New Babies

Last night at Eagle's Nest, so hard to believe.  So many stories and photos to share!

The authorities called yesterday and asked if Eagle's Nest could take in a one day old baby. 

Yes, one day old!!!  She is tiny, tiny.  Her name is Flori de Maria.  She was born in the hospital down the road and her mother said she didn't want her.  Thankful for relationships that have been formed at the hospital so they call EN to take in babies that are not wanted. 

A social worker met with the mother and grandmother today.  As of now Flori de Maria will stay in the custody of Eagle's Nest until further investigation is done.  If a family member comes forward and says they can care for her and have the means to do so she could be removed from home.  But that will take months.  In the meantime, she is being loved and cared on by everyone here. 

I was able to make a short post on Facebook last night but had not time to blog until now.  What a special treat when Felis asked if I wanted her to stay with me last night!!  So awesome and of course I said yes.

Felis older daughter, Adrianna, stayed as well and was a huge help.  We had a slumber party.

Flori de Maria was just a bit fussy off and on but once she got settled in bed with me she was just fine.  

Since Adrianna had school today so I tried to take most of night shift so she could rest.  It was so awesome to have a sweet little baby to love on and grateful that they trusted me to do so. 

 It was great to wake up with her this morning, give her a bath and feed her.   She is beautiful.

Late today another child was brought to Eagle's Nest!  The authorities had called Felis and asked if she could take a newborn in.  Her birthdate is unknown but the guess is she is around two weeks old.  She weighs 5 llbs and 2 ounces, her name is Maria de Los Angeles.  Her mother gave her to a woman she didn't know and ran off and has not been seen since.  The woman went to the authorities for it would be illegal for her to keep a child under those circumstances.  That is when they called EN and asked if she could be cared for here.  

She was very dirty and smelly so the a bath was first on the list, although she wasn't real happy about it.

She is as tiny as sweet Flori de Maria but since her umbilical cord is gone the guess is she is around two weeks old.  Felis got her all cleaned up, I found some tiny baby clothes for her in the basement, she got a bottle and calmed down.  Last I saw her she was sleeping. Felis will be keeping her the next few nights and unless the authorities can track down the mother and find a family member she will be raised here at Eagle's Nest. 

The funds that are given to EN will help buy formula, diapers, medicine, clothes, and childcare around the clock for these sweet babies.  I only wish they had come to the home when I first arrived rather than my last two days here!!  It is comforting to know the love, care and hugs they will get here and am grateful for that.  

Thanks for your love, support, and prayers as I have served this month.

Three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is Love.

1 Cor 13:13

Nahum Update

Time here has gone to fast.  Only five more days.  Felis and Pedro let me take Nahum to his post op appointment yesterday - what a privilege. The doctor that did the surgery wanted to unwrap bandage and take a look before he left for the States.  Not your normal post op visit!!  Waited on a bench so the Dr. would see us when he arrived and we wouldn't have to wait in long line.  

 

Luckily I saw a couple of ladies I had met volunteering with Medical Mission team and they had rounded up gauze and tape for the Dr. should he need it.  They were concerned for all the supplies had been packed up and the ones that had been held back for follow ups had gone missing.  Dr. Bowen walked in and saw 

Nahum and we just stepped over in the lobby area so he could remove bandage.  

Several pieces of medical equipment had been left in the hallway so the Dr. used that as a table.  He remembered that Nahum had fainted when they gave him the IV so he had Nahum sit down just to be safe.

He was very pleased with what he saw and said the first week he should move fingers every so gently.  After that he has to move them daily so that his fingers don't freeze up.  The skin graft area is a very different color than Nahum's skin but he said eventually it would be same color as his skin. The scar on his stomach from the skin graft is healing very well.  I tried to take a photo when bandages were taken off but Nahum really didn't want me to so I didn't.  

The short walk home from the hospital was good for him.  It was a gorgeous day.

Since Nahum had to miss school after surgery I was able to spoil him a bit.  (Sorry Mama Clarita and Mama Felis!) The day after surgery I asked what he wanted to eat and he said eggs but Mama Luki said he couldn't have them.  Ends up she didn't want him to have the grease from the eggs in case it caused him to have an upset tummy.  After we got that figured out I was able to make him scrambled eggs and toast for lunch a couple days.  Because of how his left hand is webbed it is hard for him to hold a utensil. He tried to hold a spoon and eat soup and it ended up all down the front of his shirt.

Which means he has to be fed by someone for the next week.  I imagine that is embarrassing and humbling at the same time.  Once the stitches come out of his fingers and he is able to start using his right hand he will be good to go.  He was very grateful and thanked me repeatedly for making him meals and I am so thankful I was here during this time to spoil him a bit!!  He will be back at school on Monday and is probably ready for a change in scenery.   He doesn't have t.v., movies, Xbox, etc... to keep him busy while he is recouping like most of us do after surgery. 

Nahum and his two siblings have been at Eagle's Nest for three years.  Both of the parents are deceased.  So very, very, thankful for all the love and care they have been able to receive her at EN.  Thankful for the medical mission team and the surgery they were able to perform at no charge.   Thanks for keeping up,

Blessings to you...

Random photos

Sharing photos, few words.  Lots getting done, lots more to do.  Only here a week more, can't believe it.

                     Felis and Ever

       Family that comes to Manna, Johnny on the far right is son of lady that prepares meals daily for kids.

            Eric is new to the home since I was here last year.

 Auturo has matured and is doing good.

Pablo, Kevin, Enrique, Raul, and ?? being silly.

   Jaciel being silly, she is always chatting and full of personality.

     Some of the boys before bedtime, Autoro, Raul, Gabriel, Eric, and Paolo

 Angel is in special needs class this year.  He is such a happy boy!!  His new walker is great for him.

 Lizzy loving on her little baby doll.  Too cute...

 The older kids are so great with the younger kids.  Nahum with David and Elana.

The younger boys at dinner time, the kids eat in shifts.  Goes very smoothly.
When they finish eating they put empty plates on bar at kitchen to be cleaned.

The small kids are ready for dinner, Lizzy is frowning at me for taking the photo.
Valerie, Victoria, Macardeo, Abi, and Lizzy.

Jose Manual loving on sweet Victoria.

So thankful for my time here and the relationships that have been built over the years.
Thanks for keeping up!

.....So see to it that you really do love each other intensely with all your hearts.

1Peter 1:22

Hospital

Sunday Felis, Adrianna and I took three children to the Hospital just down the road from Eagle's Nest.  A group off doctors from the States is here all week providing surgeries to women, children and men under the age of seventeen.   Regular policy at the hospital is operations are only done if life threatening. Otherwise you have to go to a private hospital and pay for the care.  We arrived at 8:00 and stood in line about hour before we could fill out paperwork.

Victoria has a constant runny nose and Felis wanted to see if they could help with that.  Victoria doesn't have an ear on one side and just a tiny part of one on the other.  We wanted to see if they could possibly open the canal on the side with no ear to help with hearing and possible the constant drainage.

 They said that was something that could be done but would be an extensive surgery and not something they could do.  They gave us antibiotics for her runny nose and said if that doesn't help she may need to be checked for allergies.

 She has little glasses that attach like a headband but are hard to keep on since she doesn't have ears. She is just adorable and has improved so much since I was here last.

David, pronounced Dauveed, is three years old and has been here under a year.  He was brought to the home because of abuse and neglect in his home.  His little lips look like this most of the time but he has a beautiful smile. (didn't catch it on camera)

 He constantly has tears in his eyes and he has a male issue that needed to be checked out.  The first doctor that saw him lifted his shirt to hear his heartbeat and asked me about a scar on his stomach.  I told her I didn't know what it was from.  She said it was from trauma so I explained his background.
It is from some sort of blow to his body. She then noticed that his pointer fingers weren't functioning normally and looked more closely at them.

He uses them fine and can do everything so she said she didn't think necessary for surgery.  Probably caused from trauma.  Looks to me like his fingers were broke and knuckles didn't grow properly.   His male issue will have to be taken care of at a larger hospital.   I simply can't imagine anyone abusing a baby so badly to cause that or the type of scarring he has on his body.  I got to love and hug on him alot for we were at the hospital several hours.

Nahum is 13 and has webbed hands and feet.  Pedro and I took him to the hospital at 6:00 this morning.
Check in here is quite a bit different than in the States!   The surgery was to separate the fingers on his right hand.  They will take skin graph from his stomach to use on his fingers.

His left hand has seven fingers.  The thumb and  three fingers are webbed together.  That surgery will be more extensive and can't be done at this hospital.  He was embarrassed to show them his feet.  Hopefully after the hand surgery he will feel more comfortable with process and can get a consult next time.  Felis and Pedro have been told that the foot surgeries would require numerous surgeries and take about three years.  He can do anything any of the other boys do and plays soccer very well.  His webbed feet does make it hard to find shoes for his feet are so wide and he wears them out very quickly.

Once the doctors realized Pedro could translate they came and asked him for help many times.  One little boy had to have his foot amputated.  Several cleft palate surgeries.  Gall bladders were removed and much more.

 Nahum asked that we take a video when he was coming off of anesthesia but the doctors wouldn't allow us back in that area.  Here he when they wheel him out.
He was very cold, they have no heat or air in the hospital and most patients come out of recovery so bundled up you can't tell who they are.  We sat with him in the recovery room for about an hour and tried to get him to eat some crackers and drink some gatorade.

 He was very dizzy and we just couldn't keep him warm.
Once the nurse gave us Tylenol 3 to take home for pain off we went.  Pedro didn't see wheelchairs nearby so he got a workout in for the day.  Nahum was very wobbly when he tried to walk.  He would also be most upset with me if he knew I was posting all these photos so mum is the word!!

Little did we know that while we were on one side of the hospital Ana, one of the mama's, had brought Christina into the Emergency room.  She fell off the monkey bars and broke her arm, will be in a cast for 4 - 6 weeks.   Good thing the hospital is right down the road!!

Nahum will go back friday so they can take the bandages off and see how it is doing.  It will be a couple of weeks before he can use his hand at all and he can then slowly start moving them.  It will be important that he move them in next couple of months so that he has normal use of them.  He is unable to hold a spoon with his left hand because of how it is webbed so the next couple of weeks he will be dependent on many for help.
So glad he is here for he will get the love and care needed after his surgery.   Please keep Nahum and Christy in your prayers as they heal.

Pedro is truly a father to all these children, plus a wonderful father to three of his own.  He and
Felis are amazing.  Love them and all they do here for the kids.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105

The Grublets

Was soooo very happy to see the Grublets last night.  If you have read past posts you know
about this family.
http://d-guatemalajourney.blogspot.com/2013/02/got-to-see-grublets.html
I met them a few years ago with Claire. She discovered the family years ago when their little shack stood alone in the field.  The home is next to a tire shop and several other businesses now.  If you don't look good you would assume it was just a junk area for the businesses.  But it is not.  It is a home to this family.

We had a lot of errands to run yesterday in Chela so it was after dark before we arrived.  It actually looked deserted to me.  Not one hint of light, we have assumed in past they had no electricity.  The idea that they may of moved crossed my mind and my heart sank.  Selfish of me but I would want to keep up with them regardless of where they lived.  Felis turned the headlights toward house and we honked.  The dogs that were pups last year came running outside and as soon as the older girl realized it was us they all came running.  She shouted to the other kids and they all came running. Hugs, hugs and more hugs.  Just loved seeing them.  Dorian had been with us last year, Felis and Pedro's son, and the younger boys were happy to see him.  They gave him a rabbit to hold while we passed out groceries and a bag of goodies for each of them.  The kids said their mom wasn't going to come out for it was pretty cold,  But she did, she bundled up in a hat and came out to see us.  The kids were shivering from the cold so we didn't keep them outside long. The odds are they sleep huddled together at night to stay warm on cold nights like this.  Most times when we stop they are very dirty with smudges of black which is probably from a small fire they have in the home, with no ventilation.  Felis and I are hoping the mom will let us go in her home next time so we can see what we can do for them.  Repairs, clean up, etc...   Couldn't stop thinking of them last night, prayers for them all for warmth, safety, and God's provision.

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, 

how can the love of God be in him? 1 John 3:17

p.s. Grublet name came from this story Larry and Claire's children listened to
growing up.  It is an endearing term
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U59AKvP_E0&amp

  

New Baby at EN

This adorable little boy was brought to Eagle's Nest Wednesday night.  

 He was abandoned at the hospital and authorities have asked EN to care for him.   No name was provided on documents so Felis has named him Brandon.  She is guessing him to be about six months old.  

It was easy to get a smile out of him and he seems healthy although he was none to happy when it was bath time. Odds are he hasn't had many, if any, baths in a sink. I made excuses to go to the Home and love on him as much as possible yesterday.  Even got to feed him dinner.  I told the mama's that he would fit in my backpack just fine!!  They all laughed....

Bryan is around nine months old and he too was abandoned at the hospital.  I believe his age is nine months old and he has been here several months.

When babies are left at hospital it is usually because the family simply can't afford to take care of them.  If no family members come forward to care for him the courts will give EN full custody and he will be raised here till he is 18, like many of the children here.

All of the kids love Mama Felis and Papa Pedro.  They are not just raising their three kids, they are basically raising 48, can you even imagine?  Larry and Claire will be here next week and the kids are very, very excited that are coming for awhile.  (they started this ministry about 35 years ago - and I can't wait to see them too)

                                                       Papa Pedro getting hugs from Jaciel

                                           Cutie Ever with Felis

Prayers for them as they oversee this awesome ministry; they do an amazing job.  May they be blessed with every need that is necessary to keep things running smoothly and for the strength, wisdom, and guidance to do so on a daily basis.

We are off to Chela today to purchase some items needed and to see the Grublets!!  So excited.  Will post photos later.  Thanks for keeping up...


One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts
Psalm 145:3