A Mission of Hope - Haiti 2009

Upon arrival at Mission of Hope, the staff took us down to see Isabelle's home right away. We were greeted by all the children chanting "Isabelle, Isabelle, Isabelle, Isabelle". It was very touching - she was overwhelmed by their cheers & surprised to see her name was even above the door. As her parents, we were so full of emotion. We are so proud of her & all her efforts.

These are the 6 girls who reside in Isabelle's home. From left - Christella (9), Sophonie (12), Esther (5), Cherline (12), Bernadine (9), Kethia (7)
The room contains 3 bunks, a "momma's" room & a nice bathroom with running water & toilet. The homes are very nice & the girls love living in them.
This is Sharma. . . she was wandering around & happened upon Isabelle - she immediately came up to her & put her hands out for Isabelle to put her hands on top. Neither of the girls could communicate verbally with each other, but they both knew how to play the "hand slap" game. It was so cute to watch as they both played & giggled.
Isabelle shaking hands with school children at Mission of Hope. Mission of Hope has an orphanage with about 60 kids, but they also run a school. Approximately 1,380 kids come from as far away as 5 miles. They are very dedicated to schooling. They must find their own transportation & they take their schooling very seriously.
Here are the children with the toothbrushes & toothpaste our dentist sent with us. They were pumped!
Isabelle passed out teddy bears & a poem from scouts back home. Rachel, the orphan director, translated the poem for them.

Isabelle & Mandy (our friend that was on the trip with us) in a school room at the orphan complex in Les Cayes. Isabelle was out in the open area when she started making pictures in the dirt with a rock. A few girls noticed & began watching her - then she handed them each a rock & they began to do what she was doing. It was neat to watch - again no language needed!

One of the things that we, as her parents, observed in Isabelles words & action is that she clearly sees the plight of orphans as God does - simply & practically, these children need homes & it is our responsibility to do something about it. We believe that the way she sees it, is how God wants each & everyone of us to see it! It is not a complicated issue - there is a need & we each have gifts, resources, etc. to help in some way. The question for each of us simply becomes:

"How does God want me to get involved? Will I make a change?"

As we were preparing to leave, Isabelle reached her 2nd goal of completing the funding for her 2nd home. Not only did she complete the 2nd home, but the monies she received pushed her over the $5000 needed, so she is beginning to raise funds for house #3. If you, or someone you know is interested in becoming involved in Isabelle's Global Orphan Project, please contact www.theglobalorphanproject.org

Our incredible team - we were so thankful to travel with this amazing group of people.