Summer 2011 -- Leisa's Haiti Journal #4

Luke, Leisa, Paul and the children
and staff of the MABE orphanage

Dear Friends,


Haiti was saved from most of tropical storm Emily this week, so we were able to continue serving the children in Port au Prince area without any disruption, save an occasional welcome breeze and the slight flooding we saw in Cite Soleil. Three cases of condoms have been delivered, and 10 cases of supplies ordered for "Wings of Hope" children's home for the severly disabled. I took Marcorel Lisius to tour Grass Roots display of examples of locally sustainable/approprate housing. Besides having founded MABE orphanage, Marco is an expert in sustainable building (specifically sanitation). I will meet with folks for medical services to register for PROMISS on Monday which should enable us to use our dear donations to get even better prices on rxs. Also, we did accept as a partner "Grass Roots" who in turn will offer us free medical supplies we can pick up in Haiti, saving shipping costs. It has been a very busy last week.


We did find our car and ourselves seated front row to a volatile demostration of some very frustrated young men looking for work in front of the Haitian Social Services building. Rocks and a few shots were fired, but no one seemed to be injured.


Thank you so very much for supporting our Children's Hope work in Haiti...without you the work could not move forward.


Peace always and all ways,


leisa

Summer 2011 -- Leisa's Haiti Journal #3: Amputee Clinic

Our two new Haitian sons packed, carried and delivered donations into the Prosthetika amputee lab, their eyes round with awe and reverence as they were handed molds used to make new limbs for other Haitian children.


This was their first service trip with Mommy Leisa and Papi. Though every excursion away from the orphanage is a grand adventure, this time the full force of service work came down hard on our two little sons. They had only seen us deliver toys, food, water and medicine. Our visits to Mabe Orphanage were characteristically full of cheerful things: a Disney movie under the stars, surprise ice cream, soccer balls, new beds…When D’Alessandro held up the small prosthetic leg it looked as if the burden of all street children came to rest on his young shoulders. Some part of him will always carry the burden of having once been a street kid himself, struggling to care for his two year old brother…without shelter, safety or clean water.


Now, that burden is an opportunity. I return to Port au Prince today for yet another meeting at the U.S. Embassy that may soon allow us to bring Dro and Tevez to their new home in America . Haiti will always be their home as well, as it has almost become for us. Very soon, though, we hope, their world will become much larger, their opportunities much greater and that huge compassion they carry may grow wings of its own.


Peace, all ways and always,


Leisa