A warm Hello from Leogane, Haiti!
One of my favorite verses right now is found in Psalms 41:1 Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. verse 2: The Lord will keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
In what ways does God expect us to consider the poor? There are definitely a host of poor people in Haiti and there are lots of opportunities to minister and lots of opportunities to share with them… how do you decide who to help and who not to help?.. and the bigger question; How to help?
There are many people who have lost their homes to the earthquake in January of 2010.. there are people who have become handicapped during the earthquake… there are children who need someone to love and care for them.. and the list goes on. There are emotional needs, physical needs, and material needs.
It is Don and I’s desire to be a blessing where ever the Lord leads us.
Our family was happy to spend last week in the mountains of Haiti at the New Horizons Children’s Home. We were babysitting for Rhonda, their caregiver, while she was in the states getting dental work done. (Presently the girls here at Leogane are on vacation so we had a great opportunity to spend some time in the mountains.) There are 10 young children at the New Horizons Children’s home and one 15 year old girl.
I think one of the children’s highlights of our visit were the lollipops that Don brought along back from his trip to Ti Goave. I don’t know if I have ever seen children as delighted as they were! I will admit that lollipops DO taste good in Haiti! I even had one!!
The children also enjoyed sitting in a circle in the living room for devotions in the evening. Don would read them a story, sing, and pray with them. The children love to sing and put a lot of energy into it!
On Sunday, we did not take the children to church because of the recent outbreaks of Cholera in the area. Instead we had our own little church on the front porch of the home. Afterward we piled onto the Scout and went for a scenic drive, taking a picnic lunch along with us! Our family wanted to see the land that is for sale about 30 minutes from New Horizons. The Pastor that we are working with found the land and thought it would be a good place for us to build a children’s home, if the Lord continues to lead us in that direction.
The land that is for sale is some mountain side ground and a nice plateau high in the mountains with a spectacular view! ( way beyond our expectations!.. and it is “pricey” too!) Doesn’t this picture remind you of.. “I go to the hills when my heart is lonely”?
Reminds me of another one of my favorite verses: I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My help comes from the Lord which made heaven and earth!
Pray that God would have His way concerning this land and our desire to build a home here.. and that He would provide the finances in order to make this happen.
This parcel of land would certainly fit the name we have chosen for our home! Light on the Mountain.
The children loved romping and playing up here …
Trista found some flowers and braided them.
What a sweet face and warm brown eyes! Don’t you agree with me?! Who couldn’t help but fall in love with her? :)
Presently, We are at Leogane waiting for Hurricane Emily to Hit us! The weatherman is predicting at least a foot of rain! Not sure where that all will go…
Thanks again for your time and for taking an interest in our lives.. We need the prayers of those we love!
We love you!
karole for the weavers
Karole and family: I just became aware of your blog and loved the pictures you posted. It is true that Haiti has some beautiful scenery and flowers. Our family lived in Haiti for 10 yrs in the 60's and 70's. We lived and worked in Grde. Riviere du Nord and P-au-P. Our son was 6 mos. old when we first went as a family and our daughter was born there. (She too took a bath in a large basin like the one you showed.) Paul has continued to work in Haiti off and on for the past 30 yrs. and may have another opportunity to contribute to the work of IMA World Health in GR through Rotary. I loved the Creole language and found the best way to learn it is to be with the people. They are very forgiving of any mistakes and eager to help. We loved the enthusiastic worship services and singing. God bless you, Eleanor Derstine (your mother can fill you in on where I fit in the Yoder family.)
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