Building Relationships

How do children spell LOVE? I like a thought that was shared with me recently. Children spell love like this:  T I M E.

With ten little girls plus several teenagers, it takes a lot of “time” to build quality relationships. It is our desire to show each of these girls what it means to be loved and cared for.

The little girls that just joined the “family” seem to need extra love and attention. They crave attention and each one has a different way of getting it! Some children express their need for attention by naughtiness.… and others are constantly wanting pills for their “headache” or “stomach ache” or any other ache they can drum up! It was not long until I learned several new words after the little girls came!… “tet fe mal” (headache) and “vant fe mal” (stomach ache)

One of the little girls is very quiet but she expresses her need for love and attention by clinging. She loves to walk around holding my arm or hands.

Our family likes to spend time with the girls in the evening before their bedtime. They love when Don gives them attention! If Don gives one a “horsey ride” he ends up giving many a “horsey ride”! The little girls love to run their little hands through Don’s soft hair and believe it or not he allows them to!

The children call us “Daddy Don” and “Mommy Karole”.  I like this “title’ and am  very happy to be a part of these sweet little children’s lives and count it a real privilege.

Sometimes I think of the verse in the Bible that says: “He maketh the barren woman to keep house and be a joyful mother of children.. Praise ye the Lord. Ps. 113:9

God has done that for me.

I want to share some pictures with you all… The first picture is of our group of girls here at Leogane.. Unfortunately, one of the girls is missing on the picture.

 

Don has loved children ever since he was a young man and does very well with the girls here. The little girls love when “Daddy Don” spends time with them! Several days ago, Don took the time to fix some old bikes that were laying on a pile in the “depot”. Since then the bikes have been getting a lot of use! Several of the little girls do well on the bikes and several of them are still trying to learn.. one little girl especially is very determined to learn to ride. Don has been helping her by walking along side her bike and helping her with her balance. She LOVES it!

This past week I took the opportunity to do several fun things with the girls… they have lots of free time right now because school has not started for them yet. The girls love to color and cut, play games, etc.

Last Sunday evening, (a week ago) Trish and Do welcomed their first child… Eva Ruth… She is a very sweet little bundle and is loved by all! The little girls were very excited about this new addition to Leogane Girl’s Home! I too am happy to have a tiny baby to hold… :)

Happy Parents!.. Lenord (Dou) and Trish Bonnegre…

Mr. Bonnegre is assistant administrator here at Leogane and is in charge of the foster program. We appreciate this young couple very much..

We thank-you all for taking an interest in our lives and in God’s work here in Leogane, Haiti. Keep praying for us!

Good night and love to you all!

Karole for the Weaver family

Ten Little Girls Join the Family

I like the verse found in Matthew 18:5…. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

And later on in that same chapter is another verse that I like: verse 10

Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven THEIR ANGELS do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

I do believe that when these little girls joined “our family” God sent their angels to look after them… I really like that thought! Don’t you? ….Ten more angels living within the walls of this compound…. That is a very comforting thought.

On Monday evening of this week, the small pickup truck that was transporting these precious little girls arrived. Transportation here in Haiti is quite different from the USA. The little girls were not using seatbelts… instead most of them rode in the bed of the truck with a tarp over head to keep off any rain that decided to fall. ( we are in the rainy season right now.)

 

As you can well imagine, the little girls were timid and quiet after they came BUT it did not take long for them to “warm up”! Presently, they are a rowdy little bunch of girls minus a few of them. Several of them continue to be shy.

Yesterday I decided to take some pictures of them much to their pleasure! They were so excited about having their pictures taken and kept begging me to take more of them..individually… etc. Of course they wanted to see the picture too!

 

The names of the little girls are Oudeline, Michena, Mica, Natanaelle, Sterline, Marie Flore, Rose, Rose Mica, Rose Michelle, and Sendie. Believe me, it’s a challenge to learn all their names… The R’s sound like W’s in Creole and the L’s are long and drawn out.

Our children are enjoying the little girls as well….

The last two evenings after supper we have been spending time playing with the little girls and they LOVE it! ….( in spite of the language barrier.)  They love to feel our “soft” hair … hold our hands, play clapping games, etc.

I have decided that Love must be the same in all cultures! A smile … a hug… a kiss… laughter… expresses friendship in all languages!

After the little girls went to bed last evening, I decided to act like a “mom” and “tuck” them in! I bounced them while saying an English rhyme. I know they did not understand it at all but they enjoyed the love and attention! They were happy to share good night kisses with me ….. too!

Tonight I am so happy to be here…. I am in love with this place and these dear children!

God Bless You All… keep praying for us….

Karole for the Weaver family

What can we do to help?

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

Back to Haiti

Yesterday, early morning, we left for the JFK airport in New York. We were on our way back to Haiti after spending 5 weeks in the USA. We arrived at the airport around 5:30 AM.

Our time at home was enjoyed very much.. however very busy! While home, we managed to have a yard sale, attended a good friend’s wedding, camped out with the Weavers ..twice, enjoyed a big Peight family gathering, went on a “double date” with our good friends.. etc. etc! We ate roast beef, hamburgers, grilled chicken, Schwans ice cream, twist soft serve ice cream, watermelon, cantaloupe, fresh strawberry pie, raspberries, and blueberries!!

We were thankful to have an airport attendant help us out with our mountain of luggage. It took awhile to get it all checked in and the extra bags paid for…In spite of our good start, we ended up having some “airport stress”later on,  due to some grumpy staff! They were being especially picky about carry on luggage that morning.. and we ended up getting one of our carry on pieces tagged and put under the plane to pacify them. They finally left us through security and off to find our gate of departure.

After two uneventful flights, we landed in Haiti. Trish and Do were there to meet us. We piled our luggage into the back of the truck and off we went. Don sat on the back with several of the children so I gave him the camera to take some pictures of typical city life in Haiti! These pictures I want to share with you!

 

We are also very happy to be able to care for Karlee Jo until her adoption papers are finalized. Karlee Jo is being adopted by Jess and Carol Myer, some very good friends of ours. They have been working at her adoption almost ever since her birth. Up to this point Karlee had been living in Port-au-Prince with several different families. Trish and Do had picked her up prior to going to the airport. She was there to greet us as will.. sweet little girl! Leogane Girl’s Home has given us permission to care for her until her adoption is final. We really have no idea how long or short the time may be. Pray for Karlee and her situation. She is doing very well in spite of having been “passed around'”.

 

She was not very photogenic today… :) as far as smiles go.. however, she is beautiful smile or no smile! Right?

She loves rice and beans….

…as well as her bath time!

Good night little miss.. we love you!

God Bless all our friends and loved ones tonight!

Karole