We learned that orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms. But once you do, everything changes. -David Platt

Friday, March 15, 2019

It's so beautiful where we live...









Children of the Promise has given permission for the posting of the photos on this site. Photos take of the children in the care of Children of the Promise are not to be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Christmas 2018


Merry Christmas from the Manna House!

Jwaye Nwel!
















Children of the Promise has given permission for the posting of the photos on this site. Photos take of the children in the care of Children of the Promise are not to be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Then and Now

Over the past week the kids had a couple sleepovers in my room, which made me think back on the days when they were so tiny that they always slept in my room due to oxygen, feeding pumps, and frequent night time checks.  I looked back at a few pictures and could not believe how much they've grown!

S then...

and now...

W then...

and now...

Children of the Promise has given permission for the posting of the photos on this site. Photos take of the children in the care of Children of the Promise are not to be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.


Tuesday, June 5, 2018

And Then You Were Two...

Dear W,

Sometimes I feel like a broken record when I tell people “the days are long but the years are short”.  It not only sums up life in Haiti but also life with small children, because somehow here we are a year later celebrating your second birthday.

You have endured so much this past year; an EEG, CT scan, surgery, feeding tubes, medications, SO many medications. This has not been an easy year for you and it hasn’t been an easy year for me watching you struggle.  We clocked so many hours in the rocking chair during long days and sleepless nights when you were in so much pain and discomfort.  Yet somehow, you’ve come out on the other side of it all as one of the happiest kids I know.

My two favorite parts of the day with you are first thing in the morning and right before I put you to bed.  When I get you out of your crib in the morning not only does your face light up but your entire body lights up.  Since you’re the early bird and S likes to sleep in we usually spend some one on one time in the morning.  We sit on the porch and you drink your milk while I drink my coffee and read Psalms to you.  At night I used to have to rock you to sleep every day.  But now you don’t really “need” me to.  I still do it anyway though, because you are the best snuggler and it’s my other favorite part of our routine.

You love the water whether it’s the pool or the beach or the shower.  With your new lifejacket you can float in the pool and you always have the biggest smile on your face as you just love to kick your legs and splash in the water.  Your favorite foods right now are yogurt, potatoes, and just about any fruit.  You recently had a breakthrough with the sippy cup, so strawberry milk is one of your favorites now too.  You love to be read to and even though you are usually getting fussy at bedtime you will instantly calm down and get a big smile on your face when it’s time to read from the Jesus Storybook Bible.  You also get very excited whenever it’s time to pray and I help you to fold your chubby little hands.  You always always get a big smile on your face when we say “amen”.  Your new favorite song is Unstoppable God.  There’s a line in that song “Impossible things in Your name they shall be done” that always reminds me of you because you are already doing things that doctors told me would be impossible for you to do.

I'll keep praying for God to accomplish many more impossible things in and through your life W.  And maybe now that you're two I'll stop calling you the baby, but I'm not making any promises...












Children of the Promise has given permission for the posting of the photos on this site. Photos take of the children in the care of Children of the Promise are not to be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.



Monday, April 2, 2018

Bon Fet Pak

We had a great Easter weekend.  We had a Good Friday service with lots of the other COTP missionary staff, nannies, and kids.  S & W got to go to an Easter egg hunt on Saturday.   We celebrated Easter Sunday with our COTP family.  What a blessed weekend to celebrate Jesus' resurrection!






Friday, December 22, 2017

Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends and Family,

Greeting from Lagossette, Haiti! As the Christmas season is upon us and the new year is quickly approaching I’ve been reflecting on all the happenings at COTP form the past year.  

One of the most exciting changes for my medical staff has been the construction of our new nurses’ room.  We now have a dedicated space to take care of our sickest kids here at COTP. It’s been incredible to see my Haitian nursing staff develop their skills and to watch them provide the hands on care for the most fragile kids we care for. There was a time when I took care of all of those children within my own home, but in 2017 my nurses were able to provide that direct hands on care for every child that we admitted. It has been so rewarding to invest in and train our Haitian staff and I am so proud of the level of care that they’re providing. 

There have also been so many other reasons to celebrate in 2017.  S successfully finished her therapy for tuberculosis.  We launched our new special needs outreach program.  I celebrated the birth of my godson.  W turned one and S turned two.  We prepared for two major hurricanes, but by the grace of God, were spared from both.  We saw three (and hopefully a fourth by the end of the year) children united with their forever families.  It’s been an exciting year and we can’t wait to see what God is going to do in 2018!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Blessings,
Courtney

Thank you so very much for your partnership and support.  Our work at COTP would not be possible without you.  Thank you for investing in COTP and the children and families that we love and serve.




T


Children of the Promise has given permission for the posting of the photos on this site. Photos take of the children in the care of Children of the Promise are not to be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.





Thursday, November 2, 2017

The Days Are Long But The Years Are Short

“The days are long but the years are short.”  Those words took on a new meaning when I moved to Haiti.  The days here can be so very long.  Tasks that would be so simple to accomplish in the States turn into major projects here.  Days here can seem so incredibly long, the needs before us seem unending, the work is never done.  Yes the days are long, yet somehow more than two and half years have gone by in an instant.  How did that happen?  Have I really lived in Haiti for that long?  Yes, those words took on a new meaning when I moved to Haiti, but then they reached a new level when two little ones moved into my home.  The days and nights stretched on even longer.  Countless hours were spent just making sure these two medically fragile babies just kept breathing and eating.  Yet somehow those long days have turned into years and today S, the baby who first entered my home as a five week old infant, turns two years old.  My goodness were some of those days SO incredibly long and challenging, yet those two years seem to have passed by in the blink of an eye.  How is that little baby now a two-year-old?

S, today as you turn two we celebrate you.  We celebrate all the hardships you’ve overcome and the amazing little girl that you are today.  You are fearfully and wonderfully made.  The other day we were standing in the back of church and I was flipping you upside down, a game that you love and that cracks you up.  I’d flip you, you’d laugh like crazy, and when I picked you up, you’d look at me with a mix of joy and anticipation, awaiting the next time I’d turn you upside down.  Today, I can’t help but look at you with that same mix of joy and anticipation.  I’m so joyful to be witness to all that you’ve accomplished in your two years and I’m filled with so much anticipation to see what God is going to do next in your little life.

You are doing so many fun things right now.  You are constantly babbling up a storm.  Though I don’t know exactly what you’e saying, you are always carrying on conversations.  You absolutely love the water.  You love bath time each night and have a blast whenever you can splash around in a pool.  You still love to be read to and always listen so intently to your bedtime story.  You know who your people are and are very skeptical of those you don’t know.  It always cracks us up when you glance over the top of your glasses to give someone the stink eye.  For a kid who didn’t sleep at all for the first year and half of your life, you’ve now become my champion sleeper.  Most mornings I have to wake you up for physical therapy or church.  You’re definitely not a morning person but it’s ok, neither am I.  Your giggle makes all of us smile.  You find Katie particularly hilarious and she can almost always get you to crack up.

You bring so much joy to those around you!  Happy Birthday S!  You are loved!








Children of the Promise has given permission for the posting of the photos on this site. Photos take of the children in the care of Children of the Promise are not to be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.