A new year...a new start!!

Recognize the guy in the orange shirt?











It's Preslet!

Preslet is the boy who was badly burned by his father and has been sponsored by H2H to undergo life changing surgeries to release the tight skin under his neck and arms...allowing him to move his head & use his arms again. When I first met Preslet I was struck by his ability to forgive his father so quickly & his witty spirit, but it was heart breaking to see the severity of the burns and the way it had imprisioned him to his house. Haiti can be a ruthless place for people with disabilities or anything out of their "norm".

I returned to Haiti on December 30th so I could break in the New Year with the kids. My first day here I visited Preslet at his house & encouraged him to come to our New Years Eve service and start getting out of his house. He was reluctant at best but called me the next day to escort him to the service. He was almost completely covered when he arrived and wouldn't leave my side. As the night progressed I left him in the service to help the girls prepare the famous pumpkin soup. It was several hours later that I immerged from the kitchen to find Preslet outside the service hanging out with some boys from our home. He progressed from there to dancing & singing & it was almost 2am when he finally headed home! The change in him was astounding...and seems to be permanent. He now comes to H2H on a daily basis. He lifts weights with the older boys to prevent his skin from tightening up again and, as you can see in the photos, loves playing soccer again!

Preslet still has a long way to go in his recover but this new year has truly given him a new start!

A great way to end 2008

I had a great Christmas with my family and have been back in Haiti since December 30th. To celebrate the New Year I had a week of activities planned for the kids...they were really spoiled this year as they had just had a great Christmas too!!

Here are some pictures of the festivities...thanks to the very generous H2H supporters who raised ~$7000 to make this holiday special.

Packing the presents that went home with ALL of the school children:














The gift bags were given out the last day of classes, along with their reports cards.














And the kids in the H2H Children's Home (& all the volunteers & workers) enjoyed a Christmas feast!!



















The feast happened while I was still in Canada so my week of fun was just a bonus. We went to the beach, played games, has special meals, watched a movie and just hung out! Because I was sick before going home it felt like a long time since I had real quality time with the kids so I enjoyed every minute. The kids are now back to school & into their schedules so I'm able to get caught up on my "to do lists".

Thanks to my family for a great Christmas (even if we were snowed in for most of it!) and thank you to all of you who gave so generously to help H2H make this Christmas special for the H2H kids & the school kids.

An early Christmas present

Yesterday afternoon I got my first Christmas present. I was on my balcony, with an apron on & covered with flour (…I’m experimenting with making cookies in my new toaster oven!) and Nwa Pam, aka Predel, and his friend Luckner came to visit me.



Some background on Luckner…

Nwa Pam and I have been good friends for awhile now and one day I was helping him set up an email account and he used “Luckner” as his password. Who the heck is Luckner & if he’s such a good friend of yours why haven’t I met him yet? You embarrassed you have a white friend? …followed by more ribbing & banter. It turned out that Luckner was his best friend at school but he rarely invited him to H2H as he didn’t go to church & cultural boundaries are high (too high in my opinion). We had a good chat about Luckner & I said I wanted to meet him & I wanted Nwa Pam to invite him to church. He came for a visit after school the next day and a few days later they announced in church that there was going to be a concert… perfect opportunity to Luckner to come! I mentioned it to Nwa Pam but he just smiled and said, “I already asked him & he said he’d come.” Luckner has been a regular around H2H ever since and about a month ago he gave his life to Christ.

Okay, back to my story…

Exams started yesterday & everyone has been madly studying. A few days ago I overheard Nwa Pam & Luckner talking about whether the school (not H2H school but a high school in town) would let Luckner write the exams as he hasn’t paid his tuition yet. His sister has been sick & recently had an operation, which was very expensive for his family. After Luckner had gone home Nwa Pam & I talked and the next day he gave Luckner the money to pay his school.

Days here go by so quickly that I had completely forgotten about giving money to Luckner so when he came to visit me the next day I was clueless as to the reason. After a few cups of coffee & a thorough (but friendly) insulting of my cookies, Luckner opened his bulging bag & gave me a bag of corn & limes from his family’s garden. This may seem like a small gesture but it’s really huge! Survival has always been tough but it has gotten much worse with the hurricanes, especially with damaged gardens.

I’m sharing this with you as I want to pass Luckner’s gratitude on to you. I raise financial support to live in Haiti and have built in a “Compassion Fund” so I can help people like Luckner. Since September this fund has helped families of kids that live at H2H, supported a widow that lives outside our walls, bought food for the hungry, medicine for the sick and sent many kids to hospital. So to all who so generously support me, THANK YOU… from me and from all of those you have blessed!

Since I’m already in the ‘thank you swing” I’ll add another… H2H sponsors have donated an extra $5,000 to make this Christmas season special. The money will be used to have a Christmas party (gifts included!!) for the kids & workers at H2H and a food hamper & present will be sent home with each of the school kids! I’m going to be spending Christmas with my family so I won’t be here to celebrate with the kids but I’m leaving my camera behind and I’ll share pictures with you when I get back.

In love

Don’t you just love falling in love? I do & I’m lucky enough to be in it right now!!! When I see him I can’t help but smile. Who is he you ask? His name is Eliyou and he’s perfect! He’s funny. He’s helpful. He’s cute. He’s 5 years old :)

He came to live at H2H last summer, while I was in Canada, with his older brother Donimi. They lived in a neighboring village, Leogane, and came here because their mom was sick with a persistent fever & their father couldn’t look after them alone. I fell in love with both of them immediately but bonded strongly with Eliyou because he needed me so much. Every night Eliyou & I would pray for his mom together & we visited her in the hospital. He was cheerful most of the time but sometimes got sad in the evenings & insisted on sleeping with me. When she passed away we were all heart broken, especially Eliyou. I took him & Donimi to her funeral & did my best while Eliyou peppered me with questions; Where is she? When will I see her again? Did I not pray enough? He made me stand by her gravesite until they had completely covered it with cement. Nothing in my life could have prepared me for that day & I hope there will be few like it.

In the days that followed the funeral, Eliyou was told by the other kids that one of the older girls in the orphanage would be his new mom. He defiantly refused & said he’d already chosen me. I heard through the grapevine about his decision so I was prepared for the shy question later that day, “Will you be my mom now?”

It wasn’t long after his mom passed away that I got sick with malaria/typhoid. Eliyou was in my room as much as the powers that be would let him & I could see that he was nervous when my fevers came. I was resting alone in my room after a particularly bad fever had passed & I heard something under my bed… it was Eliyou. He was hiding there. He slithered out, laid beside me & said he wouldn’t pray for me because he had prayed for his mom. Tears rolled down my face but luckily I was covered in sweat so he didn’t seem to notice.

Unfortunately, death is such a large part of life here that most of the kids (if not all) have been affected by it & they seem to take it in stride… much better than I am able to. Eliyou and Donimi are both happy, energetic boys and they have made a new family here & are very popular with the other kids. They love going to school and eagerly do their homework and chores when they get home. Eliyou is a bit on the mischievous side and often asks; “what will happen…?” Last night he swallowed a marble. He swore he didn’t do it on purpose but I have my doubts. We still have our fingers crossed that it will pass naturally!

I am looking for sponsors for Eliyou & Donimi, as well as some other new kids; Lovesom & Abjas. If you are interested in sponsoring a child at H2H email me & I will send you more information.

Eliyou & his new sandals:



Bath time:



Eliyou checking up on me:



By the way, I am feeling much better! I still get tired easily but long gone are the fevers & other symptoms. I plan to go home for Christmas & I’m really looking forward to the R&R and home cooking :)

Typhoid Fever

Saturday, Oct 11th... exactly 1 month after returning to Haiti... was the day the fevers started. I remember it well b/c we were at Tyno Beach with the kids when the first fever hit.

Since that day I have been sicker than I've ever been in my life. First with malaria, then typhoid fever. My original typhoid test was negative but continued fevers made the doctor do another house call (I got to redeem myself by not throwing up this time) & another set of tests. I am now several days into the typhoid treatment - still very weak but now able to leave my bed for short periods of time & starting to feel stronger everyday.

Following God's leading to Haiti has required me to follow Him somewhat blindly & my ability to obey without questioning has surprised me as it's not in my character to do so. Being sick has been my biggest challenge so far & while I haven't always been successful at battling discouragement I have willfully decided not to start questioning now. I think deep down I knew this was coming (at least the malaria part of it) as fevers are part of the life here. Haitians are incredibly resilient people & my respect for them has grown after experiencing the illnesses they battle so often. I may even run for shelter with them during the next thunderstorm :)

Preslet's coming home!

Preslet has been released from the hospital & will arrive home tomorrow! Check out this blog about him - http://curecaribe.blogspot.com/

p.s...I am still exhausted but definitely feeling better!

Malaria

I have malaria. I was fighting a fever all of last week (while the MEI teachers where here) but thought I was winning as I was doing all of the right things. But I woke up on Saturday morning feeling rough & it kept going downhill from there...spiking fevers that made me feel like I was being frozen alive in a freezer, headaches so severe I would throw up if I stood up...sometimes just sitting up. A local missionary couple heard I was sick & came to visit me Sunday night. They figured I had malaria so I started taking cloriquine. I was so much worse on Monday that they returned with a UN Doctor, whose visit didn't last long as he made me sit up, displaying my vomiting talents to the whole room...not one of my shining moments. Tuesday I went to the local clinic to do some blood work & they immediately confirmed I had malaria & suspected I had typhoid fever too as I was so sick. As we were leaving the clinic I was so weak I couldn't walk...I don't remember how exactly it happened but I ended up sitting in the dirt under a tree & someone dumped a bucket of water over my head...making me feel better but also covering me in mud, which made my visit to the local hospital (for the typhoid test) slightly more embarrasing. Of course I made it worse by falling off the bed when the doctor was examining me. I just got the results this morning - I don't have typhoid, which is great, but frustrating too as I finished the cloriquine Tuesday & I'm not considerably better yet.

I'm really trying to think of all the positive things that are happening here (like the amazing people that are trying so hard to make me comfortable) but being sick in here sucks. We've had little city power all week & until yesterday our generator wasn't working so no fans, no cold water to drink, no water in the toilets/showers, ok I'll stop there.

Please pray for a quick recovery as I'm suppose to take a very important road trip to Gonaives to takes pictures/videos of the Pastors distributing the rice & flour that was shipped here by the Vineyard church. We're supposed to leave on Friday which only gives me 1 more day. The idea of going seems far from reality at the moment but it's in God's hand so all is possible.

Has it really only been 3 weeks?

It seems like months have passed since I arrived in Haiti and realized the devastation caused by the Hurricanes. The damage where I am (Grande Goave) is minimal compared to places like Gonaives, but still the damage here is substantial. The main river flooded, sending 30+ homes into the ocean & breaking the retaining walls around the new bridge. The structural damage to the bridge is concerning as another flash flood would cause water to further reroute behind the retaining walls…crashing over the road & heading towards H2H. On the bright side, the Taiwan government (who rebuilt the bridge a few years ago) has already sent a team to do the repairs. The rains have slowed their progress but they’re still chugging along. Their mandate at the moment is to fix the structural damage to the bridge but we’re hoping (& so are they) that their task will be enlarged to also repair & expand the retaining walls.

Here are some pictures of the damaged bridge;





And the bank where the homes were washed away:




“It could be worse” is an annoying & overused saying but it’s reality here at the moment as many people in Grande Goave have family & friends in Gonaives & neighbouring villages…namely Bouva & Grande Savande. I haven’t seen the damage first hand (but will be visiting there in a few weeks) but I’ve heard that Gonaives is still partially under water and homes, gardens & animals in Bouva & Grande Savande were washed completely away. These are some of the poorest villages in Haiti & they’re left with little hope of rebuilding their lives. Being homeless is dismal in itself but without their gardens & animals they’re also struggling with no food & nothing to sell in the market to buy the essentials. Survival is even tougher because some major roads & bridges leading to them have been destroyed - some large trucks are getting through by crossing rivers but much of the aid simply can’t make it to them. The stories of people dying while waiting for food are horrific. Many of the kids at H2H are from this region & some have still not heard from their families. I’ve written about Predel (Nwa Pam) and his family in Bouva before – he is one of the kids that hasn’t been able to get in contact with his family. We’ve sent money with someone who was heading their way but haven’t heard whether it made it to them or how they’re doing. Even as I type this truth seems to hit a new low for me. Somehow writing it down makes it seem more real – my own walls of survival lower & it sinks in.

Ok, that was a depressing start to my first blog back…sorry…now for some good news! It has been a busy & productive 2 weeks & as I said initially, it’s been oddly relaxing too. Maybe refreshing is a better word. There have been some moments of pure joy like I have rarely experienced before. Remember Preslet? He is the boy who was severally burnt by his father & has been “held captive” in his house as he recovers. The burns are healing but the skin has bonded together leaving him little mobility in his neck & both arms. An amazing woman in Canada (conveniently married to the President of H2H ☺) heard his story & made arrangements for Preslet to see a Doctor & Plastic Surgery team! The team was doing a medical clinic in Cap Haitien so we flew Preslet there with his mom & his uncle. He’s already had the first of 3 surgeries and the others will be scheduled in December and then likely next summer. The night before Preslet flew to Cap Haitien he spent the night at H2H and I played cards with him. It was the first time since the accident that he felt “normal”. The small part I am able to play in Preslet’s story (as tiny as it is) brings me immeasurable joy. Praying with him & hearing him ask God to forgive & protect his father (who has fled to the Dominican Republic) should be an example to all of us. There are people in my life that have hurt me – much less than Preslet’s father hurt him – and I still have trouble forgiving them. I am ashamed for that. Preslet is still in the hospital in Cap Haitien but should be able to return in the next week or so.

Here’s a picture of Preslet a few days before heading to Cap Haitien - I pray the next picture I share with you will be accompanied with more good news!



Abbotsford Vineyard Church has shipped 2 containers of food – the flour arrived last week & the rice arrives next week!! Local Pastors will distribute the food & some will be trucked up to Gonaives/Grande Savande/Bouva. The container of flour was unpacked & is currently being stored in another container while it awaits distribution. The container of rice will hopefully arrive this Thursday.



We have 3 new kids!!! Abjas, Donimi & Eliyou. This is getting long so I’ll tell you their stories another day. I love them all but Eliyou (the youngest) has already stolen my heart. Here’s a picture of his first “encounter” with his new white friend ☺
≈


Here's also a quick picture of a book my parents sent for their sponsor child, Louson. It was a big hit!

The Last Supper

I'm in the MI International Airport Hotel & just finished my last meal before flying back to Haiti tomorrow morning. Since leaving my house this morning (very early!!) I've gone through many emotions... and I'm hoping exhaustion will be the next one so I can get a good night sleep!

I had an amazing summer - maybe even podium worthy! Here's a picture of Courtney, my niece, & I at the Vancouver Aquarium last week. Playing nanny to her & Hayden was a perfect way to end a summer focused on my family.



I feel well rested & ready to get off the bench. I've stayed in contact with Haiti over the summer but a crackly phone line is not a good substitution & I'm so excited to see the kids tomorrow. As you probably already know Haiti has been hit hard by the hurricanes this season. I'm told our compound (in Grande Goave) is still in good shape but some of our neighbors have lost homes. Likewise, the roads between us & Port-au-Prince are clear but major roads into other cities have been completely wiped out which makes getting food/medical supplies to the areas hardest hit very difficult. I'm really not sure what to expect but will keep you posted in the coming weeks. Our satelite dish is down so I may not be in contact for a week or so.

I'm being joined by some Haiti junkies (Roger & Albert) tomorrow morning & we'll be flying into Haiti together. It will be great to have their company and I'm looking forward to jumping in with both feet.

Thank you so much to all of you who have decided to support me financially, and who donated items for our garage sale fundraiser in August! If you'd still like to support me send me an email (rebeccalarkin6@hotmail.com) & I'll give you the information. I'm very close to my goal but still a few hundred dollars per month shy.

Tile Floors

I recently had to write an article for the H2H Newsletter about my year at H2H and I wanted to share if with you too...

As I only have one page in this newsletter to summarize my year at H2H I’m going to direct you to my blog for the details (www.rebeccalarkin.blogspot.com) & here I’m just going to tell you what I’ve learned about tile floors. Disappointed? Give it a read before you decide ☺

The Guesthouse has tile floors - I have swept them, mopped them, cleaned vomit off them, cleaned blood off them, been brought to tears on them, slept on them, slipped on them & several times experienced God on them.

The Call to come to H2H was clear but the reason was a bit fuzzy. I’ve struggled with knowing there are other people who are more qualified & have more to offer the kids. In my pep talks I kept reminding myself that my strength is my versatility & that could cover all circumstances – weak, I know, but desperate times call for desperate measures! Thanks to my dad’s coaching technique I am pretty good at giving pep talks, even to myself. That kept me going for several months but a time came when it was no longer sufficient as it relied on my ability to always be there for myself. How can you be there when you’re too tired to take out your contacts before going to bed most nights - which I don’t recommend several nights in a row! How can you be there when you’re broken? There were times when I laid on my immaculately mopped tile floor (that only slightly smelled like the mildew mop I used) and cried out to God to become my strength, to be the food that nourishes me, to be the water that hydrates me, to remove my personal agenda & to align my dreams with His will for my life. It wasn’t an immediate change, nor one that is finished, but God met me as I laid on the tile floor & answered my prayers in practical ways. He helped me stomach the spaghetti/rice diet. He gave me discernment to know when to help & when to allow someone else to step in. He gave me pep talks when I looked into the kids’ eyes. He gave me fellowship & encouragement through new friends. He gave me strength when I had to look into the face of death, starvation & evil. He filled me with His love so there was always enough for others. This year I was His tile floor, which He swept, mopped, waxed & repaired when broken. On His floor the kids found love, not because the floor was anything special, but because on the tile floor they played with their Father.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your involvement in H2H. Many of you have never met your sponsorship child, sat in the buildings you've helped build or seen Pastor Luc in action behind the pulpit. Yet you've decided to help. You've made sacrifices. The sacrifices I made to come here are nothing in comparison to the joy the kids give me. I hope that as you read through my blog you are given that same joy, as the kids here are real & they know you are real! They pray for you & they thank God for your commitment to help them.

Rebecca Larkin
rebeccalarkin6@hotmail.com

Quarter Pounder Club

Ok, I'll be the first to admit the 'Quarter Pounder Club' is a terrible name for a Club but read on before you judge me...

As you all know by now, I'm heading back to Haiti at the end of August and am planning to live there indefinitely. I'll be honest, I have mixed feelings about going back this time. I've been having such a great summer - I'm staying at my parents house in Crescent Beach and so has the rest of the family....brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, nieces, nephew and of course my Grandma Rose! Being home, and being pampered at home, is not going to make it easy to go back to the harsh life in Haiti but it's helped me realize something... I'm going back for a very specific reason & that reason is worth giving up the comforts for home - the kids! I miss the kids so much I have to avoid thinking about them or the thought of being away for another month is too much. I have tried hard to switch gears and stay focused on what is going on in Canada but each phone call back to Haiti makes it more difficult.

When I started my 'support raising' I decided I wasn't going to ask people to sponsor me - I figured people know what I'm doing & they can get involved if they'd like. But, after talking to people the last few weeks, I've realized 2 things...

1. People want to be asked to be involved! I was surprised by this so it's probably not true for everyone but I have approached a few people and they were really excited about partnering with me. They'd always wanted to do something like I'm doing but haven't had the opportunity because of family or work commitments. They appreciated being able to be involved by sponsoring me & were excited about feeling apart of it by reading my blog & knowing their contribution is making a difference to the kids.

2. You don't have to give a lot! Some people have said they'd like to help but they can only afford $25/mth & they think that's not worth giving. This is not true!!!! If all of my sponsors only gave $25/mth I'd be thrilled!! It would mean I have a bigger support base which means more people 'caring' for me. I want you to partner with me, not just give me money every month. Haiti can be a lonely place so knowing that people are thinking & praying for me...or just believing that what I'm doing is worth doing...means so much to me. Here's where the Quarter Pounder Club comes in - this was my failed attempt at creatively encouraging you to support me with $25/mth...don't worry, there will be no meetings & I promise never to mention the Club name again :)

So here's the big request... I'd really appreciate your support, whatever the amount, as I can't continue to work at H2H in Haiti without finding partners.

If you'd like to support me monthly, using automatic withdrawal, email me for the automatic withdrawal form & send it to the below address with a separate note indicating you'd like to support me. All donations are fully tax deductable and tax receipts will be issued at the end of the year. If you'd prefer to donate in another way (credit card, post dated checks, lump sum, etc) email me and I'll give you instructions.

Thank you so much for considering this & I'm still home for the next 4 weeks so let me know if you'd like to get together...especially if it involves food that is not rice & beans!!!

May God bless you as you are a blessing to others,

Rebecca Larkin
rebeccalarkin6@hotmail.com

My little journal

I have tried so many times to keep a journal but I always give up after a few days. Today I was cleaning out the backpack I brought home from Haiti & I found a little notebook with only 1 page written in... my latest failed attempt at a journal! I read the lonely 3 entries and immediately came to the computer. I clearly remember why I started this journal... I was feeling discouraged about being in Haiti as it felt like I was not having an impact. Here are the 3 entries...

_____________________________________________

May 26, 2008:

What have I done in Haiti?

Rebecca, it's not about you. It's not about how people see you. It's not about making people like you. It's about what I am doing. You are only an instrument - I am the musician. Just be willing... Just be willing...
_____________________________________________

June 7, 2008

"In decision making always begin with "Yes Lord." Do not proceed to seek God's direction if you cannot honestly say, 'Whatever you want from me, Lord, I will do it.'"

(this was a direct quote from a book I was reading but I can't remember what book!?!)
_____________________________________________

June 13, 2008:

Read 2 Cor. 5:1-10 (read it!!!). Lord, may the reality that I am living a temporary life on earth sink in. May this reality change the way I live. May I not be a hypocrite in the way I live.
_____________________________________________


To be honest, I'm not sure why I'm sharing this with you. Maybe I needed a reminder of the way God has spoken to me in my times of discouragement. Maybe someone out there needs to realize that God is talking to them right now...

I’ll take a pass on the rice & beans but CAN’T LIVE without the kids!

On one hand; rice & beans everyday - on the other hand; the kids I love… hmmm…

Decision time has come & gone and I’m going back to Haiti with a suitcase full of Wendy’s mandarin-chicken salads!!!!



So, here’s the general plan…

- laser eye surgery today
- fundraising completed as I lay in bed recovering
- 5 weeks of intense physical & mental training
- back to Haiti in late August

Believable? Well, most of it is true… I am getting laser eye surgery this afternoon, I’m doing bootcamp 5 days/week all summer long, I am taking cake decorating classes with my grandma and I just met with H2H last night & agreed to go back to Haiti indefinitely!!

So that leaves the fundraising… I need to build a monthly support base that will cover my expenses while living in Haiti. I’ve always struggled with the idea of asking friends & family to support my “Haiti addiction” so I’ve decided I’m not going to. What I’m looking for is people who believe in H2H’s mission statement & want to be involved in accomplishing it.

H2H’s mission statement:
“To minister the love of Jesus in Haiti, meeting the educational, physical, medical, spiritual and emotional needs of the children and their families in such a way that they become empowered to reach their full potential and to live healthy, happy, productive lives as capable Christian family, church and community members.”

Not everyone can support a child financially, be a team member or relocate to Haiti. But some of you can & some of you want to. Over this past year in Haiti I have interacted with so many people who are personally involved in affecting the life of a child in Haiti… many of whom have never been to Haiti! Anyone who wants to be involved, can be involved, you just have to find your place. I don’t want to ask people to support me financially, I want to ask you to get involved. If you’ve been following this blog all year, what draws you to it? It certainly isn’t because I’m a good writer… I have report cards to prove that! I’ll take a stab in the dark & guess that it’s because something has inspired you. Don’t just sit back & be content with letting other people inspire you – get involved. If you’re inspired by a kid – support him! If you’re inspired by what teams are doing in Haiti – join a team! If you’re inspired by what I’m doing – support me! Whatever your place is, find it! And don’t think this is all about money. Yes, money is required to do what H2H does but it’s so much more than that. It’s about the people – it’s about the kids who lived in a mud hut before coming to H2H; it’s about the “kids” who lived in H2H who are now teaching at H2H; it’s about the man with Parkinson’s disease who was treated by a medical team & can now feed & dress himself again! And it’s not just about the people in Haiti, it’s about the people in Canada too – it’s about the business men who plan their career around their mission trips to Haiti, it’s about the sponsors who have met their sponsor child, it’s about the 3 year old who has shared her aunt Bob (yup, that's me!) with another country. Ok, I’ve rambled a lot & gotten off the topic of fundraising…give me a break… I’m a few hours away from getting my eyes balls reshaped by a laser beam! But really, what I’m trying to encourage you to do is stretch yourself a bit – find something that stirs your passion & do it! If you’ve already done it – do it again!

So, if what I’m doing inspires you & you want to be involved I’d really appreciate your monthly support because I can’t continue to do it without your help. Your donations will be made through H2H (www.hearttohearthaiti.com) and tax receipts will be issued at the end of the year. Email me if you want more details or have any questions.

Preslet

This is Preslet. He's a 12 year old boy in our community (Grande Goave, Haiti) who was severely burnt 4 months ago. I met him last month when the last medical team was here. The doctor made a house-call to visit Preslet as his mom doesn't want him to leave the house as she doesn't want him to be seen in this condition. The details of how he got burnt comes in several versions but the simple version says there was a domestic dispute that got ugly, really ugly.







I wanted to share this story with you for a few reasons.

First of all, the first "meeting" with Preslet is ingrained in my mind & it will hopefully stay vivid as a reminder to me. He hadn't had visitors since being burnt, other than a few family members, so a bunch of white people entering his house was overwhelming. As we walked into his room I watched his face as he scanned the group... as soon as he met my gaze his eyes lit up! I had no idea why but his reaction made me join him on the bed & I started chatting while the doctors looked him over. It turned out I wasn't a stranger to him... we used to talk regularly when I walked to the market. He was so excited to see me! As we left his house I was blown away by how God had prepared our friendship long ago, in passing smiles & seemingly meaningless chitchat, for a relationship that would help him as he recovers from this horrific experience. I visited him several more times before coming back to Canada. My lesson in this is to be open to the small opportunities as they may be the start of something much larger!

Secondly, I wanted to share this because this may be one of those small opportunities for you to get involved & help someone who desperately needs it. Preslet's burns are healing very well & his mom has done an amazing job at keeping them clean. Once the burns are healed completely he should be a good candidate for operations that would stretch his skin (there's probably some official medical term for this but you get the idea) to allow his joints to move freely again. His right elbow, armpit & neck are the most affected areas. When I go back to Haiti (late August) I'd like to give Preslet's mom some money to help cover his hospital bills - he was in the General Hospital in Port-au-Prince for almost 3 months! - and when the burns are healed I'd like to help connect him with a doctor that could do, or assist with, the operations. We will have medical teams going to Haiti regularly so a doctor with this specialty could be part of one of those teams. If you would like to help please let me know.

Sitting on the plane... going home

Wow, it’s hard to believe my “year at H2H” is over and I’m sitting on the plane going home. Hmm… I only packed in a little carry-on backpack... I’m still digesting what that means so I’ll avoid that topic at the moment.

Dr, Blackburn, Dr. Sam & their team were here last week & had an eventful trip doing dentist clinics at H2H and medical clinics in the local hospital. We also took a road trip to Tetebef… ok, not really a road trip, it’s more like climbing Grouse Grind a few times in the heat of the day with backpacks of medical supplies. It was my first time going & I’m so glad I did – it was beautiful & such a huge blessing for the people up there.

Here are some pictures from Tetebef:

The view from halfway up the mountain



Almost there! Ok, here's the confession... yes, that's my shadow sitting on the horse... so when I say it was like hiking the Grouse Grind twice I'm speaking on behalf of the team :)



The locals making fresh coffee for us, which was very much appreciated!





The crowd that was waiting



Pastor Luc & Dr Sam examining their first patient of the day



The medical students "experimenting"





We also went to Basin Blu (in Jacmel) for an afternoon:

The adventure getting to the waterfalls



The highest waterfall at Basin Blu



Me & a few of my friends



After the team left I only had a few days with the kids & it was an emotional rollercoaster ride for all of us. One of the older kids captured this picture with my camera & I just discovered it while I’m sitting here on the plane. This is my little Junior, after he was told the kids were just joking about him going to Canada in my suitcase.



My goodbyes were not final – just a “see you in a few weeks!” I’m still unclear what God has for me next but I can’t imagine these kids not being in my life so I’ve told them (& H2H) that I’ll be back in September but not sure the length of the trip. Might be to say more final goodbyes & clean my room or it might be the start of something much bigger… time will tell!

As I said, I’m on the plane going home so for those of you who are “at home”… I’m super excited to see you so call me soon!