Wiskerry, along with several other children, was carefully loaded into a van by his father, Andrel. Once settled, the van door shut firmly with a click of the latch. “We’ll drive slowly,” the driver promised as he pulled from the hospital parking lot. The fifteen passenger vehicle felt cramped with only ten people inside. Mountain passes winded on as the passengers were jostled by unavoidable bumps in the road. Young and old alike suffered from motion-sickness. Children sobbed from the pain of surgical incisions less than a day old. Parents sang familiar hymns trying to bring comfort as the van trudged through the night. It took six grueling hours to travel eighty miles. Finally, the trip ended. But the journey for Wiskerry had just begun.

Andrel Eustache is a mason worker. Having studied his trade well, he is a boss over his own crew. His wife, Binette, works maintenance at a local clinic. Together they are able to provide for their family’s immediate needs as well as send their four children to school. Though not fancy, their clothes are sturdy and they have food on the table. 

Eight-year-old Wiskerry is Andrel and Binette’s youngest son. A sweet face with intelligent eyes and the slightest mischief in his grin makes him easy to dote on. Born with clubbed-feet, Wiskerry did not let any handicap hinder him from keeping up with his two older brothers and baby sister. Andrel watched his son grow strong on misshapen feet yet worried for the day Wiskerry would labor to meet his own family’s needs.  This spurred Andrel to visit different hospitals looking for someone willing to help Wiskerry’s feet.

July 2017, Andrel sat with Wiskerry at the Many Hands gate. Wiskerry had finally received a doctor’s note for corrective surgery but the family didn’t have the means to pay for it. The staff listened to Andrel’s story. They encouraged the family not to lose hope, promising also to pray for God’s provision. An answer came when a donation was made to MH4H for special medical assistance. The staff knew that Wiskerry was one of the children who should receive this aid.

 The prospective surgery scared Wiskerry very badly. He later shared how his parents sat down with him assuring him this was for his best and asking Wiskerry to trust them. Andrel traveled with his son to and from Port au Prince for the initial procedure and the two consecutive cast-changes. Unfortunately, Wiskerry was nicked as his first casts were removed. This only increased his terror for the next hospital visit and his fearful cries sounded down the halls. “Wiskerry is terrified of needles.” Andrel explained, “sometimes it took four adults to hold him down.” At home, when his feet throbbed from the pins and the casts became itchy, his parents would carry him around the yard on their backs, distracting him from the discomfort of the healing process. They stood firm trusting this was for Wiskerry’s good.

August 2018, the casts have been off for ten months. Wiskerry is back to playing with his friends as he learns to run on re-formed feet. While he shyly admits that he isn’t quite fast enough to win a game of tag, family and friends continue to praise God for continued strength and healing.

Andrel hopes his son’s feet will serve as a reminder of how far Wiskerry has come. It is also a reminder to us of the good God is doing throughout Pignon. You, the supporter, enable us to serve those who cannot support themselves. We are called to walk, sometimes literally, with the families we serve. When we do, lives are transformed and God is glorified. As one of the Many Hands staff says, “The honor goes to his parents for fighting for their son’s future and to the strangers willing to help a little boy walk. But the glory is for God and God alone.”

“As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

John 9:1-3 (ESV)