J w a y e N o w e l

PEACE to everyone this Christmas. We are happy once again to be celebrating Christmas in Haiti. We’ll be singing and feasting, hiking, and spending time together and also, PACKING. We are getting ready to leave Haiti (in mid-February). Like many who leave Haiti, we’re not exactly sure where we are going. But, as they say in Creole, "Bondye bon", God is good. We have grown here in Haiti during the past five years, not just grown in love with our two Haitian-Canadian children but also in our faith in an plan (an adventure) that is so much bigger than us. We have grown in our faith in God. Gabriela has been taking about Père Noel's birthday this whole month and Matt and I have been talking about Jesus' birthday. Then (finally) the other day she asked: "Kote Jezi?", Where is Jesus? and Matt responded: He's around here somewhere. Hope you are also in the presence of the Divine this Christmas.

IMMANUEL, God with us, ALL of us.

Life is pretty sweet in Haiti right now.

Some moments are ordinary (can you believe tandem nursing in a fort has become ordinary? it has.)












and some extraordinary (Thank you SO MUCH for your visit Opa & Oma!)















but all (almost) are sweet...

Last Ask

Yesterday Esther and Niko spent a few hours at the Heartline Women’s Program. On Tuesdays, around 30 women and their young babies (many born at the birthing centre at Heartline) come to sit together and talk about baby-stuff and meet with a nurse if they have medical concerns for themselves or their babies. The program is designed to give these women the skills and tools they need to raise healthy babies. They invited Esther and the 13.5 lb Niko to come and talk about breastfeeding. Niko perfectly timed his nursing so they entered the room nursing and the women could watch him grow before their eyes. Esther’s other breast was spraying milk like a sprinkler and the women could relate to the experience of wetting their shirts with milk as well as all the other joys of breastfeeding. Niko’s rapid growth and great health is a wonderful testimony and affirmation to what many of them are doing already. Many Haitians (fathers and mothers and aunts etc.) have a hard time believing that a baby can grow big just from breastmilk (who doesn’t have a hard time believing this miracle!!??) with the added challenge of keeping themselves well fed and hydrated and having enough time to breastfeed with all the daily work of washing, cooking, taking care of others and in the face of aggressive advertising by formula, milk, and baby food companies. From what I hear, Esther had the women laughing and joking and learning too!

Gabriela and I came later with Esther’s parents who arrived for a week-long visit. Being at Heartline yesterday spurred me to write this quick post to do one last “ask” for your support, in honour of Niko’s birth, to help the Heartline Women’s program. This amazing program is making a HUGE difference in the lives of many women and babies and we would really like you to consider making a donation to help them out.

You can read our original post here

We have received a number of really generous donations, big and small. Here in Haiti, there’s a popular expression: “Mande pa peche” meaning "to ask is not a sin." So we’re asking, one last time, for your support of this amazing program.

(See the original post for ways to donate)

Thank you, mèsi...on behalf of the women and growing babies of Haiti.