Sunday, September 25, 2011

Harbor House: Expectant

LourdesMilla helping bathe Sophia

Alloune doing laundry

Mirlene getting ready for class

The Harbor House gals are building community.  We know God's hand must be on this place when we sometimes go a week or two without a single small skirmish.  The girls help one another and are mainly living in harmony.  It really is amazing for so many young women with so much hurt and history to come together and find peace and a safe place to grow.

We're beginning to put on paper  what we think "success" will be for these young women and what we hope to see them accomplish before we begin to transition them out of the house.  Because some come into the house at higher levels of education and ability and some come in illiterate with a lifetime of abuse and neglect, "success" will be relative. 

For all of them bonding to their babies and nursing them and loving them well is a huge success.  That is our starting point. Those things may sound small, but they are huge.

Everyone is very excited for Mirlene, Alloune, and Lourdes Milla to give birth. We're expecting the hormonal changes to cause some tears and drama and are ready for the postpartum cry-fest. Three new babies in one already busy house should be quite something.

We woke to the news that this morning Mirlene is in labor.  We don't expect a baby until tonight but wanted those that agreed to pray for Mirlene to know what she is up to today. :)