Together We will Continue to Make a Difference

December 27, 2012 Posted by Karen Huxter

A sincere thank you from myself and my assistant, Luckner, on behalf of many people throughout this area of Haiti for all the help, in many forms, that has come to HATS during the past year.

The hunger problem in Haiti is very real. There was a serious problem with hunger in the valley before Hurricane Sandy hit, which then became a lot more serious. Thank you for your response in wanting to help. There is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing hungry children or mothers crying out for help so they can feed their children. We have children coming to school hungry every day. Often they end up in the office crying because of the hunger pains in their tummies. Thank you. Because of your generosity, over the past three to four month period, we have distributed food (rice, beans, cornmeal and oil) to more than 250 – 300 families.

Food comes in, gets separated, and goes out

Thank you very much for the food!!!!

Food recipients

Mesi anpil

People continued to come for food on Christmas eve, Christmas day and again today, 26th. With happy and grateful hearts they left here knowing something would be cooked for their families for Christmas and in the following week or so. When people expressed their thanks we told them the thanks should go to God and to the generous people who sent the funds for it to be purchased for them.

Thank you very much

A senior we help on a monthly basis thankful for the food gift

Thank you

Besides the food we are distributing on the behalf of you the donors, we are also giving many people a gift of a young coconut tree to plant in their yards. This will be a help for many years to come.

There is an entrepreneur in this area who has planted hundreds of coconut trees to be sold. Thus far we have purchased 200 coconut trees. This same man has a small scale fish farm where he is allowing fish to grow so he can sell fish to people that is not coming from contaminated water.

On Christmas eve I took the older children to see the young coconut trees that HATS has purchased and to see the fish growing there. They were fascinated and delighted with it all. We are giving people notes to take and pick up the trees directly from the owner.

Owner of the business and our kids standing with the coconut trees

Children are fascinated by the fish jumping

Thank you, too, for your generosity in donating to the Christmas program of chickens, Bibles and Hymn books. We will be purchasing those things and distributing a little later.

To win a game of soccer, or some other team sport, it takes a team who will pull together. To make a difference in the lives of the people around us it takes a team, you the donors and us here on the frontlines, who will pull together. Together we can make a difference. Together we are making a difference. Together we will continue to make a difference.

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE CHILDREN

Thank you. God bless you. Happy New Year.

~Karen

About Karen Huxter

Karen Huxter, the founder and Director of Hands Across the Sea, was born in Springdale, Newfoundland and is proud of her Newfie roots and heritage. She lived in various places across Canada such as Quebec, the Yukon, Ontario, Alberta and BC before moving to Haiti in 1995. In her professional career, Karen worked in teaching, banking and administration and did extensive volunteer work with community groups and charities. A mother of two grown daughters, one young adopted son and seven grandchildren, Karen is energetic and passionate about the work in Haiti. She loves each of the children and has a heart of compassion for children, women and families in the country of Haiti.

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Testimonials

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.

Nancy Goodwin
HATS Visitor
This is my first time traveling outside of Canada and I am proud to say it was for a mission trip. I have always wanted to go on one and see what it like in other parts of the world and do what I can to help out. Haiti is a terminus life change for me and how I look at things. Seeing these kids and how they have such a passion for each other and for us is truly inspiring. I look back to what I was like at that age and I don’t think I was half as kind or generous as they are. This morning we did devotions and as I was speaking about what an impact they had on me only in one day I started to tear up…it was very emotional to talk about.

Isaiah Henderson
HATS Visitor
This is my first trip to Haiti and I’m hoping that it will not be my last! I could start by telling you all about my experiences however I’ll start by saying that Haiti DOES hit you in your heart! Not a day goes by when I’m not fighting back tears. Hands Across the Sea is an amazing place! Our team has been assembled of different men that all who all felt God calling them to do his bidding. Since I have been here I was quick to realize that we are just helpers here. Karen and her team of workers are, what I believe to be, the real workers of God! Each child presents their own challenges and Karen and her staff make sure that all of the children, not one child, are seen to!

Bernie Melanson
HATS Visitor
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.

Gerry Rhyno
HATS Visitor
After years of thinking about it and months of planning for it, it seems strange that our time in Haiti is over. We have been asked by a few if it was like we expected. Well, no. I’m not sure what we expected, but our minds could not have fathomed what we have experienced, and we can hardly believe that our 3 month stay has come to an end. HATS really became home away from home for us. We knew we would enjoy getting to know and spending time with the kids but we had no idea how difficult it would be to leave them. They sneak in and steal your heart without you even knowing it. We have left a piece of our hearts in Haiti and can’t wait for the day when we can return.

Mike & Nicki White
HATS Visitors
Personally, this is my first time here. I’ve never done a mission trip of any sort before and I’ve certainly never been anywhere this hot before. I keep seeing things that are different from what I’m used to, and hearing about things even more unfamiliar to me. One of the most surprising things to meis how quickly I’ve grown to love all the people here. Everyone here is great, and the team is wonderful too. Watching everyone support each other warms my heart almost as much as the sun warms my skin. I’ve learned a lot from this experience, and I know that this trip has already had a profound impact on my life.

Matthew Sketchley
HATS Visitor
I have learned much about Haiti in my short stay here, much about generational, entrenched poverty, and much about hope. We can only be part of the bringing of hope if we become one small actor on the huge stage that is poverty. Thank you, Lynn Clark, for inviting me to share this life changing experience with you, and thank-you, Karen Huxter, for investing so much of your life in a work designed to bring hope to those who need it more than any Canadian could ever imagine.

Linda
HATS Visitor
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.

Cherie MacDonald
HATS Visitor
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.

Jess Buckle
HATS Visitor
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.

Liette Wilson
HATS Visitor, Supporter & Board Member