Haitian Real Life: Increased Costs = Hunger & Malnutrition
Greatly decreased Haitian dollar – Increase in food cost – Inability to purchase food = Empty tummies – Hunger –...
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.
Greatly decreased Haitian dollar – Increase in food cost – Inability to purchase food = Empty tummies – Hunger –...
Thanking God and thanking all of you very much for your prayers for us and for Haiti, too for all...
Thank you to all who have been praying and sending notes of encouragement. Please continue to do so. The situation...
There is presently a social unrest/manifestation situation in Haiti that has basically blocked the country. The manifestations are ongoing. Those...
Thank you to all you chose to bless a family with food this Christmas. If you designated it for your...
Walking the canal road by myself early morning on Christmas Day I enjoyed a quiet time, no children, no one...
The four family members, Dickie, Sandra, Jim and Irene arrived the same day Liette and team, who accomplished a great...
A THANK YOU Photo Blog to Liette, Rob, Mariah, Yvette, Heather and Mercy All our children, employees, students, teachers, school...
A photo blog of Mama Karen’s children. Words not needed. One thing though to note – the photo of HATS...
Children running, playing, yelling, singing, shouting, running back and forth throughout the day to hug their mama. Outside the walls,...
In two and a half weeks time Luc and I will be returning to our home and our Haitian family,...
“It is all About the Children” This is our mission motto. This is just as it should be. The reason...
Luc stayed in ON while Mama Karen returned to HATS-Haiti to work for awhile in May. While there he stayed...
My trip back last week went well. All passengers on our AA flight had to stay at luggage carousel in...
A photo blog of Luc’s time in Eastern Canada. One from Western Canada will follow at a later date. ~Karen...
If you’ve ever considered sponsorship, now is the time to do it. Your donation truly does make a difference!
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.
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!!
Culture shock for this Canadian team at first, but a ride through busy, vibrant streets proved terrifically interesting; busy markets, vendors selling exotic fruits, clothing and shoes, used tires and rusty metal… and then the gorgeous countryside: banana plants, mangoes, cows and goats and pigs and dogs, the Golfe de La Gonave by our side. Rice patties indicated we were close to our home for the next week. We were greeted by Magalie, a house mother, with hugs for all and, of course, the children themselves, so gorgeous and endearing. A beautiful meal was followed by a sharing of impressions: there is a lot of poverty but so much potential and hope. We are already in love with Haiti.
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.
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.
One thing that has impacted me on this trip is seeing the children and all the dedication in this orphanage. There is so much going on behind the scenes to keep the HATS orphanage and school running.
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.
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.
This morning, we woke up as the sun came up and as we all began to trickle downstairs; we were met with warm welcomes from the precious children. As the children arrived, we were deeply touched and came to the realization of how important the HATS organization is to this country. Many children who would not have had any opportunities are now well nourished, educated and have a loving home and a mother who loves them more than we could ever comprehend, Karen Huxter.
Such important work done with LOVE and commitment!
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