So just to update everyone, I’m in HAITI!
Titanyen, Haiti to be exact at a ministry called Mission of HOPE Haiti that serves in multiple regions of Haiti in multiple capacities that I’ll describe below. Mission of HOPE’s vision is to be an organization that is following Jesus Christ and exists to bring life transformation to every man, woman and child in Haiti, and from my perspective they are well on their way to seeing this vision come to pass. God is doing something big through this ministry.
Since our arrival late Thursday evening, we’ve been given the opportunity to rest and get adjusted to our new home for the next three weeks before jumping into ministry this week. Today (Sunday), we took a walking tour of the entire compound and got to stop by the orphanage on campus that houses 61 orphans currently and has the capacity to house ~120, however Mission of HOPE is committed to quality over quantity and wants to make sure that every orphan that stays here feels loved, known, and cared for extremely well. Once male orphans turn 13 and female orphans turn 18, they leave the orphanage and enter the transition home they have here where they learn trade and practical life skills to empower them to support and take care of themselves in hopes that they would be able to live independently in the near future.
After the orphanage we stopped by a warehouse where they house the inventory for their feeding program that feeds over 91,000 children across Haiti every single day!! As you can imagine, to feed that many stomachs, the warehouse was enormous. We also got to witness that “Toms” the shoe brand, does indeed follow through with their “one for one” campaign, because we saw sooo many shoes that were prepared to be given to Haitian people in the warehouse. They’re different than the canvas shoes we buy at our local Journeys in the states, but they’re much more practical for living conditions here and it makes me want to buy all the Toms when I get home to continue providing shoes for people here and across the world that don’t have any to wear. Check out what these shoes look like here: https://www.toms.com/what-we-give-shoes
After we left the warehouse, we walked across a sidewalk laid down by the Philadelphia Eagles football team that helped support transporting patient gurneys up the hill on the compound to a make-shift hospital during the earthquake relief efforts after the major earthquake here in 2010. Next, we saw the on-site clinic that provides medical services such as sonograms, x-rays, check-ups, dental exams, acute and chronic health condition care and more with patients paying a little less than one US dollar per visit to be seen. They also have a prosthetic lab in the clinic that provides FREE prosthetic lower limbs to anyone in Haiti who needs one. This is incredible to me, thinking about how expensive these are in the states. As the interns were describing the lab, my PT brain was buzzing and I can’t wait to check it out and possibly see patients get fitted with new limbs during my time here. There’s also a mobile clinic that visits the villages and provides diabetic, blood pressure, and overall health check ups to the people in that community and they even provide a home health service. (I get to tag along with the home health team tomorrow, using my degree as a physical therapist to evaluate a little girl that has special needs but has no one around that has the skills to evaluate her properly. Pray that the skills I learned at my pediatric clinical come back fast for tomorrow!!)
Our last stop on the main campus tour consisted of walking through the school that’s on the campus that teaches the orphans that live here at Mission of HOPE and other children in local villages. Mission of HOPE also has 4 other schools across Haiti and many more partnerships with existing schools to provide Christ-centered curriculum and adequate nutrition to keep the kids’ minds engaged to learn while in classes. There is also a technical school that will start accepting students this fall where those in the transition home can learn basic trade skills in plumbing, electric, diesel mechanics, and hospitality to better qualify them for career fields of their choice.
There is also a huge sports complex that is in the works, however delayed by lack of funding, that will be an incredible addition to this ministry. Be praying the Lord provides in abundance for that project soon!
At Mission of HOPE’s other campus, there is another school that teaches K-9th grade with a high school in the works, an elderly home for 16 elderly Haitian residents who can play a mean game of Dominoes, more dormitory housing for missionaries to stay at during the busy months of summer, and a pavilion where ~300 pastors from various Haitian villages come and get poured into at monthly pastor retreats.
There is SO much going on here and I feel like the above details only scratches the surface. I’m feeling blessed and humbled to play a small part in what God is doing in and through this ministry.
To learn more about Mission of Hope, what they’re doing, and how you can get involved or even financially support a child to go to school and be fed well each month, check out their website: https://mohhaiti.org/
