Beloved Video

For those of you that haven't seen this video yet, it features a few of the elderly as Beloved!

New Sponsorship Webpage!

We are so excited to announce that we have a new ElderCare Sponsorship webpage at healinghaiti.org!  Now, interested sponsors can see photos of each of our beautiful elders and choose which one they would like to sponsor!  Check it out:

http://www.healinghaiti.org/pages/ElderlySponsorship/

Grace Village Kids are serving the Elderly

Jessica, the In-Country ElderCare Liason, has been doing amazing things in Haiti.  One of her goals is to help the children of Grace Village develop compassion by serving the elderly in our program.  In the picture below the boys are learning how to give haircuts.  This clippers is very old and dull so we will be sending new clippers to Haiti.

 

For more of Jessica's stories on serving the elderly, visit her blog at: http://healinghaiti-jessica.blogspot.com/

Changes in ElderCare

Hello ElderCare Followers!

My name is Sharon Mitchell and I recently became the new ElderCare Lead Advocate. As many of you know, Susan Schwope stepped down from the role in late August after 3 years of developing and nuturing this wonderful program.  She will be missed by many!

Susan, myself and Amy Gandy worshipping with the elders in August.

I thought I would introduce myself and let you know where I see the program going over the next year or so.  My husband, Dan, and I live in Dellwood with our two kids, Isaiah (12) and Siena (10).  I am an interior designer, and my husband and I have been running our home staging business for over 8 years.  We took our first mission trip to Haiti together in February of this year.  I returned in August with the ElderCare team and knew that God would use me to help the elderly in some way.  I didn't expect Susan to step down or to be asked to take her role, but know that God had this planned for me.  I am so excited to have a front seat to see what God is going to do with the ElderCare program!

Over the next few months you will see a few things happening within the program.  A new sponsorship binder will be at the Healing Haiti Guesthouse next week that will allow mission goers to see which elders still need to be sponsored and to send updates to sponsors of the elders they visited that week.  We also have a new ElderCare Sponsorship Advocate, Cathy LeVahn who will be working hard to make sure all elders get sponsored!

We will be updating the blog sidebar and website so you can see who is part of the ElderCare team.  We will also be adding pages to the website where you can meet the elders, sponsor a specific elder, purchase a talking bible and more.  Look for those updates in the next few weeks.  We also hope to be blogging more in between ElderCare trips so that you know what's going on.

A couple of new programs will be introduced over the next year.  Jessica Burmester, our In-Country Advocate, and Shelly Manella, the Eldercare Public Relations Advocate will be working on a memoir book to capture the stories, history and wisdom that each of the elders are so willing to share.  Hopefully this will be available to purchase as a fundraiser for the ElderCare program.

And lastly, I am so excited to develop a program that will help the elderly create some income.  Over and over again, the elderly have asked us to help them become self sustaining.  They are able and willing to work, but have nothing to get started.  We will be working to provide jobs for them at Grace Village, creating jobs for them helping other elders in the program, possibly baking pizzas or bread in the new pizza oven that is being installed in two weeks and buying items wholesale that they can sell on market day.

Please keep the elders, the program and our team in your prayers.  God is going to do some amazing things!!!

Sharon

One Life to Live

One Life to Live

As we sat around the circle to reflect on the day we all realized it was a tremendous day of interaction with another aspect of God’s family, some of the folks of the Elder Care Ministry of Healing Haiti.

These family members are at this very moment are sitting in the dark in an eight by ten structure that is made of a wood frame surrounded by blue tarp and a metal roof. The floor could be cement but most likely it is dirt. In the next couple of days the structures will face hurricane Isaac with wind and rain yet to be determined. Will the structures hold?  We don’t know for sure. PRAY!

When I think back on the day I feel so blessed that I could help several frail elderly gentlemen take a shower, put on a brand new shirt, and feel refreshed. The last man we helped needed to sit while showering, but even though we struggled to help him he sat in that running shower water and made little groans of happiness. I don’t think he really wanted to come out of that shower. As I washed his back and got down on my knees to wash his legs and feet, I could not help but to remember Jesus instruction to do this very thing. My American culture doesn’t have much occasion to provide such a service. And yet maybe there are ways?!

We fed them, clothed them, prayed with them, worshiped with them, hugged and loved on them. And as I reflect on our time with them I realized I have but one life to live and with that life I only have “One life to Love.”

Bodies that have been twisted by the hardships of life still need a hug and so do I!

After we were done with the “Party” for these wonderful people we made our way back to Port au Prince and the guesthouse. Along the way we stopped at the mass gravesite of those who died in the earthquake and the following cholera epidemic. It was sobering to me because most likely at least two of my friends from previous trips were buried there.  I was sad and yet quite happy because I WILL see them again. I reminded me that there is uncertainty in life and we should live it to the fullest.

Remember the words: “Only one life will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Steve Kersting

Bonswa from Haiti!

Yes...Gail here BLOGGING!  This Haiti Mission trip has been beyond my imagination.  Today we had a gathering for the elders at Grace Village, the Healing Haiti Orphanage.  They could have a shower (one elder hasn't had a shower in recent years), they had a lunch, and took part in 2 crafts with the enthusiasm of young children.  They walked into the door with huge smiles and warm hugs anticipating a glorious day.  And did they have a glorious day!  Because of the massive earthquake  in January of 2010, these lovely elders are living in tarp tents, a step up from the cardboard tents they used to call home.  They are sleeping on dirt floors.  Most are weak and fragile.  Some are blind or partially paralyzed.  When we went to visit them at their homes, they welcome us warmly and proudly show us their few household items.  They are thrilled to see that we have brought them medical supplies, lotions, etc.  The culture and economic opportunities separate us, but they have hopes and dreams too.  For all of us, it's been an honor to be God's caring hands.  We also had an emotional visit to the Mass Grave, where 300,000 people were all buried after the earthquake.  Tomorrow we are going to help with water trucks in Citie Soleil and then go to The Home for Sick and Dying Children.  We may have to alter our flight plans depending on impending Hurricane Isaac's track.

                                                                                                     Orevwa, Gail

Friday

It's the end of the week and the word for today is "joy".

It is a joy to serve the elderly, but they bring such joy to Haiti. Some say it's the children who bring the joy to Haiti because they are everywhere.
And, they are full of smiles and joy.

However, if you look closely, pause temporarily and expect God to show you truth - you view the elderly and see joy. There is beauty in their aged faces. The Son shining in their toothless smiles.
Today we brought 10 elderly meals on wheels along with water. Some had not eaten for a full day or more, so they were ecstatic to receive God's blessing. Again, toothless smiles full of joy.

How can people who have so little be so joyful and continue to praise God and give him credit? While in America, we struggle to remember to pray before a meal and acknowledge where the food came from?

Tomorrow is a new day - another day to see what God has planned.