Only a mountain...

Life and work work here, definitely has it's mountains.

Great reminder for when we're feeling "small"...thanks Jason!

Safe Birth training...day 1

While it isn't THE answer to the complex issues of women's health care availability, watching 30 women gather today to learn about childbirth and how to help each other deliver a little more safely in this medically challenged country was refreshing & exciting! We all noted how the women had a certain "glow" about them as they left this afternoon with their new skills, and heads brimming with information. 

DAY 2 tomorrow is the second group of women - from our 7 other church partners. Please keep ALL of us in your prayers as we continue to seek God's guidance and provision for top-quality maternity care for these women and their communities. 

Orphan Prevention

As our programs have succeeded in stabilizing over 240 children in the past 2 years post-quake, we've finally been able to turn our eyes toward the future here. World Orphans bases their orphan care on a holistic model, looking at every aspect of the situation at hand. It is a priority to seek to address the three C's - Church, Child, and Community in all of our projects and partnerships.

Here in Haiti with the home-based programs providing very effective care, Ted & Ron have begun to assist church partners in looking at some ideas for sustainability. One of the Haitian churches worked with their American partner to build a chicken house this summer. It will enable them to raise & sell chickens at market value, making a profit that will further the OVC (orphaned & vulnerable children) program that they are serving the community with. The first set of chicks will arrive shortly & be ready for market by the holidays!

Sustainability projects address one facet of orphan prevention. Poverty is a big one here, so we are continually working to research and develop appropriate ways to help the churches & caregiver families to find jobs and gain the skills needed to further stabilize and meet their spiritual, emotional & physical needs.

Last month, Jessica & I began the journey toward further orphan prevention from a medical standpoint. The first phase of our research & development is seeking practical ways to meet the great need for maternity & HIV care in these communities. Maternal & infant death rates are extremely high here and HIV is a silent killer that leaves orphaned and sometimes HIV+ children without families.

Putting our nursing insight to work, we held forums in 9 of our church communities. We sat down face-to-face with the women at each location to open up conversations, gather information, and answer questions regarding these two major topics. Our goal was to gain a better understanding of the needs and experiences of the women in regards to pregnancy, childbirth and HIV. 

We were blessed by their openness to share personal stories with us and to speak about the struggles and the needs of women in their communities. The response that echoed on as we moved from church to church was "Maternity care is absolutely our GREATEST need for women right now."  We listened intently and prayed with them over the situation, asking God to provide these resources, and as sisters in Christ, committed ourselves to seeking His guidance and being His servants.

Though I don't know exactly where our work in this area will lead quite yet, we were able to offer a very basic first step to each of these communities. At the end of this month, a midwife from Arizona is traveling down to provide Safe Birth training to 5 women in each church. While it will be more theory than hands on & entail no practical experience, it is a very important first step in providing related resources. Our hope it that it will allow and encourage the women with a vision for developing their own church-based maternity care programs.  Please pray with us over the next two weeks leading up to it - that God will raise up godly women who are willing meet these needs in their community as His servants and that they will become tangible examples of Christ's love. 

Rich or Poor?

We were bummed this week, yet not very surprised, when we read the latest reports listing Haiti as the "POOREST" country in the world. Nothing changed here, the world was not rocked nor any instant effect at the moment that this report hit the press. However, our deepest grief at this fact was not necessarily for the Haitians, but for Christians around the world, that are missing out. Many are impoverished in different ways.

“Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.” (Proverbs 21:13)

That was us, not long ago. Only through our own unexpected loss of financial stability were we SHOVED beyond ourselves to begin to develop the trust in Him that God challenges us to. Christ asked us to have the faith that moved us from the relative comfort of “gratefulness & generosity” to the seemingly reckless abandon of “sacrifice and surrender” on His behalf, for the sake of others…

Our faith is still a work in process, even now

                                …even while living in a place like Haiti.

 ”Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said,

‘God blesses you who are poor,
    for the Kingdom of God is yours.
God blesses you who are hungry now,
    for you will be satisfied.
God blesses you who weep now,
    for in due time you will laugh.’”(Luke 6:20-21)

We're not here to preach at you, we're just here to serve. However, as brothers and sisters that see daily the front line of what Christian sacrifice CAN do in and among the lives of the poorest, we cannot be silent any longer. In fact we would really like to SHOUT, some days –

“WAKE UP, GET OFF YOUR BACKSIDES, dear brothers & sisters!"

"SHINE! BE the example to a lost and fallen world."

"Grab the opportunity now!!"

"Step out in faith, live with risk, partake in the faith of the POOR."

“When Jesus heard his answer, he said, ‘There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’

But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.” (Luke 18:22-23)

Our greatest challenge yet, is before us still. The faith we have is miniscule to that of our Haitian brothers & sisters in Christ. They grow & LIVE & walk in their faith far better than we do on most occasions. Their faith is like a glimpse of hidden treasure here on earth! The joy of seeing their prayers answered by the obedience of others is purely SUBLIME! We are constantly blown away by the experiences of life here and the privilege of watching God’s work unfold is the ever humbling and refining power on the core of our hearts.

“Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5) 

“… But you dishonor the poor!” (James 2:6)

Lord we pray that this is not the case for us or any of your Body. Make us each your instruments, and do not delay in prompting your work and provision in our lives as well as in those of the “poor”.

They see "poor"...we see JOY that only comes through faith!!

New faces...

This past summer, Jessica Williamson and her daughter Phoebe came to live with us. Jessica began her internship with WO recently & will be helping Rebecca with the Maternity care research and development phase. Her faith and courage are inspiring AND she helps us immensely with her fluent Kreyol. We LOVE having a little one in the house, too, Miss Phoebe Kate spreads her smiles around & keeps us all on our toes!

Sandrea arrived with great anticipation on our part! It seemed a long time since Rebecca met with her last November in CA and interviewed her for the position. Now she is finally here to pick up where Natalie left off, in teaching Emma. It is the last stretch & Sandrea definitely has the attitude and the spunk to help Em finish strong!!

Callie has joined us here in Haiti as the first long term WO intern overseas. She has woven herself into the household as a perfect fit and is a blessing to our ministry with her upbeat nature and artistic flair! She will be helping us look at craftsmanship sustainability options, creating web & t-shirt designs, providing art classes for kids in our church based OVC programs, lending a hand with the upcoming conference & training, and helping revamp the WO guest house FB page. Who knows what else...she is a multi-talented young woman!