TEST TUESDAY

Snaiders test is next Tuesday morning. We have to be at St.Vincent at 6am. They will give him general anesthia then they have to do a lumbar puncture and inject dye into his spinal column. They will let him wake up and then we have to stay at the hospital all day to do scans waiting on the dye to travel. They are looking for where the spinal fluid leak is comming from. Im sure it will be a long day and I will be there with him alone all day. Ill post again about it before it happens. Keep us in your prayers.

Steph

NEW UPDATE

The doctors office is trying to set up this test for next Tuesday. They have done it on children before but not very often. It is taking a while to get it set up. As far as surgery goes it depends on if they need the plastic surgeon there for the next surgery. I will know more tomorrow afternoon about everything.
Steph

Update on Snaider

SNAIDER WITH HOST GRANDPA AT THE LAKE

We are all doing well here. He is sleeping great, eating great and seem very happy. My boys are doing wonderfully as well. I couldnt have asked for it to go any better. St.Vincent is trying to schedule a special test for him that has never been done on a child before. They need to make sure it is safe. It is a nuclear med study to check for spinal fluid leak. The Neurologist feels he needs this before surgery. Keep you all updated soon.

Steph

OUR NEW FRIEND

Here are some pics of our new friend Snaider! He is doing really well adjusting to his new home. I am having to adjust to having a toddler around again too! We are a little tired but enjoying it. We took Snaider to the lake for a visit with my family, he wasnt crazy about the lake but had fun and did really well. He is over his fear of the dog and likes her now too. My boys are doing very well with him and adjusting to having him around. We are hoping to hear from the surgeon soon on when he can have his repeat surgery.

Stephanie

Shnaider is here!

Shnaider was brought to us yesterday evening. A little sooner than we thought but we were ready. Everyone is adjusting very well so far. He slept all night! I will try to get some pics today but I am not used to having an 18 month old runnning around. He doesnt seem to like our dog too much but I am sure they will get used to each other quickly. He is already doing better with her this morning. Prayers would be much appreciated for all of us adjusting especially Nick. Let the adventure begin!!
Steph

Schnaider

We are 99% sure we are getting a child from Haiti to come and live with us for a month or so. He has already been in the U.S. for a few months and had surgery. He is having some complications and unable to return to Haiti as planned this week. His current host family was planning on him leaving this week. Hands That Heal is the organization that got him here and they have contacted us to see if we would be willing to take him in for a while. He has a doctor appointment at St.Vincent Hospital today. We will know more later today. If you go to their blog you can see his whole story.
http://handsthatheal-mk1618b.blogspot.com/
Stephanie

LAKE DAYS!!!

We love the lake! Last week we were able to spend a few days at my aunts house on a lake in Southern Michigan. The kids have a blast in the water. We are going back the end of this week too! It is a private lake so there is hardly anyone out. We pretty much have the lake to ourselves, it is so fun and relaxing.

steph

NURSING-MY PASSION

While not the most flattering pic of me:( this is from my last clinic in Haiti. I have been a nurse for too many years to count. My specialty is infants. I have 10 years of experience working with sick infants in the hospital among other areas.

Surprisingly I did not want to go to college and my mom made me do something so I picked nursing. Thank God it was exactly what I am supposed to be doing. It fits right in with my Spiritual Gifts of caring, acts of service, and I am a care taker by nature.

More recently God has shown me ways of using my nursing skills to help the people of Haiti. Through my work for Nehemiah Vision Ministries and hopefully being host parents in the near future to some children from Haiti needing surgery here in the U.S. , my passion for Nursing has been renewed. I am so thankful for the skills I have and the ability for God to use me to help others.

THANKS MOM FOR PUSHING ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!!!

Steph

THE GIFT OF MOBILITY

This little girl came to our last medical clinic in Chambrun. Her mother really didnt know what was wrong with her, just that she had been like this since birth. She has sever Cerebral Palsy. Her muscles are very contracted and stiff. She cannot walk, sit up, feed herself or speak. She was extremely thin. Her mother said she vomits most of the time and cries all night. They would lay her on the ground to sleep. Im sure it was extremely painful for her to lay flat with her contracted muscles and very hard to breath.

We had a wheel chair that some of the guys were able to modify for her. We did a lot of teaching with the mother, gave her some Pedialyte and Ensure. In the U.S. she would have had a feeding tube to feed her through. A child like this in America would be difficult to take care of. I can't imagine doing it with no medicine, medical care or food. This family only lives five minutes from our school, I will check on her in October when I am there again. Hopefully with her being able to be in a sitting postion she might be able to digest better and breath more comfortably. That is the best we can do for them. We prayed for her and sent them home. Very heartbreaking to watch for sure.

Steph

WORSHIP IN HAITI

Worship in Haiti is one of my favorite things when I am there. Our team goes to church in Chambrun with the people we have been working with all week. To see the genuine way they worship and the love they have for the Lord in the midst of the pain and poverty they live in is amazing. Even thought we are praising God in different languages the love of God translates in all languages. I dont know if I can ever experience total reliance on God in the same way they do. I dont have to worry about where my next meal is or that my kids will have food and clothing or what will happen if someone gets sick. They are truly thankful for everything they have and take joy in the Lord even in their situation. Steph

UPDATE ON SENDY

This picture was taken the day I met Sendy. I had examined her and am talking with the woman that runs the orphanage and Sendy's mom. She was so scared and unhappy that day.

Last I heard over a week ago, we are still waiting on the doctor in Lima, OH to decide if he will do her surgery. I wish I had more to update. We are still praying for someone to help her.

Steph

JUST A GLIMPSE

AUTISM STINKS!!! It just plain stinks. Most of the time I am fine with it. I accept it in our lives. When you deal with something daily it isnt always in the forefront of your mind.

Lately I feel like Nick in this pic, looking through my fingers trying to get a glimpse of what to do. You cant see clearly what the path is. Everyone around you has an opinion on what you should do. God just hasen't shown you the picture yet.

Summer is difficult. Unstructured time plus Autism equal disaster. Nick doesnt sleep therefore neither does mom. Melt downs are more frequent as well. For the first time in a few years we are going to have to seek help for Nick more than we can do at home. He has been pretty managable until now and doing exceptionally well in school but as is common with Autism, things change. I just want a glimpse into the future to know things will be alright. Until then we will just pray for wisdom and guidance.

Steph

THERAPUTIC RIDING

This is Nick doing he riding lessons at a place designed for Special Needs children and theraputic riding lessons. He really liked it until his horse went wild and he fell! They have only had 3 kid fall in the last 9 years. Go figure!! He still goes but is still a little afraid and not into it as much. He is pretty brave though and got right back on the horse that day. Thank God he was not hurt. Steph

AWWWW!!!

How can you not just say AWWWW!! When you see a face like that. This is your intro to another member of our family Andi. She was rescued from somewhere by the humane shelter in our area. She was skin and bones and had a fish hook stuck in her nose. She is an English Coon Hound and doing great now. Jeremy and her great pals! Steph

HEARTBREAKER

There are many things you see in Haiti that break your heart. This child was one for me. This picture was taken in front of the Nehemiah Christian Academy in Chambrun, Haiti. You see pictures of kid like these but seeing him with my own eyes was difficult. He had the biggest smile too. I dont think he cared how dirty he was or that he only had a holey filthy t-shirt to wear. I know he cared that his belly was empty.

This child does not attend our school. Right now the school is full but we have almost completed a bigger school and will be able to add more children. It is possible that his parents just do not want to send him to school right now or cant for some reason do so. My hope is that all the children will be able to attend one day. We are able to give the kids a meal every day too which he is obviously in need of.

Seeing children hungry and in pain is the hardest part about Haiti for me. Its not the smell or the dirt and trash everywhere or animals running all over. Its the childrens faces and beautiful eyes when they look at you and smile and you know you are going back to your comfy existance.

You can visit the Nehemiah Vision Ministries website for lots more pictures and info about Chambrun, Haiti and what we are doing there. The link is on my blog. I am in the process of coordinating the next medical clinic/mission trip there in October. I am thankful that God has given me resources and medical training to be able to help there.

Lots more to come about Nehemiah Vision Ministries and the people in the community.

Steph

THINGS YOU MAY NEVER SEE

This is bath time at His Home For Children an orphanage in Haiti. This is what I encountered my very first day ever in Haiti. Walking into the orphanage is overwhelming to say the least. Portacribs everywhere and children clinging to your legs calling you mama with their arms up for you to hold them. Just the amount of kids and realizing this is just one of hundreds of orphanages in Haiti brought me to tears immediately. Once you get used to the smell, heat, flies, and huge eyes searching you for attention and little hands reaching at you it is still heart breaking. I held and played and wanted to help them all. Most of these kids have adoptive families waiting for them to come home but the process is long, difficult and costly.

The children really did enjoy bath time and were playing a game where she threw the water on them. The kids are full of energy and laughter. It is amazing to me how resilent kids are. The orphanage has moved to a new building since then and the kids are able to be outside playing and there is much more room. They are bathed outside in tubs now. I thank God that I was able to witness these moments and let them change me and open my eyes and heart to the orphans of Haiti. My prayer every day is for Him to use me and give me opportunities to help them. Steph

JER BEAR!

This is Jeremy. He is my oldest son, 10 years old now! Here is my top 10 list of things that would define my Jer Bear.
1-sensitive
2-sweet
3-generous
4-homebody
5-videogame addict
6-animal lover
7-sweet tooth
8-character
9-getting girl crazy
10-loves school

Jeremy is the most compassionate child. He is very emotional, sensitive and sweet. He loves God and is catching my fever for Haiti a little. He is a great brother to Nick. He loves to be at school with all his friends and is quite a character. He is crazy about his dog Andi. Ill have to post some pic of her soon.
Love you Jer Bear!
Steph

A PLACE TO LAY YOUR HEAD

On my last trip to Haiti I visited a family of 10 children. Several of the kids attend the Nehemiah Christian Academy. This is one of the younger children above, she does not go to school. Most of the kids there do run around with no clothes on. This is something normal to the community. They simply do not have clothing to wear.

When we arrived there was a small infant in the house. Baby number 10 for the family. We asked the mother what the babies name was and she did not know. She may have been overwhelmed by seeing a lot of "blan" or white people in her home or the child didnt have a name yet. It is common practice to not name your infants after birth until you know if it will survive. Unimaginable here in the U.S.

The house consisted of 2 rooms about 8x10. One bed and a small cooking area outside. That is it. One stool and the babyblanket on the floor for the infant to sleep on. No other belongings to be seen. I carried this beautiful baby around for a while and wondered about its life or if it would even survive. It had a bad cough at the time.

There are more families than I could count in this same situation living in this one small area of Haiti. We are beginning to make a difference in this community one small step at a time.

Stephanie

GREAT THINGS!

Well as a continuation of my last post I thought I would give you a top 5 list of great things about having an autistic son

5-says exactly what is on his mind

4-ability to memorize anything

3-always tells the truth

2-doesnt care what anyone thinks

1-Nick has the biggest best smile ever!

I took this picture last summer of my boys. It is my all time favorite!!

Steph

CURIOUS!!!

Why do I have a picture of Curious George? Well if you know anything about Autism you know that Autistic kids have obsessions. One of Nicks happens to be Curious George! Living with a child with Autism can be a challenge to say the least.

Top 10 Crazy Things Nick Has Done

10-cut the belt on the treadmill in half

9-emptied too many boxes of cereal on to the floor (and stomped on it) to count

8-sit naked all over the house (he hates the way clothes feel!)

7-dig a hole in the back yard, fill it with water and sit in it (now is a bird bath)

6-overflow the bath tub too many times to count too

5-colored on the walls and carpet in pretty much every room in the house

4-learned to add, subtract, multiply and divide in his head by the time he reached kindergarten

3-took scissors and trimmed all the hair off most of his beanie babies

2-took scissors to my bedroom wall and dug a hole in it to "escape"

1-on the night of his 2nd birthday in our new house he took a black permanent sharpie and colored the entire kitchen. Floors, walls, dishes, island, counters, himself and everything in between!

I love Nicholas!! He is so concrete and says the funniest things. Autism has wonderful sides to it as well. I never know what a day will bring.

There will be lots more fun stories of Nicks adventures to come!!!!!

Steph

CLAUDINE'S STORY

Claudine is a 12 year old girl that I fell in love with on my last trip to Haiti in March. She was abandoned by her mother to her Godmother and then the Godmother left her as well. She is currently living with another student at the Nehemiah Christian Academy in Chambrun, Haiti where I visit and do medical clinics. When we were there in March, Claudine and the woman she lived with as well as that womans daughter were living with a man in the village. Every night he would verbally assult Claudine and kick her out of the house. He would throw all her belongings on the road and she would sit outside and cry all night. My heart just ached terribly for her. I decided to sponsor her through the school program and consider her my daughter in Haiti. I pray for her daily. Since I left Haiti, God has been so good to her. She and the woman she lives with were sponsored by a friend of mine and were moved into their very own home. It is beautiful. The mom was able to get a job at the Nehemiah Childrens Home that our organization just started for 9 kids in the school to live at. Claudine is in a loving home and I have been able to send clothes, shoes, household items and pictures to her. All the belongings she owned fit into a school backpack. I vowed when I left that her physical needs would be taken care of and she would always have enough clothes, underwear and shoes to wear. She will need a few backpacks to carry her things now! I am so blessed by God that he has brought her into my life to care and pray for. Her story has changed me and opened my eyes. I love her even thought she is over 1,000 miles away. I have so many stories to share from Haiti and the things I have seen and experienced there. I will post more of them for you so that you might get a glimpse of how life in Haiti is lived.

Stephanie

SENDY BADIO

Sendys Story

I first met Sendy last September when I was in Haiti visiting His Home for Children Orphanage in Port-Au-Prince Haiti. Her mother had brought her to the orphanage to give her up for adoption. I examined her and sat with Chris Nungester the director of the orphanage while she talked with Sendy's mother about whether they would accept her into His Home. Sendy was in very good shape. Her mother obviously took great care of her and loved her very much. In Haiti it is a good thing to have your child taken in by an American orphanage because you know they will be fed and recieve an education.

Sendy obviously had Hydrocephaly. Her head was very large. Her mother did not know what was wrong with her. She was 18 months old and unable to sit up, speak or feed herself. The orphanage offered to help Sendy get surgery if her mother would keep her but she decided that she needed to give Sendy up. She had no husband, several other children at home and lived with another woman that wouldnt take care of Sendy with her special needs. She needed to go out and work so she could feed her other children. His Home took Sendy in at that time.

When I returned home from Haiti I could not stop thinking about Sendy. I decided to start contacting some area hospital to see if anyone would help her.

I was able to find St.Vincent Hospital in Indy to do the surgery and we would take Sendy in for 6 months to care for her. We met with the hospital in January and everything seemed set to go for her to arrive in June.

Well long story short the doctor was not willing to put the shunt in and we didnt find out until 5 days before she was supposed to arrive. It was very difficult. I have spent a lot of time thinking, praying and worrying over this child. We are currently looking into a hospital in Lima, OH to do the surgery now and she could still live with us. More on that when we find something out.

Stephanie

THE JOURNEY

Well our journey begins! This is our family blog journaling our life and commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ and where that takes us.

My husband is Thomas and we have 2 children Jeremy and Nick. They are 10 and 8 respectively. We live in Westfield, IN.

My younger son Nick has Autism. That is a big part of our journey to date. It can be fun, difficult, heart breaking and full of joy. We know that God gave us our wonderful children and they are perfect in HIS eyes as they are to us as well.

God has put the country of Haiti in our lives as well. I made my first trip there in Sept of 07. I fell in love with the people and God has given me such a passion for helping them. I am a registered nurse and am the Medical Coordinator for an organization called Nehemiah Vision Ministries. You will hear a lot about Haiti in this blog as well.

Our current journey is that we are attempting to host a 2 year old Haitian Orphan that needs surgery for Hydrocephaly. It has been a very difficult journey getting things set up for her. We are not finished yet as the plans have changed over and over again. Much more to come in regards to Sendy Badio getting here for surgery.

This is our Christmas Card from this year. I have an awesome friend that is a photographer!

We hope that you will come to learn more about God, Haiti, our family and that something here will touch your heart.