Grace, Faith and Hope

This post is from Angel Missions Haiti blog site. They work in Haiti and here to bring children to the U.S. like we do with Hands That Heal. They do a lot more kids than we do and have been doing it for a long time. I keep up on many missionaries blogs in Haiti daily. I see posts daily about children starving. DAILY. I wish I could do more all the time. It is so difficult for me to watch innocent children die and starve.
I cannot imagine having triplets in Haiti with no food or medical care to offer them. Pray that they have a chance to survive. Ask yourself what you can do. There are so many ways to help. That is what God asks of us daily. There is need everywhere you look, here and in Haiti. What you give to the least of these you give to God. I normally dont say things like this to others but what can we do to help those in need?? I challenge you to pray and ask God what He would have you do.
Stephanie


However While we were in the Village Sammy is from the doctor said he wanted to show me a set of triplets that had been born on July 6 (my Jonathans birthday). We went to the home. A one room place with 7 children. The mom was sick and can not take care of them. We tried to find formula but none anywhere to be found. The parents showed me 3 empty formula cans that someone had given them. They said they had been out of formula for 8 days. They had been giving them sugar water. They begged me to take them and make them well like baby Sammy. So Momma V is now in Port de Paix with 3 infants at yet another missions who have taken us all in for the next two days until I can get these three to port au prince with me.
We have given them the names of Faith Hope and Grace (as we can not say the names we were told)
Faith and Hope weigh in at 2 pounds. Grace is 3 pounds. At the present time they third feeding no vomiting (Praise God) they are coming alert. Hope and Grace have bad coughs and had a fever which has now broken on both. We started with an eye dropper earlier today and now all 3 have a suck reflex which is wonderful.
The Mission we are at is called Lashbrook family ministries. They are helping me feed them every two hours. We will do this around the clock all night.
Please pray that all 3 girls make it through the night, God gives us the wisdom and visa's for these 3. All of the orphanages I know are over filled and can not take them in. They are going to require a lot of care to make it.

Kings Island Pics

We had a good time at Kings Island. Jeremy rode his first real roller coaster and will never ride another one again. Neither will I! Nick loved them and rode the racer twice and the Vortex. He is a dare devil for sure. Luckly daddy will ride them with him.

We had a lot of fun at the water park even though it was a little cold. The park was very quiet and we didnt have to wait in line for anything. It was great!

Fun Family Weekend

We had a great time at the Creation museum. Nick went crazy feeding the camel! He could have stayed there all day with it. Jeremy was very interested in the museum and we could have spent more time reading all the displays. The grounds are beautiful there. It was a lot of fun.

Steph

Fun With the Cousins

My Sister-in-law was able to come and spend the night with us. The boys had a great time playing and swimming! We were happy for them to visit with us. Im so glad they boys are all close in age and have fun together. Five boys can be crazy, no grandaughters for my mom:(

Steph

When Sabrinas Mom Came

This post was taken from part of Rhyan's blog (she was there when Sabrina came to the orphanage) from when Sabrinas mom came to visit her in the orphanage. I thought I would share it. I am so happy that she came back to see her and was able to share a moment with her daughter. Notice her shirt says "love".

Steph

So far the journey toward a medical visa has been rough. Because of the diagnosis Sabrina was given by the doctors here in Haiti, we have not been able to find a doctor in the States willing to take her case. It is taking time to secure a doctor and time is something Sabrina does not have. As her fluid increases and her head swells more, Sabrina has begun suffering from seizures. Had she been born in the United States Sabrina probably would have had the surgery she needs within 48 hours. Every day she waits is one day longer for this fluid to leak, it is one more day that her brain is compressed. Sabrina needs this surgery now and so I am asking all of you to pray unceasingly for Sabrina today. None of us know if Sabrina will survive the road that is ahead of her but all of us know that she is worth the effort to get her there. Many evenings after supper I go into the high care nursery and sit with Sabrina I can’t pick her up, but I hold her little hand and I pray. It is my hope that in those moments Sabrina can feel that she in loved. I hope that in those evenings Sabrina finds the drive she needs to keep fighting.I am being as realistic as possible in this situation, while still knowing and trusting that my God can do anything! I know that it is a true possibility that Sabrina will not live. I know that at any moment she could die, but I also know that if that happens Sabrina will die with dignity. She will be surrounded by people who love her, a far cry from the outhouse she could have ended up in. Sabrina has already touched so many. Four days ago a mother came to our door to visit her child. When I asked her who she came to see she told me she was “mama Sabrina” Sabrina’s mother had come! When she was dropped off Dixie told Sabrina’s family that mama would need to come to sign papers to relinquish parental rights of Sabrina. They said she would not come because she did not want to see or touch the baby. Dixie assured them that she would not have to see her, just fill out the paperwork and be finished. When I came to the waiting room where Sabrina’s mother sat she told me she had decided that she wanted to see her baby! When I brought Sabrina downstairs and sat down next to her mother her eyes filled with tears, at first I thought it was because she was so upset but then she said softly, “she looks like me, look at her face, it is just like mine” Love at first sight between mother and child. A moment I will never forget. Sabrina’s mother then asked if she could hold her and for several moments she sat cuddling her baby and sharing her words of love. What an amazing change God did in this woman’s life! Before she left I took a picture of her holding Sabrina and printed it for her and as she walked out the gates holding back her tears, she clutched in her hand the photo of her firstborn.

God's Workmanship

“For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Thank you all for your prayers and support. This scripture is so appropriate for Sabrina and all of us. He created her perfectly for His purposes so that she could do good works for Him.
He knew in advance what her life and death were to be and God makes no mistakes. We were blessed to have her in our lives for the time we did as was the orphanage. She will have lasting impact on her mother, us, the Ingle family, Hands That Heal and everyone that knew of her and prayed for her.
Even this week I have had opportunity to talk with my sons new teachers, our neighbors, and thoses we work with about Sabrina, what Hands That Heal does and the effect she had on our lives. Even after her death she is enabling us to share how God has allowed us to extend the love He gives us to others and be a testimony to God.

Pray that the service goes well tomorrow and facilitates closure for all involved.
Thanks Steph

What The Poem Means

The poem was written by a woman that volunteers at the orphanage that Sabrina was at. She was there when her aunts brought her and when Sabrinas mother came back to see her one time.
The first paragraph is about her mother
the second is about the writer
the third is about the caregivers at the orphanage
next is about Anna bringing her here from Haiti'
after that is about Rebekah and her determination to get her here
then about me taking care of her while she was here
last is about Heather her adoptive mother

It chronicles her life and all the people God brought into it to help her and her to place a lasting impact on.
Steph

Poem for Sabrina

This poem was just written by Rhyan Buettner, another 'mommy' to Sabrina when she was at GLA. Rhyan was at GLA the day Sabrina was brought there by her aunts, and she was there to witness a mother's tears as she looked at her daughter's 'broken' body.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
God Chose Me

God chose me to hold you close
Sweet baby for a moment or two
God chose me to hold his angel
and I cherish the day He gave me you
I held you child for 9 whole months
The dreams I had may never be known
But I loved you baby I promise you that
I held you until you had grown

I held you while I heard them speak,
the women who loved you so
I held you while your name was given
why God chose me I may never know

I am another who held you close
while God granted us your time
I prepared your feeds and nursed your hurts
For those moments, you were mine

God also chose me to hold you dear
for a season of your days
I carried you as we left the land of your birth
and held you along the way

I held you Sabrina close to my heart
Photographs of you play through my mind
I fought so hard to bring you here
Doing the work God assigned

God called me to hold His child
A baby in need of care
All night and day I cared for you
for that time I was there

God chose me to pick you baby
to keep you as my own
I was to be your mommy here
how I wanted to give you a home

God chose each of us sweet Sabrina girl
To walk your road with you
God placed in our arms an angel of his
Until your time was through
He gave you a life, He gave us a passion
and somehow the two paths crossed
He gave you breath, He gave us vision
And through it, your story will never be lost

Author: Rhyan BuettnerAugust 10, 2009

Sabrina-Taken from the Hands That Heal Blog

It is with a sad heart that I write this post. Sabrina died around 2:30am August 8th. She was breathing kind of funny when I spoke with Stephanie Mueller, our nurse coordinator for Hands That Heal, Friday afternoon. It sounded like she had the hick-ups. When Steph would re-position her, she would be fine. Heart, lungs, and everything else checked out normal. This continued off and on a few times on Friday, so Steph took her to the ER Friday night. I was camping with Hannah and I never heard my phone... Once in the ER, her breathing became more shallow and within a couple hours she passed away. Her little body was unable to fight any longer. We are all SHOCKED!!! Just the day before, First Steps was evaluating her and writing up a long term plan for her therapies. She was doing "great" for Sabrina!!!Please pray for Stephanie and her family: Sabrina died in her arms and she is taking this very hard!!! Stephanie has been taking care of Sabrina for the past few weeks. She was her temporary host mom until she was released on her post-op appointment. Her boys loved Sabrina, and Jeremy in particular, is taking Sabrina's death really hard!PLEASE PRAY FOR HER LONG TERM HOST FAMILY: Sabrina was scheduled to go to the Ingles, in Ohio, August 20th after her post-op check. They were hosting her long term. They were adopting a child from Liberia and trying to get him out on a medical visa, and he died two weeks ago. This family is grieving and needs our prayers!!! Their children are taking all of this incredibly hard!!!Please pray for Hands That Heal this week: God has blessed us with a Funeral company that is going to donate everything for Sabrina's memorial. I am not sure what all will be involved: we meet with the director tomorrow morning.Pray for all of the hands that kept Sabrina alive in Haiti and loved her so much while she was there. This little girl has touched so many lives in her short time on earth. To man's eyes, she was the most unlikely vessel to share His love, grace, and compassion. To God, Sabrina was the most perfect vessel to bring people closer to Him!!!!!! She has meant so much, and has taught so many people so many lessons!!!!Sabrina, may you run and play with all of the other children that were on this earth way too short!!!! May you fly with wings that are full of life and happiness... I can just see (imagine) Berlancia, (a little girl that died a year ago at GLA: she died of Aids) with her big eyes and ornery smile, standing at the gates of Heaven saying, "We have been waiting for you to come and play...you just needed some time down there to finish what He wanted you to accomplish..." Both Berlancia and Sabrina were loved by a "momma", Anna, who is only 20 years old and so wise beyond her years!!! Both girls were abandoned by their earthly mothers, loved by so many at GLA, and were blessed to receive Anna's love like they were her own. Both knew a "mother's" love before they were held by their Heavenly Father!What the world looks at as "the least of these" we know to be God's jewels and are mandated to love these children as He has loved us!!!" To God, these children are His BEST AND MOST PRECIOUS VESSELS!!!!Sabrina: Your life on this earth was way too short, but what you taught so many in your 11 weeks, no one will ever forget!!!!!!Thank you: Hands That Heal is honored and humbled to have gotten a chance to be involved and blessed by you, in your short life!!!

Changing all the time

Here are some new photos of Sabrinas head shape. Her head circumference is down to 53cm. It was 59 at her largest. We are starting to wean the seizure meds today. Pray she tolerates it and doesnt begin to have more seizures. Her weight is down a little too but she is still losing fluid. She is near 12 lbs still. She is not taking a bottle still. She chokes at first then does attempt to get into a rhythm but doesnt suck strong enough to pull the milk out. I have tried several different nipple shapes and sizes. Her abdomen isnt healing totally and is leaking a little. She is very quiet. I did see her move her arms randomly today when we were doing her "baby exercises". Several times a day we move all her joints so she doesnt begin to get stiff.

Pray for her continued healing.

Thanks Steph

Big Yawns

Finally got a picture of her very cute yawn!

Wide Awake at Midnight

While Miss Sabrinas food was going in she was wide awake at midnight so I had to get the camera and get those eyes!

Love those lips!

All clean and warm after her bath. Her mouth gets really dry so we have to clean it out and put vaseline on her lips. She has really pretty lips. I change the tape on her NG tube every couple days and move it to a different place on her face so it is not resting on the same spot on her cheek all the time.

She has kept her temperature up for several days and did better with a bottle the day before yesterday. She doesnt move much or cry. I am hoping when we start to wean one of the seizure meds she might start to wake up more.

She had no seizures all day yesterday and only one today so far.

We are all doing great and enjoying having her so much.

Steph

Bath Time

Sabrina does not seem to mind getting a bath. She doesnt like her head washed though. I use a heating pad under her to keep her temp up. She cannot be submerged yet until her abdominal inscision is totally healed.

She is doing well.