Catching up through pictures

Greetings to you all after a long period of silence!!  It's crazy how the weeks fly by and I just don't seem to get to everything that I have on my "to do" list.  I want to share a bit of our time in Haiti with you.  We had just a wonderful time at the HOH and I was so excited to see how well things are going there.  Linda and the young leaders are just doing a great job and it was evident that God is working in the hearts of these children and youth.  The thing that touched my heart the most was their eagerness to hear God's Word and learn from the lessons we had prepared.

They were so excited about the studies, they encouraged their friends to come as well.  Our group of 60 HOH kids grew to almost double that number by the time the week was over. 

We had a great time of learning during our camp week and we all look forward to learning more together throughout the year.  Our theme this year was "Jesus, My Only Hope" and Hebrews 6:19-20 was our theme verse.

As you'll remember I was going down to the HOH with 3 young ladies from Canada, here we are at the start of our trip.

 They were a great group of girls, they put up with a lot of inconveniences along the way; yet their attitudes were so positive.  They went willing to do whatever to help and they certainly achieved this.  Here are some of the activities they helped out with...

Jenna worked extremely hard on decorating wedding cakes the very day we arrived.  The results were incredible!  Everyone at the wedding was surprised and asked where they could get such nice looking cakes!

Heather spent many hours trying to determine just how many children she could hold at any one given time.  She's very talented at this..

Meanwhile Samantha showed of her one-on-one skills giving incredibly fun swing rides...

 All three of these young ladies joined into Camp week by each joining one of the three teams who were competing against each other during the week.  They did many things I'm sure seemed crazy to them, like dressing up in weird costumes and outfits for no apparent reason...

They were great sports though and had a lot of fun and laughs along the way.  One of their main goals was to build meaningful relationships with the kids there and this time was a great way for them to do that.

 We were happy to meet up with two other groups of people while we were at the HOH.  The Lewis family was there from England.  They are great friends and we had such a wonderful time with them.  Then we also had our friends from Miami Shores Presbyterian Church down for the week of camp as well.  They were a great help, same as last year.  They brought down the  colorful and much loved t-shirts and helped with various crafts as well.  They also were great at holding the little ones during our sessions and making sure they were loved and cared for!

Here are some of the activities we did…

Decorating and styling the t-shirts is always a hit with our kids.

We also had the kids make up anchors out of wire to remind them of Jesus the firm anchor in our lives.  Then they made bracelets and attached the anchors to them. 

 Here is Jamesley working on his anchor…

Rose Nirva and Kateleen show off their finished product…

Fridson works on his coloring pages…

Every afternoon we played games with the kids as well. 

This day was the wild and crazy game  of pop the balloon…

Together with singing, learning Bible verses, studying God’s Word together, skits, programs and many other things we had a wonderful Camp 2015 and are already looking forward to next year!

For me, it was just a great time to be back home, I had so much fun with my girls Lala & Nanni; who, by the way, are almost as tall as I am now.

They were also flower girls in Estephanie’s wedding and they were beautiful!

Meanwhile, Linda and I were the proud moms…

Here are some other things we were able to accomplish while there:

·         Linda and I were able to spend quite a bit of time talking and planning for the future of the HOH. We are both pleased with the way things are progressing and we are excited to see what God will continue to do in the lives of our kids and at the HOH. 

·         I was able to meet with our pediatrician about a number of difficult cases we have at the HOH right now.  We talked a lot about Jamesley and his diagnosis of bone cancer.  After much debating with numerous doctors in Haiti we are not sure that the diagnosis was correct.  With help from our friends in Miami, we are trying to get a better diagnosis.  Haiti is a complex place at the best of times, and something like this makes it even more so.  Your prayers are greatly appreciated for wisdom for all involved and we’d just love it if he really doesn’t have cancer!

Here are a few other prayer requests to keep in mind:

• School starts up next week and Linda and the other leaders have much to do to prepare our 40 + students for the new school year. 
• Three of our adult “kids” have finished their schooling and will be leaving the HOH by the end of this month.  Ricardo will be living with his brother in La Pointe while helping work at his shop.  He will also continue to help Linda by running errands for her as she needs it.  Rosemène is making plans on where she will live, but will continue to work as a Nurse’s Aide at the HOH.   Dada also will work for the HOH as an aide, and will move to live with family. Please pray for these three as they take the next steps in their lives.
• Ernst, one of our young leaders has been accepted into a University outside of Port-au-Prince.  We are excited to see where God is taking him into his future – but we will miss him greatly at the HOH.
• Finances are still and always a need – please pray for more resources to help the children who come into our home. 
• We recently received 4 extremely malnourished babies; pray for them and their moms as they receive care together.

We appreciate each of you and the part you play in this ministry.  We are blessed to have such a great team working with us to bring the Hope of Jesus to the Children of Haiti.

Busy Summer Days

One of the fun parts about summer at the HOH is all the visitors who come by for a week or two to help out, play with the kids and just be supportive in any way they can.  It is always a fun time for the kids and an encouragement for Linda and the staff.

Back towards the end of June the HOH was pleased to have our friends from the Hands of Hope organization in the UK come by.  They have supported the HOH in many ways over the years but the one link we have with them that means the most to both of us is a young man -- their son named Alex...

He was an extremely sick 9 month old boy, who had recently lost his mom and been abandoned by his dad, when he made his appearance at the HOH.  Our friends from England were visiting when he first came on the scene.  God spoke to their hearts about this precious life, and soon they were knee deep in adoption plans and regulations.  It was an terribly long and exhausting almost 6 year process as they waded through all the legal work to be done to make Alex (or Kev — for those of you who might remember him from the late 90’s) a part of their family.

Alex has grown into an incredible young man who just recently was baptized. He has finished his A levels in the UK and will be starting a 3 year degree in Product Design at Swansea University in the fall.  It was a proud moment for his Mom and Dad as they wrote the following to us:  “He has developed into a fine young man and we are really very proud of him but we never forget that he had a great start with you and Linda; the best start that he could have wished for I reckon, (despite his family circumstances) and we believe you should be every bit as proud of him as we are. He has a really firm faith in God and he's really looking forward to our trip to Haiti.” 

 Alex giving his testimony during his baptismal service 

Their visit to the HOH was a great time of catching up and relationship building between Alex and the kids.  He made an effort to re-learn some of his Creole and in exchange he taught our boys to play rugby!  While this story is a unique one in that we don't often do adoptions out of the HOH, we are thankful that was an option for the Brooke family.  We wanted to share this story with you to encourage you and your partnership with us in this special ministry.  Since 1956 the HOH has been changing lives just like Alex’s and we couldn't do this in this way if it wasn’t for the support that you give us in so many ways.  Thank you for your part!

Now for some updates and ways you can pray for us in the weeks ahead.

• Oliana is doing much better.  They seem to have gotten a handle on the delicate balance between her diet and her insulin.  Thank you so much for your prayers on her behalf.
• Jamesley has had some relief from the pain in his leg lately as the doctors decided to open it up and release some of the pressure.  I've had a chance to talk to him, encourage him, and am looking forward to seeing him.  Linda and the kids continue to support and care for him as he struggles with his bone cancer.  Please continue to pray for Jamesley and all involved in his care.  
• The time has finally come for me (Jenny) to head back down to Haiti and spend a couple of weeks at the HOH.  We have lots of things planned for my time back there.  Two of our young ladies; Estephanie (who is still at the HOH), and Jumalia (who was previously at the HOH) are both getting married.  Estephanie's wedding is the day after I arrive, and Jumalia's is the day after that.  It's going to be a hectic couple of days, but we are looking forward to this special time for these girls very much.  
• Then we have our week of Camp planned for the kids.  I've spent countless hours preparing Bible lessons that are around the theme, "Jesus, Our Only Hope" this year.  Our friends from Miami Shores Presbyterian Church will be meeting us down there to help out with this special week for the kids.  There are many activities planned and we hope that it is an encouraging time as well as one of much learning for our kids of all ages.
• I am bringing down 3 young ladies from Canada with me on this trip.  They will be helping with the camp week as well as doing various other projects with the kids during our time there.  Jenna, Heather and Samantha are very excited about their trip and would love for you to pray for them as they seek to love, encourage and learn from the kids and staff at the HOH. 

We appreciate you all and are so thankful for the ways you stand with us as we bring hope to the children, youth and young adults in our care.  I know I won't have time to update the blog while we are in Haiti, so have a great couple of weeks!

Good News...and Bad

We appreciate your prayers for Oliana very much.  She has gone through some tough weeks and ended up falling into really bad malnutrition.  But she seems to have pulled through, and Linda told me yesterday she is starting to get much better.  You can see in her recent picture that she is still struggling, but it is a much better picture than just a couple of weeks ago...

Thank you so much for holding her up in your prayers and for the encouraging messages you sent to her.

Unfortunately, this good news comes with some very bad news about one of our other kids.  Jamesley has been at the HOH for the past 5 years.  He has had a really tough life.  His dad passed away a number of years ago leaving his mom with quite a few young children to try and raise on her own.  It was a life of hand to mouth existence; difficult enough for children with no major medical needs, but Jamesley didn't fall into that category.  As a hemophiliac, his medical needs were more than his mom could handle with all the other children.  In desperation, she brought Jamesley to us.  

It has been a constant struggle over the past years to keep Jamesley healthy.  As a kid, he wants to play and be like other kids, but his body is so fragile, just a small bump and he could be in pain for weeks.  So, when he fell down last week and his leg swelled up, no one worried too much about it at first.  Just as a precaution, our pediatrician had an x-ray taken and the results changed life forever for 18 year old Jamesley.  

The doctors found out he has very advanced bone cancer.  They are convinced it is extremely far along, and do not give him very long to live.  There isn't a lot that can be done for cancer at this stage in Haiti and nothing that can be done in our little corner of Haiti. 

You can imagine the shock and pain this has caused everyone at the HOH.  Linda is beside herself and struggling to know how to handle all of this and help him through this difficult time. We are thankful that he is a believer and knows and trusts the One who made him.

They could all use your prayers.  The kids I mentioned in the previous blog as well as Linda will start their final government exams on Monday, and the stress of this has made it even more difficult to prepare for that.  

We appreciate the many ways you support us -- thank you for holding us up in the midst of this new difficulty.  

• Pray that Linda and the other kids at the HOH would have the courage and wisdom to minister to, comfort and bring peace to Jamesley as he faces the days ahead.  
• Pray for Jamesley to be able to trust in His Maker and be fully aware that God is with him as he goes through this time of sorrow.  
• Pray for wisdom for the doctors and nurses as they bring what care they are able to try and minimize the pain and suffering.  
• Pray for those who will be writing exams this week, that they will be able to concentrate in spite of all of this going on at home.

An Update and some prayer requests

Many thanks for your prayers for Oliana. Getting the insulin dose regulated has proved extremely difficult and she is starting to fall into malnutrition as they try to regulate her diet.  To say the least, she is a very difficult case and everyone involved could use your continued prayers for her recovery and health.  We will keep you up to date as we are able to.

We wanted to share some pictures with you so you can see some of what is going on at the HOH these days...

 Mango season has arrived and

Mits isn't quite sure what to do with his bounty...

The HOH was thrilled to receive
Dr. Grace Eckhoff the first week of June.
Grace grew up in our village of La Pointe with
her parents who were our doctors.
To have her come back as a doctor herself
 was a neat experience. 
Here you can see her chatting with
an old friend at the HOH;
when she was younger she would come every
afternoon to spend time with the kids.

Dr. Grace came to the HOH together with a friend
and long time supporter Dr. Brenda Morris. 
This wasn't Dr. Brenda's first trip down to Haiti,
but it was the first one for her daughters.
Here are Michelle, Addie and Lilly
enjoying some time with the HOH kids...

The School year is quickly coming to an end for our students and they are busy studying for their exams.  They'd really appreciate your prayers as they try to finish the school year well.  The government of Haiti has changed the number of official exams the students have to take throughout High School.  Previously, they had official exams at the Grade 6, 9, 12 and 13 years.  They have now eliminated the exams for Grades 6 & 12.  So, you can imagine this has brought great joy to all of our students who were in those classes this year. 

The students we do have who are writing these extremely difficult exams are:  Desimène in Grade 9, and:  Linda, Rosemène, Toto, Dieuny and Obed in Grade 13.  Linda also asked prayer for a number of other students from our local community who come and study with her every day in preparation for the exams.  

Jenny is busy preparing for her trip down to the HOH the end of July.  She will be bringing down three young ladies from Canada, and they will be meeting up with a team from Miami Shores Presb. Church while down there.  They plan to host a week of Day Camp with lessons, games and all kinds of fun activities.  Please pray for Jenny as she works on preparing the lessons amid her many other responsibilities.  Pray also for all the logistics of travel and for safety and health for these teams as they spend time at the HOH and build relationships with the HOH family.

News on Oliana

Oliana made it to Port-au-Prince ok and was able to see the specialist.  It was so good that we were able to get her down there this week because that specialist is leaving Haiti for a while, and we would have missed him.  She had many tests done and the doctor in the end has decided to change her insulin dose.  He also gave her some advice on how to better take care of herself with her many medical conditions.  Other than that, he did not find anything else wrong with her.

We are so thankful there isn't anything more serious going on with her.  Please pray for Oliana and for our local doctors as they implement these changes and work to get her back on the road to health over the next few weeks. She will be flying back to the HOH this coming Saturday.

Thank you so much for your prayers on her behalf. 

Oliana

We were able to get Oliana to Port-au-Prince yesterday.  We had a team of doctors come up to work at the hospital and the HOH and they allowed us to use the return portion of their charter flight to fly her to PAP.  Thank you Drs. Brenda & Grace!


Oliana is not doing well at all, and tomorrow morning she will see a diabetic specialist.  So please pray that they are able to help her out and that they would have the wisdom they need to see what is going on in her body.  She is staying with some friends of ours, the Boucher family, and Mrs. Boucher will be taking her to the doctor in the morning.  We are very grateful for their help and support whenever we have needs like this come up.

We'll let you know as we find out more. 

Prayer Needed Again

Oliana is once again not doing well at all.  The doctors just don't know what to do for her anymore.  They told us this is not a good sign that she does well for a couple of weeks and then plummets downhill so quickly like this.  Each time her low seems to get worse and it's harder for her to pull out of it.  They really would like us to send her to Port-au-Prince where she could have some more advanced testing done than we can find in our area of Haiti.  Linda is trying to work out these details, but it is not easy.  Just transporting a sick person there is a challenge.  So, please keep Oliana and everyone trying to help her out in your prayers. Thank you so much.

Hope

Many have said over the years that the House of Hope is aptly named.  If there is one thing we have in abundance it is hope.  The need of hope comes in all shapes and sizes crammed into the bodies, hearts and minds of the precious lives God brings through our doors.   This past week, the arrival of 18 year old Lethnie reminded us of the importance of hope and the privilege we have to bring it to the children and youth of Haiti.    

Perhaps the reason Lethnie’s arrival brought so much reflection on our part is because her story mirrors the HOH Director Linda’s in many ways.  A young girl paralyzed by Tuberculosis of the spine (Pott’s disease).  An already bleak future became exponentially more so with the news that she will likely never walk again.  If anyone needed hope at this point in her life – it’s Lethnie.  

Who better to help her walk through these dark days than someone who has been there before? Linda knows the physical, emotional and mental pain that Lethnie is going through.  She has felt the feelings of hopelessness and fear of what lies ahead and has learned not only to survive but to thrive in spite of it all.  We know God didn’t make a mistake bringing Lethnie to our home – here she has someone to walk this road with her who has been down it before.  

One big difference sets Lethnie’s story apart from Linda’s.  When Linda came to the HOH she was in need of every kind of hope available and it was here she found the source of true hope – Jesus.  Linda would be the first to admit she couldn’t give any kind of lasting hope to the kids on her own.  It is Jesus and the hope that He brings, through the forgiveness of sins and the gift of life, that gives her the strength to lavish all forms of hope on to the children in her care.  

Thankfully, Lethnie came to the HOH already having this hope that comes through faith in Jesus.  Perhaps the beautiful smile on her face gives that away.  It is our hope that Lethnie learns more about this One who is the hope giver while she is with us.  We hope that she learns about how precious and valuable she is no matter what disabilities she might have.  We hope she gains confidence in her abilities to bring glory to God with her life no matter what challenges she faces in the future.  We hope she develops the tools she’ll need to pass on hope to those who come in contact with her.  We also hope she will walk one day – we’ve seen it happen before.  After all, this is the House of Hope!

Thank you so much for your partnerships in so many different ways that allows us to bring the hope that is needed to our little corner of Haiti.

OOPS

I am sorry, I got the pictures of the girls dresses mixed up.  This particular batch came from our friends in Simcoe, Ontario Canada.  We received "Pillowcase" dresses from both locations.  Our girls just love wearing them -- it's hard to get the some of the girls to wear other things!  They are just so comfortable and cool in the hot weather.  So thank you so much to all the ladies in Manitoba and Ontario who lovingly sew these dresses for us.

Doing much better

Wow!  The difference prayer and a few days of healing makes!  Oliana is feeling much better.  Her sugar levels started to drop earlier this week, and she was even able to give us a bit of a smile today...

Thank you so much for your prayers.  Continue to pray that the doctors will have the wisdom to know what needs to be done for her in the long term. 

I was chatting with the kids the other day, and my cute little Siliana (Nanni) asked me to ask you to pray for her.  All the kids are starting to write their mid-term exams this coming week.  And if you remember, she has such trouble with school.  So... please pray for her and all the other kids.

From L to R:  Valandjina, Dieula, Micah, Ivinsky, Siliana in their school uniforms.

We receive so many kinds of help from all kinds of people from all over the place!  Lately we were blessed to receive some more "Pillow Case Dresses" from some of our supporters here in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.  Here are some pictures of the girls modeling them...

Thank you everyone for all the different kinds of way you are part of the this ministry.  Blessings to you all!!

Urgent Prayer Needed

She has come so far, but this week her health has taken a huge turn for the worse.  Oliana has been at the HOH since 2002.  When she came to us, her parents had already purchased her casket and clothes to bury her in; the HOH was her last hope.  The pictures of her condition when she first arrived are too disturbing to post them online, but here is one of her soon into her recovery...

After much research our pediatrician realized Oliana was suffering from Celiac disease.  After months on a strict diet, she made an amazing recovery.   After a time of fairly good health, Oliana once again became sick.  After many tests and a trip to Port-au-Prince to see a specialist it was determined that her pancreas had been badly scarred during the critical period of her illness, she was now diabetic.  Over the next few years we struggled to regulate her diet and insulin needs, but for the most part she was able to flourish in spite of her health issues.  Here is a picture of her birthday party in August of 2011...

In the past couple of years, however, she has had her ups and downs.  Last week she hit a tough spot, and her sugar levels spiked extremely high.  Now a week later they have not been able to get this under control, and the doctors are no longer sure what else they can do for her.  This picture was taken this evening...

As you can imagine, this is extremely difficult on everyone.  Oliana is such a beautiful young lady, she tirelessly helps anyone and everyone at the HOH.  She is one of Linda's biggest helpers for her personal needs.  Everyone feels so helpless now at this time of her need.  She has found the Spiritual hope of Life in Jesus since being at the HOH and for that we are very thankful.   But she once again is in need of physical healing and hope.  We are asking that you pray for her and for all of those caring for her at this time.  Pray for wisdom for the doctors as they give her medical care, pray for Linda and the other HOH kids as they minister to her physical needs at this time.  Pray for courage and strength for Oliana to not lose heart during this difficult time, and pray for God to be glorified through all who are playing a part in this.  Pray also for her family members, some of them are not believers. 

It's a New Year

Actually we are already almost a month into the New Year!  How did that happen?  It's been an interesting and different month for all of us since we wrote last, here's some news to help you keep up with us.

Most of the kids finished their exams before the Christmas holidays from school.  A few, however, had their exams canceled at the last minute and rescheduled for after the holidays -- No fun!  But as of the end of last week they are all finished these mid-year exams and are now into the next term of the school year. 

Because of the school schedule and the arrival of our Christmas gifts from our supporting churches in York, PA and Simcoe, ON Canada; the kids didn't receive their gifts until Jan. 2.  It didn't matter to them, they were just so thrilled for the gifts they received this year as you can see in Merla's picture here. 

I always find it so interesting when I ask them to hold up their favorite thing -- it's always the candy!!  Not that they don't enjoy the other things -- but, that's what they grab!

It was Mits' very first Christmas, and it looks pretty satisfied too...

We are so grateful for those of you who work so hard to make Christmas a special time for our kids.  There are many steps and people involved in order to make sure all of our kids, youth and staff receive something.  Thank you so much for your part.

Both Linda and I were able to take some time to be with our respective families over the holidays.  Linda spend a week with her family in the Cap Haitian area of Haiti.  My sisters traveled here to Manitoba and spend a week with us here in the crazy cold!  It was good for us to have some time off and to spend time with our families.

Coming up in February, Linda will be traveling to Miami.  I will be traveling down to meet with her for a few days.  It was the best way we could work it out for us to be able to get some time together to do some planning and shopping for the kids.  It will also be a good time for Linda to get rested and rejuvenated.  We also hope to see some of our supporters from that area while we are down there.  This will be the first time Linda has traveled on her own to leave Haiti.  Please keep her in your prayers, she is a bit nervous, but I am so proud of her for taking this big and important step. 

I will also be traveling out west the first week of March.  I am hoping to be able to connect with supporters in the Calgary, Banff and Edmonton areas.  If you've not heard from me yet about this... I'll be getting in touch with you.  I'd love to meet up with as many of you as possible in these areas. 

Thank you so much for your prayers for our financial needs.  We received some very generous gifts over the past months and are going to be able to pay off half of our debt as soon as the funds are cleared.  That is a big relief for us, and we'd ask you to Praise God with us for those who responded to our need by helping us out.  Please continue to pray for the rest of the debt, that we'd be able to pay that off as well, and also for the monthly financial needs we have.  We are praying that we would have enough come in each month so that we do not fall behind again. 

We hope you all have had a good start to the new year, and we wish you grace and peace from our Heavenly Father throughout the events of this upcoming year.

Exam week

Greetings to you all!  The school term is coming to an end and our students are busy studying hard for their exams.  It's going to be a tough week ahead, with some of them only finishing on the 22nd.  They have asked for your prayers as they study and write these exams.

Not sure if you remember Siliana (Nanni) or not.  She came to the HOH 8 years ago as a tiny baby weighing less than 2 pounds.  She is on the far left in the above picture wearing her school uniform.  We continue to be blessed by her life, and amazed at how well she is doing after such a rough start to life.  School has never been easy for Nanni, and she very specifically asked us to pray for her as she writes exams this week.  She is in the 2nd Grade.  So please remember her and all of our other students in your prayers.  Ivinsky (in the middle of the picture), John Wisly, and Chedlyn also find school very difficult and would appreciate your prayers for them.

Please keep our financial needs in your prayers as well.  We thank God for those who have answered our call to help us with paying off our debt.  Please pray for others to come alongside of us to help as well, and for an increase in monthly donations.    We appreciate each of you and hope you have a great week!

We are Here!!

My apologies for the long time in between posts.  Lots going on, which isn't a good excuse at all, but it's all I've got!  To be a good Canadian I feel I should start with a bit on the weather.  Here in Manitoba we've had some white stuff falling for the past two weeks, and with wind chills of -17, well, I think it's safe to say winter has arrived.  And truly, I have nothing good to say about that -- except maybe, at least it's not mud.  At the HOH, it's been raining -- hard for the past couple of weeks.  It makes life very difficult, especially for the kids trying to get to/from school.  One of our kids posted this photo this week showing just how hard it can be...

Whether trying to get there, or trying to get home... these students had to wait quite some time for the water levels to go down so they could get across.  This really isn't a river, it's our main road.  The only way they can walk to get to school.  I think I'd be tempted to just stay home -- call it a "snow day", or in this case a "mud day".  But kudos for them for trying to get there!

For the most part, things are going well at the HOH.  The kids are working hard at school, as is Linda.  They had their mid-term exams over the past couple of weeks, and are now busy preparing for the end of term exams coming up in a couple of weeks.  So far we have gotten results back from some of the younger kids.  Several of them are having a tough time, nothing new for them, but tough nonetheless.  We were impressed to see that they passed the mid-terms, which we were not really counting on!  Please keep Ivinsky, Siliana, Chedlyn and John Wisly in your prayers as they struggle to learn in an education system that leaves no room or help for kids with learning disabilities. 

We've had some changes in the Young Leadership program.  We are so thankful for the young men who have stepped forward to help Linda and learn to be leaders at the HOH.  Over the summer one of them told us he no longer wanted to be in that position.  Saingermain stepped down as a leader in August.  Since we always wanted it to be something they did because they wanted to, we had no problem with that.  A couple of months after that he decided to leave the HOH altogether and move back with his extended family in Port-de-Paix.  This was a bit harder to take, as he has not finished his schooling, but he is an adult and we respected his decision to do this.  

You can imagine the closer the day came for him to go, the harder it was on everyone.  He has been at the HOH for 14 years!  That's a long time, and he was such an vibrant part of life at the HOH. The good thing is that he is not far away, and has promised to come back and help with some of the projects and events he has helped with over the years.  Please keep him in your prayers as he steps out and heads down a new road in life.

At the HOH some good has already come from his leaving.  His absence left holes needing to be filled of things he's been responsible for.  Amazingly, new kids stepped in and are now doing the things he used to do. They never saw the need to do it before because he was doing them.  Now, at seeing the need they have stepped up -- that is beautiful to see.

Taking his place in helping me get pictures from the HOH and keeping up with the everyday activities is a young man named Junior.  He is in middle of the back row of this picture.  This is Linda with the three young leaders helping her out...

Junior came to the HOH after losing his home and his mom in the earthquake in 2010.  He has grown a lot over the past 4.5 years with us, and we are so thankful for his willingness to step up and help out.  Pray for him as he takes on more roles, and for the whole team as they seek to work together to share the hope of Jesus with the children and youth in our care.

Wanted to give you a small update on our little baby Mits.  He is doing great.  He has so many moms and dads, he could hardly not be doing well! 

His #1 mom though is 9 year old Dieula.  She's an old-experienced hand at being a mom since she's been doing it since she was about 2!  She has had so many "children" at the HOH we couldn't even count them anymore.  By the time the children turn 2 she's ready for another one; but never forgets which ones are hers -- even the ones who have returned to their homes.  Her loving on Mits has not been without positive outcomes on his behalf.  Just look at how much he's grown.  

This is a drawing of him done by Ruben Jean, our student who is in his final year of a fine arts university program.  You can certainly see how Mits has put on weight and is doing really well.

We are so grateful to each of you who helps us in one way or another to bring hope to those brought to our home.  We'd ask you to continue to pray for us as we are facing a financial crisis that we would really like to get taken care of.  We've written about it in various places, and have asked people to consider helping us out with this need.  Pray with us for this need.  We know God will provide through whatever means He desires.  Pray that our faith would be strengthened as we trust in Him to act on our behalf at this time.

One last thing I'd like you to keep in mind and pray for.  I will be having a table at a local craft show this coming Saturday here in Portage la Prairie at the Westpark School Gym.  It's from 9 - 2.  Some friends from the Sommerfeld Hutterite Colony are donating crafts, and I am making up packets of Christmas cards and other greeting cards out of drawings our kids have done.   We are doing this as a way to make some money for the HOH and the financial needs there.  It's the first time I have personally done this, I know others of our supporters have raised support for us in this way.  If you are in the area, please stop by and pick up some Christmas gifts from us!

Our latest News

Hello our dear friends!  the last couple of weeks saw the end of Summer vacation for our kids.  The kids ended the holidays with a big championship soccer tournament.  Here you can see Linda with the winning team...

Some of our young men also had the opportunity to spend some time learning to do various art projects.  Ruben, one of our students has been taking Fine Arts at a Christian University in another area of Haiti.  He is going into his last year this year, and he took some time over the past weeks to pass on some of the things he has learned to our eager young men.  Here is some of their work...

Ruben is the second from the Left

And now school has begun.  Linda passed her exam after the re-write and so did Dieuny and Rosemène.  You can imagine their relief, and they are now all in the last grade of High School.  They will have another government exam at the end of this year, so they could still use your prayers as they have already started to study for it.  The rest of those who did not pass will have to re-take the same test next year and try to pass again. As you can imagine it does get quite discouraging for those who have been at it a long time.  Keep them in your prayers as well.

We have just put out a Newsletter.  We are going to post it here as well so if you didn't get it in your e-mail, you will be able to take a look at it here.  It's full of news, prayer requests and ways to help.  One prayer request to add to it is that I will be traveling to South America this coming week to a conference with our partnering organization Extreme Response.  I'm looking forward to learning lots, and getting ideas from the other partners who will be representing many different works throughout the Americas.   Appreciate your prayers.   Enjoy the letter, and if you'd rather have it delivered to your inbox, just let us know and we'll add your e-mail address to the list.

HOH Fall 2014