in Belanger where our friend Prosper works. We have worked with Prosper for 18 years. He started his school in a tin building that some of you will remember. It was like being in a sauna doing clinic there, and no better for the kids who went to the school. Women from his church would walk the three miles to Desca to our clinic and they talked us into visiting the church there. 18 years later, we are still working with them.

The school is a little closer to the main road from where it was and in a much better area. The ground it’s on was given to us by a man who was, at the time, into voodoo. Even knowing Prosper would be preaching there every Sunday, he gave us the land because he wanted his kids to go to school. There were 150 kids in the school this year, and almost as many go to church there every Sunday — including the man, who is no longer involved in voodoo.

Of course, these kids as well as kids in the other schools receive their education and meals because of you who sponsor the schools and feeding programs. Just in this one spot, consider how many children have learned how to read and write, and get to eat, because of those first sponsors. Kids we first saw are now adults with families. To Terry and me, it’s just amazing. Amazing because of God’s blessing and amazing because of God using you to help.

Thank you for all you do to help or friends in Haiti.

Serving HIM,

Steve and Terry

Hi everyone,

Thank you for the emails and contacts concerning Terry’s implant trial on April 19. It went much better than she expected, and there were very few times she had any pain. After the leads were placed in her spinal cord, they set four different programs, with her input, and she could change the settings as she felt it was needed. The times she did feel pain, she could change the setting and it would go away. There was one setting that was just for sleeping; although she couldn’t feel it, her brain knew it was there, and it allowed her to sleep better than she has in at least two years. No leg pain at night, no cramps in her legs or feet … it just worked great. They will do the permanent implant the 15th of May. They will replace the leads then implant the “generator” — something like a pace-maker — next to her spine right above her belt line. Thank you for continuing prayers for this.

Haiti finally has a democratically elected and installed president! That is saying something. He is Jovenel Moïse. Those we work with say he is the best man for the job and is very well known throughout the country, He is known as “banana man” because of all his banana farms and jobs they produce.

One of the problems facing them now is the 50,000 Haitians in the US who were given temporary protected status after the earthquake in 2010. Unless something happens, they will all be deported back to Haiti. The problem is they now have jobs and homes in Florida. Over 500 have full time jobs at Disney World and thousands more have jobs in the Florida tourism industry. If deported, they have no homes or place to go in Haiti.

Add to that, there are still more than 40,000 people still living in makeshift shelters and the country is facing a food shortage since hurricane Matthew. Let’s pray they can stay at least until the situation is better in Haiti.

School has a little over another month and we will end the year with right at 475 children, grades preschool through the sixth. All of those are in the feeding programs you provide.

Thank you for all your prayers and wishes for Terry, what you do for us and for our friends in Haiti.

Serving HIM,

Steve and Terry