Country Director's Letter: Haiti

Today's letter is from Haiti, where we correspond with Kamplos and Luxandra. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

My name is Guilbaud Saint-Cyr, and I have been serving as the Compassion Haiti country director for 13 years now. The ministry of Compassion began in Haiti in 1968. The Lord has currently blessed us with more than 100,000 registered children in partnership with about 300 local churches.

We feel so grateful for the enthusiastic and generous contribution you have provided to your sponsored child. Our committed sponsors enable children to have hope and a future, and to participate in effective programs designed to shape their lives so they can become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.

One vivid example is a young man who lived in the poverty of Solino, one of the largest and most dangerous slums in Haiti. One of five children in a family that struggled to meet their basic needs, he became a Compassion-sponsored child at an early age. Through the program, he had access to quality education, Bible training, medical and food support, and income-generating training. Eventually he attained a bachelor’s degree in administration in a prestigious university in Haiti and a master’s degree in discipleship from the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Today, he is ministering to children in the community where he grew up, reaching out to gang members by modeling the way. He not only meets the needs of his nuclear family and extended family, but he also chose to sponsor two little boys through Compassion – one from his former child development center and another from Colombia.

We have several priorities for the coming year. As a strong and growing ministry in Haiti, we plan to reinforce our partnerships by equipping our church partners with new technology for timely processing and delivery of child information to sponsors, and by helping them serve more children. We are also considering partnership with new denominations in the regions we already operate in to serve the high volume of new children we foresee in the future.

We will continue to implement our WaSH (water, sanitation and hygiene) strategy, started a year ago, consisting of providing water, sanitation and hygiene services coupled with education and awareness training. We can save lives and enhance child development through WaSH initiatives. We are completing our pilot phase with 12 centers and can already see the great impact of the strategy. Our vision is to implement WaSH in all our centers throughout the country.

We are developing a new youth-development strategy to enable all our eligible high-finishing students to fulfill their inner calling and potential through higher education, and transition the current Leadership Development Program model to a broader, integrated approach under the responsibility of churches.

We are fighting tirelessly to eradicate poverty, this evil that takes away our precious children’s hope, dignity, and joy of living. We firmly believe that what happens in the life of a child ripples throughout their environment now and in the future. Each sponsor letter and word of encouragement has untold impact on a child and gives that child back hope, dignity and joy. Please write your child as often as you can.

Please pray that God’s wisdom will lead us to be more effective in carrying out this ministry of releasing one child at a time from poverty in Jesus’ name. Changed environments may help children, but transformed children will inevitably change their environments. Let us continue to band together to make this happen for the glory of God.

All these great accomplishments and initiatives have been made possible because of wonderful sponsors like you. Thank you again for your partnership and for your commitment to your sponsored child; this is a battle we can’t win without you.

In Jesus,
Guilbaud Saint-Cyr

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Haiti, please consider sponsoring

Pastor's Letter: Haiti (HA-709)

Whenever we're assigned a new correspondent, we're sent a pastor's letter! I like sharing them here both as a record and for others to read. Enjoy!

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This letter is from Daniella's project! And the photos are from Compassion's Haiti Northern Region page.

Dear Eric and Hannah,

My name is Josier R, I am the pastor of [HA-709] of TN. We minister to Daniella at the CDC. I take advantage of this occasion to thank you for your sponsorship of Daniella.

Our community of TN is very disadvantaged compared to other districts concerning access to primary services and healthcare for the population. Our environment is generally not clean but we are able to provide fresh water and produce mangoes. However, we have few economic activities, no recreational places, and no vocational school at this date.

Those who own mango trees do not have sufficient means to trade in other cities. Due to lack of this opportunity to run this wealth, this district is known for poverty. TN contains also some various mines for marble limestone, copper, gold, zinc, and lead. Most of people depend on the agriculture although there is no irrigation; the farmers are just waiting for rain. Due to that, the parents are not able to supply their children's needs especially in terms of education.

Our roads are not in good condition and during rainy times, the roads are not usable and we become isolated from other towns. In spite of many initiatives, the local authorities are not able to improve life condition of the population. This increases the church's goal to evangelize the community in action and in word.

We cherish the dream that our church will grow in number and be more involved in social development. We would also like our auditorium construction to be achieved so we can minister to more than 300 children.

This center has been established here for 14 years and many people testify its great impact in the community. There is a big difference between the children of the center and those of the community. The children of the center go to school because they receive financial aid from sponsors while most of the other children in the community do not go because their parents cannot pay the school fee. In spirituality, the children of the center love God and His word while other children do not benefit from such special training. Moreover, the children of the center benefit from medical care when they are sick and they have good relationships with each other. We see the children of the center are accustomed to meditation on God's word and leading worship service at church. Such actions are the restful of Bible teaching at the center.

Our church positively influences the community through this program, as well as through evangelism and other spiritual and social activities. When we organize an environment cleaning. we show that the Gospel is not only about spiritual affairs but social also. The sponsored children's parents love the living and true God. This permits everybody to see that the God from the Bible is the God of mercy and love.

The sponsored children are very happy when receiving the letters and the photos their sponsors send and they are proud to show their friends this love. The children are very pleased for these letters and their sponsors' prayers; it means so much to them to know that someone cares about them and they never cease to pray for their sponsors.

We pray God to bless our loving sponsors and grant them strong health. We ask you to please pray for the construction of our auditorium and the temple.

Finally, we sincerely thank you for contributing to the spiritual, economic, and physical growth of Daniella. May God always be with you!

Sincerely,

Josier R.

~~~
If you would like to sponsor a child from Haiti, please consider sponsoring adorable Rose Darline! She is 4-years-old and her birthday is October 14.

Rose Darline lives with one sibling and her mother, who is not employed. She helps her mother with cleaning and Rose Darline's favorite activities are playing with dolls and hide-and-seek. To sponsor Rose Darline, click here.

Daniella in Haiti

When Arun's project closed in 2016, we asked Compassion to find us a child with about 6 months remaining before graduation. They found Daniella for us! In her 17 years enrolled in Compassion she had only received 5 letters. We sponsored Daniella through her graduation from Compassion's program in May 2017.

We have received 3 letters while sponsoring Daniella, and we received one pastor's letter. Her birthday is April 3. Daniella lives with her parents, who are farmers, and she has three siblings: older brother, Saintilien, older sister, Rosena, and younger sister, Evenel.

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Project Info and Activities:

Daniella attends HA-309 in Gonaives
* Home to approximately 9,000 residents
* Primary language is Creole
* Most common work is mal herding or plantation work, although majority are unemployed
* Average earning is $10 a month
* Regional Diet: beans, bread, maize & plantains
* Typical Houses: dirt floors, brick walls, corrugated iron roofs

Center Activities: Bible teaching, camps, retreats, health and hygeine education, vaccinations, talent development, community service opportunities, mentoring programs, educational assistance, tutoring and vocational training.

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Miscellaneous Info from Letters:

* Favorites: group games, walking, jacks, hide-and-seek, reading, jump rope, singing, listening to music, story telling, fruit and chocolate, pink and green, soccer, math, chicken and dog (pets)

* Dreams: to be a nurse or a lawyer after she graduates high school, to be a successful person, to sponsor a child in the future

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Letter Highlights...

"What is your occupation? Do you like other pets? What is your favorite hobby? Do you love God very much?"

"I am overjoyed to write you this letter. I am greeting you in the name of Jesus who is powerful."

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Final Letter

Dear Eric and Hannah,

Today, I am so pleased to communicate with you. I am greeting you in the precious name of Jesus who is powerful. By the way, how are you? How is your family? As for me, my loved ones and I are doing very well thanks to God.

I am so proud because I have you as my sponsor. Thank you for your love and supports. I am so happy every time I get the chance to write you. The letter you sent please me. Also, the commandments you shared pleased me. With God's help I trust that I will continue to obey the commandments.

Last week, I celebrated a great feast; Easter Day. I do like this celebration. Do you celebrate it over there?

There is a Bible verse I want to share with you; Colossians 3:3. Thanks for your prayers. Please, keep praying so that God can keep me and to obey Him in everything and to live for Him in order to please everyone and myself. I love you very much in Jesus' name. I will be praying so that God can continue to bless you in everything you are undertaking and that He can keep you safe everywhere you go. I pray that God pour every kind of blessings over you and your whole family! Pease and blessings from God to you!

Daniella

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To read the other posts in this series, click here.

Pastor's Letter: Haiti (HA-306)

Whenever we're assigned a new correspondent, we're sent a pastor's letter! I like sharing them here both as a record and for others to read. Enjoy!

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This letter is from Kamplos' project! And the photos are from Compassion's Haiti Southern Region page.

Dear Eric and Hannah,

My name is Louinel G; I am the pastor of the church of P, N. We minister to your sponsored child at the CDC. How can we possibly thank you for your sponsorship of Kamplos? Because of sponsors, lives are changing in an amazing way.

You could not imagine how important the center is in this region; for the parents cannot afford to pay their children's school fees. Thanks to the center, many children get to go to school. So, I cordially thank sponsors for their support towards the children.

My church is located in a valley. the main activity of the folks is agriculture. They grow rice, bean and corn. It does not rain regularly for years; so it is difficult for the peasants to survive. Our community is facing some challenges: lack of infrastructure, shoes, vocational schools, unemployment, spare time center, the school buildings are too small, and we don't have enough materials. Also, the church is unable to build a meeting space.

The church and the center deeply impact the community. My aim is that the center can try harder in order to develop the community and that more people can come to Christ through the center. The children of the center are exceptional compared to other children because they are involved in church activities and they get to learn a trade such as tiling, Floral Art, or sewing class. The church influences the community through open air activities, evangelization and other programs with the leaders and parents of the area. Thanks to the center, many parents go to church.

I want you to know that the letters and photos mean a lot in the relationship between the sponsored children and their sponsors. It permits them to share piece of information each other. The relationship between a child and a sponsor is so important and capital. A child is always excited to receive a letter from their sponsor. I think it is similar to the sponsors, too. I exhort the children to write good letters to their sponsors. I make sure that I am present by the time the letters are being written because I love to see the children's faces as they write. I hope you know the importance of your letters to Kamplos and will write often.

I sincerely want to assure you that your child is in good hand because I work in close collaboration with the employees in order to change the life condition of the children. We have a good staff that consists of teachers and instructors to teach the children Bible verses and stories.

I cannot stop thanking you for your supports toward Kamplos through Compassion International. At church, we are praying for you a lot so that God can bless you much more and give you good health. Please, pray for the children so that God can make a way for them and do efficient work in their lives and that they can always remain in Jesus! Pray also that we can build a bathroom space, a playground, and find a welder to open an ironwork class. We also need a cement mixer to finish our construction projects.

I pray God blesses you.

In Christ,

Pastor Louinel G

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Haiti, please consider 4-year-old Orlindo (who is from Kamplos' project!). Orlindo's birthday is April 17 and he has been waiting over 250 days for a sponsor.

Orlindo lives with his father and his mother. At home, duties include carrying water and cleaning. His father is sometimes employed as a farmer and his mother is sometimes employed as a seller in the market.

Playing with marbles and playing group games are Orlindo's favorite activities. In pre-school his performance is average and he also regularly attends church activities. To sponsor Orlindo, click here.

Kamplos in Haiti

We began corresponding with Kamplos in October 2016. I will continue to update this post as we hear from him.

We have received 4 letters, one pastor's letter, and and one country director's letter while corresponding with Kamplos. His birthday is June 7. Kamplos lives with his parents, his father is a farmer and his mother sells in the market.

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Project Info and Activities:

Kamplos attends HA-306 in Les Cayes
* Home to approximately 15,700 residents
* Primary language is Creole
* Most common work is plantation work, although the majority are unemployed
* Average earning is $31 a month
* Regional Diet: maize, beans, bread & bananas
* Common Health Problems: fevers, diarrhea, coughs
* Typical Houses: wood floors, block walls, corrugated iron roofs

Center Activities: Bible teaching, retreats, medical checkups, health education, recreational activities, educational support and school supplies.

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Miscellaneous Info from Letters:

* Favorites: soccer, marbles, cars, going to rivers, math

* Dreams: to be a physician, to meet the president of Haiti, to be like his pastor, to visit Canada and to help his mother

* Hurricane Matthew in 2016 destroyed Kamplos' house and all his belongings. Thankfully his entire family is well.

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Letter Highlights...

"His church celebrate Easter. Do you also celebrate Easter where you live?"

"He wants to play soccer and marbles with his friends."

"Kamplos said that for the vacation he learns to make many nice sandals... He said that he plays with his little friends, he plays ball and marbles with his friends for the vacation."

"He wants you to know that he is working for the other term exams. He has many gardens in his country. He says what are you doing in this moment and when do you have vacation? He will pray for you."

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Artwork

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We received an surprise photo of Kamplos in Haiti in December 2016! Isn't he so handsome?

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To read the other posts in this series, click here.

Continue Praying for Haiti...

As we head into the especially festive season of Christmas, let us not forget the true meaning of Christmas! I pray that we each take time to meditate on the beauty of our Savior...our Savior who came into this sinful world as a helpless baby, with the purpose of suffering to pay for our sin. Romans 5:8 says it best, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

I've been thinking a lot about Ephesians 2:10, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." I am planning on writing to our sponsored kids with this verse as our birthday theme this year (I'll share that letter in a few weeks). And I have been reminded that during this festive season, may we seek God and ask what good works He wants us to do this season! There are endless opportunities...

I encourage you to plug into your local church to find ways to serve locally (for my fellow church members, here is the schedule for our Christmas outreaches).

Let us not forget the refugees and our persecuted brothers. And let us not forget to pray for the furtherance of the gospel to those who don't know Christ (check out International Mission Board and Wycliffe Bible Translators to learn more)!

I know that Compassion's ministry to children is near and dear to my heart... And having children in Haiti has brought the plight of Haiti even closer. It hurts to hear that our child, our Kamplos, lost everything to Hurricane Matthew. It's not a faceless tragedy, but I know the name of a person affected by the storm...and I am so thankful that Compassion has been there to help in the wake!

The devastation is heart-wrenching...


But some of the stories of faith are so encouraging!


I encourage you to pray about how to reach out through Christ this Christmas season. And personally, we have found it so much easier to pray for a country, to be motivated to give sacrificially in crisis and to learn more about the regions of the world where we have a sponsored child...it really closes the distance and instead of vague information it becomes a personal relationship!

If you would like to start a relationship with a child today, please consider 9-year-old Ismaël, who's birthday was yesterday! He's been over 240 days for a sponsor and what a fun surprise it would be for him to learn he was sponsored for his 9th birthday?

Ismaël makes his home with his grandmother. Gathering firewood and cleaning are his household duties. His grandmother is sometimes employed as a farmer.

Singing and hide-and-seek are Ismaël's favorite activities. In primary school his performance is above average and he also regularly attends church activities. To sponsor Ismaël, click here.

Luxandra in Haiti

We began corresponding with Luxandra in March 2016. I will continue to update this post as we hear from her.

We have received 7 letters, one pastor's letter, and one country director's letter while corresponding with Luxandra. Her birthday is January 29. Luxandra lives with her aunt and cousins in town, but her parents live with her younger sister Christ-Marth in the countryside. Her father is a farmer and a deacon, and her mother is a dress maker and a secretary of the ladies band and Sunday school teacher at church.

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Project Info and Activities:

Luxandra attends HA-308 in Bainet

* Home to approximately 12,000 residents
* Primary language is Creole
* Most common work is work is street vending, but majority are unemployed
* Average earning is $43 a month
* Regional Diet: maize, beans, chicken, bread & rice
* Common Health Problems: diarrhea, typhoid fever
* Typical Houses: cement floors, corrugated iron roofs

Center Activities: Bible teaching, health education, recreational activities, academic support and school supplies.

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Miscellaneous Info from Letters:

* Favorites: dolls, Jesus' birth, Creation, Psalm 24

* Dreams: to visit Canada, help her family, meet Eric and Hannah, become a school principal, be like her aunt

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Letter Highlights...

"She says thank you for the details you gave her about these animals which are different from those we have here. She says she'd like to know what the usefulness of these animals are. She always puts time to read your letters and she stores all of them."

"It's Christmas time, Luxandra uses to perform songs based on Jesus' birth. Luxandra tells you that she uses to lead the children's service. She says Jesus' death and resurrection means a lot to her."

"Thank you so much for all of your support to me. You are special to me. I do know God won't fail to bless you. I love you so much. May God bless you and your family because you deserve that."

"Thank you for the gift you sent me. We began to build a house with it because we didn't have a home. We built the base for a two room house. Thank you so much for this good work. Pray for us to find a good place to dwell."

"My activities are going well, such as my schooling, club, the non-formal classes. I take a cookery class. I'm learning to prepare cake, pate and a local beverage called Cremasse."

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Artwork

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To read the other posts in this series, click here.

Letter Writing: Haiti

July's letter is focused on Haiti, thanks to the directions for Osselets on the Step Into My Shoes Blog. I got my information from Bats 4 Kids, USDA Forest Service, iNaturalist, and Encyclopedia Britannica. The map, flag, and photos were found through a Google image search. I just love being able to add extra pages with photos and activities!

Here's a picture of the letter I sent:

If you would like to share this letter with your sponsored child, here is what I wrote:

Dear Name,

I wanted to share a Haitian game with you! The country of Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. I included a map and flag for you. The word "Haiti" means "land of the high mountains." Because Haiti is located in the Caribbean, it has a tropical climate. And it is home to three species of bats! I thought I would share about these bats with you! Have you ever seen a bat? We see bats in the evening when the sun is going down. They fly super fast and eat the mosquitos and other bugs. Juanito, Rosie and I love watching the bats fly! Bats use echolocation to find their food. Echolocation is when bats send out sound waves using their mouth or nose. When the sound hits an object an echo comes back and the bat can identify an object by the sound of the echo! They can tell the size, shape and texture of a tiny insect from its echo. Most bats use echolocation to navigate in the dark and find food. Bats also sleep upside down! I included a page of photos of each type of bat found in Haiti. The first bat species in Haiti is the Sooty Mustached Bat, which is very small and typically only weighs about 5 grams. Sooty Mustached Bats live in caves and typically eat at sunset! Skin flaps resembling a moustache cover its nostrils giving rise to its “sooty mustache” common name. The second type of bat is called a Waterhouse's Leaf-nosed Bat. This bat also lives in caves and hunts at sunset! In addition, to echolocation, the Waterhouse's Leaf-nosed Bat uses the sound made by the prey itself to locate it. The third type of bat is a Bulldog Bat. This type of bat can grow up to 12 centimeters. The Bulldog Bat can swim! And the Greater Bulldog Bat also eats fish in addition to insects.

The game from Haiti is called Osselets and children in Haiti play it with goat knuckle bones. To play, you need: five osselets. All you need for an osselet is something that can be tossed and that has a dot on one side and nothing on the other side (or sides). A dried bean would work well.
1. The first player begins by gently tossing all 5 osselets into the air and letting them land on the ground.
2. The player then picks up the ball, tosses it in the air, and tries to pick up an osselet before the ball hits the ground. The goal is for the player to pick up an extra osselet each time until she has all 5 in her hand.
3. Before the player can pick up the osselet, she has to turn it so that the side with only 1 dot is facing up. If an osselet or the ball falls on the ground before another is picked up, it’s the next player’s turn.

Love, Hannah

Feel free to copy this game to share with your sponsored kids!

Pastor's Letter: Haiti (HA-308)

Whenever we're assigned a new correspondent, we're sent a pastor's letter! I like sharing them here both as a record and for others to read. Enjoy!

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This letter is from Luxandra's project! And the photos are from Compassion's Haiti Southern Region page.

Dear Eric and Hannah,

My name is Joseph E. I am the pastor of the W Church of B. We run the CDC attended by your sponsored child. In fact, I want to thank you for your support for Luxandra.

Environmentally, B is a town at risk, under-developed financially, socially and culturally. There are families who are very vulnerable financially, intellectually, sanitary. So, I have some challenges to accept in my ministry. My church building needs to be repaired and I want to build a documentation center for the children so that they can blossom intellectually and spiritually and socially. As a leader, I can see the positive impacts of the center in the sponsored children's lives and other children in the community.

Spiritually, the sponsored children testify that Christ is their Savior. Financially, they get the opportunity to learn a vocation, they go to school. Through the Compassion program, they sometimes receive funds which allow them to improve the condition of life of their families. The church influences the community throughout its activities such as: the education of juvenile delinquency, more children get to attend school and many homes find an improvement through the Complementary Intervention funds and the gifs.

The majority of the children have the opportunity to see a health specialist. In my opinion, 75% of families who have sponsored children go to church. It is an exceptional part of Compassion. As I can see, the letters mean a lot in the relationship between the sponsored child and sponsor. It permits them to share piece of information about their family, their country and their culture. Also, the letters allow the sponsor to inform about the children's promotion at school, church, club and about family. So, they make sensitive and influence their lives socially and spiritually. I hope you know the importance of your letters to Luxandra and will write often.

I sincerely want to assure you that your child is in good hand because I work in close collaboration with the employees in order to change the life condition of the children. We have a good staff that consists of teachers and instructions to teach the children Bible verses and stories.

I cannot stop thanking you for your support towards Luxandra through Compassion International. At church, we are praying for you a lot so that God can bless you much more and give you good health. Please, pray for the children so that God can make a way for them and do efficient work in their lives and that they can always remain in Jesus!

I will keep praying for the Compassion ministry to become bigger in the world in the benefit of the children. I am speechless to thank you because your helps allow me to release children from poverty in Jesus' name.

God bless you,
Pastor J. Joseph E.

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Haiti, please consider handsome Wilcleph who will be 9 on August 26. He has been waiting over 290 days for a sponsor.

Wilcleph makes his home with his father and his mother. Cleaning is his household duty. His father is sometimes employed as a farmer and his mother is sometimes employed as a farmer.

For fun, Wilcleph enjoys singing, listening to music and hide-and-seek. He attends church activities regularly and is in primary school where his performance is average. To sponsor Wilcleph, click here.

Great Video about Haiti

Here is a neat video about computer labs in Haiti!


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If you would like to sponsor a child from Haiti, please consider beautiful Wood, who is 9 and has been waiting over 320 days. Her birthday is December 9.

Wood lives with her mother. Her duties at home include carrying water and washing clothes. There are 2 children in the family. Her mother is sometimes employed as a seller in the market.

Singing and art are Wood's favorite activities. In pre-school her performance is average and she also regularly attends church activities. To sponsor Wood, click here.

Book Review: Unshaken

Thanks to Jill, who blogs at Compassion Family, I had the opportunity to read Unshaken: Rising from the Ruins of Haiti's Hotel Montana.

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Unshaken: Rising from the Ruins of Haiti's Hotel Montana is by Dan Woolley, a Compassion employee who was caught in the Hotel Montana during Haiti's terrible 2010 earthquake.

Not only did this book give me a glimpse into Compassion's work in Haiti, the devastation of the earthquake and the open my eyes to the need and situation in Haiti, but it also encouraged me in my walk with God.

Dan not only shares the story of his survival of the earthquake, but his wife Christy's battle with depression early in their marriage. Both of these events challenged Dan to not be a complacent follower of Christ but one with passion.

I want to share this quote with you that really resonated with me (I know it's a bit long, but I love the truth Dan shares):

"After this latest adventure, Christy and I have a different perspective on risk and safety. It is abundantly clear to us that God intervened to bring me back safely through miracles that are hard to ignore. If God went through these lengths to return me to my unfinished life, I was never truly in an "unsafe" situation. It wasn't my time to die; therefore God kept me alive. Likewise, had it been God's will for my life to end on January 12, staying home wouldn't have prevented it.

In Corrie ten Boom's famous book The Hiding Place, her sister Betsie points out to Corrie that the only thing to really focus on is aligning ourselves with God's purposes" "There are no 'ifs' in God's world. And no places that are safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety."

The illusion of "safe" keeps people unprepared to handle a tragic interruption and keeps them insulated from any sense of urgency to live lives that make a difference in the world. The illusion of "unsafe" keeps people on the sidelines, held back by their fears from the impact they could be having."

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Please consider sponsoring Rose from Haiti. She is 4-years-old, her birthday is September 1, and she is visually impaired.

Rose makes her home with her father and her grandmother. Carrying water is her household duty. Her father is not employed and her grandmother maintains the home.

Playing with dolls and playing group games are Rose's favorite activities. In pre-school her performance is average and she also regularly attends church activities.

Rose especially needs your love and care because she is visually impaired. Because of your sponsorship, however, she is better able to lead a well-adjusted life. Please pray for her. To sponsor Rose, please click here.

Guest Post: Terri's Travels with Compassion

I'm continuing with sharing interviews with people who have traveled with Compassion to visit their kids! This week we're going to hear from Terri, who blogs at A Story By Me. Terri shares about her trip to Haiti and included some amazing photos! (My questions are in bold and Terri's answers are italicized.)

Where did you visit? Haiti

How long were you there? 5 Days

And what did the schedule roughly look like? We arrived in Port au Prince about 10:00 am, got on a bus and traveled through Port au Prince. Our trip leaders warned us that we would be heartbroken before we ever got out of Port au Prince, wow they sure were not kidding! People lined the streets hundreds. The traffic was like one huge traffic jam and as we sat in traffic many people stood outside the bus looking in. some of them wanting us to buy things. A lot of the rubble from the earth quake was still there and we saw people living in half of their homes (picture included). I think our journey through Port au prince was for me probably the hardest part of our journey, and some of the things I saw at times were pretty hard to take. That whole first day was spent traveling to our hotel. That evening we had dinner and planned our VBS activities, had devotional time and talked about the day.

Day 2, we visited our first Compassion project, there we played outside with the children most of the morning. We played things like jump rope and Frisbee and they also taught us a few games. After playtime we went into the church where the children honored us on stage (picture included looking out from the stage toward them) and then the children put on a show for us. It was really very humbling to see all the work the children put into their performance to make us feel special.

After the show we visited the Child Survival Program and had the opportunity to visit with the mothers and babies who were a part of the program. We saw where the moms bring their babies for checkups and to learn about things like nutrition, how to care for their babies. They also learn job skills there such as sewing. After lunch we went on a home visit. The family lived in a one room home that was about 10’ x 10’ shack. 7 people lived in that home! Though it was just a shack with a dirt floor you could tell they took pride in taking care of it and they were so excited to invite us in! Before we left they insisted on giving us a gift of cookies they make to sell in the market. I felt bad taking the cookies because I know they need them way more than I do, but at the same time I couldn’t say no because I did not want to hurt their feelings.

Day 3, we visited anther Compassion project where we had Vacation Bible School with the children and then we were off to another project this one required a fun boat ride through storm waters to reach our destination Ile a Vache island, on this island they don’t have any cars or electricity. We walked to the Compassion project on a dirt path through the trees, as we got closer we could hear the children singing through the trees and eventually we arrived at their little church hidden in the trees on a hill. They sang to us and then they challenged us in a soccer game in which we had no chance of ever winning, those kids were good! On this island a little girl in a mint green dress named picked me to sponsor her J Rose was her name but I have since found out she goes by her middle name which is Djamensli. We then spent the night on the island woke up in the morning to the most beautiful sounds of nature and peace I have ever heard, and a spectacular view! [Rose is in the green dress in the photo.]

Day 4 we road the boat back to the mainland traveled back to Port au Prince. That evening we met 3 students from the Leadership Development Program. They told us a lot about their lives and they talked about their hopes and dreams, one young man introduced himself as the future president of Haiti and I believe him!

Day 5 Was the day we got to meet our children! That was the day we met Thierry, I remember being nervous, but once we met I realized there was no reason to ever have been nervous. We spent the day just hanging out. We played soccer, swam in the ocean and listened to music. A wonderful day!

How many kids did you visit and what were their ages? 1 age 15, but sponsored another while there, she was 6.

Did you feel like the language barrier was a hindrance? Not really the interpreter did a wonderful job of keeping the conversation flowing. I loved how he told us to just look at our child when we spoke and speak normally. He kept up well and I really do not remember it being a hindrance at all.

What tips would you share for trying to connect with your child? I would say bring your child a few gifts you can do together. Thierry was a bit of a shy and quiet child boy and one of the gifts we brought was a soccer ball. This was a great ice breaker and we soon found out that he is on a soccer team at his school and he was very good at it. We were able to play soccer on the beach with him and he loved showing us and teaching us the tricks he could do with the ball. Another thing we brought was a Bible. Before our trip I had high-lighted a few verses in it that I wanted to share with him, he really seemed to enjoy reading that and he also shared a few of his favorite verses with us.

Was this your first trip? Yes

If so, would you go again? Yes!

Would you recommend going on a trip with Compassion to see your kids? I think everyone should go if they get the opportunity. We truly have no idea just how much our sponsorship means to those kids until we see it first hand. I had no idea what true poverty was until I went on this trip and it was so good to see what Compassion is doing and to know that we can make a difference one child at a time.

What was the most impactful thing you saw? There were so many that I’m not sure if I could narrow it down to just one thing I was impacted by the fact that they were so poor yet were so thankful for what little they had and how easily they shared and wanted to share what they had with others. The people I met loved God more than anything and had the strongest faith I have ever seen in my life.

What was the highlight of the trip? Oh man so much! I think Meeting Thierry was the highlight though the whole trip experience was amazing, and one of the biggest blessings I have ever received.

~~~
If you missed the previous posts, I encourage you to read about Jill's visit to Nicaragua and Jessi's visit to Tanzania!

International Highlight: Haiti

GENERAL INFO


If you want to read more about the history, education and other information, read Compassion's page on Haiti.

Compassion asks that we pray for three things for these kids here:

1) Pray for the thousands of people who were displaced and are living in tent cities because of the Haiti earthquake in 2010. Pray for the Lord to provide relief and stability.
2) Please pray for the reconstruction plan for the areas of Haiti that were devastated by the earthquake. Pray this plan will make great strides in meeting the needs of families and children this year.
3) Please pray for resilience, courage and vision for Compassion Haiti's leadership, staff and the church partners.

And for some beautiful photos of Haiti, check out Compassion's Flickr album here.

COMPASSION IN HAITI



If you want to read a thorough description of Compassion's work in Haiti, read their ministry highlight here. These are my favorite summaries of Compassion at work in each country!

Your letters matter! Here is a fun post about letter writing in Haiti: Experiencing Letter Writing Day in Haiti.


And here is an encouraging post about how Compassion is Fighting the Restavèk Curse in Haiti.

Watch this video to see how Compassion's work continues in the wake of the 2010 earthquake.



World Malaria Day recently passed...I found it encouraging to hear how Compassion helps serve their kids who are at risk for malaria. Check out their post: Combating Malaria in Haiti.


This story talks about the Simonette Child Development Center: From Voodoo Temple to Child Development Center.


I also recommend taking this quiz: Could You Be a Mother in Haiti?


INDIVIDUAL STORIES

I hope you enjoy Beguens Theus's story! He is now a member of parliament in Haiti!



Saidel was a former sponsored child...he has an inspiring story: One Sponsored Child's Success Story!


You can read how sponsorship has changed Ismene's life: Child of Compassion.


Check out the story of Jean Chery, a former sponsored child from Haiti: A Life Inspired by the "Lutheran Ladies".


And here's a beautiful story of how the Child Survival Program changed Jesula's life: Homeless No More: One Haitian Mother's Story.


This is a neat story about a sponsor's visit to Haiti: The Journey Back to Haiti & Three Unexpected Surprises.


And here is another story of a sponsor's visit: The Day Big Papi Came to Town.


I also want to share this sponsor's story: Lord, Keep Their Hearts Only for You.


FOOD

The Compassion website shares:

Haitians eat rice, beans, corn and bananas. Coffee is a popular drink.

Pumpkin Soup

1/2 lb. salt pork (minced)
4 pints water
1 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. pumpkin, chopped (peel and remove seeds)
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

Cook the pork in the water with the thyme and bay leaf for 30 minutes. Add pumpkin, salt and pepper and cook for 15-20 minutes, then sieve. Add the nutmeg; reheat and serve. Serves six.

And here is a fun post about Kid's Snacks in Haiti!


SPECIAL OCCASIONS

Compassion's website shared this information on Haitian holidays:

Independence Day, Jan. 1: Thanksgiving and night services take place. It is a time of visiting with friends and family. Pumpkin soup is traditionally shared to celebrate the end of slavery.

Good Friday, April 13

Christmas, Dec. 25: Houses are repainted and tree trunks are whitewashed. Families attend church services and midnight supper, then children play in the moonlight.

And here is a neat post about Christmas in Haiti.


AVAILABLE KIDS

Please be praying for the kids of Haiti who are still waiting for sponsors.

Update: Ruth has been sponsored! Meet Ruth, who's 3 and who has been waiting 241 days for a sponsor.



Ruth's birthday is October 3. She lives with her mother and two siblings. Her mother is sometimes employed as seller in the market. Ruth enjoys singing and playing with dolls. She is responsible for carrying water and helping in the kitchen. To sponsor Ruth, click here.

Update: Jobenson was sponsored! And meet Jobenson, who's also 4 and who has been waiting 208 days for a sponsor.


Jobenson's birthday is January 2. He lives with his parents and one sibling. His dad is employed as a farmer. Jobenson enjoys playing group games. He is responsible for carrying water and gathering firewood. To sponsor Jobenson, click here.

To see more available kids from the Haiti, please click here.

(Note: all facts & photos are taken from Compassion's website and blog.)