On my way back!!

Greetings to you all.  Tomorrow I start my journey back to the House of Hope for 3 weeks.  As you can imagine, I am excited and so are those on the other end awaiting my arrival.  Getting ready for the trip has monopolized all my time and that's why this blog is happening at the last minute... but there have been a lot of activities at the HOH that we wanted to share with you, and then will come some prayer requests.

School is over for the summer.  All those who wrote government exams are breathing a sigh of relief of having finished them.  Now comes the long wait to see if they were successful!

With the end of school came graduation for some of our Youth and kids.  We had 2 young ladies graduate from our local Professional school.  There they took subjects like sewing, cooking and embroidery...

Iverlande has already started using her cooking skills by managing the kitchen at the HOH.  Finishing school was a big step for her as she has a medical condition that has made it very difficult for her to progress.  We are proud of all the effort she made and so glad she was able to graduate.

Mirlène also graduated from the Professional school.  School has also been very difficult for Mirlène over the years as she started very late.  We are proud of her for sticking with it, and being successful in the end.

 Obed, Linda's younger brother has been staying with Linda and was also able to graduate from the professional school, he studied mechanics.

We are so thankful for all of your support over the years, that has allowed these young people to reach this goal in their education.  We hope the things they have learned will help them be able to support themselves in the years to come.

On the other end of the spectrum came a graduation from Kindergarten.  After three years of getting ready for the rigors of "real" school, Rose-Carline, Micah and Carly all graduated from "Pre-school"...

Rose-Carline, Micah & Carly on graduation day

Linda with the graduates and their diplomas

A small at home party afterwards

Now, with school over, the HOH has turned towards it's summer events.  The first of this is the Spiritual Life Conference of our Haitian Mission.  It is held each year in our small town, which usually causes the population to multiply enormously over the weekend.  It brings much excitement at the HOH as there are morning and afternoon sessions for the kids, and early morning, morning and evening sessions for the youth and adults.  

One thing our kids always look forward to is getting some new clothes and new hairdos to wear to the conference.  All hands are on deck to braid and put beads in the girl's hair...

 Jn Mary helps Nitchy get her new look on!

 Siliana, Jedline, Rose-Carline & Carly happy with the finished job.

 

 All dressed up and ready to go...

The conference goes on through this weekend.  Then tomorrow morning starts the wait for "Tati Jen" to arrive.  I should get there sometime Wednesday evening.  Here are some things you can be praying for...

• Safety in travel over the next few days, and also a safe arrival of all the bags containing the supplies for our week of VBS.
• The lessons are prepared, the supplies on the way down, and the books made up.  Please pray that God would use these lessons sharing his Incredible Grace, and our Identity in Christ to encourage and bring growth in the lives of our kids, youth and young adults.  Pray for me as I'll be teaching each morning and evening.  Pray for the group from Miami Shores Presbyterian Church who will be helping out where they can and also bringing games for the kids to do.
• I have many other issues to help the leaders at the HOH deal with as I go down, so pray for wisdom as we iron out some wrinkles, and make plans for the year to come.
• Linda will be teaching a Child Evangelism course to some new teachers in the area the last week that I am in Haiti.  Pray for her as she prepares these courses and for strength and health as she teaches these teachers how to present the gospel to children.
• Lastly please pray for good health -- lots of sickness going around, it'd be nice if we could have a few healthy weeks to accomplish all that we want to.
• Praise God for the increase in monthly support over the months, we still need more, but it has made a difference!  So pray for this continued need with thankfulness for what has already happened.

We appreciate you and your support so much. Thank you for the different parts you play.  We'll be in touch, most likely when I get back!

Thanks for the prayers!

Thank you so much for praying for Linda, the staff and kids.  On a whole, they are doing much better, although a few are still going through the fever.  They asked me to say thank you for holding them up in prayer.  This weeks starts the grade 12 government exams.  We have quite a few writing them this year including Linda.  Please pray for them.  I know they are very stressed and would appreciate the support in that way.  Thanks!

Keep praying

Just found out Linda has come down with the fever as well as numerous other HOH kids.  So, they could really use your prayers over the next couple of days/weeks as they fight through this. 

More Celebrations, a New Virus and Lots of Goodies

There were two more special days in Haiti that the HOH kids were able to participate in.  The first was the 18th when Haiti has their "Flag Day" celebrations.  There are always all kinds of dances, parades and music on this day.  Each primary school in our area does a special program.  This year several of our kids participated, including Dieula who had a special recitation she learned and performed with some classmates.

 Dieula (far right) performs with some classmates

The last Sunday in May was Mother's Day in Haiti.  The HOH kids and Linda put together a special program for our staff ladies who are considered "Moms" for everyone.  The program was complete with special songs, skits and thank you messages to those who care for our kids and youth.   Here are some pictures...

 Our "Moms" sit and enjoy the special program

 

Linda leads the HOH kids in a special thank you song

June has started out to be a rough month for life in general at the HOH.  In the midst of final exams for school, graduation celebrations, and preparing for government exams; they are working with extremely intermittent electricity and water supply.  For some reason the hospital generator that usually provides electricity for the HOH has been broken down and causing lots of trouble.  We also get our water provided through the hospital and that seems to be having problems as well.  You can imagine how difficult it is to care for almost 100 people without a steady supply of either of these things. 

Then to make matters worse, the Chikungunya Virus that has been taking over Haiti has hit the HOH hard in the past two weeks.  First it was our staff members who became ill, now it is the kids.  Every day the list of sick kids that Linda sends me keeps growing.  The virus causes a lot of different symptoms but generally a very high fever for several days and a lot of joint pain.  From all people have said it is a very painful and difficult virus and they say that the symptoms such as joint pain can be felt even years afterwards.  I know the kids and staff at the HOH would appreciate your prayers as they battle through this sickness over the next little while. 

On a much nicer note we have received many gifts from visitors and people sending in boxes of supplies for us.  Here are some of the latest things we've received...

 Visitors who came to work at the hospital brought along these helpful supplies in their suitcases

 

A young lady from Miami collected school supplies and sent them down.  Her last project for us was a couple of months ago when she collected canned foods to send down as well.  She is coming with her mom to help with the VBS in July.  We are so excited to watch such a young girl have such a heart and give so much to others who are in need.

 

A sewing group called "Sew Gorgeous" (www.sewgorgeous.org) sent down many clothes for our kids.  Here are some of the girls and boys who received new clothes thanks to this group.

There are many ways to support and help the HOH.  Collecting and sending in supplies for us is one of them.  If you would like more information on how you can help in this way just let us know at:  houseofhope1@hotmail.com .

We appreciate each one of you and the ways in which you do support us.  Blessings to you all!

Giving and Receiving

Almost everyone likes a holiday from school and our kids are no different.  This year they seem to have had a lot of them, and the latest was May 1.  Usually, we at the HOH have to plan and prepare for a day with all the kids at home.  It's not bad; actually it's usually a good fun day, but it does take some extra energy to keep everyone occupied. 

This past week though was a different kind of holiday for a group of the kids from the HOH.  Our friend Brother David runs a "Bible Club" every Friday afternoon for the children in our community.  Our kids participate in this club in various ways.  Most of the younger ones attend the club.  Some of the older ones help David out.  On this past school vacation they planned a day long hike and picnic in the mountains around our town. 

 Brother David with some of the hiking group

Excitement ran high as our kids prepared for the hike for days.  Choosing out just the right clothes and shoes and hats...

  Can't remember where these straw hats came from, but someone sent them to us many years ago, and they sure have come in handy!

The day of the hike, the HOH was a buzz of activity as our older kids prepared the meal for the kids ahead of time.

 the HOH helpers

Then it was up the mountain...

A line of kids walking two by two for as far as the eye could see!

The entire group at their destination

It was a very fun day, and the efforts of David and team were greatly appreciated by the HOH staff.    We love our own HOH kids being able to be part of community events like this, on both the giving and receiving ends!

We appreciate so much the part each of you plays in giving to the HOH.  Here are some prayer requests we'd love to have you pray with us:

• The annual government school exams are fast approaching.  Our students are hard at work preparing for these very difficult exams.  Pray for:  Desimène, Magloire, John Wisly, Rodlin, Junior, Terrence, Mikerlange, Dieuny, Rosnel, Jumalia, and Linda.  Also pray for these students who did not pass last year and will try again this year:  Saingermain, Jn Daniel,  & Manno.  Pray for strength and health as they study long hard hours.  Pray that they'd be able to capture the material they need to learn.  Pray that they would be able to do this all in a way that brings glory to God.
• One of the High Schools where our kids attend has not had classes for most of the year.  The teachers are on strike, and the students have ended up missing most of the year of school.  Thankfully, those who are in government exam years can study at our home with students from other schools and try to keep up on the material, but as you can imagine it is difficult for them.  Pray that this situation would get resolved in the months ahead of the exam so they can be better prepared.
• Junior is having trouble locating all the correct paperwork he needs in order to write the exam this year.  All of his paperwork was lost during the earthquake in 2010.  He has worked diligently on getting this resolved, but so far it isn't and we could use your prayers as he works through this.  As I've mentioned before, paperwork in Haiti can be a challenge!
• Continue to pray for Linda and our group of young leaders.  Pray for diligence in work, for patience in dealing with the issues that come up every day, for unity amongst themselves, for creative ideas in running the HOH and for a total reliance on Jesus for their strength every day.
• Pray for me (Jenny) as I am preparing a special VBS week for when I return to Haiti in July.  Its a lot of work putting together materials, songs etc.  Pray for clarity of thought, wisdom in dealing with special topics and putting all the logistics together; and for the Holy Spirit to already be preparing hearts as the time arrives.  We are looking forward to a fun time together, but also one of learning and growth.
• Pray for continued increase in our monthly support.  We still have trouble being able to pay our staff, and are thankful for our partnering hospital who are still helping us out in this area.  We need to pay them back for this; pray that we'd be able to both bring down this debt and get in enough for our needs each month.

That's quite a list!!  Thanks so much for helping us out in this way!  If you are interested in helping out in any other way, please just contact us.

Life and New Life for Kesnel

He was 14 years old, but after suffering for a long time with a mysterious illness; you sure couldn't tell that by looking at him.  Maybe his tall lanky body would give it away, or that distant yet determined look on his face; but that's about it.

He came to the HOH after having been taken from doctor to doctor, hospital to hospital; whatever it took to figure out what was wrong.  Earlier on the diagnosis had been a tumor in his stomach--a death sentence here in our corner of Haiti.  Yet his mom persisted.  She was determined to find someone who could give her son a chance.  

After spending quite some time in our partner hospital and after having many tests done; it was determined that the earlier diagnosis was not correct.  He was believed to have tuberculosis in his stomach, not an altogether uncommon occurrence for us to see. 

Sure enough, after a few weeks of treatment, he started to show improvement.  This picture above is already after he's had those first weeks of treatment.  Now, this is how he looks after 3 weeks of more treatment as well as healthy food & care at the HOH:

As you can imagine, his mom is thrilled each time she comes to see him.  

Her persistence paid off and now her son has life where the former prognosis was death. 

But his physical body is not the only thing that has been healed since coming to the HOH.  For the Easter week, the youth at the HOH decided to do an in-house prayer meeting each morning throughout the week.  Normally they put together a week of evening services for the community to participate in and hear the Gospel shared leading up to the Easter weekend services.  Brother David was going to help them with these Evangelistic meetings this year, but his own dad passed away the week before and he had to leave to go be with his family.  So, the young leaders at the HOH decided to keep it low profile this year and do something amongst themselves.

For three mornings they met for prayer, worship and a time of learning from the Bible.  During this time Kesnel heard the story of the Good News of Jesus God's Son coming to die in our place; paying the punishment for our sins, satisfying the wrath of God towards sinful man.  He learned of his need to place his trust in Christ to be saved from his own sin and to receive new life in Him.  Perhaps it was the first time he had heard this story, perhaps it just hit home especially now so soon after coming so close to death himself.  It makes no difference though, Kesnel accepted Jesus that week, and became a Child of God.  Not only does he have life, but he has a New Life as well.  

Stories like this help us remember what the HOH is all about -- bringing Hope to the children God brings to us.  Hope takes on all kinds of forms at the HOH, but the one we get most excited about is this hope of a new life because of the Risen Jesus.  We hope you had a wonderful Easter season and want you to know we are so grateful for your part that allows us to bring this good news to the children and youth of Haiti.  

There were some other activities at the HOH during the Easter break week.  Here are some photos for you to enjoy:

 A big soccer match was organized between the HOH boys who attend 2 different High Schools in our area:

(from back l to r) Magloire, Reginald, Herby 

(front l to r) Evelte, Dieujuste, and John 

all go to one High School

Joseph, Rosnel, Toudley

Jn Mary, Wilkens and Dieuny

all go to another.

I don't even know who won...but that wasn't the point anyway, they had some fun times together.  Several of these young men have been quite sick the past few months, so it's good to see them doing well enough to play some soccer.

Remember the new mattresses we received a few months ago?  Well, our friends in Simcoe, Ontario sent us down some heavy duty raincoat material, some thick thread and big needles.  After a lot of sewing, our new mattresses are all covered and protected.  Hopefully, they will last for many years to come.

Many thanks for the various ways you help us with this special ministry.  Blessings to you!

Mosquito Free Rooms!

Greetings to all of our friends, family and partners.  Jenny is writing you from a very cold - 20 degree Manitoba winter that doesn't want to go away, and she is bringing you news of the House of Hope that is experiencing incredibly hot nights that make sleeping almost impossible.  

At least they are now able to sleep without the buzz of mosquitoes flying about their heads as the new screens have arrived and been installed in all the rooms at the HOH.  Over their annual Carnival (Mardi Gras) break, the young men at the HOH worked hard to replace all the old, rusting and rotting screens we had in place.  As you can see, they desperately needed replacing...

Now they are nice and useful again; and we are so grateful to all of you who participated in this project.  Some people gave financially for us to purchase the materials, others helped order and ship them to us, still others paid for the shipping.  It was a team effort utilizing our partners from all over North America.  Thank you to those of you who helped out.  Here are some pictures of the new screens and the HOH boys installing them...

and here's a look at a window with the finished product...

After much counsel from various sources, we purchased both bug screen and a slightly larger and stronger wired cloth in order to give the bug screen more strength.  It is our hope that these screens last a long time, and give our kids many mosquito free nights (as long as they remember to close the doors!!).

Since returning to school after the break, most of our students have been busy with exams.  As you can imagine it's a stressful time for them, and their days out of school are consumed with studying for the next exam.  They'd sure appreciate your prayers as they finish up.  While we are talking about exams you can already be in prayer for those who have already started to prepare for the difficult government exams coming up in June/July.  Linda is one of those who will be taking these difficult exams, please pray for all of them as they will be working long hours to prepare for this.  

Linda's health continues to be another reason for prayer.  While she did not undergo surgery at this time for her fibroid, the doctors continue to monitor her and are trying other methods in the meantime.  Her blood sugar continues to be an issue as she struggles to get it stabilized, and I know she'd appreciate your prayers for that as well.

We were recently blessed with a visit from a church in Oklahoma.  Among the many things they brought to help out the HOH and cheer up the kids were new cups and spoons.  

In a similar way to the new chairs, the young leaders at the HOH have come up with clever ways to make sure each child at the HOH takes care of his own cup and spoon.  It may seem like small things, but I am pleased with their efforts to include more and more of the kids in taking responsibility for things in the HOH. 

Brother David continues to hold Bible studies with our young people, and several of them have also started helping him with various activities in his church plant in our little town.  It is exciting to see them getting involved in these activities.  

Please continue to pray for the various needs we have at the HOH.  I hope to get a needs page set up on our blog soon that will give you up to date information on the needs we have.  If you are interested in helping us out in any way, just let us know.  A big thanks to all of you who do already help us out in so many ways.

New, again!

"New" has arrived at the HOH once again; this time it was new chairs!  Yes indeed, the new chairs arrived in February, and as you can imagine brought much joy to everyone.  You heard us talking about them for quite some time now.  It all started in the spring of last year with some research, then came an invitation for you all to be involved in collecting the necessary funds to get them.  Once the funds came in it was time to do the ordering -- a would be nearly impossible feat had it not been for some willing helpers in the Extreme Response home office who helped us pull that off!  That was back in November and then came the wait... Finally, in mid February; after having traveled many many miles, the chairs arrived. Four different colors, and four different sizes.

They will have many uses at the HOH, but two of the biggest ones are for use while the kids are eating at the tables, and for use during church services, Bible studies and school. 

So now this means, of course, no more kneeling or standing while the kids are eating.  Also, no more fights over who gets a chair and who doesn't (I know, I know you thought our kids never fought about anything!).  It also means that the kids do not have to rush to get to church and school first in order to snag a chair.  Hmm, we are going to have to come up with another reason to encourage them to be on time now!

In any case, we are so grateful to all who helped us at every step through this process.  In an effort to preserve the life span of these chairs, our young leaders have come up with a "chair care" plan.  Each child, youth and young adult has been assigned a chair, and their name written on it.  That is their chair to care for, keep clean and keep under surveillance.  It is our hope that these chairs will last a long time and that our kids learn from their responsibility to care for them well.

Our friends in Miami continue to provide us with food goods brought over on the boat on a regular basis.  Their help in this way is of incalculable worth; on the months when our financial donations are low, we are always encouraged to know at least we'll be able to feed all the hungry mouths we have to feed.  If it would interest you to help them out with the purchase and collecting of these food supplies feel free check out their website at:  http://friendsofhumanity4haiti.org/ .

The arrival of food always brings a smile!

This past month has seen several new children being brought to the HOH.  Most of these children have come with severe malnutrition.  These children bring the most work for our staff of nurses, and while they often are the ones who break your heart when they don't make it; they are more often the ones who bring great rejoicing in our home as we see the incredible change just a few weeks of good nutrition can bring to a child.  Along with one family member, these children generally spend a month in our home as the children receive care, and the family members (usually their mothers) are shown the proper food and life choices they need to make in order to maintain the child's level of nutrition and healthy home environment once they leave the HOH and return to their homes. 

Another frequent health concern that brings a child to the HOH is some form of Tuberculosis.  Recently, Marcsony came to the HOH with this very problem. 

He comes from a town a few miles up the road from us.  He has been battling TB in his neck glands for quiet some time.  Unfortunately, he faced a problem many other children face; in fact it is this very problem that originally caused the HOH to come into being.  The treatment for TB takes many many months, and need consistent daily medication throughout the treatment time.  Marcsony started his treatment from his home, but he didn't get very far along when his family started to forget to give him his meds.  Then when the meds ran out, they didn't hurry to get more; thinking they had time before he needed it again.  At first, it didn't seem to make a big difference, but soon he started to get worse again.  When they returned to the hospital this time, the doctor convinced them to allow him to stay at the HOH for the duration of his treatment so he could fully recover.

Kechnaida and Chilienne also came to the HOH with various forms of TB.  Kechnaida had it in her spine and Chilienne in her glands like Marcsony.  They've already been at the HOH for several months at this point, and are well into their treatments.  Kechnaida was unable to sit, stand or walk when she arrived.  Now she can do all of the above.  It's amazing what treatment can do for the physical body, and as you can see on their faces the love and care given at the HOH does a lot for their spirits too.

We appreciate you all and your support of the HOH very much.  There are so many ways you help us out, and each one just makes us better able to care for the needs of the children and youth in our care.  There area a few areas in which we need more help.  Several people and groups of people offered to help us with our need of Baby supplies, thank you so much for each one who participated in that.  We have a list of other supplies we are in need of sending down to Haiti, if you'd be interested in helping out in this way, please just let us know and we'll fit you with one that suits you.  We are also in need of continued monthly financial donations.  We love and appreciate all those who give financially, and if anyone else out there is interested in helping in this way, please let us know.  The easiest way to get in contact with us is at the following e-mail:  houseofhope1@hotmail.com. 

Please continue to pray for Linda, the HOH director's health.  She was scheduled for surgery today or tomorrow, but is not sure that it will happen or not, so pray for wisdom for all those involved in deciding and doing this, and for peace for Linda and the kids as she faces these health needs at this time. Once again, thank you so much for the various ways in which you support our ministry.  May you be blessed and continue to be a blessing.

Oh Baby!!

Last week we were privileged to received a beautiful 5 day old baby boy into our home.  His name is Job, and his mother died in childbirth.  The father brought him to our hospital asking for help.  He said he had no family to take this child, and since he already had 8 children at home, he could not take care of this tiny baby.  It was obvious that the baby was already on his way to becoming severely dehydrated, so the hospital sent him to us. 

5 day old Job

Everyone was excited to have a new baby in the house.  None more than the younger kids.  They marveled about every little thing he did.  In the following picture I found a bunch of them huddled around Linda as she was feeding him...

Unfortunately, our joy of having Job in our home didn't last too long, but we couldn't be sad about the circumstances that took him away from us.  One of the national staff from our partnering hospital has been wanting to adopt a child for some time now and jumped on this opportunity to adopt Job.  We just love it when Haitian families step up to adopt children whose birth families are not able to care for them.  But, we were disappointed to have just had 3 days with him in our care!

One thing we did realize, however, is that we are out of baby supplies here at the HOH!  We have had 5 babies come through our home over the past year, and we've depleted our stock of baby things.  We were able to find a few bottles to feed him, but we are going to need to replace our stock soon to be ready for the next one.  If there is a small group, school, church, family or friends out there who would like to put together a "baby" care package for the HOH, please feel free to get in contact with us and we can give you details about what kinds of things we need, and how you can get them to us. 

We appreciate so much the help you have been to the ministry here at the HOH.  We are blessed to have partners who help us in many different ways.  For those of you who pray for us, here are some requests:

• Jenny will be on her way to Canada soon, please pray for safety in traveling.  You will be hearing from her on how you can be in touch with her there, once she is settled.
• Our students are heavy into studying.  For those in grades 6, 9, 12 and 13 there are government exams coming up in June and July and they are already studying for them.  They are hard exams and they would appreciate you praying for them.  We will get you a list of them closer to the day, but Linda is one of them studying for the grade 12 exams.
• Linda's health is still a concern.  Her diabetes is back under control, and she is much more careful with her diet than before.  But through all of this the doctors have discovered another problem that she is having.  She has 4 fibroid in her abdomen, and the OBGYN doctor feels she will need to have surgery.  She does not want that, so she is trying several other options first.  We ask you to pray for her as she does this, that the medication she is on can dissolve them, or at least reduce them, and that she can avoid having to have surgery to remove them.
• Continue to pray for our financial needs.  We are grateful for generous donations in December.  And ask you to pray that our monthly financial needs would continue to be met.

Many thanks, and Blessings to you all!

Starting the year out with a Bang!

On Jan. 2, 2014, our friends from Miami came to the HOH with the express purpose of hosting a BBQ for the HOH family.  It all started about 6 months ago when they were here on a work project.  They had a BBQ for themselves and some friends in the neighborhood one afternoon, and brought Linda and I some of the leftovers.  There were hotdogs, hamburgers and ribs.  Good stuff.  We shared it all with the kids, and to our friend's amazement the food got split into many many pieces as the kids all wanted to taste this strange food.  They had never tasted anything like it. 

And with that the planning started for a special surprise BBQ just for the HOH so that our kids could enjoy their own hotdogs and hamburgers.  Jan. 2nd was the special day, and our kids had an incredibly good time.  When asked if he wanted a hotdog or hamburger (they called them long or flat meat), one of our older boys said, "Please give ma a hamburger, I've only ever seen them in the movies, I'd like to know what one tastes like".  Here are some pictures of our fun day...

Cooking up a storm, Mikerlange and Rosnel help BBQ the meat.

Renel, the mastermind, behind the BBQ taste tests the food to make sure it's OK for the rest of us.

Waiting for the food to cook, Ivinsky does his best to entertain.

Finally, Hotdogs and Hamburgers for everyone!

An afternoon of games and popcorn.

 

 A late afternoon meal of BBQ chicken, ribs & Steak plus good ole Haitian rice & pikliz (like a very spicy hot coleslaw).

The end result!

Thanks so much to our friends from Miami Shores Presbyterian Church, Central Presbyterian, and Friends of Humanity for a wonderful day.  

Now the partying has finished, and it is back to school.  The books have been dusted off, uniforms washed, and the week is now filled with classes and homework.  Please keep our students in your prayers.  Several:  Siliana, Chedlyn, John Wisly and Ivinsky have such a hard time with school, they could use your prayers as they struggle to keep up with their classes.  A few others have not been putting the effort they need to into their school work and did not get passing marks last semester.  Please pray for their attitudes toward school, and life in general.

Jenny will be traveling starting tomorrow and into next week visiting an Extreme Response ministry in another part of Haiti, so please pray for her as she travels.  Linda has been having some trouble with her diabetes the past couple of days, and has had to start on insulin shots.  Please pray for her that she'd be able to get this under control, and get her numbers back in a normal place.

Many thanks for all your support!