Frandy.....forever grateful

It’s midmorning as we arrive at the home of Frandy Saint-Louis. We are quickly drenched from the heat of the piercing sun that penetrates through the shadows making it impossible to find a cool breeze or shade for relief.  As we walk along the intertwining dirt path that leads us to the family’s one-room home, I wonder how families in Haiti manage to stay clean, despite the dirt and debris that make up their surroundings.

Frandy is a 10-year-old boy who was adopted into our sponsorship program. He has 6 brothers and 1 sister, making life a struggle on a daily basis for the most basic needs, such as clothing, shoes, education, and medical attention. It is tremendously heartbreaking to see children born and raised into such unpleasant conditions. As we are openly welcomed to the home of the Saint-Louis family, my mind wonders, wondering how there can be so many who live in abundance and yet just as many who have nothing. It’s overwhelmingly painful sometimes to see these children, who have no control over their situation, hold their hands out begging for a small morsel to get them through another day. This heart wrenching vision is forever embedded in my mind. As I watch, knowing I can’t give everything to everybody, I focus on the mission that God has instilled and inspired me to do. 

Through the generosity and support of sponsors, we are able to change lives by giving hope and helping some of the poorest children and families rise above their current situation and make a difference in their world. As we meet each family in our sponsorship program, I can see what a difference we are making!  Together, we are transforming a child’s life by introducing a different way of living. Help us to offer hope and change the world for these children! As you can see, one person can and will make a change….one life at a time.

As we prepare to leave the Saint-Louis home, Macula and Frandy thank us for everything their sponsor and we have done to help them. Frandy shares his enthusiasm for the possibilities created through the sponsorship and educational support now available to him.

Frandy quietly watches as we head down the path as we leave knowing that through his sponsorship he will be healthier and happier with more opportunities to learn and grow into a proud, confident young man.

Count Your Blessings

There is always someone who is worse off than you.....
I have been haunted this week by a nameless, faceless man who spent his final days lying handcuffed to a rusty, metal hospital bed in Haiti as thousands of flies swarmed his emaciated body severely beaten for attempted armed robbery. Upon arrival to the hospital, doctors were ordered by local authorities not to help this man who committed a crime out of desperation and mostly, starvation. Strangers stood outside, taking photos and laughing as this man lie in his bed for 7 days, with only his own urine to drink. No food....no water, our basic human needs. It was impossible to avoid the stench that filled the 20 bed hospital room. This Haitian man will be etched in my mind forever. As tears filled my eyes, I couldn't help but wonder what his life story was, what was his childhood like, and most of all, what was he feeling/thinking at that moment in time when he left this world. I don't know if I will ever grasp and understand the differences in cultures. For some reason, I felt compelled to share this memory, normally I would tuck it away with many others lives path's I have crossed with untold stories...but I couldn't help but hurt for this man and think, this could have been one of our Life's Path children one day...desperate, starving, and no way out. It makes me feel like we are in the right place, definitely doing the right thing.
Yes, this man committed a crime and this man could have hurt innocent people...left to suffer and die inhumanely - in the U.S. we don't even do this to our beloved pets. I cannot even find words to describe how I feel...but one thing is certain, this experience has reiterated that we must remain the voice for the children of Haiti, we must continue to give hope when some days there is none...