Everyone has a story and they all tug at your heart in a very real and personal way...
Moses is now about 4 years old. He was brought to Love A Child when he was a small boy, extremely malnourished and left to die in the bottom of an outhouse. A passerby heard some noise and looked into the outhouse and saw Moses lying down in the mess. Bobby & Sherry from LAC took him in and they believe he is destined to lead his country - like another small boy, many years ago who was rescued from the water and chosen to be a leader. Moses is now a healthy, energetic boy full of life and already showing signs of leadership at such a young age. When he plays his bongos or sings his worship songs, he dances and sings his heart out. When he plays, he plays with all of his heart and others follow. He is already smart beyond his years.
And then there is Lee. Lee is one of our volunteers who has been on several KIDS trips. This time he brought 4 of his grandchildren with him. Through tears he shared how proud he is of his family and how much it has meant to him to see them get involved in this trip. Last night during our evening devotions with the children at LAC, Lee and his grandkids had their arms full holding the kids and showing them how special they are to us and to our Father. I think Lee's heart almost burst several times as he looked at Leslie, Jeff, Karlee and Heather sharing some of the love that they have received from Lee so many times before. What a legacy!
There are many volunteers who, for the first time, are experiencing and processing all that God is doing in and through them. And we have our veteran volunteers coming alongside the others, encouraging each other. Each one of these people sacrificed in some way to be here, and each one has their own story. I hope you get hear some of them someday.
There are also many people here who we don't know their names - victims of the earthquake that came to help us build the playgrounds. Amputees, some in casts, others in external fixators that help hold shattered bones in place while their bodies heal. What have they endured? And yet they come trying to help...clean out holes, pick up rocks, anything they can because they are so excited about this gift we've brought here to bless them.
We won't forget the many children who have entered our lives for this short time. Each of them has their own personal story. How many of them, only a short time ago, had brothers or sisters, or a mother or father? How much pain have these dear little ones already suffered?...and yet we see them smiling. Oh, if only you were here to see their smiles! They have so little and yet they have so much. They have Bobby & Sherry and the staff here who look after them and love them as their own. Many of the staff grew up in this very orphanage and understand what they are going through. They have each other and they have a loving, Heavenly Father who they learn about daily by those who care for them.
And now they will have a big, beautiful playground to run, play and laugh on. Thank you for helping us make this possible!
For the great team in Haiti...
Mike Young
Kids Around The World
Be sure to check out our website to see all the pictures from the trip!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
April 7th Update from Mike Young
"This was the most incredible way to celebrate Easter! I will never forget this!" That was Julie's comment during the evening team meeting through tears of heart felt emotions.
The morning began with the team joining the orphans, the earthquake refugees and the hospital patients for their outdoor church service - Haitian style. Bonnie, one of our team members who grew up in Haiti as a missionary kid, translated the message for us. Many were impacted by the Word. After the service some of the team went to visit a few patients and pray over them. Needless to say this was another opportunity for God to work in and through our volunteers.
After lunch part of our team went out to the playground site to continue working. They were joined by some of the local Haitian refugees and patient's families to accomplish quite a bit of work in a short time. Most of the remainder of the team had the chance to tour the orphanage and play with the kids. Several of the ladies put candy into Easter eggs and hid them for an Easter egg hunt. To say it was fun to watch the children run to find the eggs would be an understatement! The excitement and the anticipation of finding the eggs became contagious. Many of the team members were running and laughing with the kids.
When we left the orphanage some of the team members went into the refugee camps to spend time with the children there. A few members were given the chance to speak with some of the earthquake survivors. One man shared that he was at work when the earthquake hit and raced home as quickly as he could. When he finally got home his house was completely leveled and he could not find anyone, not his wife, or his 5 kids. After searching frantically one of his son's came around the corner and the dad asked him where everyone else was. "They are gone!" he cried. Eventually they found one daughter who survived in the rubble of the collapsed home. Her mother had sheltered her in her arms and covered her to protect her from the collapsing building. She had given her life to save her little girl. Through the pain of such great loss this man shared through tears how much he thanked God for giving him 2 of his children back. This is reality in Haiti today.
Just before dinner, Love A Child handed out some of the new soccer uniforms and equipment to the LAC soccer team and they played a game against another group of soccer players. The excitement and cheers of the crowd when the team came running out in their new, bright uniforms reminded me of similar experiences in the States at school athletic events. And when the LAC team won 1-0...well, let's just say I think people from miles around heard the celebration!
On Tuesday we hope to finish most of the playground components and mix concrete so we can do the surfacing on Wednesday afternoon just in time for Thursday's big celebration! Thank you all for your prayers and support.
On behalf of the team in Haiti...
Mike Young
Kids Around The World
The morning began with the team joining the orphans, the earthquake refugees and the hospital patients for their outdoor church service - Haitian style. Bonnie, one of our team members who grew up in Haiti as a missionary kid, translated the message for us. Many were impacted by the Word. After the service some of the team went to visit a few patients and pray over them. Needless to say this was another opportunity for God to work in and through our volunteers.
After lunch part of our team went out to the playground site to continue working. They were joined by some of the local Haitian refugees and patient's families to accomplish quite a bit of work in a short time. Most of the remainder of the team had the chance to tour the orphanage and play with the kids. Several of the ladies put candy into Easter eggs and hid them for an Easter egg hunt. To say it was fun to watch the children run to find the eggs would be an understatement! The excitement and the anticipation of finding the eggs became contagious. Many of the team members were running and laughing with the kids.
When we left the orphanage some of the team members went into the refugee camps to spend time with the children there. A few members were given the chance to speak with some of the earthquake survivors. One man shared that he was at work when the earthquake hit and raced home as quickly as he could. When he finally got home his house was completely leveled and he could not find anyone, not his wife, or his 5 kids. After searching frantically one of his son's came around the corner and the dad asked him where everyone else was. "They are gone!" he cried. Eventually they found one daughter who survived in the rubble of the collapsed home. Her mother had sheltered her in her arms and covered her to protect her from the collapsing building. She had given her life to save her little girl. Through the pain of such great loss this man shared through tears how much he thanked God for giving him 2 of his children back. This is reality in Haiti today.
Just before dinner, Love A Child handed out some of the new soccer uniforms and equipment to the LAC soccer team and they played a game against another group of soccer players. The excitement and cheers of the crowd when the team came running out in their new, bright uniforms reminded me of similar experiences in the States at school athletic events. And when the LAC team won 1-0...well, let's just say I think people from miles around heard the celebration!
On Tuesday we hope to finish most of the playground components and mix concrete so we can do the surfacing on Wednesday afternoon just in time for Thursday's big celebration! Thank you all for your prayers and support.
On behalf of the team in Haiti...
Mike Young
Kids Around The World
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Update from Kids Around the World
Our devotions this morning were about obeying and carrying out the tasks God has called us to do and the team rose to the challenge - BIG TIME! Under the hot Haitian sun both the playground and the warehouse team went above and beyond. Some of the challenges we encountered might have caused someone less committed to stop. But that was not an option for these faithful servants.
The difference in the look and space in the warehouse is amazing. This is not something that most people (outside our team and some of the LAC staff) will ever realize even occurred. But the work was necessary and very valuable to the orphans, the clinics and the hospitals that will receive the products that these faithful volunteers organized. THANK YOU to the volunteers and their commitment to the task!
The playground team continued to work together and was able to complete so much work today. During the evening meeting several of them commented about an older Haitian refugee woman who had walked over from the tent village at LAC early in the morning to help clean the dirt out of the holes that were being dug. When I arrived at the playground late in the morning, this dear lady was still there. And when we had completed a great day's work at 4 PM and began cleaning up the site, she was still there working with us! These people are hard-working people, looking to do whatever they can to better their current situation.
I wish all of you could experience just 1 day with this incredible team. This team came from 6 different States and Belgium, and they have come together like a long-lost family. We are so blessed to be partnered with them and the great staff at Love A Child.
Tuesday should bring the playground installation to a conclusion with the exception of spreading the surface material and cleaning it up in preparation for Thursday's dedication. Tuesday evening the team will be walking over to the orphanage to join the kids there for evening devotions. This promises to be another wonderful experience. Thank you all for the privilege to serve.
On behalf of the team in Haiti...
Mike Young
Kids Around The World
The difference in the look and space in the warehouse is amazing. This is not something that most people (outside our team and some of the LAC staff) will ever realize even occurred. But the work was necessary and very valuable to the orphans, the clinics and the hospitals that will receive the products that these faithful volunteers organized. THANK YOU to the volunteers and their commitment to the task!
The playground team continued to work together and was able to complete so much work today. During the evening meeting several of them commented about an older Haitian refugee woman who had walked over from the tent village at LAC early in the morning to help clean the dirt out of the holes that were being dug. When I arrived at the playground late in the morning, this dear lady was still there. And when we had completed a great day's work at 4 PM and began cleaning up the site, she was still there working with us! These people are hard-working people, looking to do whatever they can to better their current situation.
I wish all of you could experience just 1 day with this incredible team. This team came from 6 different States and Belgium, and they have come together like a long-lost family. We are so blessed to be partnered with them and the great staff at Love A Child.
Tuesday should bring the playground installation to a conclusion with the exception of spreading the surface material and cleaning it up in preparation for Thursday's dedication. Tuesday evening the team will be walking over to the orphanage to join the kids there for evening devotions. This promises to be another wonderful experience. Thank you all for the privilege to serve.
On behalf of the team in Haiti...
Mike Young
Kids Around The World
April 5th Update from Bonnie
This will be quick. My days have been so full and amazing. I have been doing a lot of translating and sharing about growing up here. Everyone is so interested in how it was when I lived here. I have translated 6 earthquake stories for Awana that were so heart wrenching. I was exhausted and Sandee and I managed to make it to the tent then just started to cry. I have worked some on the playground and helped sort food. Then we went and distributed it, which was really touching. Today we drove to Port-au-Prince. It took us 4 hours to get downtown because of the traffic. We visited 2 churches to check on the Awana leaders. Some of them are living in tents at the church site. We made it to Quisqueya Christian School* tonight at 6 after a very long day. Benite* was sitting at the gate waiting for me. She had been there for 2 hours. I just hugged her and started to cry. I walked around QCS in the dark tonight, tears rolling down my face for all that this place has meant to me and because of all that I have experienced. The buildings aren't as difficult to see as the lives that have been touched.
Tomorrow we go around Port-au-Prince to 3 more churches then back to the orphanage. Wednesday we finish recording video and I go down to the orphanage to pass out the gifts to the kids. Thursday we dedicate the playground. The team is really bonding and sharing great testimonies of what God is doing in their lives. Pray for Godfried and Ryan who are team members and who are not Christians.
*Quisqueya Christian School is the school that Bonnie’s dad started over 25 years ago. The school is serving as an important hub for helping the area.
*Benite is a Haitian that Bonnie’s family employed as housekeeper/cook, etc. for many many years.
Tomorrow we go around Port-au-Prince to 3 more churches then back to the orphanage. Wednesday we finish recording video and I go down to the orphanage to pass out the gifts to the kids. Thursday we dedicate the playground. The team is really bonding and sharing great testimonies of what God is doing in their lives. Pray for Godfried and Ryan who are team members and who are not Christians.
*Quisqueya Christian School is the school that Bonnie’s dad started over 25 years ago. The school is serving as an important hub for helping the area.
*Benite is a Haitian that Bonnie’s family employed as housekeeper/cook, etc. for many many years.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Easter Update
Happy Easter from Haiti! After the safe arrival into Port au Prince (PAP), the team loaded more than 100 pieces of luggage and everyone climbed into 1 of the 3 trucks for the hour long ride to Love A Child (LAC), our home for the next 7 days. As we journeyed through a section of PAP, we were reminded again of the resiliency of the people who have endured devastating circumstances. These Haitians, along with others who have traveled here before us, have been very active clearing the roads and byways of debris left from the earthquakes that destroyed or damaged much of this city. The survivors are trying to put their lives back together the best they can.
Upon entering the LAC campus we were struck by the stark contrast between LAC and most of what we saw before. The staff at LAC works extremely hard to offer the nicest and safest facility they can for the people here. The orphanage, once housing about 60 children, is now home to over 1000 surviving, displaced Haitians, many of whom have suffered life-altering injuries. But as I type this update, early Sunday morning, we can hear the children running, laughing and playing as they take turns showering and getting dressed in preparation for Easter Sunday service.
Saturday was our 1st full day here and the team didn't waste any time starting on the playground or getting the warehouse organized. We moved a lot of the playground equipment over to the site of the installation and the volunteers began organizing the different playground parts. Tim Clauson and some of the team began to figure out which pieces go where while others began digging the holes that had been marked out already. The LAC staff made sure that fresh water was delivered often to the volunteers.
Those who worked in the warehouse worked diligently alongside the LAC staff moving, re-stacking and re-packing boxes to make room for the anticipated shipment Monday morning. Some of the volunteers had the opportunity to travel with our hosts, Bobby and Sherry Bennett, to one of their food distribution centers to hand out some of the food packets that were packed in Rockford! We learned too that the center they were helping at would've run out of food yesterday if the container we shipped hadn't arrived when it did! God's timing is perfect.
We concluded the evening celebrating Lee Erickson's birthday and John Bakken's wedding anniversary during dinner and then enjoyed a wonderful evening breeze that brought refreshment to our souls. We are looking forward to celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord this morning with the orphans and refugees in Haiti. Until our next report, thank you for your support and prayers for the team in Haiti. Keep them coming!
For the team...
Mike Young
Kids Around the World
Upon entering the LAC campus we were struck by the stark contrast between LAC and most of what we saw before. The staff at LAC works extremely hard to offer the nicest and safest facility they can for the people here. The orphanage, once housing about 60 children, is now home to over 1000 surviving, displaced Haitians, many of whom have suffered life-altering injuries. But as I type this update, early Sunday morning, we can hear the children running, laughing and playing as they take turns showering and getting dressed in preparation for Easter Sunday service.
Saturday was our 1st full day here and the team didn't waste any time starting on the playground or getting the warehouse organized. We moved a lot of the playground equipment over to the site of the installation and the volunteers began organizing the different playground parts. Tim Clauson and some of the team began to figure out which pieces go where while others began digging the holes that had been marked out already. The LAC staff made sure that fresh water was delivered often to the volunteers.
Those who worked in the warehouse worked diligently alongside the LAC staff moving, re-stacking and re-packing boxes to make room for the anticipated shipment Monday morning. Some of the volunteers had the opportunity to travel with our hosts, Bobby and Sherry Bennett, to one of their food distribution centers to hand out some of the food packets that were packed in Rockford! We learned too that the center they were helping at would've run out of food yesterday if the container we shipped hadn't arrived when it did! God's timing is perfect.
We concluded the evening celebrating Lee Erickson's birthday and John Bakken's wedding anniversary during dinner and then enjoyed a wonderful evening breeze that brought refreshment to our souls. We are looking forward to celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord this morning with the orphans and refugees in Haiti. Until our next report, thank you for your support and prayers for the team in Haiti. Keep them coming!
For the team...
Mike Young
Kids Around the World
Saturday, April 3, 2010
April 3rd Update from Bonnie
Greetings from Haiti! We had a safe trip here yesterday and made it out to the orphanage by about 5:00. Right way we had to set up out tents before it got dark. Sandee nor I had ever done that without our trusty husbands so it was fun and challenging. Of course we recruited a few haitians and americans to hellp us.
Today we worked on the playground and then worked in the warehouse organizing food. then some of us loaded up in trucks with the food and went out to a tent city to distribute it. What a n experience. The people were hungry and so thankful. We are all dirty, tired and and burned but having a great time.
Thanks for praying, I feel it.
Love and miss you all.
Bonnie
Today we worked on the playground and then worked in the warehouse organizing food. then some of us loaded up in trucks with the food and went out to a tent city to distribute it. What a n experience. The people were hungry and so thankful. We are all dirty, tired and and burned but having a great time.
Thanks for praying, I feel it.
Love and miss you all.
Bonnie
Arriving Safely
Just a quick note to let everyone know that the team arrived safely in Haiti yesterday afternoon. Please check back for more updates. Have a blessed Easter tomorrow.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Update on Kids Around the World
Bonnie leaves for Haiti today. While we wait for her to share her experiences, we wanted to share with you an update of the impact that Kids Around the World has already had in Haiti (provided by Jim Rosene, President of Kids Around the World):
Greetings!
Thank you for your continued support of Kids Around the World, and our work in Haiti! As we continue to reach the people down there, here are some of the things that have been happening:
*On February 1 - we shipped 38,880 meals, 2 playgrounds, 117 boxes of medications, wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes & other tools, a 2 bay swing set with miscellaneous parts and several other miscellaneous relief items to Love A Child Village in Fond Parisien, Haiti.
*On February 16 - we shipped 250,000 meals to Northwest Haiti Christian Mission, St. Louis de Nord, Haiti (partnered with Rockford Sharefest)
*On March 10 - we shipped 120,000 meals, 6 walkers, 8 crutches, a 6' slide, 10 flannelgraph kits, and 21 boxes of school supplies to Love a Child Village.
Students at Rockford Christian High School participate in the Rockford Sharefest "Million Meals for Haiti" Initiative
*On March 16 - we shipped 811,296 meals to Northwest Christian Mission. (Partnered with Rockford Sharfest)
*On April 2-9 - a team of over 40 volunteers will be working at Love a Child Village to construct two playgrounds, make repairs at the orphanage, and assist the staff working with the injured and displaced families at their site.
We are committed to send an additional 500,000 meals to Double Harvest, House of Hope and other groups over the next couple of months. This food will go to remote villages in the Port au Prince area.
We will also be building several playgrounds for Northwest Haiti Christian Mission.
Don't forget about our open session food packing for Haiti on May 1, at our warehouse on 3007 South Alpine Road. We need your help. Call Beth @ 815-229-8731 to sign up. You must call to reserve a spot!We will be packing more than 100,000 meals that day. Come be a part of it!
Please keep the people of Haiti in your thoughts and prayers.
For the kids...around the world,
Jim Rosene - President
Kids Around The World
Greetings!
Thank you for your continued support of Kids Around the World, and our work in Haiti! As we continue to reach the people down there, here are some of the things that have been happening:
*On February 1 - we shipped 38,880 meals, 2 playgrounds, 117 boxes of medications, wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes & other tools, a 2 bay swing set with miscellaneous parts and several other miscellaneous relief items to Love A Child Village in Fond Parisien, Haiti.
*On February 16 - we shipped 250,000 meals to Northwest Haiti Christian Mission, St. Louis de Nord, Haiti (partnered with Rockford Sharefest)
*On March 10 - we shipped 120,000 meals, 6 walkers, 8 crutches, a 6' slide, 10 flannelgraph kits, and 21 boxes of school supplies to Love a Child Village.
Students at Rockford Christian High School participate in the Rockford Sharefest "Million Meals for Haiti" Initiative
*On March 16 - we shipped 811,296 meals to Northwest Christian Mission. (Partnered with Rockford Sharfest)
*On April 2-9 - a team of over 40 volunteers will be working at Love a Child Village to construct two playgrounds, make repairs at the orphanage, and assist the staff working with the injured and displaced families at their site.
We are committed to send an additional 500,000 meals to Double Harvest, House of Hope and other groups over the next couple of months. This food will go to remote villages in the Port au Prince area.
We will also be building several playgrounds for Northwest Haiti Christian Mission.
Don't forget about our open session food packing for Haiti on May 1, at our warehouse on 3007 South Alpine Road. We need your help. Call Beth @ 815-229-8731 to sign up. You must call to reserve a spot!We will be packing more than 100,000 meals that day. Come be a part of it!
Please keep the people of Haiti in your thoughts and prayers.
For the kids...around the world,
Jim Rosene - President
Kids Around The World
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