Short and sweet written by Don and Doreen.

Arrived today, Monday, early afteroon after leaving home early Friday morn.

Airport arrival

Enroute to the mission

A multitude of new experiences en route, and now have met everyone in the Compound. 

Safe arrival at the mission

Afternoon walk

Look who is standing in the tree too

Rather tired tonight, fun tired, and need rest, so this is a very short blog. 

They arrive - they work

Karen and children all well and excited to see us and we excited to see them. We are looking to a busy day tomorrow. 

Dieunel with godmother Alycia

Holly & Emma with Josie and Karena

Stephen & Sarah (Mme Stephen)  and Ti Luc

Cavelle with Leica and Djemima

Evening devotions

Good night, checa again the mar, from the Haiti crew.  Regards AND BLESSINGS.   

Greetings and blessings from all of us at HATS-Haiti.

This is a photo blog.  The photos and captions will speak for themselves.  You will see we are all doing well. 

Too you will see it is and always will be -  A L L    A B O U T    T H E   C H I L D R E N

Ti Luc and Judel leading singing in church while waiting for worship leader

 

 

Kalei & Ti Luc singing in devotions

What a team

Papa Luckner with three of our youngest

Luckner & Karen with 14 employees ready to attend Herve's funeral

Cleaning up the grape vine

Jonathan singing - Our God - with cardboard for his songbook

Ti Fi

Early morning walk & playtime with older kids

JJ coming down

Moise on the way down

Leica in the air

Dieunel jumping

 Love from Karen and the children

Hello from the hot country. (Getting more so every day.)

We are all excited about my big brother, Don, (aka Misye Komik) and his team coming late April.  One of his first time team members, Cavelle Simms, wrote a poem and gave me 16 years ago (1997) after I had been living here for two years.

I am thrilled that after all this time I will actually be able to share my life, my Haitian family, and my work with Cavelle who has been behind me for so many years.  Coming for the first time, too, is her daughter, Sarah and her husband, Stephen.  There will be other first timers coming as well and some who have been here before and wanted to return.  You will hear about all of them, and from them, when they are with us.

I mention Cavelle because I am going to use this blog to share her poem with you.  

The Other Side

If I could place just for one day

Any child of mine

Somewhere to teach them gratitude

The place is not hard to find

I’d ask my dear friend, Karen

To take one on her knee

With another from the orphanage

Just so they could see

I’d get her to point out to them

All is not there to take

Or even get to make the choice

Ice cream or chocolate cake

There’d be no house, but a mere hut

No shoes upon their feet

No worry about your buddies

Thinking your Nikes are neat

No worry that your classmate

Has brand name fancy wear

Or has an earring in her nose

Or three in just one ear

No worry that your computer

Will soon be obsolete

For because it’s one year old today

Another has it beat

No worry that your corn pops

Won’t last ‘til grocery day

Or when you ask for ten dollars

Will five just come your way?

No worry, worry, worry

About all this crazy stuff

But to wake up in the morning

Just might be enough

To bring polluted water

For your family

And hope there’s food to go around

Praying, “Dear God, let there be.”

Then take the little food there is

And cook it really long

And then you wonder as you eat

Are the bugs really gone?

When the day has tired your body

And you now must face the night

No fan to cool you down, my son

No books read by beaming light

No “Tender Treasures” to tuck in

No clear water by your bed

No fluffy, pretty pillow

To lay your pretty head

I’d pray that when I brought them back

Eyes and hearts open wide

And realize that when life’s coin was tossed

It could be them “on the other side”

C. Simms 1997

Jesus said,  "Let the little children come unto me".

Sixteen years ago it was, as it still is now,
ALL   ABOUT   THE   CHILDREN 

Thank you for making it possible for HATS to continue to minister to the children in this valley area. 

God bless each and every one of you.
Karen and the children

Greetings from HATS-Haiti once again.

Since Liette and Rick left nine days ago we have been kept very busy, so much so that I am behind again with the blog.   There is, however, a good sense of accomplishment here due to this busyness.  I have to say, however, despite being kept very busy I am still missing those two a lot.  While they were here I actually relaxed.  School being closed while they were here helped too.  I put time with them before office work, correspondence, reports, and everything else besides the children, and I am so glad I did.  I felt for awhile I had a 'normal' life.  Rick, the time with you guys sure wasn't 'the dog's breakfast'.   

I have been extremely busy playing catch up in the office on the things I left undone to enjoy life for a week.  Lois and Brad, with their very helpful daughter, Kaeli, have been very busy going through, cleaning, and organizing the huge storage rooms behind the main house.  To say I am pleased with the finished result of the first storage room is a definite understatement.  I am absolutely thrilled.  I feel like I am getting my normal life back (what was normal for when I lived in Canada that is) with everything organized and labeled and easily accessible.   It is how I have wanted it since the storage rooms were built over two years ago.  Oh joy!!!    Some more wood for Brad and shelves will go up in the second storage room with more cleaning, sorting, and organizing.  Can't wait.   Perhaps the day will even come when I can get the office gone through completely and organized the way I have wanted that for a long time too, but had no time to do it.  Without enough help one does the things that are urgent to keep things going.  The Reimers are helpful and supportive in MANY ways.  We are thankful they are now a part of HATS.

What a help those Reimers are. Thank you, God.

Our children, boys as well as girls, spend a day each week in the kitchen learning cooking and helping with dishes, and a day in the laundry room.   Moise and JJ thought at first it was not for them but they are actually enjoying learning to do it all.

Moise learning how to clean the rice before cooking

Our school report card day was held while Liette and Rick were here.  The overall results were good but Luckner was not satisfied with some of the classes and has reasons to feel that way.  Our new bunch of grade sevens seem to be at school for all the wrong reasons and now there is great pressure on them to pull up their socks.  All our HATS children passed - some need to bring their averages up which hopefully will happen before June.  Ti Luc was surprised and more than thrilled when his grade 2 teacher called out his name last saying he held first place in his class with almost an 8 out of 10 average.  He did a happy dance in front of everyone,  ran to hug Mama Karen and then looked for Papa Luckner and Godmother Rose Lore.
  

Report card day at HATS school

Happy Ti Luc with his godmother, Rose Lore after finding he came 1st.

Luckner speaking with students and parents

Anne & Jonathan went to report card day at the school too

All of us at HATS are saddened today by the news that Herve Lajeune, a long time employee of HATS as security agent died last night.  Herve finished working with us last September due to illness but he stayed a part of HATS.  He attended our church services regularly and visited us onsite.  All who have come to HATS in the seven year period prior to last September would have met Herve and would been thankful for the protection he offered during the night hours.  Herve was a good and loyal employee and was a friend as well.  His two children attend our school IMKH in grades 6 and 9.  Luckner and I will be meeting today to discuss how HATS can help with the funeral and the rough road ahead for them.

Herve sleeping peacefully one day at hospital

Herve's son, Robird, a very thankful young man for food

As funds become available we are continuing to distribute food to people in need in our area.   There are a lot of people going hungry throughout Haiti.  A report from January gave statistics of 1.5 million people going hungry - people who have no idea when they might get something to eat;  4.5 million who cannot eat regularly but who have hope of finding food at least a few times a week.  After hurricane Sandy in October there was a significant lost  of annual crops, (more than 1/3), a lot of which was from the Artibonite valley where we are.  It is painful to see and hear about but it is reality.  The crops are a lot less, the cost is a lot more.  The people don't have sufficient crops and have no funds to buy from someone else.  It is a serious problem.

Thank you HATS for the food

The hunger situation has caused an increase in stealing by people who are armed.  People are feeling desperate to feed themselves and their children and are doing whatever it takes. 

All of us are now getting excited about the arrival of my brother Don, aka Misye Komik, and his team on April 29th.  The children are overheard several times a day talking about Misye Komik, Emma, and Alycia returning and wondering who else might be coming too.  Don, Emma, and Alycia are godparents to Josie, Anne, and Dieunel.  These three kids are flying very high with excitement.  It always means a lot to them to have a godparent or a sponsor come to see them. 

Our children are all doing well.  These days they are thoroughly enjoying eating lots of mangoes.  They have started to fall from our own tree and many times a day we see orange faces and clothes stained orange with delicious juice from the fruit.  I must say, however, that not only the children are eating a lot of mangos these days.  It is a happy season for us.

Mango feast

Ti Luc and I both are thankful for the large letters keyboard that came to him from Heidi and Tim and the iPad that came down to him with Julie late February.  He is doing well typing with his feet.  He types and I carry the laptop to the school at times so his teacher can see what he is typing.  He has learned everything there is on the iPad.  He amazes me with his speed and ability.  He is now in need of more challenging things.  Thank you to Julie too for the funds to purchase more, but for some reason our internet will not allow access to the itunes store.  We will do so when we get to Canada.
 

Ti Luc thanked Julie for his iPad by using the keyboard from Tim & Heidi

Ti Luc writing thank you to Heidi & Tim who gave him the keyboard.

Some of you have asked for an update on the adoption of Ti Luc.  It seems to be moving in a good direction but I am afraid to believe anything anymore until I have solid proof.  As of today I do have a copy of the paper saying the adoption is finalized.  Keep praying please and as soon as I have a passport for him then I will rejoice and ask you to join in our happy celebrations.  There will be some happy dancing done here when that day arrives.  When I have the passport I will be contacting the Canadian Embassy for a visa for Ti Luc.  I want very badly to purchase airline tickets for us both to go to NS and NL in July.  A fun celebratory family time is set for July in my home town and Ti Luc and I both need to be in attendance.

We saw a beautiful rainbow ring around the sun today.  It was gorgeous even it it means a storm is close by.  Photo compliments of Lois.

Ring around the sun April 6, 2013

Thank you one and all for EVERYTHING - for every prayer that is sent to heaven on our behalf, for every penny that is sent to help the children and people in the area, for every email or text message sent with encouragement -  for all the various means of support that keeps HATS running to help those in need.   Thank you and God bless you all.  Let's continue to work together. 

Everything we do here and everything we want to do here is -
A L L    A B O U T   T H E    C H I L D R E N

Karen