Christmas morning walk
Walking the canal road by myself early morning on Christmas Day I enjoyed a quiet time, no children, no one...
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...
One of the greatest gifts you can give someone is what HATS calls a ‘Love Gift’. You can give the person...
This is my 15th trip to HATS and it has always been a pleasure to be here. The heat, crazy...
Irene wrote about our trip here, and Jim about his and Dickie’s jobs. Irene and I have been busy too.Irene...
A THANK YOU Photo Blog to Liette, Rob, Mariah, Yvette, Heather and Mercy All our children, employees, students, teachers, school...
Hello from Pont Deschapelles. Jim here. This is my 11th visit to HATS and I never get tired of the...
Irene here. I started my first trip to HATS-Haiti on Nov 27. The first thing to go wrong was that...
We arrived home safely from Haiti late last night. Well, most of us did! Heather ended up on a different...
Yesterday, Monday, in Haiti was a good day. We had so much fun with the kids and we were so...
Today was another quiet day in the Artibonite Valley. Despite large political demonstrations in Port-au-Prince, life is continuing as usual...
Despite the school being closed, it was still an eventful day for the team. Things got going early, with a...
Wednesday, Nov 21st This morning the school photos and letters were started. There weren’t a lot of students in school today...
We are so grateful and happy to have arrived safely at Hands Across the Sea! Mercy, Rob, Heather, Yvette, Mariah...
Are you wondering what to buy this Christmas for that loved one who has everything they want or need? This...
If you’ve ever considered sponsorship, now is the time to do it. Your donation truly does make a difference!
Such important work done with LOVE and commitment!
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.
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.
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!!
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.
I am going to try to explain why a trip to Haiti is life-changing. No-one can be thrown into a group of people who have the common purpose of doing something for someone less fortunate and not be changed in many ways. As with those I joined in each of the first four trips I made to HATS, my respect and affection for each of the team members grows daily. To those who wonder if your donations and prayers are actually making a difference, I will answer you in this way…there are about 300 children in front of me right now and some or many of them God will use in a great way to change the future face of Haiti and its people. YOU have helped make that possible — AND THAT, FOLKS — is a fact!
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!
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.
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.
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