It started as the dream of a 9 year old girl -- God's calling for her to build an orphanage, school, church and hospital in Haiti.  When she moved to Haiti with her family in 2004, it was the answer to prayer.

Starting with a boys home for street kids, more kids were taken in and the mission grew over time.  By the grace of God, a girls home was added in December of 2006.  And then came the medical clinic and a school, all within the last the last few years.  Seeing God fulfill her vision before her very eyes was no less than out-of-this-world amazing.

When she first arrived in Haiti she was overwhelmed.  She loved the children in the home just like her own siblings.  She quickly learned the language (Creole) and began her own ministries with a Bible club for the neighborhood kids, a special purity class for local girls and the beginnings of a feeding program.  She was making a dynamic impact on the children and the community.  Every one in the area quickly learned who Ari was.

But as much as she wanted to pour herself into serving, she had to be regularly brought back to reality by the responsibilities of her school work (she was home schooled).  Her heart and desire was to give her all, full-time, to serve God by serving the children of Haiti.

Ariana was being home schooled by her parents and missionary tutors who helped under the umbrella of South Bay Faith Academy, the Redondo Beach, California, home school organization that she has attended since she was a little girl.  When some of  the families and directors at South Bay Faith heard about Ari's draw to full-time ministry, they began to review her academic records and found, through her classes and life experiences, that, if she really pushed, she could graduate a year earlier than expected.  She was elated!

In June of 2009, she joined with 20 of her fellow home school friends to graduate and receive her high school diploma.  It was a beautiful graduation ceremony with nearly 300 hundred attending.  Ariana sang Wonderful, Merciful Savior with her brother Jordan who played guitar accompaniment.  It was a very special night.

After graduation, she wanted to take time to breathe, spend time with family and pray up for the adventure ahead.  Her parents flew back to Haiti while Ariana stayed in California with her brother and sister-in-law.  It was a blessed time.

In August, when she returned to Haiti, she reunited with her family.  After a few weeks, she packed her bags and proceeded to move into the girls home, where she is currently serving "officially" as a full-time missionary in Haiti.  Even though she is only a few houses down the road, her family still misses her.  However, when they see the overwhelming joy in her face and listen to her as she laughs and cries while sharing stories of the girls and her experiences at the home, they see -- this is exactly where God wants her at this very special time in her life.  It is the answer to prayer.  The fulfillment of the faith of a child.  And all by the power and grace of a Wonderful, Merciful Savior.

Each summer, we put together an aggressive summer school schedule for the kids at Maison de Lumiere.  Because so many of our children started school late in life, we believe that summers are a great opportunity to catch up, perfect academic skills, strengthen weaknesses and generally get a jump start on life ahead.  As a result, we put together our own summer school classes as well as arrange  special vocational job training opportunities.

Each year, we rely heavily on the talents and skills of dedicated volunteers who selflessly donate their time and abilities to bless the children of Maison de Lumiere.  This year, we were totally blessed by some very special summer interns that took one to two months of their personal time to become teachers, mentors and leaders for our children.  Here are a few of those very special people:

Mike Wilson also came to us from Biola University.  His heart was to teach Bible to the boys at Maison de Lumiere.  A fan of rap and hip hop music, Mike taught a program called Thirteen Letters that was a program that taught the 13 letters of Paul using rap and hip hop music.   The program contained a DVD/CD that put key scripture to rap to help the boys to better memorize key verses.  He also taught a twice a week Foundations Bible study.  Early on in his visit Mike decided that he wanted to utilize every moment to minister to and disciple the boys and ended up moving into to the boys home.  The kids loved and respected Mike like no other visitor and were deeply moved by his teaching and friendship.

Bethany Mills is also no a stranger to MDL.  She has visited twice already and hopes to return with a group from her school next year.  She has a tremendous love for not only the children of MDL but for the children in the neighborhood.  A senior at Dartmouth, she has had a heart for missions for years and Haiti touched her heart in a profound way.  She was supposed to go to China to teach English but after her first visit to Haiti last spring, she cancelled. Bethany taught the advanced English class , photographed and assisted in the Med Clinic.  She also taught art classes.  Her gentle and sweet manner drew the children to her and her fluency in French helped her communicate effectively with many of the children.

Tyson Bohlinger who is a teacher by profession, instead of taking a summer vacation break from his vigorous teaching schedule, decided to use his teaching skills to bless our younger kids with an English class.  Tyson, who came earlier in the summer with the team from Costa Mesa, was also an instrumental part of our construction team, helping rebuild the girls home play area.  Adding humor to the otherwise busy and, at times, stressful schedule of the interns, he always kept the team laughing.

We just want to extend a very special thank you to this year's summer school team, for their time and faithful service in Jesus' name.  May God richly bless you for your hearts to serve God's very special children in Haiti.

We now officially have our own Maison de Lumiere blog where you can read the latest information, news and updates about the kids, day-to-day activities and our most recent challenges, prayer requests and much more.  You will also have the opportunity to provide feedback, offer prayers, and pour out encouragement (which we always love).  :)

The blog is being written and maintained by Dana Ver Burg, our newest full-time missionary at Child Hope International in Haiti.

Check it out today at childhopeinternational.blogspot.com.