It’s hard to believe that the little baby in her mother’s arms has grown into this beautiful young lady. Natalie is now 14 years old and in the 9th grade. Natalie’s mother came to us so many times with her baby, asking us to take her in. We did not want any more children, but Natalie was “sickly,” tiny, and not doing good. Her mother was in poor health and had other children. So finally, we agreed to take her in.
She is sweet, quiet, and hard working! Her dream, one day, is to become a pediatrician. She loves to nurture sick children. Her daily jobs include helping to care for the little ones, cleaning her room, and ironing. Her favorite toy is not a doll, but rather her brother’s remote-control car! Natalie is kind and everyone loves her! We love her! Sherry
Since we were little children, we never thought twice about waking up the next morning and finding food to eat.
Imagine what it would be like to be a child going to sleep at night knowing that tomorrow morning, you may not have anything to eat.
Imagine what it would be like to go to sleep at night, thinking that all day the next day, there would be no food.
This is the situation in the south of Haiti, in the town of Baro, tucked into the mountains of the county of Nips. The Love A Child team found 123 children to serve them a hot meal this weekend. What a blessing it is to feed these hungry children, knowing that they may not have another meal for another day or two, having a full stomach.
Thank you for your help and prayers for the children. Love is something you do.
My mother was the most wonderful Christian I have ever met. I could always hear her on the phone, praying for someone and giving them a scripture. One of my favorite scriptures was Jeremiah 12:5.
“If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with the horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?”
It simply means that “if you cannot stand when things aren’t too bad,” then “how will you make it when a ‘real trial’ comes your way?” God always gives us “small mountains” to climb first. He knows “the big one is coming!” He may send us a “bear,” because He knows the “giant is the one way!” Let’s not be weary, but each day let’s look to our Jesus, the captain of our soul!
Today marks 15 years after the 2010 earthquake in which 300,000 people were killed and injured tens of thousands of others. I was in our orphan’s home, and the force of the earthquake knocked me on my back. Sherry was in a village next door, and she said the huts bowed over and touched the ground, then came back up.
We partnered with Harvard University on our land, and had the largest field tent hospital in Haiti, with many tents. Our school rooms turned into operating rooms. So many arms and legs were cut off. We had to put the body parts in barrels and burn them. It was a nightmare. Seeing all the children suffering and those who lost their parents were unbearable.
We had a little church service among the tents every day, praying for all the survivors. The Harvard doctors said the people were healing faster than they had imagined. Thank you, to the many people who helped make all this possible. Love is something you do!
Ericka’s Story… Ericka’s mother became ill right after she was born. Her mother grew worse and finally died. That’s when we got the “phone call.” Ericka was covered from “head to toe,” with parasites and she cried constantly. But she had other problems… She was “mentally handicapped! It took her a while to fit into a class with children much smaller than she was. When she took her “end of the year,” exam, she didn’t pass and cried and cried. She decided to give it another try, even with special teachers we hire to help the kids, she could not make it! I would tell her not to cry, because “Mommie and Poppie,” could not do it either!! So, she is doing better! Remember Ericka in your prayers. Thank you and God bless you.
After building our big orphanage, we never thought we would build a Birthing Center! We had a very small clinic at that time, and our doctors had many patients that were pregnant. However, some women would give birth on the way to the clinic, or when they were standing in line to see the doctor! Sometimes, the baby would “drop out,” while the mother was standing in line to see the doctor!
Many mothers in Haiti die during childbirth for many reasons. I was in a mud hut one time when I saw a mother giving birth… The husband grabbed his “rusty razor blade” from under the old mattress to cut the cord before I could do anything!! Then, he grabbed some “dirty rags” off the ground to stop the bleeding!! That was it! We knew God wanted a beautiful Birthing Center for the poor, that would provide safety and “dignity,” for the mothers. When the mothers come to our beautiful Birthing Center, they receive consultations, examinations, ultrasounds, medicines, vitamins, baby clothes, and other items! We must save the lives of the mothers, otherwise, there will be more “orphans” in Haiti. Thank you and God bless you.
“The Battle Belongs to the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 20:15
How’s that battle going? Are you tired of trying to do this all by yourself? This is a message from the Lord for someone today. You are fighting a battle, but you are trusting in chariots, and in horses. David said, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the Name of the Lord our God.”
2 Chronicles 20:15, “For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” This is your answer! Stop trying to carry the load yourself! Have a blessed day.
We first saw Nelson in the “mud hut,” village of Old Letant. Everyone here lives in mud huts and more people are moving in every day! We were having a Food Distribution and Bobby was talking to Marc Crea, who was the director of “Feed My Starving Children.” I was not far from them, but my eyes were distracted by the disgust I witnessed. A Haitian mother came outside her hut, carrying a “crippled child,” by one arm, and she dropped him on the ground, near a huge hog! The tiny boy was slammed down on his knees beside the hog, in the heat of the sun… with no water!
The kids came by, smacked him on the head, and called him a name which means, “I don’t need you or, don’t want you! Pa Bezouin Ou!” I was so angry! I ran over and picked him up and he wrapped his arms around my neck!
To make a long story short, his mother gave him to us, the Lord healed him, and he began walking and talking, and running and doing “cart-wheel flips!” You, our wonderful partners, did this! Today, Nelson is 13, is in 7th grade, and wants to be a mechanic! He helps feed the animals, pulls weeds, mops floors, and anything else that needs to be done! He was “one of the least of these,” that Jesus talked about… “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” Matthew 25:40
When you plant one tiny single seed, it can grow into a full plant that has many more seeds on it. For instance, when you plant one seed of corn, it can produce an average of 800 kernels (from 500-1200) on a single plant. That’s great multiplication, or leverage, to go from one seed to more than 800. It is nearly the same as the spinach we grow in Haiti at the ATC gardens which can produce about 300 seeds per plant. We grow a kind of “spinach” that is in the same family as Amaranth (and even “pigweed” in the US, which is NOT edible) that the Haitians call “epinard” (French for spinach). In these pictures you see a great crop of epinard that is growing in the ATC demonstration gardens, ready for harvest. Wilner and the ATC staff also grow this popular and tasty vegetable in all the gardens at the orphanage, too. Epinard’s leaves can be harvested in 30-40 days after planting. Since it grows quickly and the Haitians love this nutritious, tasty food, it is always being planted. That takes many seeds. We teach and stress “seed saving” among our ATC students and staff for almost all of the crops we grow. These harvestable epinard have been grown from our own harvested seed, multiplying the production output from the first packs of seeds donated to us from Hope Seeds International. What a blessing… one that keeps on multiplying and producing more and more. All from one single tiny seed. Isn’t God amazing? We praise Him with each harvest, and we thank Hope Seeds for their life-giving seed programs around the world. We also thank all of you who support our sustainability outreaches that help Haitians learn to help themselves. These programs produce “food for life.”
We all make promises, but it is important, as a Christian, to keep that promise!
As Joseph was dying, he knew he would never see the “Promised Land” that his people would go to. He made them this promise… “God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. (Egypt) ” Gen. 50:25
Exodus 13:19… “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him.”
A promise is a promise! Have a blessed day, and keep your word and promise.
