Update from Jamie from Haiti...

*I wrote this post for the blog for Heart Cry International, the organization I'm working for here, and accidentally posted it on this blog. I suppose it's good enough for you to read here too :-) On the left is Pastor Carla Ives, founder of My Heart's Home and an exceptional woman.

Day 4 fully on my own. I'm alive. The babies are alive. The house is still here. And we are all doing exceedingly well.

I admit that when the babies were dropped off two hours before Pastor Carla left, I did panic a bit. I wasn't yet a mother. Now I'm mami to 17, and I wouldn't have it any other way. My transition here otherwise has been extremely smooth and feels natural. I'm as confident as ever that this is where I'm supposed to be, especially as I'm greeted by 15 sloppy kisses every morning and 15 sloppy kisses every night.

I attempted to wash my clothes by hand yesterday, which means I'll probably be wearing still-dirty clothes. I take cold showers. I eat the same lunch every day. I can't use the faucet to brush my teeth. I can't even leave my house by myself. But I love my life. Every little thing that is different to what I'm used to, that I "don't have" here, I find reason to be grateful for what is. I have clothes to wash, and more than one outfit. I have water to shower with, and I have privacy to do so. I have food to eat, and plenty of it. I have a toothbrush and paste to brush my teeth, and I have TEETH to brush too! I'm very grateful for that :-)

Our new twin girls are going to do very well here. They are Youselie and Youseline. Youseline is the one whom is quite malnourished. She was taken to the hospital a couple days ago and is now on medication, though I'm not sure what exactly. The mammas are doing physical therapy with her here to strengthen her arms, legs, and neck. This evening while outside playing with the kids I saw Renez, one of the mommas, holding one. I thought it was Youselie because the baby was holding her head up on her own. But it was Youseline! It was only for maybe 5-10 seconds, but it was more than I had seen since she's arrived. The mommas are taking excellent care of our little girls, and I think they fit perfectly here! It's been a blessing to spend time with Youselie and Youseline throughout the day, praying for them.

Presenting: Youselie

And Youseline.
Keep praying for our precious girls!!!

~Jamie