Greetings in the name of our awesome Lord and Creator Jesus Christ,

It is difficult to write to you.  There is so much that has happened in the last few months that I feel totally inadequate trying to express the gravity of what we have experienced.  It has been almost three months since our last regular newsletter and already I realize how rusty I am at the whole writing thing.  My writing over the last three months has consisted mostly of brief tweets, two sentence emails and, if I really get motivated, a few paragraphs for one of our blogs.
 
And even as I write, I realize that this is only the thoughts and feelings of one person - one writer - Bill Manassero - and not each member of my family, each of whom has had their own experiences, deep felt emotions and traumas to overcome.  Although we have all shared, prayed together and held each other -  each person could share a different perspective and insight into what happened over the last few months.

The last few months already feel like a big surreal blur.  The quake, the medical triage, destruction, no sleep, living outdoors, robbers, reporters, no electricity, no fuel, no food, fervent worship and prayer, faith, the 82nd Airborne, tears, tragedy, joy, hope, more reporters, crying out to Jesus, confusion, tent cities, three days of worship and prayer, rain, encouraging visitors -- and it all seems like it happened in the blink of an eye.

Today, I am writing with such a mix of emotion and information overload that I don't know where to begin.  The best place, however, is probably at the beginning - I mean the real Beginning... and the End.  The Alpha and the Omega -- our Everlasting God - the Creator of all Who is the same yesterday, today and forever. 

How could we have made it through this time without Him?  How could anyone survive such a traumatic, devastating experience like this without the hope and strength provided by a loving faithful God?  It hurts me deeply to think of those who have tried to endure without Him.  Who seek the strength to overcome within themselves, only to be discouraged, broken and left ultimately  empty and without hope.  He has been our Rock, our Salvation, and the source of strength in the midst of our most profound weakness.

When I look back years from now, I don't think the strongest memories will be of the flattened buildings, the horrific images of those killed and maimed,  nor the utter devastation and confusion - I think what I will remember  most will be the hope in the faces of the Haitian people.  The faith of those who had lost everything.  The inner strength that comes from a profound belief and faith in an all powerful, mighty and benevolent God,  who never abandons but, instead, stands firm, ready to take on the burdens of the suffering and the heartbroken.

I've seen it since we moved here nearly six years ago.  The beautiful spirit of a people who are no stranger to hardship, whose daily lives are much too familiar with death and suffering.  And the earthquake brought this spirit out for the world to see. 

As I sat exhausted, two days without sleep, two days after the quake, in our makeshift medical clinic in front of the boys home, a place filled with battered and broken people, I caught just a glimpse of why we are here and why we love these people so much.  It started next door.  In our little sports area the kids call "The Ben's," where all the MDL kids were laying on mattresses in the middle of our soccer field.  Distant voices, singing in Creole, a familiar tune.  The voices grew stronger and stronger. As I listened, soon, the patients in the clinic started humming and then singing along loudly.  Eyes closed, hands raised, hearts joined as one.  The faces of all those around me seemed to smile in unison as they seemed temporarily transported to a different place. 

I finally recognized the tune and then I joined in, singing in English - "Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art." 

Even in the midst of total loss, trauma and despair their faith endured.  Because they believe in a God --bigger than our circumstances, bigger than the very worse the world can dish out.  For "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;  my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

God bless you and God bless the Haitian people.

Please continue to pray.

In Christ in Haiti,

The Manasseros

The road ahead will likely have its challenges but we are thankful that we walk with a God who is bigger and greater than any obstacle placed before us.  Our focus is on the precious children entrusted to our care.  They are our priority.  And although they have been hit hard, they are ready and anxious to move on.  They want to know that they are loved, have hope for the future and that the Body of Christ still stands beside them. 

We have spent and will continue to spend a lot of time praying, reading God's Word and worshiping together.  We've talked a lot about the earthquake, the state of Haiti, rebuilding, new opportunities for the future and many other things.  Those with families have been given food and tarps and/or tents for their families.  In addition, we have been blessed by the many wonderful people who have come to Haiti to encourage, love, counsel and pray with the kids.

God is great!  Our trust and hope is in Him and Him alone.  Please keep us in your prayers as we move forward and seek His complete will and desire.  God bless you.

CNN will be premiering a documentary on Maison de Lumiere (The Lighthouse) called "Rescued" that will be aired on May 8 and May 9 at 8PM EST.  It features footage from the recent earthquake relief efforts, profiles of two of our children - Markenson and Cindy - and shows film footage from the very earliest years of the ministry and Child Hope in Haiti.   We hope you will have an opportunity to see this one-hour special and let others know.  We are praying that this documentary with first and foremost glorify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  In addition, we pray that a favorable response will inspire more faith-based stories at CNN.  The documentary is being produced by Rose Arce and Jonathan Olinger and is hosted by Soledad O'Brien.

One of the best ways to help out the children of Maison de Lumiere (The Lighthouse) is by becoming a sponsor.  As a sponsor, you have the unique opportunity to participate in the growth, support and development of a child or children at the orphanage.  You can correspond with the child, receive updated pictures and share your faith and encouragement with him or her.  We have updated photo galleries to our boys and girls pages on our website, as well as made sponsoring our kids through the website easier than ever:

To see our boys page, click here
To see our girls page, click here

If you didn't know already, Child Hope is posting regularly on Facebook and Twitter now: