Director’s Update Feb 2011
We are busy round-the-clock with our 11-month-old baby, Leonel – a full-time job for Bonnie now. The orphanage is not equipped right now to handle any children under two, so he will be staying upstairs with us at this time. Bonnie was able to go to Port Au Prince and take two children (Wilguens and Marc Kenley) to the doctor for therapy for disclocated elbows and to purchase tile for the team to install this week. The boys are making good progress.
Mike, Bonnie, Leonel, Christopher, and Yonelson
Mike told me yesterday that it was the anniversary of the day we met – 31 years ago. (It was also the date he was supposed to be discharged from the Navy – but actually go out early – which is why he remembered it.) What a gift God gave to me so many years ago!
Mike is so much better this week as he is taking multi-vitamins with iron to replace the iron that the malaria zapped out of his system. He does feel less tired. He didn’t want to rest while the team was here, but he was forced to anyway.
He also has a toothache in a tooth that has been filled twice. The dentist back home said if he had any more problems with it that he would need a root canal. Pray that we can find someone here that can do that procedure for him because it is giving him some grief.
Bonnie had some bug bites which bothered nurse Kim, so she was put on antibiotic and is healing.
It was so great connecting with old friends, Kim and Corey Denzick, formerly of our church in Jacksonville. It was good to see them doing so very well and their church group (Valley View Baptist, Louisville) was so nice. You just get a rapport going with a team and they have to leave. Their team brought some soccer balls, a basketball, and a net for the “basketball hoop” – bicycle tire rim. The boys are outside even now practicing their shots. Corey told Wilguens it’s great therapy for recovering from his dislocated elbow.
They also brought hygiene items (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and feminine products), hair relaxers, educational toys, school supplies, diapers, wipes, formula and clothing for the children…stuff we are always in need of.
Kim and Chassidy work together at a hospital in Louisville as nurse supervisors and were greatly needed to check up on one of our neighbors who recently had a miscarriage, plus several others. One girl came to us with a severe burn and wouldn’t you know it, Chassidy spent much of her nursing time in a burn unit and knew just how to treat her! The nurses even worked a 12-hour shift at the Samaritan’s Purse Cholera Clinic on Saturday! The non-nursing ladies helped Donnie Garrett (only non-Kentuckian of the group) update sponsor records at the school for 280 kids. An Excel genius named Eileen put all the records onto a spreadsheet, saving Donnie a weeks worth of work when she got home. Yeah!
Kim, with translator Herbie, arrive at the cholera clinic
The team also did some construction work at the church, by knocking out some of the blocks in the middle room at the church and Herman (our handyman) inserted block to make a window. This room will serve as an office for the sewing class, church and future trade school. Herman has been working all this week welding a steel door so the room can be locked. Materials were purchased for the ceiling, then the next stage will be to stucco the walls, then paint.
The team finished the church “building” at “Te Nwa” (Kreoyle spelling of Terra Noir, the mountain where our mission church is located), which was started by the Chet’s Creek team in December. They also did hut-to-hut visitation and held a church service on Friday afternoon. During the week 21 mountain people came to know the Lord. Amen!!! That is what “it” is all about!
The group got to experience the market in Cabaret one day, where Eileen bought a used umbrella stroller for Leonel for $15 USD. Not everything is a bargain here. He loves it and I get relief from holding him all the time! I don’t like to put him on the plywood floor. It works great outside too! The week ended with Corey, Chassidy and Tiffany from Valley View singing at the Sunday morning church service “Mighty to Save” with the older kids. It was a beautiful moment!
Orphanage kids singing in church
Speaking of the sewing class, it has been divided into two classes according to skill-level (people who have no experience and people who have a little bit), and so that everyone will have machine time during class.
Between First Baptist Live Oak in December and Valley View churches, we had our medical team from Tampa, People for Haiti come. Two former Tampa Bay Buc cheerleaders were with the group and they were fantastic! All the children got Bucs t-shirts and backpacks. Guiga Viera, the leader, bought Leonel some Bucs onesies to wear! Check their website at peopleforhaiti.com. Guiga has committed to teach Leonel Portugese so he will be able to talk to her in her native language! Leo Viera, her physician husband, will be here in April with another group and they will be here together with still another group in July and still another team will come in November. Next year People for Haiti has so many medical people wanting to come that they will be here every two months!!
We have another non-Jacksonville group (our intern, Austin’s family and their friends) coming this week. They will tile the little boys bathroom, including walls and stalls. they are also going to paint both it and the big boys bathroom and help freshen-up the kitchen. The ladies have made curtains for the childrens rooms and will install them! Sharon, Austin’s mom, is a quilter and said she is making a quilt – I’m excited to see it! We are also going to create a clinic downstairs and will be happy to see the medicines moved out of our kitchen and into a locked room. We don’t like the safety hazard of having them in the kitchen within reach of the children.
Austin’s internship is up in May and the Lord has impressed on his heart to move to Port Au Prince and start a website to link all the NGO’s (non government organizations) in an easy to access format. It’s a great opportunity for him and he will be greatly missed here at the orphanage and school. We have many, many people who want to work and stay with us, but trust that God will reveal the one he wants to fill this position.
We are trying to get a plane ticket for our son, Jonathan, who wants to come see us this month. He will bring his guitar and give lessons to the kids and it will be a blessing to have him here.
Bonnie just gave some hydrocortisone cream to one of the workers (Vanillia) for her child (Meci) who has bumps on his legs and asked her to update us on Monday, and that I will e-mail Guiga to let her know. Guiga and the People for Haiti is/are keeping records on the orphanage and workers children.
I have been waiting for our upstairs maid to come in, but have come to the conclusion that she was not aware that the group will be arriving tomorrow and not Monday, so I have to get busy making up the beds for them. Fortunately I have many assistants to help me, which they have agreed to do. I’ll let them watch a movie as a reward. I brought the first and second Narnia movies with me. They have been waiting to see it.
Mike has taken Marie Joe to the bank to deposit the money she received for Christmas. They took a tap-tap because both of the vehicles were in use. Today we will also try to get her US Visa application done online. Austin said that when he did it the last time it took 8 hours.
Please give our love to all. Pray that we get our license (one of the several crises items from last week) this week and are able to get to work on the rest of the birth certificates we need. We were able to get two birth certificates in January for Ronald and Vedline who needed them to participate in their sixth grade testing. Our school is also working on becoming licensed and expects to be finished with that process very soon.
Love and God’s blessings to all. We feel blessed by the love and generosity shared by all when we were in Jacksonville and Tampa over the Christmas and New Years holidays.
Mike and Bonnie Snider
Directors
Cabaret Baptist Children’s Home
Bercy, Haiti
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Thanks, Bonnie and Mike, for loving these children and helping to meet their most basic needs. You both blessed me greatly, last week. I want so much to return again sometime. You are in my prayers.
Thanks for the update. I am so thankful that Mike and Bonnie are there to give love and guidance to those kids.
I was truly blessed when we visited the orphanage. These servants are seeking after the Lord in a very noticeable way. I am confident in saying that this is how the Lord wants His children to live,love,work and play together to further His Kingdom here on Earth as it is in Heaven. Thank you for giving to The Lord