I wonder if the chaos of Port au Prince, Haiti was similar to Bethlehem in the year of our Savior’s birth. No wonder there was “no room for Him in the inn.” He was born in the squalor of the cattle stall; his Mother birthing Him in the insanitariness of the stockyard. He lay in the same box where the animals ate. He is a Savior who understands Haiti and those who live there. He would find everyday life in Haiti very familiar. He grew up walking with the poor; He walks with the poor today. Remembering this gives me hope as I look back on the year past and to the year to come. Remembering your partnership with Door of Hope Haiti is a cause to rejoice.
We are thankful for the generosity of all who gave just after the earthquake hit. Your gifts helped meet the needs of displaced children, people who needed care following leg amputations and the feeding of many who came and are still coming looking for help. The photo above is of the House of Hope receiving the very first kids from Port au Prince who were displaced by the earthquake. The boy with his arm in the sling lost his entire family when their house collapsed on them. He was spared mercifully since he was in school at the time. His school building collapsed and he was one of only 3 boys that survived. This is one of many similar stories.
We are thankful for so many cards and inquiries of concern for our friends in Haiti.
We are thankful for people who follow our ministry online at our website, on our blog and on facebook. We are overwhelmed by the increasing number of people whom we have never met yet are friends of our ministry.
We are thankful that not one child or staff at the House of Hope has contracted Cholera! The Northern Provinces of Haiti were among the hardest hit; it is no small thing to rejoice in such a mighty protection that the Lord has given to these children. It is common for people to feel sad for children in orphanages in Haiti; we see them as the fortunate ones! Two meals a day and readily available filtered water to drink.
We visited Angie at LeTourneau University in November. Angie is studying hard and doing well. It was a very hard semester for her. Chemistry was a difficult course for her but her disciplined study paid off. One night while she was studying some of the girls from her apartment were going out to get something to eat and they invited Angie along. Angie responded quickly to their offer and let them know that “I have a life you know!” She is studying to be a nurse and takes it very seriously.We will be taking a short term team to the House of Hope this July to give the staff a chance to rest for a week. The staff gets to spend a week at a camp adjacent to the House of Hope where they will have daily bible studies and activities. They also will have an excursion to a local beach. Two years ago we brought a team there to help and it was very successful. Jenny & Linda would like to do it again. We want to bring down a nurse to help us on this team. Pray.
There’s more…
Looking ahead to 2011…
This Door of Hope will consolidate its ministry focus to two principal areas. Specifically, we will continue our advocacy work with Angie Charlot and our partnership with House of Hope. Our work with the House of Hope and with Angie has been very fruitful and a source of joy to us. Please pray for us and for them.
Items for prayer…I am often asked for specific requests; here are several
1. For some time Door of Hope has been considering becoming a Non-Profit Corporation. The need to do this has become more urgent. We are also considering other possibilities. Pray for the Lord’s leading in these matters.
2. This is a faith ministry. We started it by faith and by faith it moves forward. But it takes faith and that’s the hard part. Please pray for our faith to be strong. Anything involving Haiti is always hard. It just is. We could talk more about that sometime. Not now. Just pray…pray…pray.
3. Pray for Angie at LeTourneau University. She has a full semester and she will stay in Texas for courses during the early part of the summer.
4. Pray for Haitians as they continue to suffer with the cholera outbreak. The earthquake and the cholera outbreak have exhausted both the Haitians and the international community who serve there. It is a lot to take.
5. Pray for Americans who minister in Haiti. Haitians are becoming skeptical of foreigners since there are some people who go there to work with only their own interests in mind and not the interest of others.
6. Pray for Hope Village. The project was set back as we were counseled that the Haitian government was not in favor of us building our new children’s village on the coastline. We are now looking at other properties more inland in the town of Bayeux. To date we have site plan drawn up; now all we need is the site to build it on!
