tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86054055614710399422024-03-13T03:05:12.098-07:00Hope House HaitiAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11850440286418275582noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8605405561471039942.post-86899104679975784652015-02-12T02:13:00.004-08:002015-02-12T02:13:58.587-08:00Switching over to a new Website and Blog<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Feb 2015</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It has been great blogging some of our Hope House stories here, but as the project and charity grow we need to find better and clearer ways of communicating with you all. So this will be the last post here. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For all the info on Hope House please visit <a href="http://www.hopehousehaiti.com/">www.hopehousehaiti.com </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We have launched this new website with lots more info, plus there will be regular blogs on current news and what's going on, so go check it out!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for your continued support, it means so much.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11850440286418275582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8605405561471039942.post-56393812903431055142014-11-21T04:29:00.000-08:002014-11-21T04:29:16.883-08:00Planting Seeds, update from David Edwards<h2 class="entry-title" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://daedwards1980.wordpress.com/2014/11/18/planting-seeds/" rel="bookmark" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Planting seeds</a></h2>
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This week, Yvrose took the children outside to plant seeds in the school’s new vegetable patch. First hand experiences like this are part of her vision for learning at Hope House and part of the reason why she invited me to spend a term teaching at the school. Yes, between all the trips to the beach, playing football and messing about with the kids at the house, I’ve found time to do some teaching, and a bit more besides.</div>
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The majority of my time at school is spent teaching English, and I have to say it has been great fun. Starting from scratch in many cases, and with large classes, it’s been a case of lots of games, singing and physical activity to get the children engaged and speaking the language as much as possible. Their enthusiasm has bowled me over at times and the results have been really encouraging too; I can not take 10 steps around the school now without a child wishing me ‘good morning’, or asking ‘how are you?’</div>
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Having originally trained as a TEFL teacher, it’s also been rewarding to return to the role armed with so much more experience of working with children, gained through my time as a Primary School teacher in the UK. I remember working in Italy, as a newly qualified teacher, when my weekly class with the under 10s frequently ended up with them literally running rings around me. How I would like to have another crack at that little bunch of monsters, but I guess they are not so little any more!</div>
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So, three months in Haiti has given me the opportunity to introduce the children to English in a fun and active way. But of course it won’t be for much if the lessons stop once I’ve gone. To address this, I’ve spent many of my free periods developing an English curriculum for the school, which maps out what the teachers should teach the children each week. It includes all the topics you might expect for young learners like Animals, Food and Family, as well as identifying games, songs and other activities the teachers can use to bring these topics to life.</div>
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Of course, documents like this can quickly gather dust if people don’t feel confident using them so last week, when school was closed, we held a staff workshop where I took everyone through the curriculum and we tried out many of the activities and games. It was a lively session and the teachers who attended all proved that they were well capable of giving it a go. The momentum from that session has carried on into this week as I have started ‘team teaching’ sessions with the class teachers in preparation for handing over the reins. Despite a few nerves about speaking in English in front of their classes, the lessons so far have been a great success for teachers and pupils alike.</div>
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Along similar lines, we also held a Science workshop where I took the staff through a series of simple, fun and practical activities they can do with their classes, proving that a shortage of resources is no impediment. Highlights of the day included measuring the path of shadows with a piece of chalk, filtering water with an old sock, investigating the reproductive parts of a flower, and placing blocks of ice in the shade and in the sunlight to see which would melt faster. Once again, it was an enjoyable day, and I challenged every teacher to take just one of the activities from the day and try it with their classes.</div>
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I’ve also helped start up Music lessons with help of the fantastic Mr.Elyse who is brimming with enthusiasm. Thanks to funds raised by Bolney school, we have been able to buy a set of instruments, enough for an entire class. It has been extremely rewarding seeing children pick up a triangle or a tambourine for the first time and give it a twang! Hopefully it won’t be long before they are belting out a few familiar tunes which we can record and broadcast. This, added to the recruitment of Mr.d’Haiti, a talented artist, is hopefully another step towards a more ‘creative’ curriculum here.</div>
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Finally, Yvrose and I have been trying to develop a culture in the school based on positive values such as kindness, tolerance, happiness and politeness. Children from Bolney may recognize these words because they appear on the school’s Values Tree. Well, here at Hope House we have been creating an ‘Arbre de Valuers’ of our own, painted by a talented missionary called Lisa, from Burgess Hill. We’ve also introduced another ingredient of the Bolney success story: a Celebration Assembly every other Friday where we have encouraged the staff to pick out children for special praise. Part of my role has been to explain all these changes to the staff and encourage them to model these values. In that sense, I’ve also acted as a role model, showing staff how it is possible to build a positive relationship with students based on respect, praise, and encouragement instead of the traditional authoritarian approach.</div>
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Of course, changing the culture of a school doesn’t happen overnight, especially when it is rooted in the traditions of a country’s education system. Teachers are viewed as the ‘sage on the stage’ in Haiti, while the students are empty vessels whose job it is to copy down from the board unquestioningly and learn by rote. However, with Yvrose’s support and encouragement, I think I have planted a few seeds here too. What they need now is nurturing, both by the staff who work here and by those who will me here from the UK, the US and elsewhere. So perhaps I should end this particular post by saying that if you are interested in coming and working at Hope House, please get in touch! It’s been a privilege to work here at Hope House during this exciting time in its development and I look forward to seeing more and more green shoots emerge in the months and years ahead.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11850440286418275582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8605405561471039942.post-41140451578548130442014-05-24T09:01:00.000-07:002014-05-24T09:01:07.978-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5R0gciOSn7U/U4C9aBJEjrI/AAAAAAAAAEs/7_bqqpY9MMc/s1600/truck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5R0gciOSn7U/U4C9aBJEjrI/AAAAAAAAAEs/7_bqqpY9MMc/s1600/truck.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">Dear Supporters, </span><br />
<br style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">Our old 5 seater car has really had a busy life and has served us well. Sadly it is on it's last legs and spends more days at the car mechanics than it does with us! When we need to pick up rice to feed the school, get food, propane gas etc we have to borrow someone else's pick up. This often results in the borrowed truck breaking down and then we have to pay also to get this also fixed. So we are launching our 2014 appeal to raise funds for a new (and reliable!) truck. We'd like to tell you a bit about why a truck is so important to us at Hope House, Haiti...</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;" /><br style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><b>The Farm //</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">Our Farm, once a dream, is really developing. We are so thankful to God for entrusting the animals and chickens to us, helping us to become more sustainable. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">For any of you who have not visited us, we live in quite a remote area and it requires driving almost an hour over rough terrain to get most of the basic needs. </span><br />
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<span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">In addition, our cows are also back on our base as we needed to make sure they were cared for properly. The cows provide much needed milk for the children in the house, but we don't have any vegetation for them to eat on the school grounds. However, there is an opportunity to collect free waste vegetation from the market, but we cannot do this without our own transport. </span></span><span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">We have also got our second batch of 800 baby chickens which will need to be transported to market when they have grown, again, this is almost impossible without proper transport to do so.</span></span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;" /><br style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;" /><span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">As you can see, the need for a reliable diesel pick up truck is now an urgent priority. Another bonus of a pick up means that we can</span></span><span style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> sanitise the back of the truck for the various farming purposes enabling us to clean it and use it for transporting the kids, those who come out to serve us and take sick people to the hospital when required.</span></span><br />
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<span style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">We are delighted that as we launch this campaign we have just received confirmation that we have been granted UK charity status, which means we can now claim gift aid on all donations from tax payers as well.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">If you would like to help us by contributing towards our work and specifically to the truck appeal, you can donate online <a href="http://www.hopehousehaiti.com/">via our website</a> which has a Paypal button, or you can contact us for bank transfer details. </span><br />
<br style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">We are so grateful for your prayer and support in meeting our needs. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11850440286418275582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8605405561471039942.post-7835855643548015492013-12-02T07:04:00.003-08:002013-12-02T07:04:42.670-08:00Start up Business for Celicia<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pqkInYDkr34/Upyg9nnBfaI/AAAAAAAAAEM/-H9p7vBPAXc/s1600/cecelia2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pqkInYDkr34/Upyg9nnBfaI/AAAAAAAAAEM/-H9p7vBPAXc/s320/cecelia2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Celicia came to see her brothers Jilbert and Wilner in November 2010 right about the time I was praying for someone to come and help because I had 17 children to care for, with only Pierre Richard to help me! Celicia arrived and said that she would take the job. What an answer to prayer.</span></span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">She was a faithful maid, but she later decided that she didn't want to be paid, instead she wanted to be our daughter. From a faithful servant to a faithful daughter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">She was an innocent girl who believed in Santa for the first two years she was with us! </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2-fmJRveyJU/UpyhBP9BeTI/AAAAAAAAAEY/PSt7hQEKUQ4/s1600/cecelia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2-fmJRveyJU/UpyhBP9BeTI/AAAAAAAAAEY/PSt7hQEKUQ4/s320/cecelia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">Celicia is 23 years old and is in 5th grade. She asked to have a business selling candies and cookies so we helped her start up the business. She is now selling the produce in school. Since as a family we help each other, Vanessa one of the older girls is helping her with the business while Celicia goes to school. It is so good to see Celicia's confidence grow as she has started her own business. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">A dream is becoming a reality...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">Yvrose</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11850440286418275582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8605405561471039942.post-37060309853439627272013-06-13T10:14:00.000-07:002013-06-13T10:14:33.365-07:00Hope House Haiti (UK) is launched!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Our wonderful banner donated by local printers 'Forest Litho'</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a wonderful afternoon we have had! This afternoon the UK charity was launched at Bolney School, with Yvrose present, the local press turning up to take photos and what's more the rain held off and we had fun in the sunshine!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's so exciting to have Yvrose here with us and what an amazing testimony she gave at school today, I think most of the women in the room were in tears! She told us a bit about her background and how the orphanage and school were begun. She shared how difficult it can be, especially to see the children going without. I think the most moving thing was when she talked about children having to go to bed hungry and upset because they haven't eaten and how heartbreaking that is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But she also talked about God's amazing provision and how he showed her where he wanted her and Pierre Richard to be, and how he provides for their needs.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x6vQ45jG8bY/Ubn5E6bEJ9I/AAAAAAAAAD8/sN2DY39RT6A/s1600/yvrose1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x6vQ45jG8bY/Ubn5E6bEJ9I/AAAAAAAAAD8/sN2DY39RT6A/s320/yvrose1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was wonderful that the Chair of governors spoke also, and he shared how important it is for us to recognise all that we have and how we can help and bless others who are far less fortunate. The Head of the school also talked about how it was a privilege to have Yvrose with them this week and how much the children had learnt from her.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-euwlrSFh96U/Ubn38WqZrzI/AAAAAAAAADs/0u9OynnkRMs/s1600/flag1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-euwlrSFh96U/Ubn38WqZrzI/AAAAAAAAADs/0u9OynnkRMs/s320/flag1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The children sang two songs in creole which Yvrose had taught them just the day before and they sang with such joy, it was great to see them really enjoying it! Then two of the boys played the Haitian National Anthem and outside the flag was raised.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Afterwards there were cream teas and refreshments organised by the amazing school PTA and the older children had organised games stalls to raise money. There was a wonderful atmosphere and lots of buzz, people talking about Hope House and how inspiration Yvrose is. A fantastic afternoon all round.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So we are official! There's a few bits to sort out before we can include a 'donate' button on here (!) but we do have a website at <a href="http://www.hopehousehaiti.com/">hopehousehaiti.com</a> so do check it out!</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11850440286418275582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8605405561471039942.post-44944816255519760812013-05-22T10:05:00.004-07:002013-05-22T10:05:58.238-07:00The Importance of Shoes...<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My husbands grandfather Percy was one of 9 boys. The family could not afford to buy shoes for all the boys so they shared a few pairs between them. Taking it in turns to go to school to be educated only when they were wearing the shoes. That is what happened in England 90 years ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On my recent trip to Haiti I discovered the importance of shoes. The terrain is rough, walking in flip flops is a dangerous occupation. But many of the children in the community near Hope House do not possess shoes, and if they do they will be ill fitting. Pride in appearance is very important, this means polishing the dust off each day with your finger. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When at Hope Academy school in Haiti one day I asked could I see a boy whom I had met the previous year. This boy is important in my family. You see my eldest son made a Friendship Bracelet and attached his name the previous year. As I was distributing the 300 bracelets this boy asked me to say the name printed on his bracelet. I could hardly believe it, it was my sons name. So he wrote his name on the back, I photographed him and his name: Ledmond.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l5ZBrMyfVo4/UZz6mjpwURI/AAAAAAAAAC8/aUYTHHwjcuw/s1600/photoledmond.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l5ZBrMyfVo4/UZz6mjpwURI/AAAAAAAAAC8/aUYTHHwjcuw/s320/photoledmond.JPG" width="244" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We didn't know much about this boy and he has no idea what an impact he has had on our family, but he has been faithfully remembered and prayed for by my son. I was under instruction to get an up to date photo of Ledmond this year. I asked the teachers could I see him but he wasn't there. I wasn't quite expecting the reply: "He can not come to school because he has no shoes! " He missed out on the special treats that day, (though I entrusted some supplies to the teacher). It broke my heart, I had to walk away and gather my composure and wipe away my tears. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I returned to England my son wanted to do something about Ledmond's situation. He sent a photograph of himself and a letter, and enough money for a pair of school shoes to be purchased for Ledmond. As adults it's very easy to make choices, but I want to teach my kids to be compassionate themselves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Children have power within their hands to make a difference. What can you inspire your kids to do...? </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11850440286418275582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8605405561471039942.post-36544245441059681682013-04-15T02:47:00.000-07:002013-04-15T02:47:37.166-07:00Introduction to Anipiye!<br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>It's always great to have people who are willing to sacrifice their time and come serve at Hope House. Today's post is from Katheryn Meyer an American girl who spent several months with us...</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">These were my first impressions of Haiti when I arrived there for the first time on March 20, 2012. My host American family were not able to fly in with me as originally planned, because their connecting flight was cancelled due to bad weather. There was only one small problem with that; I didn’t have a street address to put on my customs form. The customs officer was very displeased with this! “Madam, is very important to have address before entering the country. Go to immigration and they help you get the address.” He waved me over to the immigration office with my carry-ons. (I still had not collected my baggage at this point.) </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I went over there and sat down inside with my big floppy white hat, to wait until someone could help me. There were several of us sitting there. I had Yvrose’s number as well as a few other people’s so I knew I could get the address. Shortly afterwards the lady at the desk called me over and I explained my dilemma. But it wasn’t too long before someone came in to get me and bring me to Yvrose. He had a blue security shirt and looked like an officer. Anybody will tell you that your party sent them to meet you, because they want money, but somehow I knew this fellow was telling the truth. I had to leave my passport and carry-ons in the immigration office to go with him. (I should have grabbed my backpack at least on the way out - future travelers, take note!)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So, Mr. Security Guy grabs my arm and takes me through the mob to the end of a long white tent archway to where Yvrose was waiting! Thank goodness for my floppy white hat. I had told Bill and Janet Montgomery I would be wearing it and they told Yvrose, and that’s what she told Mr. Security Guy to look for!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Yvrose hugged me and greeted me and came back to the immigration office, writing somebody’s address on my form as we walked. (I still have no idea what address it was.) Mrs. Immigration Lady stamped my passport and I grabbed my carry-ons—minus $40, as I found out a few minutes later, in the truck when I checked everything. Yvrose said the immigration lady looked very uncomfortable when we returned to the office with the address.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Yvrose helped me look through the piles of luggage for my suitcase and duffel bag. Then back we went through the mob to where Yvrose’s husband Pierre Richard and Mr. Security Guy were waiting. (Mr. Security Guy is a Pastor in Cite Soleil and he also works at the airport.)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The truck needed to be push-started as usual, then we were on our way. Traffic through Port-au-Prince was horrendous. “It usually takes forty-five minutes to get to Fonds-Parisien,” said Yvrose, shaking her head at the unusually slow-moving traffic.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“If we were in the Sates I would say it was rush hour. Do they have rush hour here?” I asked. That made her laugh and she agreed that rush hour must not have national boundaries!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">At this point I was able to call Daddy and Mama on Yvrose’s phone and let them know I made it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Through Croix des Bouquets and beyond, then Fonds-Parisien and Bill and Janet’s leased home overlooking Lac Azuei! (Lake Azuei) Their three Haitian daughters were home—Shirlie, Nono and Christela. Shirlie and Nono were 34 and 33 respectively. Christela was 15 and in school. She likes Justin Beiber like a regular teen and she doesn’t communicate much, but she works hard like the others.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Yvrose gave me the key to the storage room, which is also the guest room and has a bathroom. She informed me to keep it locked at all times. The girls had a key to clean it and I had the other one and those were all the keys. After saying goodnight, Yvrose and Pierre Richard left. The girls hooked me up with a regular American mattress on the front porch under a mosquito net.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My sleep that night was fitful, as I kept feeling like something was in bed with me. But if I moved, everything became still and quiet, so I didn't pay it much attention. But at about <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://2" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">1:30</a> in the morning something was slithering in my bed, and no mistake about it! I leaped to the other end of the bed and stared at my pillow. The thing was coming out from under it by about five inches. “Snake! Girls, girls, there is a snake in my bed!” After doing her share of squealing (“Eeee! I’m very scared. Eeee!”) Nono hooked me up with an enclosed mosquito net camping bed. Shirlie took care of my little friend; they called it an anipiye or a milpat, which is an overgrown (way overgrown) centipede. It was about six inches long. That should be illegal... I took a photo the next morning.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A few weeks later I came across another giant centipede in the guest bathroom. “They like you,” said Nono. The girls killed that one too, with copious amounts of bug spray. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Enclosed mosquito net camping beds are my new best friend!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11850440286418275582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8605405561471039942.post-21796527055452664482013-03-30T13:52:00.002-07:002013-03-30T13:52:32.098-07:00New House for Hope House!<b><i>Hot off the Press</i></b><br />
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We are very excited to share this news with you. </div>
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What God says with His mouth, His Hands shall accomplish it. </div>
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In 2005, a co-founder (Marie) of Hope House Haiti and I had a vision whilst we were praying. We saw a huge house . it looked just like this one. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mXU5L4nCOmA/UVc5gXLryiI/AAAAAAAAABw/pw7WVW9TSRM/s1600/hopehouse1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mXU5L4nCOmA/UVc5gXLryiI/AAAAAAAAABw/pw7WVW9TSRM/s320/hopehouse1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0976563); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(191, 107, 82, 0.496094); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Noteworthy; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 24px;">One side of the house faced towards the Dominican Republic and the other side toward Haiti. Marie was able to see everything on the DR side and I saw the side of Haiti. There was another storey to the building and 2 lions , one on each side of the tall pillars in front of the house, a prayer room was situated at the bottom right.</span><br />
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In 2012 This was the new home of Just Mercy. It is situated directly behind our kitchen . After living there for only one week Bill and Janet the directors of Just Mercy decided to sell. </div>
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When Pastor Rod from Victory Compassion found that out he said to me: " the house is yours Eve" . This reminded me of just how he had said it when he built the houses/ bedrooms on the land that we are on right now. The land was a desert and Pastor Rod and Bill walked on the land and said: where do you want the houses? Pierre Richard and I accepted it would be ours one day but thought this would be in the distant future and put it out of our minds. </div>
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We don't want to elevate anybody, but our lives have changed since meeting Victory Compassion and they continue to bless us even today. </div>
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Realising that Bill and Janet had just built the house, we felt like traitors to even propose purchasing their house. But God showed us this was His plan. This house was built with love by many missionaries, who sacrificed their time and used their hands to serve us. Neither of us knew they were preparing it for us. We feel so blessed to be the owner of this house. The children are happy and we gave glory to God through many songs of praise like Mesi Senye. </div>
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Would we be able to get to where we are today on our own? We all don't think so. The Lord uses angels to make our dreams become a reality. We thank God for the people of England, Nantucket, the people from Hurley, Missouri, Victory Compassion, HCM for their sacrificial giving to enable the purchase of this house. $60,000 during this economy is truly proof of Gods goodness and your faithfulness to the work of God here. On the 26 th March 2013 we signed the papers. So many people have held us in prayer during the time of the purchase . Thankyou as the prayers went up the blessings came down. </div>
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This purchase is more than a property . In front of the building is the Well. By owning the land we have now secured water provision , providing for Hope House Haiti , Hope Academy and all the local community.<br />
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<i><b>Got skills you would like to share with Others</b></i><br />
The Building is unfinished, there are many opportunities to come serve at Hope House Haiti.<br />
Have you got Construction/ building/ wood working/ plumbing skills we would love to hear from you. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11850440286418275582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8605405561471039942.post-19156677737924516982013-03-21T07:05:00.001-07:002013-03-21T07:05:52.905-07:00St Patrick's Day in Haiti<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y2-Kjpsxoik/UUsS5VOcz9I/AAAAAAAAABY/tJqj3syPrQM/s1600/stpatrick1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y2-Kjpsxoik/UUsS5VOcz9I/AAAAAAAAABY/tJqj3syPrQM/s320/stpatrick1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><b>St Patrick's Day </b></i><br />
St Patrick's Day is celebrated the world over, the more elaborate festivities taking place outside of Ireland. It is said there are only two Nationalities in the World those who are Irish and those who wish they were!<br />
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In Petionville at the Irish Embassy, the first St. Patrick's day in Haiti took place. Nationalities from all over the world were in attendance. The kids at Hope House were invited to join the celebrations. Digicel (a mobile phone company ) kindly gave their minibus to transport the children, without whom this would have been impossible. What an amazing outing. It was a triple celebration 3 of the children Ricardo(16), Mrylande(12) and Pierre Richardson(3) all celebrated their Birthdays together.<br />
Yvrose and Pierre Richard have a desire for the children to be taken out somewhere on their Birthdays and today it certainly was a great outing, everyone could go! Nobody knowing quite what to expect.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kYU836QW8Do/UUsS9AK3UjI/AAAAAAAAABg/f0787b811vY/s1600/stpatrick2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kYU836QW8Do/UUsS9AK3UjI/AAAAAAAAABg/f0787b811vY/s320/stpatrick2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Vicki, one of the employees at The Irish Embassy had visited Hope House and orchestrated the event. Each child was given a green T- shirt and Shamrock Head boppers. A special green birthday cake had been made by the Irish Embassy but also it had each of the children's names written in icing. Certainly a new experience for these children. Happy Birthday was sung with gusto by all those in attendance . Cake was shared out with everyone. Party food of Hamburgers and French Fries was enjoyed by all. How wonderful for Hope House children to get to experience what children all over the world see as normal. They got to meet children from other areas that they would never get to meet as their lives are very different. They danced, sang, laughed and had fun with the leprechauns!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11850440286418275582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8605405561471039942.post-49847875885936451312013-03-21T05:19:00.000-07:002013-03-21T05:19:29.686-07:00WelcomeYou are so welcome to join with us at <b>Hope House Haiti</b><br />
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Why did we get involved with Haiti?<br />
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Our local English village school in Bolney twinned with Hope Academy school in Haiti in 2011. This led to trips to Haiti, spending quality time with Yvrose and Pierre Richard Ismael, their family and school community with no agenda other that getting to know them.<br />
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Yvrose and Pierre Richard do an amazing work voluntarily, providing a free school for 300 of the most needy children in their local community of Fonds Parisien, Haiti, near the Dominican Republic Border. <span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">On the same site the couple run a children's home for 28 children. They also run medical clinics for visiting medical professionals and provide free translation services. </span><br />
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Many people from USA, South America, Spain, France, Tenerife, Poland and the UK have had the privilege of visiting them. Yvrose and Pierre Richard are an inspiration to all they meet!<br />
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Sometimes when we give to others abroad, there are concerns whether the gift will really get to the person who needs it! Those who have been to Hope House Haiti can verify that all monetary gifts are spent on meeting the needs of the children whether it be, school lunches, school resources, clothing, sanitary provisions etc. Alternatively, monetary gifts can be used for a specific purpose when indicated by the Donor such as ice creams for the children.<br />
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We are in the the process of building a website and as a part of that there will be a facility to Donate if you wish to. Watch this space!<br />
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We will keep you up to date with what is happening with our friends in Haiti.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11850440286418275582noreply@blogger.com0