This past week has been one of the most difficult weeks for us in Haiti since the earthquake. Monday morning, Little Michael came down with cholera as well as one of our staff. Saturday morning, Blan also came down with cholera. Cholera is a very dangerous bacteria that causes severe dehydration through diarrhea and vomiting and can lead to death within hours if not treated quickly. It can be spread through water, fruits, vegetables, and through direct contact with someone carrying the bacteria. Although it was a very hard week, the Lord brought us all through it with His grace and strength, and we are victorious over cholera now!

Our little Michael, or “Petite Michael” as he is called here, was the first to come down with cholera. I received a phone call at 5:00 am Monday morning that Michael had started vomiting and having diarrhea late in the night. We immediately rushed him to a clinic who transferred him to a cholera camp. Although he had just began having symptoms a few hours before, his small body was fighting to survive. The doctors had a hard time getting him to stop vomiting, and by late Monday night, he was vomiting blood. Tuesday morning, he finally stopped vomiting but still had severe diarrhea. There was some confusion at the camp and they released him too early on Wednesday. He was readmitted Wednesday night for more IV’s and medications. Thursday morning, he was finally able to sit up on his own and was feeling so much better! He was also eating and ready to go home! He has been at my house since and is like a whole new kids now!! May God get ALL the glory for saving his precious life!
I received another early morning phone call on Saturday morning from Abraham that Blan had also started symptoms of cholera late in the night. We rushed her to the same cholera camp Michael was at and she was immediately admitted and treated for cholera. However, God gave her a miraculously quick recovery! She was able to come home on Sunday afternoon and was back to herself! She has also stayed with me and Michael at my house to keep watch over them for the first day or two.
As of today, Monday May 23, both Michael and Blan are like new kids and back to themselves! They are eating me out of house and home and playing all the time! Since cholera has up to a 5 day incubation period, we also had to take extra precautions and completely disinfect the entire orphanage house and everything in it. We have spent most of our time this week washing everything inside and outside the house. We were forced to burn some things because they weren’t able to be cleaned or disinfected properly. We have replaced a lot of the kids’ clothes, bedding, towels, and mattresses. We also had to buy new water gallons and baskets to put their new clothes in. We bleached everything we could and every wall and floor of the house to prevent the spread of cholera to someone else. We also took precautions and treated all the kids and staff with proper antibiotics and rehydration liquids. We have done everything possible to ensure that no one else contracts this horrible illness. We haven’t found the source of the cholera yet, and we may never know for sure. However, God has protected us once again and got us through another difficult week in Haiti, and may He receive all the glory for this week!! 

I want to say a very special thanks to my good friend, Jennifer, who arrived on May 14th, just before the cholera started. We were able to throw Marilyn a big birthday party on Sunday, but were forced to cancel all our other plans for the week to deal with the cholera outbreak. Jenn, I am truly grateful for you sacrifice, flexibility, and support this week! I also want to thank some fellow missionaries who jumped in to help me clean and have supported me through each moment of this week: April, Virginia, Greg, and Michelle. Thanks to all of you who have been praying so hard for us! The Lord got us through it all,and we are victorious again in Jesus!!

Mike is still having a great trip in Asia! He will be flying back later this week to the States. He has had a very fruitful time there and the Lord has blessed his trip tremendously! Thanks to everyone who helped support him to go and for praying for him! We will update more when he returns!

With all the recent events, I want to also say another thank you for all our supporters and for those who have prayed for us this week! We were forced to burn many things at the orphanage to disinfect the house because of the cholera outbreak, and if you would like to donate to help us replace these things, you may do so by clicking here and making a one-time donation through our website or mailing a check to ReachHaiti Ministries, P.O. Box 5945 Maryville, TN 37802.

Now that things are back under control, Andrea will be leaving Haiti tomorrow and flying back to the States for a short break. We have many teams coming throughout the summer, and we will be very busy! We are still planning to move the kids into their new homes in July! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness and provisions in ALL things!!