Some of you will have the opportunity to hold this newsletter in your hands next week, but until then I’m trying out various forms of getting our newsletter in front of as many people as possible. If you would like more info our the ministry of LTW or would like to be added to our mailing list please send an email to info (at) louderthanwords.org.
Archive for the ‘Orphan Care’ Category
Louder Than Words Ministries Fall 2010 Newsletter
September 2, 2010Marlon can hear . . .
August 31, 2010It’s been amazing around our house for the past couple days. On Wednesday of last week Marlon received his hearing aids. For the past several weeks he had become so excited about getting them. He would take Mariah’s cochlear implants and try to stick them on his head and then tell me that he couldn’t hear anything. When we would tell him that his “ears” were coming he would start jumping up and down and grinning from ear to ear.
It has only been a couple days and he’s already learned to say “bye-bye” and “poo poo” and use them appropriately. I taught him one of those words and Amy taught him the other. I’m sure you can figure out which one was my word. For those of you who don’t know much about hearing aids and hearing disabilities, it will be a long road for him as he learns to hear and to speak. If you think about a baby learning to communicate, it sometimes can take two years before they learn to communicate using verbal language.
We are grateful for the help Marlon has received from Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates (CEENTA), Phonak and Terry Jordan (audiologist) for facilitating all the help Marlon has received so far. CEENTA and Terry Jordan have donated their time and services and Phonak donated the hearing aids and an abundant supply of batteries for them. Marlon would have never had the opportunity to hear if it would not have been for these generous donations!! (BTW, the Don King hairdo is gone . . . I wish I would have cut it before the doctors appt.)
For those of you who know Marlon, please continue to pray for his hearing. It’s already amazing how much he can hear and I know that as smart as he is he will progress rapidly. It’s been fun to witness him hearing things like music for the first time. He was amazed at a friends house over the weekend to hear a dog bark! He even started to “bark” back at the dog!! Even today, he came running down from the upstairs to tell us that David and Mackenzie scared him with a loud noise while he was playing with his matchbox cars. He was so excited about being startled by noise! I’ll update again soon with a video so that you can get a better picture of his hearing/speaking abilities. Until then, we would appreciate your prayers for Marlon and our family.
Blogging in Reverse . . .
July 21, 2010
I have been in Honduras for six weeks today and haven’t blogged one time! There are so many stories to tell and photos to share that I will have to blog in reverse. Today I’m sitting here in the Toncontin Airport in Tegucigalpa with Marlon. Our summer missions season in Honduras has come to an end, but I’m already thinking about the summer of 2011.
Today I’m thinking about our orphan camps for 2011. Our plans are to do a month of camp in the summer of 2011. The kids from the orphanages will come to camp on Monday and return to their orphanage on Friday. They will get a week of camp and our camp staff will get the weekends off to rest and get their clothes washed.
I know it seems early to be talking about 2011 summer missions in Honduras when the summer of 2010 isn’t over, but I believe these camp weeks are going to fill up fast. If you are interested in bringing a mission team for camp or if you know of someone who may be interested please contact me through our website (www.louderthanwords.org). Check back soon for stories from our 2010 orphan camps.
Marlon in NC Update #5 – Post Surgery
June 7, 2010Well, he didn’t hate me, but he lost it when I put that backless gown on him! Marlon’s surgery went very well. It was difficult to explain to him what was about to happen, but he did better than I would have done. Dr. Parsons was incredible. He prayed with Marlon before the surgery and even came in on his day off to do the surgery! Terry Jordan, Marlon’s audiologist was with us and helped comfort him before and after the surgery.
A couple weeks before surgery I would ask him occasionally to breathe through his nose. It was extremely difficult for him and sounded like someone sucking air through a straw that was being pinched off. After the surgery Dr. Parsons said that Marlon’s adenoids were so big that they had forked and were growing into his nasal passages! When we got home and he became coherent, I asked him to breathe through his nose. When he drew air in his eyes widened and a huge grin came across his face. It was like, “I’ve never done that before!” Later that afternoon I asked him to do it again and as he expelled the air he said, “aaahhh.”
On Wednesday, I’ll head back to Honduras with Marlon. I have mixed emotions about it! We still don’t have his hearing aids and are exploring options to move the mountains to get him back for more hearing treatment. I’ll write more on that later . . . .
Marlon in NC update #4 – Surgery
June 2, 2010“I hope he doesn’t hate me after tomorrow!” That’s my thought as I think about taking Marlon for his surgery tomorrow morning. It’s hard to explain to a deaf kid that doesn’t have a language that he’s going to have surgery. I’m praying that all goes well with the procedure to open up his nasal passages and take out his adenoids goes well. I’ve also been thinking about how he will tell us if he’s in pain. I guess that should be evident, but I’m a little nervous. So, I know a couple of you will read this before 6:30 a.m. (06/03) If you are one of those please say a prayer for him and for Dr. Parsons. If you read this after 8:00 a.m. you can pray for a speedy and pain free recovery. I’ll give an update tomorrow afternoon.
Oh, by the way, Marlon learned to ride a bike in the past couple weeks!
Marlon in NC update #3
May 19, 2010
It’s been a while since I last updated the blog with news from Marlon’s world. There are a number of reasons, but one of which is that I think God is trying to teach me patience. This month’s virtue for our Children’s Ministry at Bethlehem Church has been PATIENCE. Each Sunday in May our children (and adults) have been learning about patience. It seems that I’ve got some lessons to learn in that area too.
I must confess that I have been getting a little impatient with the process of getting Marlon’s medical/hearing treatment. I know that he is not their only patient, but I’m ready to run, but at this point we need to focus on walking. I know that getting hearing aids and adjusting them takes time, but in reality we don’t have much time! Marlon has a one-time entry visa to the U.S. and he’s scheduled to go back to Honduras with me on June 9th (3 weeks from today).
My biggest concern right now is getting him another visa so he can return to continue this journey. So those of you who read this blog and believe in the power of prayer please pray that the U.S. government and the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras with give him an extended multiple entry visa. Also pray that his mother will be agreeable to that as well. Even though he has lived in an orphanage since he was 3 years old, his mother still has “parental” rights.
Back to the story of his hearing. We are now waiting on the hearing aid company to send the hearing aids. They are trying to determine the best model for him and we also need to pick out things the color of his aids. It’s my understanding that those decisions were going to be made today and that we would get the aids very soon. The other thing is the nasal surgery and possible removal of his tonsils and adenoids. June 3rd is the date scheduled for that procedure. I’ll keep everyone posted on that as we get closer.
On the home front, he has adjusted to life in NC extremely well. At times I wonder what’s going through is mind. I don’t know what I’d be thinking if I were him. He is a good kid and gets along well with our children. There have been a few “sibling rivalries,” but for the most part he is doing much better than I ever expected.
He has become very close to me and likes to sit beside me when I’m working and sit on my belly if I’m laying on the couch. He loves my affirmation and approval. At times I feel like I’ve got a new puppy! He follows me everywhere and even hung his head out of the car window last week. I would have been concerned if his tongue was hanging from his mouth! I think he just wants a Daddy!
He loves playing video games, soccer, coloring and can even be seen brushing the hair of Mariah’s baby dolls. As you can see from the picture above that he’s like most kids . . . he can’t get enough silly bands! He’s very competitive and loves to come in and tell me how many goals he scored against David in backyard soccer. Yet on the other hand, he wants to cry and moan when David and Daniel beat him in video games. We still have some things we’re working on with him, but in the end I’m glad God had our paths cross. I know God has something special for this kid!
Update on Marlon . . . 05.04.2010
May 4, 2010
Today, Marlon went to his second Dr.’s appointment since coming to North Carolina on April 19th. His first week here with us he saw Terry Jordan, an audiologist with Charlotte ENT. Terry knew Marlon because in 2008 she visited his orphanage with her church in Charlotte. She has been our connection to getting his hearing evaluated. Terry’s initial evaluation was that he has “aidable” hearing (deafness that can be helped with hearing technologies). On that initial visit she noticed that he was having some trouble breathing and thought he might have a deviated septum. So, that brings us to today’s visit.
The visit to Charlotte ENT today was to meet with pediatric otolaryngologist Dr. David Parsons. The outcome of this visit was confirmation that Marlon definitely has “aidable” hearing and they are going to proceed with getting him fitted for high tech hearing aids. The next step in this process will be getting some molds of his ears made this weekend. After that, he should get some hearing aids very soon.
The other outcome of today’s visit was the discovery that the boney cartilage inside of his nose (that’s how I’m interpreting it) has completely closed off his nasal passages. We had noticed that he breathed very heavy at night while he was sleeping, but it wasn’t until his first Dr.’s appointment that Amy and Terry discovered that he only breathed through his mouth. Dr. Parsons advised that we watch him while he sleeps to determine if he is having sleep apnea issues. I think I’m going to set up my video camera tonight and see if he stops breathing! Dr. Parsons’ advice was that Marlon needs surgery to open his nasal passages and to remove his adenoids. So it looks like he may have a little surgery before he goes back to Honduras in June. I’ll keep you updated on his progress . . .
How can you pray for Marlon? I’ll just make a list:
1. Pray that he gets the help he needs to learn to communicate. Whether that be through hearing aids or learning sign language.
2. Pray that we can develop a plan of action for maximizing his chances of hearing, communicating and learning.
3. Pray for Marlon’s mother (Sindy) that she will have the wisdom to make the best choice for Marlon. Yes, he lives in an orphanage, but his mother still has the rights of a mother. She gave him and his two siblings to the orphanage when he was three years old (she was 18 at the time – now 25).
4. Pray for us to make the best decision about an upcoming surgery to repair his nasal passages.
5. Pray that God’s will would be accomplished in Marlon’s life and that his life and our actions would bring glory to God.
Headed to Honduras . . .
March 22, 2010In less that 24 hours all seven of us will be in Honduras again. I am excited about the opportunity to provide a camp for two orphanages in Honduras. I’m not at all excited about our TACA adventure on the way down to Honduras, but I’m never excited about traveling on airplanes with 5 children!
For those of you who pray and are reading this blog post please say a prayer for our travels tomorrow. I know Daniel is a little nervous because the last leg of our trip is on a turbo prop jet! I’m a little concerned that all our luggage gets there with us. We do, however, have a few days before the first team arrives so as long as we make it we’ll be fine! I’ll write more this week from Honduras on our upcoming camps for orphans until then enjoy a picture from last year’s camp.
2 Years of Hearing – Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
March 17, 2010Many of my blog readers will remember that our adopted daughter is deaf. We didn’t sign-up for a deaf child, but God chose her for our family. I vividly remember the day they delivered her to us at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Guatemala City, Guatemala. It was a scary, happy, anxious, beautiful, glorious, excited time for both Amy and I. We took her up to our room and within 15 minutes I knew something was not quite right. She wouldn’t respond to Spanish or English. I knew something was wrong, but couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
It wasn’t until we had her home for a week that Amy said one night, “Mark, I think she’s deaf.” To which I replied, “No way!” So, being the scientific guy that I am I came in the house and did an impromptu hearing test. I got a big pot and big spoon from the kitchen and snuck up behind her and began banging it. No response! To which I surmised – Amy’s right, she’s deaf!
Long story . . . she had cochlear implants on February 28, 2008. And on March 17th, 2008 her ears were “turned on.” That means Mariah has been hearing for two years now. That explains why when I asked her this week if she wanted to watch Dora or Diego she replied, “No, I want to watch Diego.” Well, it wasn’t that clear, but I could certainly understand her two year old speech.
There is rarely a day that goes by lately that I’m not amazed at how well she is hearing. Last week while I was teaching my photography class she was downstairs and heard me talking and exclaimed, “Daddy, my Daddy!” It’s amazing to me that she can distinguish my voice from the voice of other males. So, Mariah is three years old, but today is her two year hearing anniversary and with that here is a picture I took of her for one of my photography class assignments. She’s one of three “Daddy’s girl’s” in this house!
Video – Honduras Orphan Camps 2010
February 24, 2010I admit it’s not the greatest promo video, but when all you have is iMovie HD it works! I made this video to promo a special project for the children’s small groups at our church (Bethlehem Church). If you have questions about this year’s camps or would like to sponsor and orphan to go to camp you can email me (info (at) louderthanwords(dot)org). You can sponsor an orphan’s trip to camp by giving securely online here: SEND AN ORPHAN TO CAMP.