Tom and I were glad to be able to see where Brice and Sara are living and to bring Ellie back to them although we will miss her! We had good flights and are thankful to all who prayed for our safe travel. It was good to see the work going on at Children of the Promise and to see the relationships being made by the volunteers with the local people. We were impressed by all that goes on there and of course with the cute kids at the orphanage. There is good progress being made on the new building as well. We now have a better understanding of the day to day routine and their needs. Please continue to pray for all the volunteers as they work so far from their families. God bless you. Denise Bakker

Prayer Requests February 10, 2009

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

This weeks prayer list is shorter than usual because I want everyone to focus specifically on the adoption prayer requests and devote this next week to praying fervently and continuously for these precious babies that so desperately need to get home to their adoptive families.

Praises!!
- Caleb had his visa appointment last week and his visa was printed!! Praise the Lord! Visas being printed immediately after the child’s visa appointment are becoming few and far between. His adoptive parents are in Haiti right now picking him up. They will head home with him on Thursday. Pray for him to adjust well to his new family and his new home.
- Odelene went home to her biological family. She is happy and healthy and her parents are thrilled to have her back home with them. Pray for continued health for her.
- Reese is crawling
- Fabiene is walking
- Eli is close to walking!! Praise God for these developmental milestones that these babies are reaching!

Staff and Volunteers
- Lindsay and Rebekah have finished up their Creole lessons in Milot and now are back at COTP full-time. Pray for continued adjustment for them as they being their roles at COTP and for unity for all of our long-term staff.
- It is Kimbra’s last week at COTP. She is at COTP volunteering for a month. She has been a huge blessing and has used her nursing knowledge and her skills to help care for the smaller and more fragile babies.
- Travis, Arlyn’s brother, is back in Canada and looking for truck parts necessary for our red truck. Pray that these parts will be found.

Babies
- Jenny and Jeniflore are back at COTP. Their parents had them home for a short time before realizing that they were unable to adequately care for them.
- Djouvensly was admitted on Friday evening after being abandoned at Milot Hospital. He is 22 months old and 20lbs. Pray for him to adjust well to COTP and to begin meeting his developmental milestones. Pray that Antonio and Paulaine will be able to find his mother.

Adoptions
- Pray that our crèche license will be approved soon! We can’t begin any new adoptions until we have our own license.. This is crucial and necessary in order for us to continue our work.
- Some of our adoptive families have been stuck in IBESR or MOI for a long time. Pray for movement of these files.
- Pray specifically this week for these children, their adoptions, and their adoptive parents:
o Daniela – Daniela had her visa appointment last week but the Embassy is telling us that her file needs to be under further review. This means more waiting before her visa is approved. Daniela turns 2 on February 19 and we were all hoping she’d be home with her adoptive family by then. It is not looking like this will be the case. But we know that our prayers do not fall on deaf ears but that they are heard by a God that can move mountains!
o Peterly and Magalie – Peterly and Magalie have been waiting a very long time for their adoption to be finished. We received some news this morning that makes it sound like their visas will be printed soon. Please pray that this really is it and that they will receive their visas this week!
o Elijah – Elijah has had his visa appointment but the Embassy is requesting another paper before they will issue his visa. Pray that this paper will not be hard to get and that Elijah will be able to go home to his adoptive family soon!
o Chrislande – The Embassy is requesting DNA testing for Chrislande before they will issue her visa.. Pray that the results will be obtained quickly, the DNA will match, and Chrislande will be able to go home!
o Reggie – We have run into numerous problems with Reggie’s file. Pray that Antonio and NLL (the adoption agency that we work through) can get the necessary paperwork so that the adoption can be completed

Prayer Requests 01-17-09

Praises!
- Sonly went home on Thursday with his biological mother. He is healthy, walking, and doing so well! His mom loves him dearly and is so happy to have him home again. This brings a huge smile to my face . . . Sonly and his brother Jhonly came to COTP last March and both of them were very sick and malnourished. Jhonly passed away the day we admitted them. Sonly is a little miracle!!
- Saphirra went home with her biological parents. Her parents are both so happy to have her back with them. Saphirra’s mom was sick with Saphirra was born so she is very excited to have her baby home and be able to care for her. Pray that Saphirra does well, remains healthy, and continues to grow!
- Arlyn and Maria have arrived safely back at COTP. They had a wonderful time at home with their families.
- Richard turned 1 on January 14 and Jude turned 1 on January 9. Praise God for these two precious lives!

Staff and Volunteers
- Pray that everyone would work well together as a team.
- Pray that they would be a good example to everyone around them.
- Pray for wisdom, guidance, health, and strength for the long-term volunteers – Maria, Arlyn, Brice & Sara, Rebekah, and Lindsay.
- Rebekah is a nurse and will be helping out at COTP for 6 months. Pray for wisdom for her as she deals with the sick babies.
- Kimbra arrives on January 20 and will be volunteering at COTP for 4 weeks. Pray for safe flights for her and that her time at COTP will be a blessing, both to her and the babies and staff.
- Bud Bonnema, Tom and Denise (Brice’s parents), and Ellie (Brice and Sara’s daughter) arrive in Haiti next Thursday. Pray for safe flights for them and that their time in Haiti will be productive and beneficial.
- We have a lot of volunteers coming to COTP this summer! Pray for unity among the volunteers and that each of them would be motivated to do everything that they can for the babies.
- Pray that the new building (second story of the special care nursery) will be completed soon.

Babies
- Myllanta passed away Thursday night. Pray for Myllanta’s mother and those at COTP that so lovingly cared for her. Myllanta was 8 months old and had struggled with health problems throughout her short life here on earth. We rejoice knowing that she is healthy, whole and being rocked by her Heavenly Father.
- There is a virus going around and a lot of the smaller babies have been sick, especially the babies in the Jiraf room.
- Jesula was admitted to Milot Hospital on Thursday. She has lost a lot of weight and hadn’t been eating/drinking well at COTP. She is on an IV and has had labs/testing done to try and figure out what is going on. Pray that the doctors find out what needs to be treated so that she can be happier and healthier.
- Sasia and Irelene were admitted to Milot Hospital on Friday. They have both been struggling with vomiting and diarrhea. Pray for a quick return to health for both of them.
- The twins, Jenny and Jenniflore, are scheduled to go home this coming Monday. Pray that they will do well and that their mother will have the resources needed to care for them.

Adoptions
- Please continue to pray that we will have our Creche license soon. This is needed immediately so that we can begin processing adoptions again.
- Elijah had his birthparent interview last week and another paper is needed. Pray that it won’t take long to obtain this paper for him and that he can go home to his adoptive family soon.
- Pray for visa appointments for Caleb and Chrislande.
- The Embassy is reviewing Magalie and Peterly’s file. Pray that they will be granted a visa soon. They have been waiting so long.
- Pray that the adoption files will move through all the different offices quickly and that there will be no holdups or setbacks.
- Pray for a birthparent interview to be scheduled for Daniela.

Story of Cassandra's parents on WCCO

Fergus Falls Couple Has 9 Adopted Children
FERGUS FALLS, Minn.


The Fergus Falls couple, who had two biological children, looks back on that adoption as a self-centered act that made them feel good about themselves and rounded out their household.

After adopting a baby girl from South Korea two decades ago, Roger and Amy Twedt agreed they now had the ideal-size family.The Fergus Falls couple, who had two biological children, looks back on that adoption as a self-centered act that made them feel good about themselves and rounded out their household.But they didn't stop. Their family grew rapidly, a bustling haven for youngsters from four continents. In January, the Twedts adopted for the ninth time.The family might remind some of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but the Twedts readily point out theirs is not an unfailingly uplifting story that fits on a single glossy page. Over the years, it's involved the thrashing of the parents' bedroom, battles with flashbacks to physical and sexual abuse and stints in juvenile detention.Amy, who founded a nonprofit adoption agency several years ago, doesn't sugarcoat the story for prospective parents. Still, she has a way of making them want to adopt even more. And she no longer tries to argue what she and her husband are doing is self-centered."Most of us at some point quit adopting just because we have this hole in our hearts that needs to be filled by a child," Amy said. "We start adopting because it's the right thing to do."The Twedts' first adoption made them acutely aware of a global crisis that Amy captures in haunting numbers: more than 143 million orphans worldwide, and some 500,000 children in foster care in this country. Devout Christians, they took the scriptural mandate to care for orphans to heart.The Twedts' biological daughter, Lindsey, 24, recalls spotting a "For Sale" sign on, say, the family's pop-up camper -- a signal her parents were contemplating a new addition to the family and planning for the hefty adoption fees. Soon after, there'd be a family meeting.The Twedts have daughters from South Korea, the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and Haiti. They've also adopted an infant son from Houston, a young boy from Florida and three brothers from the foster care system. Today, they raise eight children ages 5 to 18; Lindsey and her two oldest siblings have moved on."You won't see an 'S' on our shirts," said Roger, a loan officer. "We're not super parents. We're just tools and instruments God is using to help."The Twedts learned to deal with the unique challenges of adoptive parenting as they went along. They saw one of their daughters struggle to make sense of the scarce details of her back story.So with their younger daughters, they made life books, picture journals piecing together glimpses of where they came from. Eight-year-old Emilee's tells of her mom, who worked in a South Korean department store, excelled at cross-stitch and was too poor to marry the girl's dad. It features photos of Emilee's casts after she had surgeries for clefts in her hands, a congenital deformity.The Twedts also saw their children wrestle with fear, anger and mistrust. Shortly after he and his two brothers arrived in Fergus Falls, Wil, then 7, rushed into his new parents' bedroom. He grabbed pictures from the walls and clothes from the closet and threw them to the floor. He even yanked their mattress off the box spring. Roger picked up the objects and set them outside the bedroom until Wil paused, looked around the bare room and said, "I think you do love me."Two years ago, the family faced its greatest crisis when police officers showed up at their home and arrested two of the Twedt teenage sons, both star athletes and good students. Amy, who stops short of sharing how the boys got in trouble, says the incident brought the family closer."Sometimes I get in bed at night, and I think, 'I can't believe we're doing this. How are we going to do this another day?"' said Amy, who quit her job as a financial planner after the second adoption. "But our children need someone who's strong and won't crumble."But the pitfalls of adoptive parenting, the Twedts say, pale compared to the rewards. There's the pride they feel daily at seeing their children, despite the obstacles they faced, do well in school, in sports and at music recitals. And there's the pride in that visitors to their home are hard pressed to spot some of the scars the Twedts have worked to heal.Lindsey, the Twedts' biological daughter, says she started acting out as a teenager to get her endlessly busy parents' attention. She craved one-on-one time, yet knew her parents did their best. For instance, once they drove to Florida to pick up the three boys and then still made her basketball game: "I looked up at the stands and here were my three new brothers cheering for me."Her adopted siblings taught her great lessons in grit and resilience. Her parents taught her about unconditional love. Last year, Lindsey and her husband, Kyle Ness, adopted a baby girl in the U.S.Five years ago, Amy tagged along on a high school mission trip to an orphanage in Chihuahua, Mexico. She resolved to come back and help some of the children find a home. Back in Fergus Falls, she started God's Children Adoption Agency, which has placed close to 20 children from that orphanage and 70 in all. More recently, she started In His Arms Adoption Ministry to spread the word about the needs of orphans and foster children.Amy and Roger don't have immediate plans to expand their family. But Amy's new job exposes her to stories of children in need daily, Lindsey says, and she knows her mom doesn't take those in stride: "I personally don't think they're done."

http://wcco.com/local/adopted.children.9.2.891916.html

List of Needs

These are our current needs, in order of most needed to the least.

If you would like to send these things that would be awesome!

You may ship your package to our address in Florida.

*****NEW ADDRESS****
Bud and Jan Bonnema
Agape Flights CAP--11952
100 Airport Ave
Venice, FL 34285

The cost is $1.25/pound for the packages to go from Sarasota, FL to Cap Haitian, Haiti.
If you could help with that cost of your package, please send that money to: Children of the Promise Attn Sue DeGroot Box 97 Prinsburg MN 56281

We also accept Online Donations!


Nutramigen, Enfamil AR formula, Pregestimil or Alimentum
Disposable Diapers, all sizes especially newborn, 1, 2 and 3
Baby Wipes
Crib size blankets (not receiving blankets, but also not knit or fleece)
Thick cloth pre-fold diapers, not thin cloth
Baby wash
Snacks, such as cereal, cereal bars, fruit snacks, etc
Baby cereal,baby foods
ELIMITE "Permethrin" 5 % or 1% cream
Liquid antibacterial hand soap
Mountable oscillating fans
Disinfecting wipes (like Clorox wipes or equiv.)
Hand Sanitizer
Diflucan or Nystatin for thrush
sandals, size 5-11
Fungal Cream
Antibiotic Cream
Infant Iron drops
Liquid Pediasure

Thanks!!!!! God Bless!!!!!

Christmas Time in Haiti

Prayer Requests 12-19-08

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed and what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2:16-20

Praises!
- Katia made it home safely to Oregon with her adoptive parents! She is settling in well. Continue to pray for an easy transition for her.
- Darlene, one of the Haitian ladies that work in the kitchen, gave birth to a healthy baby girl! Both Darlene and the baby are doing well.
- Nat and Brad were at COTP last week – Nat is a pediatrician and Brad is an amazing nurse. They are both specializing in infectious disease and public health. Nat was able to look at some of the kids that were sick and they also did PCR tests on kids that might be HIV+.
- Doug, Ella’s adoptive dad, and Mary, from our Canadian Board, made it safely to COTP!
- Florcie and Pierre are both out of the hospital and doing much better.

Staff and Volunteers
- Maria and Arlyn have made it safely home to their families! Arlyn had some delays due to weather but he eventually made it! Please pray that they will have a restful and relaxing time and that they will return to COTP energized and refreshed. Pray for clear direction for both of them as they seek to discern their future roles at COTP.
- Pray for wisdom and good judgment for Brice and Sara. Pray for health and energy for them – especially during these weeks that Maria and Arlyn are gone.
- Pray that Foufoun remains healthy throughout the rest of her pregnancy. Pray for a safe delivery and a healthy baby.
- Pray that the nannies would take joy in their work.
- Pray that Brice, Sara, Maria, Arlyn, and all of the short term volunteers would be an example of God’s love to everyone that they come into contact with.
- Emmanuel’s adoptive Mom flies into Haiti on the 20th and leaves with him on the 24th! Pray for safe travels. What a wonderful Christmas present!
- Lindsay and Rebekah will be arriving at COTP in January. One is a nurse and the other is interested in the adoption coordinator position. Pray that they will fit in well at COTP and that their hearts will be drawn in to the work that is being done there.


Babies
- Renalson passed away on Monday morning, December 15. This was very unexpected and has been very difficult for our staff to understand. Pray for Renalson’s dad and siblings as they grieve his loss – they are still grieving the recent loss of their wife/mother. Pray for the nannies and our long-term staff as they also grieve.
- There is a possible case of chicken pox in the boat room.
- Myllanta was started on new medication last Friday to fight an infection. Pray that her body responds well to these meds and that she starts to do better.
- Irlene hasn’t been doing too well recently. She has a viral infection and has been having a lot of diarrhea. She is getting lots of good care from Mary. Pray that Irlene starts drinking better and that she quickly returns to health.

Adoptions
- Pray we are able to get our Creche license soon so that we can start working on more adoptions.
- Pray that Antonio, Paulaine, and Herns as they continue working diligently on adoptions. Pray that they will see great rewards from their hard work.
- Caleb and Elijah have their adoption medicals on Tuesday in PAP. Pray for safe flights and that their appointments will go well.
- Thania’s visa, as of Monday, still had not been printed. Please pray that it will be printed before Christmas.
- Pray that Peterly and Magalie will get the paper that they need so that their visas can be printed and they can go home to their adoptive family.
- Pray for Chelda to get out of IBESR
- Pray that each adoption file will move through the offices quickly and efficiently.
- Pray that adoptive families would step forward and adopt the children that we have with special needs: Djoulissa, Joshua, Caleb, Reese, Christy, Alix, Jesula, and Jon.
- Pray for peace and patience for adoptive families as they wait for their little one(s) to come home. This time of year is especially hard because of Christmas and also how slow all the offices in Haiti operate over the Holiday season.
- Daniela, Jeff, and ti-Simon have their birthparent interviews in PAP on December 22nd. Pray that these interviews will go smoothly and that at the end of the day they will be one step closer to having their adoptions completed!!

Help Needed

http://www.childrenofthepromise.com/

The following are positions we need to fill soon. Even if you feel you do not have the skills to be a nurse or even the adoption worker, but feel you would still like to volunteer and help with the babies or maintenance of the facility we need you too! Please contact us if you are interested in longer-term volunteering.
Are you interested in a long term, challenging but rewarding, experience? Consider giving of your time and talent to help these babies.

Requirements:

Christian
At least 20 years old

Self-motivated

A heart of compassion for children.

There are places for singles, male or female and couples.

There are many skills needed:
Are you handy with tools, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, or vehicles?

Do you have organizational skills, teaching, childcare, or simply caring about people?

It's helpful to know French or Haitian Creole, but it's not necessary. You can take classes in Creole from our staff when you arrive in Haiti.

Could you commit to 3 months, 6 months, 1 year or even longer?

All of our volunteers, long-term and short-term raise their own support of $100.00 per week plus airfare.
This will include a private room with bathroom and shower. (as we get our new building done)
Two meals a day prepared by our cook.
Access to a kitchen with refrigerator and stove to make other meals for yourself with the food available.
Filtered drinking water.
Laundry done by our Haitian staff.
Computer internet available

And best of all, a chance to hold, love, teach and pray over our very precious babies.

Please consider the call that God may have put on your heart for the children of Haiti. Contact Jan at http://us.mc639.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=cotp98@yahoo.com for more long-term volunteer information or Katie Smith at http://us.mc639.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=cotpvolunteer@yahoo.com for short-term volunteer information.

Sincerely,
Bud and Jan Bonnema
Adoption Worker:
This position will require someone who is very self-motivated and organized. There is room for the worker to develop and shape the current system to what works best for them. A background knowledge of French is helpful but not required, however, will need to learn Creole to be able to communicate effectively with staff and biological families (there are resources available to begin that before arriving and we can arrange lessons once you are in Haiti).
Oversee all the adoption paperwork in Haiti. From when dossier arrives in Haiti through to completion.
Work alongside Haitian staff to aid in prioritizing and directing what needs to be done on each file.
Be the communication liaison for Robin, passing on all updates/information about files as they progress through the Haitian legal system.
Verify family dossier for completion when it arrives in Haiti.
Prepare child’s file before parent’s dossier arrives in Haiti.
Be responsible for getting children to all necessary appointments in Cap-Haitien and Port-au-Prince (Either by going yourself or arranging for another volunteer to go.)
Will require travel to PAP and arranging for others to travel with children for their appointments.
Keep filing system organized and adapt/change/develop the system as needed.
Nurse:
This position oversees the health and medical care of all the children at COTP. This includes direct care, working with doctors via email and using personal experience concerning treatment when children are sick or injured, keeping medical records on the children and providing preventative care. Experience in the medical field is essential and experience with pediatrics is helpful. Some of the main jobs/duties you would perform are:
Weigh all children monthly, smaller ones weekly
Update medical files
Cut fingernails and hair
Record developmental progress
Assess, examine, diagnose, and treat (including deciding what type of med and figuring the dosage) all sick children
Medical assessments on newly admitted children
Organizing vaccination schedules and giving and monitoring vaccinations (includes working with community health workers who provide vaccinations to the children free of charge)
Treating people from the community (infections, burns, wounds, etc.)
Administering meds every day.

Please check the website for more informationhttp://childrenofthepromise.org