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December 2011
Merry Belated Christmas From Haiti
Child Hope International
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Merry Christmas
Dear blessed friends and family,Sorry we are a little late getting this to you but, as you'll read, we had a very busy season this year.
We cannot adequately express the joy we have had in serving the beautiful people of Haiti in Jesus' name.
This Christmas, we were so aptly reminded of the greatness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, His grace, His majesty and His overwhelming love! The most beautiful gift ever!
There is no where in this universe we would rather be than here, in this beautiful place, in the center of His will.
We are also overwhelmed with gratefulness -- for the incredible staff we have here, serving selflessly -- for all of you who pray, serve and give for the glory of God and for the people of Haiti -- and, most of all, we a thankful for our Awesome God who is the same yesterday, today and forever!
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Show me your ways, LORD,
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you
all day long.
Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
Do not remember
the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, LORD, are good.
Psalm 25: 4-7
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Have a blessed holiday season and a Christ-filled New Year. You are in our prayers.
God bless you.
The Manassero Family
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Thank You For a Very Merry Christmas!
 This Christmas was one of the most blessed in our eight years of service here in Haiti. There was such an amazing spirit of family and love felt by staff, the children and our local community as we celebrated the Savior's birth! And the best part was that it was a collaborative effort of the body of Christ -- families, churches, businesses, schools and so many other wonderful people who selflessly donated funds and gifts, contributed their time and efforts, both in the states and here in Haiti, and volunteered to make this time a very special time for the children of Haiti. It was a blessing of blessings! The muTch Feeding ProgramThis year we decided to do things a little differently, making the special Christmas meal for the community and the Christmas Pageant Outreach two separate events. On Friday, December 16, we had a special Christmas meal for over 300 children through our feeding program. The very blessed day included the singing of Christmas carols, a dance program, an incredible meal and the handing out of little  gift bags filled with goodies for the kids. According to Susette Manassero, "We had prepared meals for a little over 200 kids. When we saw how many showed up, we just let them all in and prayed. And just like the miracle of the loaves and fishes, the Lord provided for every child there -- both meals and gift bags. The pot was still overflowing with rice! Praise God!" Everyone who attended that day were in awe of what the Lord had done. Praise the Lord!Christmas Pageant
 Our annual Christmas Pageant was a spectacular event as well. Our staff, parents of our school and feeding program children, and other local missionaries and their families were in attendance. The afternoon was filled with skits, songs, and dances performed by our MdL kids, school children, and feeding prog ram children that celebrated Christ and His birth. Our nativity play was amazing with special backdrops and costumes made by Reality L.A. church. The night concluded with a Gospel message from our boys' home manager, Marlval, who spoke about the greatest gift we have received this Christmas, Jesus Christ Himself. Amen! MDL School Christmas Program
 Another event added to our calendar was a school Christmas Program. This event gave the parents of the kids who attend our school the opportunity to watch their kids perform. Each classroom teacher prepared skits and or songs for the program. All the kids' hard work and creativity paid off when their parents could not wipe their proud grins off their faces while watching them sing, dance, and act. Being able to have their kids rece ive a free education and then take part in such a special event for Christmas was such a treat for them. The program ended with a special meal and gifts presented to each child from the neighborhood who attends our school. Being able to bless them with dolls, balls, and an assortment of other toys was amazing!Christmas Day
Finally, Christmas day. The staff and Christmas visitors arrived early at the girls and boys homes, shared the real meaning of Christmas, worshiped Jesus together, and distributed gifts for all th e children. After the gifts, a delicious Christmas meal was prepared and served with sodas for all the kids.The evening ended with a special fireworks show in the Ben's sports center. Th  e children were very grateful for their gifts, all the activities and the special day spent together as "family." Thank YouWe'd like to say a special thank you to those who did donation drives for us: Calvary Community Church, Saddleback Church, Ranch Church, Trinity Church, Sanctuary Church, Reality LA, Presbyterian Church of the Master MOPS group and Missions Committee, Gruen Associates, Sylvia Larrabee, Lauren Clark, The Stager Family, Phil Toomey, Kamala Kavati, Kelly Everett, Guido Guidi, Liz Goodrich, Courtney Shannon, Brooke Fortune, Deondra Shropshire, Whitney, Anna, Stephanie Waters (forgive us if we failed to mention you specifically!). Thank you to the Christmas volunteers and those who gave monetarily as well! You have blessed our kids so much and we are so grateful for your generosity. We pray the Lord blesses you with a joyous and prosperous new year! We couldn't have done this without you.
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Oprah Visits Maison de Lumiere
 Oprah Winfrey recently visited Maison de Lumiere to profile the ministry on her new show "The Next Chapter" on the OWN network. MDL and Child Hope will be featured on an episode that also features Sean Penn's Haitian organization.
The program will feature a tour of the CHI ministry facilities and an interview with the Manasseros. The show should air January or February of 2012. The specific date will be announced in our next newsletter and via Child Hope's web site and Facebook page |
Our Valued Interns
For those who have visited us here in Haiti, you see first hand, the importance and major contribution of our interns. Without our interns, we would not be able to do much of what we do here.
We want to say a special thank you to those who have interned with us recently for a few months time.
 Thank you to Jack Strutner, who taught computer and English class at our school and also helped with our transition program. His sweet spirit, skill in speaking Creole, and his heart for others really made it easy for our kids to open up to him. What a blessing he was!
Thank you to Sam Taubl who has been serving as our music teacher. He has been teaching at our school and giving private lessons to our kids as well. His students have had the privilege of learning cello, violin, guitar, voice, and music theory during their lessons. They are loving it!
For those that recently visited, you all have known what a joy it was to have Taylor Cochran and Kelly Clause interning with us as our guest house management team and feeding program coordinators. Their service, good attitudes, love for soccer, and most of all, their love for the Lord, the kids, and our visitors was a huge gift to everyone in our ministry. Even though they are both 22, they had such maturity and wisdom beyond their years (as demonstrated by the picture above). We all miss them so much.
If you are interested in interning for Child Hope, we encourage you to pray about it and apply! Here are some of the current openings we have:
- Girl's Home Live-In Nanny
- Boy's Home Live-In Nanny and Mentors
- Teams Coordinator
- Newsletter writers/editors
- Child Sponsor Liaisons/Coordinators
- MDL Office Bookkeeper/Accountant
- Business Mentors/Entrepreneurs for Transition Program
- Skilled Trainers for furniture making, silk screening, computer/web design, sewing and bakery micro-businesses at Transition Program
- Feeding Program Coordinator
- School: English Teacher, Computer Teacher, Music Teacher, French tutors, Special one-on-one teachers for children with learning disabilities
To apply click here: Then, please email your resume and email addresses of three references to jessica@childhope.org (1 pastoral, 1 personal, and 1 professional). For more information, contact Jessica Selga.
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2012 Haiti Celebration Dinners Location Correction!
Please note: There was an error in the November 2011 newsletter that said the locations for the two upcoming Celebration Dinners will be April 27, 2011 in Long Beach and April 29, 2011 in Santa Barbara. That was a mistake.
The actual dates and locations are: Friday, April 27, 2011 - in Santa Barbara at the Bacara Resort & Spa
Sunday, April 29, 2012 - in Long Beach at The Grand |
Cherline Update
 Cherline is scheduled for her first ear operation. Thanks to all of you who contributed to help make ear surgery possible, we raised $2000 for her first ear surgery.
We were able to tell her we had another special Christmas gift for her this year - the gift of preserved hearing. She was very excited! Thanks to all of you who prayed and donated! |
2012 MDL Calendars Now Available!
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Upcoming Events
Jan 6-16 - Wellspring Christian Fellowship Missions Team
Jan 21-30 - Mission Viejo Christian Church Missions Team
April 27 & 29 - Second Annual Haiti Celebration Dinners - Santa Barbara, CA and Long Beach, CA
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