Always a Pleasure to be Here
This is my 15th trip to HATS and it has always been a pleasure to be here. The heat, crazy...
Dickie Macdonald has been involved with HATS since 2005. When he learned that Hands Across the Sea was paying a parent organization 10% of all donations to look after the finances and issue receipts, he volunteered to take over the task. An avid community volunteer in Yarmouth and active grandfather to six grandchildren, Dickie is responsible for the financial aspects of the work of our organization and travels to Haiti each year with his wife Sandra.
This is my 15th trip to HATS and it has always been a pleasure to be here. The heat, crazy...
This is my 14th trip to Haiti and I never tire of the place, always looking forward to the day...
It seems very different to be celebrating Christmas when the noon day temperature is around 42C. The School Pageant was...
I have decided to do a different blog. I wanted to present some facts so that people might better understand...
Sunday is always a special day at HATS and today was no different. We worshiped in the new Church which...
We lost several of our crew on Monday as they had to return to their other lives and some of...
This was another great day at HATS. We started the day properly by taking a walk along the canal. It...
This has been another great day in Haiti. We were all up by 0600. We had pancakes for breakfast which...
Karen and I left the Compound at 3:30am. Odner followed us on his scooter, with the shotgun, till we picked...
Dickie Luckner and I went to Gonaives yesterday to see a Government Offical in regards to HATS related business. The...
At 7am, 16 Haitian workers came for a full busy day starting the rebar construction and cement work, and rock...
It’s Dickie here, Karen’s brother in law writing the update today. We had a busy day. Karen and I went...
I left Halifax Friday morning after a bad drive from Kentville with Kim. It was storming very bad. We were...
If you’ve ever considered sponsorship, now is the time to do it. Your donation truly does make a difference!
It’s going to be impossible to put my thoughts into words about this experience, so I’d say this – if you can get here – do. I think most people probably think they’re coming to help others. To some extent, that’s true (at least this temporary blogger thought so). To a larger extent, you’ll leave Haiti a better person than when you arrived. Nelson Mandela once said something like “Everywhere I go, I wear you”. It means that none of us is our own person entirely. Rather, we’re the culmination of the people and experiences we have had. I leave Haiti wearing 16 HATS children, 10(ish) Haitian staff members, a Calgarian, 2 Winnipegian’s, and a Newfie. And I couldn’t be happier about it. Until we meet again my friends.
A huge thank you to aunt Karen, who always seems to be doing something with her children and the HATS mission. The only time she takes for herself is long enough to spread some almond butter on a banana that she eats on the run. Thank you so much for all your hard work and unwavering dedication. Thank you for being an inspiration to me and so many others. We love you and our Haitian family very much. The longer I spend at HATS, the bigger piece of my heart remains. Take care of yourself and our kiddies until we see each other again.
It’s my hope that I manage to touch their hearts in some small way, the way that they have touched mine – in a major way.
I am so thankful to Jesus for the opportunity to serve at HATS and to finally experience the great work that God is doing there. I look forward to seeing them all again when I visit next time.
The time has passed so quickly. We know what we’ve done this week is important and makes a difference here at Hands Across the Sea. But it’s easy in Haiti to feel that anything we do here is simply a drop in the ocean. So much need on so many different levels: political, organizational, educational, social, spiritual…But we remind ourselves that each individual life is of infinite value so changing the life of one child and one family is worth the effort.
I’m not sure what we’re doing here, just showing up for a week – it’s not like it’s sustainable. And I don’t want to become depressed by some of the harsh realities that Karen has to deal with every day. You know it’s ONE thing to start an orphanage and school (Yes, Karen has done things that are beeeeyond me), but it’s ANOTHER thing to raise the 20 babies that become YOUR kids!!! Not only are they a big family, but they are a big family containing individual stories that got them all to where they are in the orphanage. I don’t even know how to describe it…I have never seen a woman her age with this much energy…fun loving energy that is. She so inspired me today and really is a wonderful mother to all these children.
They call Karen “the helicopter ” and after spending three days by her side I know why. She propels through life!!! If you want to get on the ride you better start running. It is an amazing work that the Lord is doing here through so many many dedicated workers…literally hundreds of children impacted every day with the love of Christ…but the task to do so is enormous. The dedication of staff is invaluable…they NEED US ALL!!
I had anticipated that I would enjoy spending time getting to know the children and being a part of Karen’s daily life in Haiti but I had not anticipated that it would capture my heart like it did. I will miss spending time with the children and Karen but I am hopeful that I’ll be able to see them all again in the not too distant future.
This week has been amazing – one of the best weeks of my life thus far, hands down. I can’t really think of any other experience in my life that can even come close to comparing to this. Though my visit here was short (too short), it has been incredibly eye-opening, and life changing. I will never forget the people I have met here, or the things I’ve gotten to experience! Most of all, I would like to say how remarkable it is to see first-hand the amazing work God is doing here. I am behind this ministry 100%, and will continue to support it. I am so, so blessed to have been given the opportunity to come here, and I am REALLY not looking forward to saying goodbye to the children tonight. My heart sinks just thinking about it. There’s no doubt that they’ve had a bigger impact on my life than I’ve had on theirs. I will be leaving a big piece of my heart with these people and this country. God bless.
It is our last day and there is always a certain amount of sadness and joy when we come to the end of a trip . We look forward to our homes and loved ones but there is a part of us that wants to stay and be near these dear dear children. They open their hearts and arms to you when you enter the front gate. They give you laughter and tears all week long and then they cry and hug you when they know you are going away. Being near that kind of unconditional love effects us all very deeply. So we leave part of our hearts here and promise to return.
© 1995 - 2019 · All rights reserved.