Sweet Faphane

Melissa & Faphane

We are usually a bit nervous and uncertain about Harbor House decisions. It is difficult to know if we ever have a full picture/understanding of the stories of the young moms we meet. Getting to the place of knowing every angle of the story is a time-consuming thing. It is very much like peeling layer after layer off of an onion. As you peel slowly new things are revealed. We never want to play god with people's lives or get to a place where we don't take time to pray through decisions. It is complicated, and the more we learn the more complicated it all feels.

Thankfully, we have been reassured that the decision to invite Faphane to the Harbor House has ultimately been the right one. She has a great, involved, loving Momma of her own and she won't stay at Harbor House past the initial time of helping her get breast-feeding established and settling into motherhood.

Her Mom was struggling to make enough with her water business (selling bags of water outside of Port au Prince) to feed everyone well and really loved the idea of Faphane being in a place (temporarily) that could provide better for her in this critical time of pregnancy. She liked that Faphane wouldn't need to travel so far on Thursdays.

The timing is great for Faphane to be very nearby at the Harbor House as she has been having some pretty serious health issues that Melissa is addressing and treating  --- if she still lived in the tent out in the camp she lives in she would have been too far away to get the treatment she has needed.

She's been pretty scared lately about labor and delivery and her future (and why wouldn't she be?!) and could sure use prayers.  Faphane turned 15 in October, her first baby is due in April.

This weekend her Mom will come visit her, we are hoping that the visit lifts her spirits.