Allison Judy’s Speech at Tapping Into Haiti’s Future

Thank you, brothers and sisters, for your prayers.

Again I ask you all to keep asking our Father to heal Stevie, our 5 year-old boy at our orphanage in Haiti. Stevie has recently lost his sight after an infection related to Hydrocephalic Syndrome and complications after several surgical interventions. We are praying for supernatural wisdom for all the doctors in Haiti working to save his life. I know beyond any doubt that God wants to hear our prayers about this child and what we desire for him. Please pray for Stevie’s life.

Also I would like prayer for Joe and I, the Mercy & Sharing staff in Haiti, all of our children, and the widows as well.

Jesus Christ died for them and wants us to think and pray for them as His little children. Let’s claim God’s promises that he will not abandon them (Psalms 37:32-34).

We believe in our Lord Jesus. We do not doubt. We will never give up. We expect victory!

Susie Krabacher

Dear Friends,

Two orphans at Mercy & Sharing Village are not well. Thanks for your support and prayers as our staff attends to their needs.

Steve Joseph continues to have leaking from the site of his hydrocephalus surgery last month. He has an infection in his brain and is receiving antibiotics. Our staff physician, Dr Agenor has found a neurosurgeon who can provide a consultation and hopefully treatment. We are hoping the surgeon can help the surgery site begin to heal and that Steve can have a shunt inserted in May. Steve’s condition is extremely critical and we are very concerned!

We have just learned that Freddy Hebron has a malformation which inhibits his breathing and he will need oxygen full time — perhaps for the rest of his life. Dr. Agenor is pursuing further testing to determine a treatment plan. We are also working to get portable oxygen for Freddy to have at Mercy & Sharing Village. We are very concerned because he is so frail, but he is a fighter!

Please share this with your friends and if you are connected to a prayer chain, please add Steve and Freddy!

Freddy Hebron is a two and a half month old little boy who was abandoned at the Government Hospital in Port au Prince at birth. Freddy has a birth defect which caused his lower limbs to form incorrectly. He came to join us at the orphanage in Williamson on March 14! On that day, Freddy had his first peaceful night’s sleep. He is safe with his Mercy & Sharing family and he has a very good chance of having an operation to fix his little legs.

Susie Krabacher

Many thanks to Medishare who provided hydrocephalus surgery for Steeve Joseph. He is a precious little boy who is six years old. Steve is a very active and intelligent boy who has been with Mercy & Sharing for four years and we are excited about his future! Read more about Medishare here »

Mercy & Sharing is honored that the First Lady of Haiti, Sophia Martelly, donated food to the orphanage at Mercy & Sharing Village. This gift was part of a larger effort on the part of the President and First Lady to assist the most vulnerable members of Haitian society. “The State has an obligation to supervise the children and provide to their physical well-being, mental andmaterial,” Mrs. Martelly declared.

The President and First Lady have consistently demonstrated their commitment to children, regardless of their background, and took this opportunity to convey a Merry Christmas to the orphans at Mercy & Sharing Village. Included in the gift were rice, canned fish, baby formula, and dry milk.

Mercy & Sharing is delighted to partner with President and Mrs. Martelly to improve the lives of orphaned and abandoned children. We continually look for ways to work together to helps these precious kids!

Thanks to ALL of you who offered financial support and prayers for Lee Pardee during his recent surgery. The surgeons successfully removed a large tumor that was near his carotid artery. I visited with Lee for a long time yesterday. He is in a nice hospital and is being very well cared for. We are also very thankful this hospital has agreed to provide free post-operative care for him. Lee has a very large incision from the tumor removal site, but there are no signs of infection.

When I walked in the room, he lifted himself up and started making happy sounds in spite of his autism and recent surgery! I am SO proud of the way he has responded and his cheery attitude. He is eating on his own. When I handed him a teddy bear, he hugged it closely! We hope he will be back to Mercy & Sharing Village in ten days. I learned that this little trooper had TWO heart attacks during the surgery and battled through it all!! The six doctors who performed the surgery ALL consider him to be a little miracle and a testament to your support and prayers!

Again, thank you for making a difference for Lee.

Susie Krabacher

By Jeff Leck, Member of Mercy & Sharing’s Board of Directors

I visited Haiti in July, 2012 and was reminded of the difficult conditions Mercy & Sharing faces every day. The oppressive heat, constant dust, overwhelming traffic, severe poverty, and incredibly crowded real estate in and around Port-au-Prince do not make for an appealing working environment. I have traveled to many places in the world and in terms of day-to-day logistics, Haiti is easily the most difficult. I think the government of Haiti, considering the tragedies and setbacks, is doing all it can do to stabilize the country and protect children. Yet, the task is enormous. Reflecting on the trip, I wanted to share with you some observations about the difficulty of caring for kids in Haiti:

Electricity. The power grid in Haiti is unreliable for sustained power needs such as refrigeration or night lighting. The constant power outages throughout Haiti mean Mercy & Sharing’s staff must care for children mostly without relying on electricity. While we do have generators, diesel fuel costs dictate limiting use of generator power to only the most essential needs.

Transportation. The roads in Haiti are worse than any I have observed (even in places such as Africa). The capital’s “roads” are essentially potholes joined with occasional pavement. Rocks and debris are constant. Traffic jams are ubiquitous. Mercy & Sharing’s staff cannot simply drive quickly across town to secure supplies or attend meetings. Every journey, however short, is an adventure with a very bumpy and convoluted ride. Further, virtually all the vehicles experience extreme wear and tear.

Sanitation. There is dust everywhere. Sewage management is rudimentary at best, open and flowing at worst. Garbage piles are part of the landscape. While the average Haitian no doubt has a stout constitution, it is very difficult to keep our children from exposure to disease and infections. I am proud of Mercy & Sharing’s efforts to provide clean water to students and orphans. At Mercy & Sharing Village, the kids take two showers each day and the facilities are spotless. I now have a better understanding of the priority we must place on sanitation for all of the children in our care.

Reflecting on my overall visit, and especially the time I spent at the Mercy & Sharing Village, I continue to be amazed that Mercy & Sharing can help so many children with so few dollars. The promise Mercy & Sharing makes to orphans—to provide food, a home, 24/7 care, medicine, vaccinations,education, therapy, recreation and love—is monumental. It is no cliché to say—this is a labor of love.

In May we received a very welcome donation of shoes from Newton Running Company and Tumiani Ministries. Over 2000 pairs of shoes are now being worn by children and poverty stricken families in Haiti! The shoes have been distributed to the very grateful and needy children in Mercy & Sharing’s orphanage, the students at two Mercy & Sharing elementary schools (Mercy & Sharing Learning Academy and C.I.T.E. School) and all of our Haitian staff members received a pair of shoes. These shoes were a very needed and welcome gift. Many thanks to Newton Running and Tumiani Ministries!

UPDATE regarding the five new orphans at Mercy & Sharing Village:

The children are all now safely at our orphanage and we would like to take this opportunity to thank the diligent, rapid actions of IBESR (which is an acronym for “Institut du BienEtre Social et de Recherches” which serves as Haiti’s Social Services on behalf of children and families), who rushed to get paperwork and documentation prepared so that we could take these children into our safe and loving care. Without the efforts of IBESR we would not have been able to rescue these precious children.

IBESR works with very limited financial resources—but they are not limited in their willingness to go the extra mile to assist Mercy & Sharing with our mission of saving children who have been abandoned. Special thanks to IBESR, we could not do the good work we do without their support and partnership!!

As for the children, we are happy to report that our staff Medical Director is seeing to their care individually. He is in the process of carefully assessing the needs and health concerns of each individual child. He then implements a treatment plan that will include nutrient dense food and milk, medicine and attention. The children are receiving the loving care of our “Mothers” who are on duty 24 hours every day to see to the children.

Pray for these angels, they need all the support and love possible!

Susie Krabacher
President of Mercy & Sharing