Part of our missions team approach this year will be to help rebuild Haiti. We have begun repairs on our own buildings but have staff and families in the community who have children who attend our school who are without homes. Many of the HFC children have learned servanthood through the work that mission teams do and this is even more of an opportunity to teach them the invaluable lesson of being the hands and the feet of the body of Christ.
How can you help? We need missions teams to commit to this purpose. It would be also be very helpful if we could send a person with construction experience to Haiti this summer to help coordinate the rebuilding of houses. Alternatively, we could send two people, each for six to eight weeks, dividing the workload. Do any of you know someone who could help us in this regard? If so, please contact Tara Kasey.
I also wanted to highlight a fundraising opportunity. The Acton Family Network is holding it's spring tag sale on May 15th from 8am-noon and are donating the proceeds to HFC. If you have any toys or clothing you would like to donate to be sold to benefit HFC, please contact Mariah Straayer at ( tagsale@actonfamily.org). Drop offs in Acton only. |
| Weekly Update 3/10-3/16 |
The U.S. Army brought more food and supplies to the orphanage on Thursday. I have discovered that some of them would rather sing worship songs in English than talk in English, so much of the phone call was spent singing/listening to worship songs. :) Such beautiful voices! The kids are continuing to practice their English, and each day I can hear their improvement, and sometimes have another one speak to me in English, who didn't before. They have devotionals twice a day and say they are doing well. On Tuesday, between 30-40 Americans came to visit the kids today with more supplies. The kids happily spent time with them and gave them tours of their houses. Also some of the kids went to the hospital for their checkups and came back frustrated as they spent all day starting at around 3 in the morning well into the evening without being able to see a doctor. Please continue to pray for these kids and Haiti.
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| Weekly Update 3/2-3/9 |
The kids were excited to have a team, Hal, Bev, and Craig, come to visit them. They also joyfully talked about all of the chocolate, candy, and gum that they ate! They played cards, talked, had some conversations about the earthquake. Argentine helped with translations when needed. The team also visited Lamarre's house. The kids wrote letters for Bev and Hal to bring back to the U.S. Some of the kids joyfully told me that they participated in communion at church. Please continue to keep them in your prayers as they all want to grow and mature in their relationship with God. Keziah visited the kids on Monday and a group of the kids went to buy books. To quote the kids "we had a very good day today!" |
| Sunday Night Update 2/28 |
Today the kids told me that they got to see Evens Auguste yesterday. He is now living in Tomassin with Dr. Bernard. |
| Saturday Afternoon Update 2/27 |
I got to speak to the kids while they were at Tomassin. They were all happy to tell me the activities for the day: watching TV/movie, swimming in the pool a little because it was "very cold," playing with the NewLife Link babies, playing basketball, and playing volleyball with Papi. Since they were at Tomassin when I called, I got to speak with Dr. Bernard and Claudette as well. They both are tired but doing well. They send hello and their love to everyone! :) |
| Thursday Night Update 2/25 |
The kids were overjoyed when I spoke with them this evening. Papi (Dr. Bernard) and Mami (Claudette) came to visit them in the morning. Papi told them that on Saturday all of the kids would be able to go to Tomassin for the day. This caused more excitement for the kids, as many of them want to go swimming in Papi's pool, and others are looking forward to using the internet to write e-mails. Mostly they are just excited to do something different. Also today the same Americans that had brought them food a few weeks ago, came again with more food (rice and spaghetti) today. It has still been raining sporadically during the day and night. |
| Wednesday Night Update 2/24 |
Kids were very happy that they were able to sleep through the night without another aftershock. The are continuing to keep themselves busy, particularly praying reading and studying English. Some of them actually look forward to practicing their English with me on the phone. :) |
| Tuesday Night Update 2/23 |
The was another aftershock (4.7) at 1am so the kids didn't get much sleep. |
| Monday Night Update 2/22 |
Around 4am and 10am Haiti had some "medium" aftershocks. Everyone, the kids and workers, are ok. I got to speak to Lamarre today as well. He and his family are doing ok. |
| Friday Night Update 2/19 |
Nurses from UNICEF came to give the kids vaccinations, so each kid that came on the phone made sure they told me how sore their arms were. |
| Wednesday Night Update 2/17 |
5 members of the U.S. Army came to visit today. They came to see how everyone was doing and assess the conditions and to see where help was needed. One of them was Haitian. They told the kids that they will bring them food. It was also encouraging to hear that some of them have been practicing their English. Some of the kids also played soccer in the yard. They said that it has been raining almost every night. |
| Monday Night Update 2/15 |
First, I would like to thank Sooyun Chung who has been helping us with our updates from the kids.
Here is the most recent update: The kids are doing well. I actually got to talk to some of the boys today too. They are keeping busy playing games, watching movies, listening to music, journaling, reading, praying. They mentioned that it has been raining on and off recently. They were also excited about the food supplies that are due to arrive later this week.
We thank you for everyone's support and prayers. |
| Tuesday Night Update 2/9 |
The kids are doing well, even though last night anothe r small earthquake (4.0) shook through Port-au-Prince. This most recent earthquake came while we were on the phone with them. Some of them were scared and called out to each other, bracing for something as shocking as the first earthquake. Others were able to stay calm and strong, providing support and reassurance. Please continue to pray for their safety in these quakes. They are still sleeping in the yard within the walls of the orphanage and are staying out of the buildings as much as possible.
Many of the kids talked about their desire to start school again. A Port-au-Prince radio station announced Monday that the government is making it a priority to try to open all of the schools as soon as next month, although that is very uncertain at this point. Please join us in praying for that opportunity. The kids are also praying specifically for this and other requests during the prayer meetings they initiated from 10am to 12pm every day.
Thanks for your ongoing support!
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| Welcoming Tara Kasey |
HFC is thrilled to welcome Tara Kasey as our part-time Ministry and Development Director. Tara and her husband, Dan Kasey, are pictured below in the tap-tap during their trip to Haiti in August 2009.
 My first contact with HFC was approximately 10 years ago when my husband, Dan Kasey was on staff. I spent hours at HFC alongside Dan, volunteering to help with mailings, packing nights and other administrative tasks. Even then the ministry made an impact on me mostly through the relationships I made - meeting Marion Austin and hearing her stories, eating dinner at a Haitian restaurant with Dr. Bernard.
It wasn't until our trip this past August (my first trip to Haiti) when Dan and I led a team of 12 teens that all the pictures and stories came to life, that I felt such a strong connection and burden for the people of Haiti. Even in such a short time, I gained a great respect for the people of Haiti - especially their strength and perseverance. The recent events tore at my heart as I was hurting to see all the devastation but also in wonder as I see God working. I am excited to be a part of a ministry where a passion for Christ and His work among the people of Haiti is clearly evident in those involved.
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| Monday Night Update 2/8 |
We talked to the kids tonight (Monday night) -they are continuing to keep themselves busy praying, reading, talking to each other, journaling, playing games, and listening to music. They have been getting together in small groups every day to pray. They asked us to pray for them, that they would be able to come to the US and that they would be safe. It is encouraging that they are supporting each other and leaning on God in these hard times. Thanks for your prayers!
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Friday Night Update 2/5 |
Friday night the kids shared that they are still safe and have enough food and water. They started sharing some more about the experience of being in the earthquake and how terrifying it was. These days, when they hear loud noises, they sometimes get afraid that another earthquake is happening. Please continue to pray for them as they have been through such a traumatic experience. We are thankful for their safety and pray that they would remain safe and feel peace.
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Sunday Night Update 1/31 |
We are so thankful for the food and supplies that arrived to the children today. They continue to do well and when we talked to them tonight they were praising God for His faithfulness in enabling them to receive enough food. They are still safe and leaning on each other for support.
Several of the adoptions that were in process have moved forward throughout the week, including those of Jephycca and Debbie who arrived safely in Canada this weekend. We continue to pray for those who are still waiting.
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Thursday Night Update 1/28 |
We talked to the kids and they are all doing well. There is nothing really new to report - we are thankful because given the situation, no news is good news!
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Wednesday Night Update 1/27 |
The kids are doing well! They were glad to have time with "Papi" (Dr. Bernard) today. They are spending time reading, journaling, helping out, and playing together. Their brothers Bernadin, Steve, Daniel and Jefthe have all arrived safely in the US. We are praying for these families, all of the families in the adoptive process, and all of the kids as they process this tragedy. We continue to pray for all the people of Haiti - for provisions and peace in this incredibly difficult time. Thanks for your support!
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| Monday Night Update 1/25 |
We were able to have a long conversation with the kids tonight. They were in high spirits! More laughter echoed in the background as they urged us not to worry about them. Argentine said that she talked with someone from Boston today, which was encouraging to her since she knows so many people from Boston. They said they were sad to say goodbye to their three brothers who have already moved to their adoptive families in the US because "they are our family." Although this was hard for them, they are also happy for the boys and they started considering what those who are able to come to the US may be able to do, sharing dreams of college and meaningful vocations. They are remaining hopeful and considering how God will use this tragedy to empower them to grow and serve Him, wherever they are.
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| Thursday Night Update 1/21 |
The children are doing well! Tonight we spoke with the boys. They said, "Even though the earth shook again on Wednesday morning, everyone is safe." They again affirmed that no one has been sick or hurt.
Our call was cut off before we could hear many more updates, but we are glad that the Wednesday morning earthquake did not cause additional damage.
Another significant note - Dr. Bernard confirmed this evening at 9:30pm that the first HFC child who was in the adoption process was en route to the States - Bernadin! His adoptive family is thrilled. We pray for all the families who have been advocating for the children to come home to their adoptive families. May God give us strength, wisdom, and patience.
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| Wednesday Night - No Update 1/20 |
We are sorry to report that we were not able to get in touch with the children after many attempts tonight. We will send word tomorrow when we hear from them.
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| Tuesday Night Update 1/19 |
We talked to the kids (1/19/10) - they are still doing well! They have enough water and food, they are healthy and unharmed. It has been raining there. They have been staying within the girls house and sleeping in the yard there.
When asked how we could pray for her, Argentine asked for us to pray that they would see God's strength in this situation. They also asked for prayer for their neighbors - that they would be safe and also that they would know God's peace during this hard time. It is encouraging to hear them be so outward facing in this hard time. When they can, they have been helping translate for some of the rescuers and helping out their neighbors.
We are so thankful to have gotten through (communications are still difficult) and that they are well! It's amazing that during this difficult time, they are so encouraging to speak with - a true reflection of their character.
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Monday Night Update 1/18 |
The kids were so thrilled to get to see Kez! She was able to post some pictures this evening of her time there today.
She also shared an incredible story - She said "Miraculously, every single child was safe. Bernadin and Youdemie were
talking in the girls' courtyard when the quake struck. The neighbor's
wall, beside HFC, started to fall on Bernadin who was frozen in place.
He would have been crushed if Youdemie, brave wonderful Youdemie, had
not pulled him to safety. Likewise, Wislandy was playing in the
courtyard and barely missed being buried. We are blessed."
The kids are spending the days at the girl's house and are staying at the seminary at night. They have sufficient water and food and are healthy and encouraging each other. They were so thrilled to see Keziah. We will be in touch about trips to Haiti - medical and disaster relief professionals are the priority right now. There will definitely be significant work to do in the coming months, and it is so encouraging to have so many people wanting to go help as soon as possible.
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| Monday Morning Update 1/18 |
Keziah Furth, one of the interns and an incredible friend and advocate for the HFC kids just went to visit them in person this morning (1/18/10). She reported that they have enough food for a month as they are still able to access the main building. They have sufficient water, although please pray for safety as the adults seek out more water in the coming days. She said that they are playing with and encouraging each other as usual! Thank you everyone for your ongoing prayers and support!
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Sunday Night Update 1/17 |
We spoke with the children earlier tonight. They reported that they are all doing well. They have plenty of food and water. They are still sleeping outside but have enough blankets. They are continuing to help others with them in the gated seminary area.
It is encouraging to hear this, but please continue to pray for their safety. Please pray for the peace and strength of each of the children, the staff, Dr. Bernard and Claudette. Thank you for your ongoing support!
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Saturday Night Update 1/16 |
We just spoke with the kids tonight. Logistical limitations have made it difficult to maintain consistent communication with the HFC family in Haiti, however, we are thankful that we were able to connect with them tonight. The board is planning on communicating with them on a daily basis and we will post updates here so check back frequently.
The kids are well and are resting at the seminary, which is a barricaded area with green space and a basketball court. They are under the supervision of Lamarre (a long time HFC staff member) and other workers as Dr.Bernard (orphanage director) works his hardest to get to them.
They are safe and they have enough food and water. No one is sick or hurt - praise God - although they are tired. As is their nature, they have even been taking time to help others. Thank you all for your ongoing prayers.
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| HFC needs you! | If you are interested in volunteering your time here in the states or planning a trip to Haiti in the coming months, please email us at tara.kasey@hfchaiti.org.
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| Prayer Requests |
· Praise the Lord for being our Fortress, Stronghold and Deliverer and for His protection of all our children. · That from this tragedy God would provide new opportunities to rebuild Haiti for His glory. · That Haitians would unite in peace and solidarity of purpose to rebuild Haiti. · That gangs would lay down their arms for tools to join the rebuilding. · There would be a spiritual awakening in Haiti and among those who are moved to help. · That God would protect and strengthen all the aid workers faced with so much tragedy (specifically Keziah Furth, a former HFC Intern and nurse). · That God would quickly unite the adoptive children of HFC and New Life Link (NLL) with their waiting families. · That the leadership of HFC would be united as they undergo a discernment process regarding our role in rebuilding Haiti and the future of our non-adoptive children. · That the Lord would continue to protect our children and secure the buildings from further damage. · That Dr. Bernard and Claudette would be strengthened and renewed that they would not grow weary as they deal with this tragedy on the ground. · That God would renew His call on each of us and strengthen us to do His work, wherever He calls. |
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