You’ve heard the verse from Esther 4:14 spoken to the Queen? “… and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Some times the day’s activities have a way of bringing this verse to my mind. I’m grateful to the Lord for bringing me to Haiti and being in the right place at the right time. Read on, as we share some of the major events that have happened recently.
After church, many gathered to continue building a home for the children from Jacmel.
Two nights ago, 7 armed thugs broke into the Hands and Feet Project in Jacmel, took one of the nannies hostage at gunpoint, and robbed the people and organization. Thank God they did not hurt anyone, but most of the almost 70 children present witnessed this, along with the staff, missionaries and visitors. All, but the babies are now here in Grand-Goave, staying at their new site here. As soon as we learned of the situation, Lex was on the phone, rounding up workers and ordering materials to immediately begin making a place for the children from Jacmel to sleep. The kids arrived throughout the day and into the night, as the vehicles had to make several trips up and down the mountains between the northern and southern coasts of the southern peninsula of Haiti.
We all missed our friend "Frè Ed." So glad to see him back in Haiti!
This morning seemed to be an extra special church service. Len Gengel and a small group from Be Like Brit were with us, along with our Hands and Feet Project friends. The church was really excited to have our friend from Petit-Goave, Ed Lockett’s back with us, after over 3 months in the US. Ed’s mother has knocked on death’s door several times over the past couple of months. We’ve been praying for her and are grateful that she is now well on the road to recovery. There was a sweet presence in the service. I know the Lord touched many who were seeking him this morning.
Len, Kristin, Shaun and Gama, being neighborly.
Shaun and Jerry, from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, joined Len on this trip. It’s been fun watching Shaun asking question after question, scribbling on a notepad (and wondering who in the world will ever understand anything he’s written) and bouncing around like a little kid at Six Flags for the first time. Keep your eyes open for some stories from the T&G at Be Like Brit in Haiti over the next couple of weeks.
Lex, translating for Dr. Greg Ciotton, in an urgent care class for our teachers and high school students.
Child in Hand has joined us for a couple of days here in Grand-Goave. Today they did some nutritional evaluations for neighborhood kids and did medical consultations with some other children. This afternoon they held a course on urgent care, helping people to know what to do in various medical emergencies. As you can see in the picture, it was well attended by our school teachers and high school students. Unfortunately, medical emergencies come up with some frequency and virtually no one knows how to handle them. This group is interacting well with their new teachers, all Harvard professors. They asked lots of good questions. I love it!
Representatives from Be Like Brit, Child in Hand, Mission of Hope International - all standing in Brit's Orphanage!
Be Like Brit had some great news to share today about Child in Hand: Child in Hand (CiH) is a 501(c) (3) tax-exempt non-profit organization currently providing relief to the children of Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated that small island nation in 2010. In addition to assisting existing Haitian orphanages and schools with the daily necessities of food, water,shelter and fun recreational activities, CiH has teamed with the International Center for Disaster Resilience (ICDR) and the Haitian Ministry of Youth-Sports-Civic Action to establish various sustainable projects including implementing a state-of-the-art program aimed at identification, assessment and medical-psychosocial treatment. The program started with a Pilot Phase in Port Au Prince and Croix des Bouquets. Upon receiving the news today that BLB will be naming their new medical facility the “Child in Hand Clinic”, CiH President, Lily Fernandez Richardson, exclaimed, “We are both honored and humbled by this most kind decision. We are also endebted to the Dr. Greg and Amalia Ciottone who reached out to the Gengel family and made our cooperative work with them and BLB possible. In memory of Brit, we will do everything possible to carry on her selfless legacy of commitment to the children of Haiti”
One of six pilot Sunblazers, that are proving there is a viable alternative for people without access to grid electricity.
Lex visite St. Marc earlier this week, meeting with some investors and viewing some potential sites for the Sirona Cares Sunblazer project. The project has received a favorable reception by both investors and potential operators all around. Michelle Lacourciere (co-founder of Sirona Cares) tells me to tell everyone that we’re going to be lighting up St. Marc using Solar power and the business plan that MOHI helped inspire.