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| Child Hope International | November 2011 |
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Many Thanks! |
Greetings in the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, We just celebrated Thanksgiving at the home of our dear friends the McHouls and it was a wonderful event. It was a blessed gathering of many fellow servants and their families here in Haiti that brought back memories of traditional Thanksgiving meals shared in the states in years past. For our kids, who have spent the last seven years plus in Haiti, this annual event is the Thanksgiving memory that they will flash back on as adults, remembering this massive pot-luck meal with every kind of delicious food, dessert and goodie imaginable. Eating, running around and playing tag, hide n' seek and other games with a whole lot of Haitian and missionary kids has become a wonderful tradition. And for us adults... Laughing. Taking photos. Catching up. Relaxing with dear friends -- it is also a special time as well. We are so very thankful to be able to share this special event once a year with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Lifting up our glorious God for His immeasurable love, mercy, and grace. Thanking Him for how he protects us, provides for us and keeps us strong in the face of adversity, exhaustion and discouragement. Praying together for our fellow servants in other parts of the world who cannot publically praise His name, nor thank him out loud, nor sing worship songs boldly with all their heart. As we looked around the room, we saw dear people who are dedicated to serving God. People who have faced violence, kidnapping attempts, political unrest, and illness for the sake of the cross. Enduring earthquakes, cholera, hurricanes and chaotic elections. Most have family in the states, celebrating on this same day, family members whom they cannot share this day with because of the ocean that divides us and a commitment to serve in this way. This is our life. This is where we live. But oh what a wonderful life we live. What a blessed season we share. Our God is great beyond measure and worthy to be served, worshipped and glorified! Praise be to His name! We thank our dear Jesus, for the privilege of serving here, for loving us the way He does and for the immense blessing of having the prayers and support of those of you reading this newsletter. Thank you so very much dear friends. We love you and pray for you daily. Thank you, Jesus. Thankfully,
in Christ in Haiti The Manasseros |
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Meet Cherline
 Cherline has been at Maison de Lumiere Orphanage since we started our girls home. She has grown up to become a sweet 17 year old who loves the Lord and loves to serve others.
Cherline is one of three sisters. Originally from northern Haiti, Cherline moved to Port-au-Prince with her mother and sisters as their farming-oriented subsistence became more difficult. Her mother became very ill, and Cherline took to the streets to beg and collect enough money to help get her mother medical care. She lived in one of Port-au-Prince's worst slums called Cite Soleil but was able to collect money to help her mother but it never seemed to be enough. Once her mother's health improved, her mother did not want Cherline begging on the street any longer. She approached Susette Manassero and asked if Cherline could live in the orphanage.
Since coming to M aison de Lumiere, she has been very happy, loves school (now in 6th grade) and hopes to one day be able to get a job and make money to help out her family. She loves all the girls and enjoys living in the home. Cherline also loves interacting with visitors and writing them letters of love, appreciation, and encouragement in the Lord.
Unfortunately, as a child, Cherline had very severe ear infections that were never treated. This resulted in perforated tympanic membranes in both ears. This never will spontaneously heal and leaves her with frequent reocurring infections causing pain and hearing loss.
 Doctors can repair one ear at a time and we are hoping the first of these operations will be in January. Unfortunately, each operation will cost approximately $2,000 U.S. We are praying that Cherline will be able to get the surgeries she needs. What a blessing it will be for Cherline to no longer have to endure the pain from her ears.
If you'd like to donate towards Cherline's ear operations, please go to http://grouprev.com/cherlinesearoperations and follow the instructions on the page. To become a monthly sponsor of Cherline, please click on the following link: Sponsor Cherline.
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Christmas 2011
 We had so much to be thankful for at Child Hope as we reflected on the goodness of the Lord this past Thanksgiving! The Lord has been faithful to answer so many of our prayers and provide all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Your service, support, friendship, and prayers have been such a blessing to us, our children, and our staff members! We want to say a special thanks to our generous supporters who have provided Christmas gifts for each of our orphanage children this year!
We can hardly control our excitement as as Christmas is just around the corner, which means another fun-filled Christmas Pageant where we are able to share the real meaning of CHRISTmas to 400 people in our community on the 17th of December. The afternoon is scheduled to have several wonderful dances, musical performances, and skits from our orphanage, school, and feeding program children! We also get to bless those in attendance with dinner and gift bags full of goodies. Check out the website we've set up to showcase pictures and videos from last year's festivities: http://grouprev.com/christmasatmdl.
We'd like to extend one last invitation to anyone interested in meeting any of our remaining specific requests and needs for our Christmas activities this year. The items listed below should be sent to our Santa Barbara office by December 7th.
- 2 pairs of flat black mary jane shoes for two girls from our neighborhood who attend MdL School: one in Womens 7 1/2 and one Womens 6 1/2
- 5 dolls preferably with dark skin and dark hair long enough for our little girls to enjoy braiding!
- 150 travel sized toothpastes and $300 for coloring books and gift bags for the neighborhood children attending our Christmas Pageant Outreach
- $550 to buy new Creole Bibles to bless our Haitian staff
- $2000 to feed the 400 people attending the Christmas Pageant
- Sports balls (deflated for transport)
- Cover additional costs for backdrops, seating, lighting, decorations, etc. for Christmas Pageant and Christmas day activities
- We'd also like to be able to bless our Haitian staff with Christmas bonuses for all the hard work they've done this past year to care for our children and our visitors.
If interested in donating any of these items, please contact Jessica at jessica@childhope.org before buying to ensure nobody else has already volunteered to provide the gift. If you'd like to help us reach our fundraising goal by December 7th, please visit our fundraising site to make an online donation: http://grouprev.com/christmasatmdl.
Again, we'd like to thank you so much for your love and support this past year! We cherish each of you and hope to see your lovely faces in Haiti again soon! Many blessings to you and your family this Christmas season!
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Haiti Celebration Dinners
Save the Dates: April 27 & 29
Last year, we introduced our first Haiti Celebration Dinner as a means to bring together, give thanks and celebrate all that God is doing through Child Hope in Haiti. It was a very special gathering of people who have served and supported Child Hope's efforts in Haiti. This year, we've decided to continue with the dinner but to not just one, but two events - one in Long Beach and another in Santa Barbara. This will allow for even more people and families to participate. The events will be held on Friday night, April 27, 2012, in Long Beach, California, and Sunday night, April 29th in Santa Barbara, California. Watch for details and online sign-ups in future newsletter issues. In the meantime, mark your calendars. Last year's event was sold-out, so, be sure to sign-up early once sign-ups begin. Thank you and God bless.
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New Mailing Address!
Many of you may not be aware that Child Hope has a new mailing address. Please note, the new mailing address is:1225 Coast Village Road Suite C Santa Barbara, CA 93108-3714 If you have the address in your computer, on BillPay, online donation service, phones, etc. please take a moment to update. Our phone number remains the same - 888-808-9595. Thank you.
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 Online Shopping Can Help Child Hope
Did you know that when you shop online you can also help a child in Haiti through Child Hope International?
Please make every gift count this holiday season. You can also find discount coupons at more than 1,600 top stores (including Amazon, Macy's, J.Crew, Toys R Us, Best Buy, Gap and more) AND a percentage of virtually every sale will be donated to Child Hope.
Just go to GoodShop.com, designate Child Hope as the cause you support and then click over to your favorite store and shop away!
Or, add the GoodSearch toolbar to your browser at http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar - and your purchases will earn a donation for Child Hope even if you forget to go to GoodShop first!
Please spread the word.
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 2012 Calendars Now Available
Our new 2012 Child Hope calendars are now available and ready to order for quick delivery online.
Featuring recent photos of the children at Maison de Lumiere orphanage, listing their birthdays, Haitian holidays and Child Hope events, these popular calendars are a great way to remember to lift up the children in prayer and praise God for the good work He is doing in and through Child Hope.
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Upcoming Events
Nov 26-Dec 3 - Reality L.A. Church Missions Team
Dec 17 - MDL Haiti Christmas Pageant
Jan 6-16 - Wellspring Christian Fellowship Missions Team
Jan 21-30 - Mission Viejo Christian Church Missions Team
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