Clean Water (LIW) and School (Bas-Citronniers)

Here are some photos from the past week.  The first set are from the remote community outside Leogane called Bas-Citronniers.  We stopped in to observe school (unannounced) and were VERY pleased with all that is going on there. Some of the teaching styles were very different from what we usually see in Haiti and we couldn't have been more excited by that.  They are also keeping GREAT records (which we will review in a meeting today).  The second set of photos are from the installation of the water purification system at Life is Wealth (LIW).  This will not only benefit the 66 orphans and over 500 school students, but also the community as they can now sell clean water to the people in the area.  There is no other source of purified water close so many drink water that is not safe for them.  The team spent three days educating a team that will then continue education with the community/children.  They also trained two operators who will maintain and run the system- distributing the clean water as people come to purchase it.  Revenue from the sale of water will pay for trucks to refill the cistern, operator salaries, filters, etc.  Thanks to ALL who came together to make this happen.  It is a blessing to have this system!

The leadership girls at the orphanage attended the training (to become educators) and received certificates along with those in the community that attended the training.  I was soooo proud of them!

Pastor Yves attended the training and is eager to train others.

Explaining how Jesus is the Living Water. 

Bas Citronniers.  They have a little hand washing station for the children to use before eating and after the bathroom.

Teaching how to write numbers.  (the children got to come up and practice)

Teaching how to blend letters (consonants with vowels)

This girl showed us her book and the lesson they were learning. One by one they go up and recite to the teacher, then they get a mark in their book.  :)  

Reciting his lesson to the teacher.  

This teacher was teaching number of letters in each word and number of syllables.

The view out one of the windows at the school

The children get a hot meal each day.  Today was oatmeal.

This is the log that the teachers and support staff sign every day (attendance log)

The ID badges for the children (parents for the little ones also have a badge that matches- they must bring it to school to retrieve their child each day)

This little girl is practicing writing her numbers.

Update :)

Here’s  a basic update from the past week….

Saturday, October 25th-  I left for Florida in the Montero (packed to the ceiling with many items for the base and orphanage in Haiti).  I drove for 12 hours the first day and stopped for the night in Georgia.  There were no problems with the Montero –it drove great!  Prayers were felt for sure since I did not get tired or have any difficulty with the drive.

The rest area in Virginia- on the way to Florida in the Montero

Sunday, October 26th-  I drove a few more hours in the morning- ending near Jacksonville, Florida where I had a meeting after church with a wonderful family.  He has recently been to Haiti and visited Life is Wealth Orphanage and wanted to talk about the Nanny Program there (among other things Haiti).  We had a great lunch meeting and I am excited about continuing this relationship and potentially visiting the church again in the future.  I then drove the rest of the way- ending my day at a hotel near Fort Lauderdale airport.

Monday, October 27th-  In the morning my daughter and I dropped the Montero at the shipping company in West Palm Beach.  Then I had a few hours with her before she had to drop me back at my hotel room and go to work.  The hotel was nice and I was able to relax later in the day by the pool and complete some paperwork and reports.

The poolside table I sat at to do my paperwork at the hotel- VERY relaxing

Tuesday, October 28th-  I got to the airport by 4:15 am. for a 6:15 am. flight to Haiti (arriving at 8).  Upon arriving in Haiti we went directly to the base to drop off the luggage and then headed over to the orphanage for a meeting with Pastor Yves and to see the children.  In the evening we met with James, unpacked and organized/distributed the items I brought with me.

Some of the orphans after school- They look so adorable in their uniforms!

Our dogs at the Hearts United with Haiti base

Wednesday, October 29th-  Redgi and I went to Bas-Citronniers for a surprise visit, to pay the teachers, and to observe the project.  It was good to go with and see the school first-hand, meet the teachers, and catch up with the committee.  I was EXTREMELY impressed with the way things are running there. The school was very professional and the children were learning.  I observed most of the teachers and took notes on what they were teaching.  We even arrived in time for the mid-morning food so we got to talk with the cooks and see what type of food is served (they get one hot meal per day at school).  Even the teachers were eating with the children!  What a great place and what a great vision they have for it.  I will return next week when I have more time to meet with the committee and begin to plan (with them) for the future!

Some children (not from our school) walking to school as we drove along the river to Bas-Citronniers (carrying their school shoes so they don't get dirty)

Thursday, October 30th-  We picked up two of my good friends at the airport and were able to visit some places together where Haitian crafts are made.  First we took them to Croix des Bouquets where metal artists create beautiful art from 55 gallon metal drums.  They pound, cut and mold the metal into different pieces.  It is one of my favorite places in Haiti to visit and it was nice to show my friends some of the beauty of Haiti.  After lunch we went to visit the Apparent Project and get a tour of their facilities.  This is where many different crafts are made by Haitian nationals- thus providing jobs and income so that parents do not need to place their children into orphanages or suffer other effects of poverty.  The main craft item is hand-made jewelry which they sell in their boutique or market abroad.  I have visited before, but never actually went “behind the scenes” so that was wonderful!  To see the men and women who are making the items and who benefit from what this organization is doing was encouraging.

The metal work at Croix des Bouquets... so amazing to watch and to see what they do!

Beads at the Apparent Project in Port au Prince. 

Plans for the next few days are to explore/enjoy some of the beauty of this country.  These friends have come to help with the water purification system at Life is Wealth and the rest of their group comes on Sunday.  We wanted a few days before their group to see the “other side of Haiti” because so often groups come and have little time for exploring- they only have so many days to do their ministry.  So, this is a real blessing to get this time to share Haiti with them and show them the hope, the future, and the BEAUTY here!  There is so much that is positive in Haiti and I love when people get to see that!  We are blessed!  :)

UPDATE:

We apologize-again, it has been almost a month since we updated this blog though we continue to update the facebook site.  If you are active on facebook and would like to "like" our page there you will receive more frequent updates.  In the meantime, we will try to keep this one updated more regularly too.  

So.... What has God been doing?  WOW-  What a question!  Here are just a few updates about the projects and ministry in Haiti.  We pray you are blessed as you read them to see just exactly what has been going on.

Life is Wealth Orphanage:  School started on October 1st.  Backpacks full of school supplies were given to each orphan (thanks to generous donations from the summer groups), uniforms made/tuition paid/books purchased for each sponsored child, and from what we hear school is going well.

Little Berlando in his new uniform- all ready for school! 

THANK YOU to Hawks for Haiti (Hamburg School District in Pennsylvania) for their generous donations that were used to purchase classroom supplies and books for the school at Life is Wealth.  Teachers have expressed their frustration when children from the community attend school and do not have the proper books and supplies- hence, teaching is much more difficult.  Now they will have some classroom copies to share with the children and studies can progress more efficiently.

math & grammar books were bought for the classrooms as well as dictionaries and classic literature books with funds from Hawks for Haiti-  THANK YOU!    

English & French dictionaries for the language classes- bought with Hawks for Haiti money as well

 The grounds of the orphanage and school are now much cleaner - thanks to Path of Life Ministries in Michigan who donated 5 trash cans.  They were put in strategic locations around the campus and children will be encouraged to use them (by the teachers and staff).

Wooden holders were built for the trash cans so they do not "wander" out the gate and into the community.  

The water building has been complete since the spring, but we are excited that the first week of November a team is coming to install the water purification system at the orphanage!  This will insure that the orphans will have fresh, clean drinking water available to them but also that the orphanage will be able to purchase water for their cistern with funds generated from the sale of purified water to the community.  One step closer to being completely self-sustaining!  AMEN!

We have also worked with the pastor to help him hire 10 women who will serve as "mommies" for the children at Life is Wealth.  These women began training on Friday, October 17th and all are very excited about the opportunity to mentor and impact the orphans.  The way the schedule was created insures that there should always be one or more of these women on site at the orphanage.  The training involves learning positive ways to work with children, the effects of abuse/abandonment, how to discipline yet not negatively impact the child's self esteem, normal child development, etc...   Classes are being led by a social worker living in Haiti.  (NOTE:  We still need about $750 per month to supplement the salaries of these women for the pastor.  We are trusting God to provide these funds, but if you would like to support this program please contact us)

The women he has hired (there are 12 because the existing staff is also being trained- these women cook, clean, do the laundry, etc but they also interact with the children )

The women (and Pastor Yves on the right) at the training session in the church.  

We can not wait until these women have "settled in" and some of the negative behaviors have changed at the orphanage because then we can begin the music program with the donated hand bells and recorders/music, we can install the new flat screen TV that was donated and shipped on the bus and we can finally give out some of the really nice church dresses.  We have been holding these items at our base because there was no way to insure that these items would be properly cared for and not be ruined quickly (unfortunately a reality due to lack of supervision of the children in the past- we want to be good stewards of that which has been given).

Mirebalais/Bracelets of Promise:
This program continues to be VERY successful.  We have about 80 bracelets here in the USA if anyone is looking for some (they make great Christmas gifts- hint hint).  We have already taken each girl making bracelets the equivalent of about $40 US and each has an equal amount of money in the bank for their future.

Also, Jesula had her baby on September 18th and we were able to visit/get photos (see another blog post on here).  The baby is a girl and her name is Melantchy.

Here are the latest bracelets (some in the photo have sold already)

Vehicle Situation:
Our Jeep (photo below) is for sale in Haiti.  You can see that it was recently worked on- the bushings and other things in the suspension have been replaced.  We are shipping another Mitsubishi Montero the end of October (hope it is there for the December mission groups) because the Jeep is just too small for our needs.

The Jeep "at the shop" in Haiti- ready for the parts I brought from Miami in September (it is fixed now)

The Montero that will be shipped at the end of October.
We are still filling it with items we will use at the base or orphanage.  

Bas-Citronniers:
We will be doing a complete update on this community and our involvement in the next few weeks, but for those of you who already know about our project there, here is an update.  School began on October 6th and things are going well.  The committee is keeping records that we will review together upon my return to Haiti in November.  We are going to compare actual expenses vs. budgeted ones as well as spend some time planning for the future as the community moves toward self-sufficiency and independence.  This is a GREAT community with amazing potential to be successful and we are encouraged and excited as we move along with them on this journey.

Some of the students in Bas-Citronniers at school the first week of classes (the locals took these photos and shared them with us- not sure if the children were praying or hiding).  

Raising the flag in the morning before school starts.  

Base Update:
We are praying about relocating to a bigger building.  Our vision is to have a place where Redgi can live, James/Aline (his wife as of Dec. 20th) can live and we can house not only teams, but interns as well.  We also would love to be able to do the Training & Discipleship Center on site which means teams wouldn't have to travel to/from another location for a large majority of our future ministry.  This is very exciting for us and we ask for your prayers for Him to lead us to just the right location/base.  This is a photo of just a few places we have been looking at.  I will look at them further in November- rent is going to be MUCH higher if we move so that is something we need to pray about.

(This one was a school but could be used for a base with teams/housing on the second floor and Training/Discipleship center on the first floor.  **Cool note:  I did ministry here my first summer in Haiti with two teams.)

(This one is a big house for rent- similar to what we have, but the whole house)

That's a LOT of information but there is a LOT going on that we wanted to share with you.  There are many more things we could write about or share and we will try to do so in the days/weeks ahead.  In the meantime, please check out our facebook page for more current info.  God bless and thank you so much for ALL your support and prayers.

Summer 2015 Schedule Now Available...

Here is the summer schedule for trips- HURRY if you are going to sign up since the list is long with people who have been waiting for the dates to be released.  We also have youth groups who may take an entire week so none are guaranteed until you register and get confirmation from our office.  :)

The price listed includes EVERYTHING once you arrive in Haiti.  You only have to pay for your flight and a $10 fee to enter the country- the rest is taken care of by our staff.  Ministry may include the following:  orphan ministry/outreach, VBS at a local church, street evangelism, sports evangelism, prayer walks, teaching English, etc.... We have plenty of testimonials from others who have come with us to Haiti.  God uses these trips to impact you as well as the Haitians.  Hope to hear from you soon.

Welcome little one...

A new member of the Hearts United family was born on Thursday afternoon, September 18th. Jesula (the new mother) is a former Son of God orphan living in Mirebalais and one of the young women creating our "Bracelets of Promise". This small business will help her care for her little one properly. Both mother and daughter are doing well and we were blessed to visit them today when picking up more bracelets--just in time for Christmas orders!! The amount she was paid today equals about $30 US and will go a long way toward needed items for the. Baby. Let us know if you would like to purchase a bracelet. After paying for more materials 100% of your donation goes to the young woman who made your bracelet to be used at her discretion. 

        (little baby Melantchy-2 days old)

My birthday wish...

      Birthdays are difficult for some people but for me they have always been a time to reflect and thank God for the many blessings He has given me in the past year. Especially since I crossed the 48 year old mark.  Each year is a GIFT from Him and I realize and celebrate that.  I strive to honor Him with my life in general, but even more as I age.  You see, my own mother passed away at age 48 from a massive heart attack. It was totally unexpected and  I was 27 years old with my first baby (who was 8 weeks old to the day when my mom passed).  She was a strong Christian woman and I have no doubt she is with Jesus, but I still miss her every day of my life and think about her so often. 

     There is nothing like the love a mother has for her child which is why I can relate to the plight of the mothers in Haiti and the many economic orphans.  I can not even begin to imagine that feeling when you leave your child at an orphanage simply because you feel you can't give them what they need.  Unfortunately, what most mothers do not realize when they do this is that they are trading one need for another.  Yes, their child will now receive the food, clothing, and education they may not be able to provide.  BUT, their child will often become one of many others at the orphanage and, thus, will lose the nurturing, love, mentoring, etc. his/her own mother could give- not to mention a sense of belonging. 

     That is the case at the orphanage we work with in Haiti.  Some of the children are surrendered as mentioned above, some are rescued from being domestic servants, some ran away from abusive environments, and more.  But they all have one thing in common.  They need to know they are loved.  They are special.  They have a purpose.  And God has not forgotten them!  After 26 years I still pick up the phone from time to time to call and tell my mom something or think back upon the things she taught me growing up. (that was especially true when raising my own children) 

     We are in the process of hiring women to care for the children at the orphanage in Port au Prince and to serve as mommies to the children.  They will be trained in child care for emotionally scarred children and how to deal with victims of abuse as well as other things.  They will be responsible for doing the things a biological mommy would which are far too numerous to list.  Most importantly, they will be a constant in the lives of these children and will provide a person for the children to trust, confide in, and build relationships with. These women we hire will be pouring into much more than this generation they will directly work with as well.  How many times have you said, "Wow- I just sounded like my mother!"?  They will teach the girls at the orphanage things about how to parent in a healthy way and that will continue for generations to come.

    But,  we can not do this program alone.  We need people to partner with us as we move forward.  We need individuals and/or groups to sponsor the salaries of the women monthly.  Just like the women will be providing things for the children, YOU can provide financially for the women.  While we anticipate the monthly salary for our women to be around $150 US, we are asking for any regular financial commitment.  All donations will be put together into a fund from which salaries will be paid to the women.  

This brings me to my birthday wish.... My wish this year is that we will get the "mommy program" FULLY FUNDED by the end of September! (my birthday is the 15th) We have some who have committed already but are still quite far from our monthly goal of $1200.  

Will you pray about regularly supporting this program? I am also looking for groups to talk to and present this opportunity so if you know of a Bible Study, Sunday School, church, etc. that would benefit from this presentation, I would be more than happy to talk to them.  

Contact us at heartsunitedwithhaiti@gmail.com  for more information or to express your interest in a presentation. Thank you in advance for investing in the lives of these orphans!  God bless!  

Imagine....

 Imagine......  you are one of 66 children. You feel sick, yet you have no one to go to for comfort, a hug, a snuggle. You feel scared, yet no one is there to calm your fears.  You feel alone and confused wondering what your place is in this world.

Imagine.....   you have no one to teach you that you are VALUABLE to God and to others.  You have no one to help you with homework, encourage you when you do something well, or scold you (in a healthy way) when you do wrong.

Imagine.... your biological parent is too tired, poor, or feels unable to care for you so instead has taken you to an orphanage where you become one of many and have to figure a way to get what you need- attention, affection...

Imagine.... the adults around you are so busy caring for the physical (food, cleaning, washing clothes, etc.) that they have no time to play with you, to smile, to laugh.

Imagine.... having to hide your personal belongings from the bullies OR feeling you must become a bully yourself so your things are not taken by others.

Imagine... as you mature and your body/emotions begin to change that there is no one to explain that what you are experiencing is normal and so are you!

Unfortunately, this is reality for many of the children at the orphanage in Port au Prince that we partner with (and for many other children in Haiti that find themselves in orphanages) though the pastor and his family have tried their best to fill those needs. 

(one of our translators comforting a child at the orphanage)

As many of you know our organization is passionate about keeping nuclear families together and we feel this is God's calling for the ministry- to work with families and help them find ways to keep their children out of orphanages in Haiti.  However, He has also led us to walk alongside a Haitian orphanage in Port au Prince which we continue to do after 2.5 years.  During that time we have certainly had our share of frustrations and moments where we have felt (and actually been told by others) that pulling out of the orphanage and starting our own somewhere else would be so much easier.  Then we would have control over how things were run and could monitor the children more closely.  But then we think about this:  "When did God call us to EASY?"  He didn't!  In fact, much of what He calls us to is difficult if not impossible WITHOUT Him.  God needs to be directing our steps.  God needs to be leading our ministry- no matter if it is working with the orphanage or with families.  And, for now we firmly believe that He is calling us to remain in partnership with this Haitian orphanage and these children.  We believe that should we just move the existing children from the orphanage it solves the stress, frustration, etc. for these children and ourselves, but the orphanage would continue and other children would replace them.  The facility would remain as simply a housing location for children- just ones we do not know.  So, we asked God how to proceed and He has given us a vision.  That vision involves the following:

 -Together with the pastor of the orphanage we hire "Mommies" to care for the children daily, to teach them and to nurture them as a biological mommy would.
-These women would be trained through a variety of classes to work together and to minister to the children emotionally, spiritually and physically.
-The current staff would also be trained as would the pastor, his wife, and some others.
-Once trained, the women would begin work with regular schedules and duties, but basically to assume the role of mommies to the children.  The idea is to target some of the negative behaviors that have been identified by the pastor and the social worker we hired to do assessments at the orphanage.

We realize it will take specialized caregivers to assume these roles and will be soon conducting interviews.  The ideal plan is to hire eight women- three for the morning/day shift, three for the afternoon/evening shift and two at night.  This will be expensive but we have had to ask ourselves what is BEST for the children and what does God say?  We feel that this is His plan for us moving forward.  But, we can not do so until we have a financial commitment from people to support these women we will hire.  We anticipate that each will be paid approximately $150 per month and are asking that you (or your group/church/Bible Study/etc) will consider sponsoring a "Mommy" for the orphans.  You can also go together with others and share sponsorship (ie:  two groups commit to $75/month).

Hiring and training is set to begin in the next few weeks.  Once we know the name(s) of the women we can give you names and a biography about each woman so you can pray for her and the job she will have with the children.  We do anticipate that this will be difficult initially and the children will not like having rules, appropriate discipline, etc. so prayers will truly be needed as we transition to this new system.  BUT, we feel confident this will ultimately benefit the children in more ways than we can count here on earth.

More info. as we progress, but PLEASE consider helping fund this new program for the orphans in Haiti that God has called us to care for in James 1:27.

**contact us at heartsunitedwithhaiti@gmail.com if YOU or your group can sponsor a "mommy" at the orphanage monthly.  This is truly an investment in the future of many children (and provides a job for a woman in need as well).