Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Today is my favorite holiday. And not once, have I ever had a date. (don't feel sorry for me, just making a point) I am not a romantic and I am not super girly. But, I love the entire month and a half after Christmas because there is pink and red crap everywhere you go. There are fun decorations and yummy treats. There are sweet cards and cheesy cards. There is fantastic music. And mail, oh how I love snail mail.

It has been one bizarre month and half since Christmas. I left for Haiti Dec 28th and returned on Jan 10th. My roomies, who share the same Valentine's spirit, already had our apartment decorated! The Earthquake hit just two days later on Jan 12th and it has consumed my life since. I never thought I would be back here now. I have really missed making homemade valentine's, baking with Christina and Allyson and watching the snow fall. Ok that's a lie about the snow. But this 2010 has not gone the way I planned. I had big plans this year, and these were not them. And I am so thankful. I am so thankful that God made the last year of my life go the way He did. In looking back, everything happened so I could be here right now.

The love I feel today is different but good. As I type this, sweet Dorchelle is sprawled out across my lap asleep. She lost her mom, and I can't love her like her mom, but I can hug and kiss her and feed her when she spits it right back out at me. I can pray for her and tell her that Jesus has big plans for her life. I can love Lori and Licia and Anna, who the more and more time I spend around, I learn what it truly means to serve. I can love my family and friends via facebook and twitter :) And I can do all of this because I was loved first, by the greatest Lover that ever lived. He pursued me when I was sick, and poor and dirty and He loves me most. And unlike human love, it never fails. Ever.

My BFFL Christina snuck this Valentine in my bag and today I got to open it. Here are my two perfect Valentines!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!!!! I hope you know how loved you are today.

Dorchelle

This is Dorchelle. She is 16 months old and weighed 20 lbs when we took her in on Tuesday. She is extremely sick with Kwashiorkor and her body is very swollen. A relative brought her to the clinic, because her mother died in the earthquake. Because down under all the water, she looks pretty good and developed for a 16 month old, it is possible that she got this bad in just a month.

Today she weighs 17 lbs, which means she lost 3 lbs of water in less than a week. Her organs are very damaged and she is in a critical stage of recovery. Her skin is breaking open and fluids are seeping out. Her urine and stool smells very toxic. Tonight, I am very worried. It has been hard to find anything she likes to eat, and she doesn't drink a whole lot. I am switching small bites of different foods and watering down gatorade for her to drink. I am very afraid that she will become dehydrated. That may be confusing because you think "I thought you said all that extra swelling is water?" Yes it is, but that means the water is not in her blood stream where it should be, but it is in her tissues. Please pray for Dorchelle tonight, just as all the other children, I do not want to lose her. She has a sassy attitude which I hope means she is truly a fighter.

Caroline needs your vote!

My BFF Caroline, who also happens to be an incredibly talented photographer, is in the final four in a contest to win a scholarship to a workshop with one of the most well-known wedding photogs in the country. She had so submit a 12 sec video of herself and I think it is absolutely hilarious. Partly because I helped come up with the idea. And partly because it is just plain funny.

Click here to watch her video and vote. It is the first one "I know you want me (for the workshop)" You can only vote once from a computer but if you have another computer or a phone, you can vote from there.

LET'S SEND HER TO MEXICOOOOOOO!!!!

Updates

I guest posted on Licia's blog tonight so head on over there for an update on all the hospital patients!

Also, Anna posted an update on Darlens!

A group from the U.S. Air Force came out to visit this morning to see what we are doing and how they can help. They are sending out a few doctors tomorrow morning to help us see patients which will be great!

Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely, and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work. - Mother Teresa

Range of emotions

I have felt like all of these at some point today.

Davidson

I'm pretty much obsessed with this kid. And he knows it.

Can you blame me?

That is all I can muster up tonight :)

Not so brief bullet points

- this leg belongs to 10 yo Timothe. We brought him from the Comfort Ship on Monday. He was in his house when the earthquake hit and was the only one of 8 people to survive. His mother and two sisters were killed and when their bodies were recovered, there was a metal bar through his sister's head. When I first saw him he was hiding under his sheets on a cot, and the caretaker's reported that he was very depressed. Can you imagine why? He had a L tibial/fibial fracture and is using crutches to get around. We had a phone number for a cousin of his and got a hold of him immediately. Yesterday morning the cousin came and they were overjoyed to be reunited! It was such a happy moment in the midst of much tragedy. The cousin gave us the details of his family situation and because they don't have a home right now, Timothe will stay with us for a while and his cousin will come back and forth to visit him. Pray for Timothe as he begins to process all that has happened to him.

- This is 5 yo Laudjynie's leg. She was at home when the earthquake hit and both of her parents were gone. She was rescued by some Haitian people and they found her mom and Dad and to take her to a hospital. From there she was transported by helicopter, unaccompanied. to the Comfort Ship. She had a L femur fracture and an ORIF to repair. When I picked her up on Sunday she screamed the entire car ride out to Cazale, and was panicked as we drove further and further away from all that was familiar. She kept screaming take me home. We assured her that we were going to do everything we could to find her family. Can you imagine being 5 years old, surviving an earthquake, having your leg crushed, being taken in a helicopter with a bunch of white people who don't speak your language, having major surgery, and then passed off to some more white people who drive you an hour away from anything familiar, all by yourself? I can't either. Monday night, we asked her as many questions as possible so that we could send someone out to find her family. She knew both parent's first and last names, the name of her church and her school, and other details that would help us. She cried off and on all night. So yesterday morning, one of the workers here set out with her picture to find her family. As soon as the cousin of Timothe came, he was able to tell us that he knew that her Dad was in the Haitian Coast Guard, so he called up to the base, got a hold of her Dad and she was able to talk to him on the phone. YOU COULDN'T WIPE THE SMILE OFF HER FACE WITH A 2X4. Her Dad said he would come immediately and was here in less than two hours. It was amazing to see them reunited!!! He took her home and we gave him info to stay in touch with us if they need anything. Her Dad just called a few minutes ago and told us that when he brought her home yesterday, friends and family were gathered crying and clapping with joy!

- Michelene (the pelvic fxr) is getting a lot worse. Her pain is increasing and her breathing is bad. She will die in the next day.

- An elderly man who was staying here at the Rescue Center died last night. We initially thought he was in Congestive Heart Failure because of extremely swollen feet, but over the last month he had lots of weird symptoms and because of the way he died we are thinking maybe cancer. His kids are in the States and he only had one friend come visit him while he was here. We will have a small service here this afternoon.

- Yesterday morning, a young man in his 20's drank battery acid in attempt to kill himself. The story goes like this. He was driving someone on his motorcycle and pulled over and asked the other guy to drive the rest of the way. He was sipping on something out of a juice bottle while they rode. When the guy reached his house, he told him that he was ready to get off, but the young kid just said keep driving me until we get to town. When they got here, the kid got off the motorcycle and passed out. The other guy started splashing water on him to wake him up, and when he grabbed the juice bottle, he realized that he had been drinking battery acid. He immediately started vomiting and they brought him to the clinic, but by that point he was vomiting tons of blood. There was nothing we could do. We took him back to Lori's house with all of the other bad patients, and gave him valium and morphine. He continued to throw up insane amounts of blood and other fluids. His entire mouth, nose and GI tract is burned from the acid. His throat is very swollen, so when he breathes the sound is awful. He is still alive this morning but will not live much longer. He lies in a bed next to Michelene, who had no choice in life or death, as her family holds fast to every last moment they have with her. It is just wrong. Oh, and the rumor is, he liked a girl that did not like him.

Life is just so raw here.