A Night to Share

On next Tuesday night, July 31st, we will celebrate and share stories of our trip.
All of you are invited to join us.
We will have a short movie/slideshow and dessert!
We will also be selling all of our amazing Haitian Bead Jewelry, so come with your money! You will not want to go home without one or ten!

Where: The Bridge Church, Fresno
            In the South Hall
When:  Tues, July 31
            6:30 p.m. (Video starts at 7 p.m.)

If you know you can come, please RSVP via Facebook, post comments here, or email us at bodyworkstraining@att.net

Thanks so much and can't wait to see you all next week!

 
 

More Joy in Pictures

 A Happy in Haiti little girl.

 Boys full of fun.

 Flexing muscles for the trainer.

 Beauty in their skin and souls.

 Always friends to visit with.

 New coloring books and crayons.

 Donated soccer balls!

 

Machetes to cut grass.

 Our boy's turn!

 Always fun at the river.

 A new forever family.

"Tennis" in Haiti.

 A joy ride over bumps, through rivers and tropical rain.

 Group hugs.

 A luxurious bather.

 James and his eyes.

 A fresh haircut.

 "Main" Street.

 Market Mary Poppins.

 Explorer Gabe in the market mahem, in search for a large glass bottle of cold Coke.

 Our daily bread...and bananas.

A tiny messenger reminding us to never forget.

Meeting Hegel...

Hegel is our sweet five-year-old boy we sponsor through World Vision.
Hegel lives with his parents and two siblings near the city of Cap Haitian.
After another very long and bumpy journey, about five hours, we were greeted by a lovely staff at one of the World Vision offices.
This office was deep in the jungle and we noticed a first in Haiti, a small playground made from brightly-colored painted metal. 
What a treat for these kids in a land of only necessities. 

We had a translator, Leslyn, who is coincidentally the daughter of one of the pastors in Pignon. This pastor came to know God through Ericlee's grandpa and is now pastoring a large church in Pignon. Our friends Abby and Denny work with that church and orphanage. Small world!
(A side note, I only just met Abby and Denny through an old college friend via Facebook. They got to spend a month in Haiti this summer with their two sweet little girls.)

This is Gabe filling out World Vision's log book of visitors. Pretty cool because they had each of us write our name. Claire, too.

Then, Leslyn got to introduce us to Hegel and his parents on that glorious day!
At first, Hegel was really shy. He was taking in the moment with his big brown eyes.
So, the kids decided to give him his gifts right away.
I love this picture of Hegel touching Gabe. Sweet love for his white-skinned, big brother.

 Of course, the kids wanted to get right to work on helping him build his new Lego set. And Tanner, too. Who can resist building a brand-new Lego!?

 One great memory from this day was how Hegel's parents brought an envelope full of letters, cards and small toys we had sent Hegel over the years. They told us how much it meant to them and him to receive these packages of encouragement.
In Hegel's Easter package, Claire had picked out this small Kaleidoscope to send him.

 I just love how our little boy inspected our kids...they are quite fascinating, haha.


And the Lego car was complete! Wow! Hegel thought it was so cool.

 Brothers! Gabe always says he wants brothers. What joy it is to have two brothers in a foreign land to write letters to and share long-awaited visits with. And, I believe this dramatically cuts down on the fighting...heehee.

 Hegel's parents are true gems. His dad just finished seminary and is a pastor now. He said he is not paid yet, but prayerfully soon.
His mom stays home with the kids. They have a six-year-old boy and a two-month old girl, too.

We asked World Vision if we could sponsor their baby girl, as both boys already have sponsors. They said kids enter the sponsorship program once they turn two. We will start now by sending extra money each month.
Did you know it's only $35 each month to have this precious and life-changing relationship with these children?! Amazing. We easily spend that on junk food at the market or paper plates and random stuff at Target. Blows my mind!


Our small donation pays for their medical care and school and many other things!

 Tanner felt it was really important to bring each boy a brand-new soccer ball. Wow! He was right! Good call on his part.

 It was time to say our good-byes. Gabe showed Hegel how to bump fists.

 It's these moments we will treasure forever.
We were able to share a meaningful visit with this sweet family. We feel like we are relatives now, all working together to raise and shepherd our children.
We are praying for each other and equally encouraged by each other.

This is how God designed His church. Global. His church is not a building. His church is the body of believers sharing life's struggles, praying and encouraging each other daily.


Just two days ago we received an email from World Vision with a letter attached from Hegel's father. He was thanking us again for our visit and love. It was our highlight of the day for sure.


I know you are thinking about it, so do it! Go sponsor a child now. Did you know there are programs in the U.S. , too?
World Vision Link
 

Solar Cars!

A couple of months ago I was teaching at Alta Sierra Middle School when I saw some amazing little cars. The students were building their own solar-powered cars and racing them around the campus. Wow!
I immediately thought how cool these would be to take to Haiti.
So, I emailed the company, Sun Wind Solar,and asked if we could get a discount or special deal for our kids in Haiti. The owner immediately called me and offered to send me a huge lot for free! What a blessing!

We first showed the kids at the orphanage how to make one car and how it worked. They were in awe. This was a great lesson because next month Christian Friendship Ministries will be installing the solar panels on top of the school roof to power the whole compound.

 Once the kids got the idea, we gave them each a kit to build. We had our two trusty translators, Wilcio and Peguey to help out, too! Some of the kids needed a lot of help, but one boy built his in record time!

 These kids were so proud of their creations. We had them write their names on their cars with Sharpies. We explained how to care for the cars and gave them a ziploc bag to store them in. They were so happy!
These kids have very few toys of their own and often they have to share what little they have. This was a real treat!

 Cutie pie James with his "own" car.

 Our awesome translators and the boys with their cars in a line.

 Let the races begin!

 We are so grateful for amazing companies like Sun Wind Solar     for giving so much. This company knew very little about us, yet they gave so generously. We were also able to leave behind several more kits for the kids at the other orphanage to build this year!