Thursday Jan. 10th Pure Joy & Renewed Hope!!

Today we traveled along the beautiful coastline of Haiti to the town of Tetanyen. Nestled in the crest of the mountain, above the city, looking out to the open sea we visited Healing Haiti's pet project: "Grace Village". Grace Village is an orphanage, school, and a church, with church services and education opportunities open to the locals of Tetanyen. Over three hundred local Haitian children attend the school, from kindergarten thru high school. The grounds were very impressive, including an advanced agricultural project, a Talapia fish farm, and 'three' Italian, wood-burning ovens appropriately named "Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego". The idea behind developing these resources, is that they would not only feed and benefit Grace Village, but the surrounding village and locals. The plan is to provide employment to locals by teaching them the skills they will need to keep these programs operating. The goods that will be produced on sight will include fresh produce, fish, and bread. We were informed that those employed will be able to keep one third of the goods for their own use, be able to sell one third of the goods, and the remaining third would go back to the community at Grace Village. Also on the grounds, a new medical and dental facility was under construction.

Grace Village is like an oasis for local children who have found a beautiful, safe, loving environment where they can grow and thrive without worrying where there next meal is coming from. It is the goal of Grace Village to reach out to the community, empower the people, and give them the resources so that they can live, grow, and thrive as a community. This experience renewed our hope in bringing hope to the Haitian people.

Following our visit to Grace Village, we went to visit and deliver a care package to a few of the elderly Haitians sponsored by Healing Haiti. Our first stop was at Edmond's humble home. Edmond is a blind sixty-nine year old, living alone in a small, one room hut. He had no physical belonging besides his single bed and a chair, but oh did he have the pure joy of the Lord!! He asked for nothing, simply stating: "I don't need anything... I have Jesus." When we gathered around him and showered him with song and prayer, he embraced our hands and pressed his cheek against our group leader, Laura. At the end of our visit, he threw up his hands, waving his arms and looking up to the heavens he praised: "Thank you Jesus." Besides the love and attention he received that afternoon, he may have been particularly thankful for the supply of "applesauce"... which was apparently his favorite!!

What we discovered as we visited the other local elderly and disabled, was that they felt blessed and loved regardless of the daily hardships, lack of food, clean water, and other possessions we, as Americans, take for granted.

"Greatness is measured by your gifts, not by your possessions" ~Unknown.
Susan & Suzanne :~))