What $ 200.00 can buy...

Sue Steege reflects on her experience in Haiti last January after the earthquake. Thought you might enjoy her insight into the event and reaction immediately after.

I continue to be amazed or should I say embarrassed by the sense of sharing by people who have so little. I have been privileged to hear similar stories thoughout Haiti. Unfortunately the media choose to portral the ungly side of food riots in Port-au-Prince. Ken

Each year when we go to Les Cayes, Haiti on our mission trip, we go out to eat one night at Nami, a Chinese restaurant. I know—it sounds funny, doesn't it? We have to order our food ahead and pay for it, so the restaurant can go and buy the groceries to make the meal. The food always tastes great and they have cold beverages which are also special.

We also use it as a time to treat our hosts…the Izidor family, Pastor Paul Touloute and his family, Nora and Leon, and sometimes our bus driver. These are people who are day-by-day, in very difficult circumstances, living out the Gospel. It is nice to give them a night out.

This year, we were scheduled to go to Nami on Thursday night (the quake was Tuesday). On Wednesday, we talked about it and, knowing that supplies would soon be running short, we decided to give the Izidors the $200+ that we would have spent at Nami. “Please use it however you can…”

I didn’t think about it much after that. Wednesday was filled with keeping the orphans occupied since school was closed and the Izidor family was making decisions about next steps. Thursday morning was the hospital visit (for another post) and Thursday afternoon we did VBS (that felt so good—to be sharing the Word with the children). Dan and the guys worked on handyman projects around the orphanage. Thursday night we slept outside again because there were warnings from the UN about being inside.



As we awoke on Friday morning (you wake up early when you sleep outside), we noticed Israelson’s jeep making repeated trips out of the compound and back in. Yelline went with him. The first trip back he had 400 pounds of rice. The next trip back was other food. And so it went. About the third trip in, Nora leaned over to me and said, “Well, Sue, there’s your restaurant money. We think we can feed the kids for 2 months on these supplies.”

I wept when she said that and I am weeping again as I write it. I don’t really know why. I guess I was just so incredibly grateful that we were able to do one little thing to help in that horrible tragedy. And I am so incredibly humbled to compare the money that I spend on food to what $200 can buy in Haiti.

As Israelson and some of our guys were unloading the supplies, I asked Israelson about the whole thing. He said, “We try to buy as much as we can now, because we know that people will soon be coming to us because they are hungry.” I asked, “Will you give them food?” “Yes,” he said, “we will try to give them just enough to get them by. It will be hard because eventually we will have to turn some away. It is very hard.”

And so, humbled and teary again, I tried to take into my heart the amazing example of the Izidor family, who over and over again, do not think only about how they will take care of their own (including 28 orphans), but how God might also use them to help others. And I ask God to give me that heart as well.

SUE STEEGE
First Trinity DCE
ssteege@firsttrinity.com

Haitian KITES flying for HOPE

When in Haiti you can watch children entertaining themselves for hours with homemade kites. Back in 2001 I had a chance to observe closeup one that was simply made of discarded plastic from a bag with wooden stays stripped from a palm tree. The tail was from dirty rags and the string was a mixture or reused thread or string tied together. Nothing goes to waste as I notice exclusively home made toys. A plastic water bottle turned into a pull toy. A tireless bicycle rim and stick turned into a rolling push ring. Makes one wonder at their imagination and ingenuity.

Nora Leon from Children of Israel Orphanage is staying with us this week after spending the last 5 weeks in a refugee camp. During our conversation about the affect of the earthquake on the children of Les Cayes she mentioned she knew HOPE was returning to Haiti when she saw the children FLYING KITES again.

Then today I happened to see the following promo video from the Newsboys "Born Again", the title track off the newsboys new record which releases June 8th, 2010.

Enjoy the video clip:



Keep praying the God will keep the kites flying over Haiti

KEN

RONEST seeks Assistance

$2,500 Needed for Haitian Boy's Medical Treatment in Chicago.

The Haitian Lutheran Mission Project has been asked to assist an 18 yr-old Haitian boy named Ronest from Les Cayes, Haiti. He has been diagnosed with a condition called neurofibromatosis. These are small tumors that grow all over his body. They may return after being removed but we are considering bringing him to the States to have them removed because two of the largest tumors (one on his upper left arm and one on his upper left chest) have become very painful. He has a number of other lumps on his lip, torso, arms and legs.

He has contacted Nora (a full time missionary at our Lutheran Church in Les Cayes) for help and she contacted us. Nora has been a friend of ours for years and we often network to help the Lutheran Pastors in Haiti. Nora has already arranged for a hospital and surgeon (here in Illinois) to pick up the cost of his surgery and hospital stay. He also has a Host Family ready to care for him but other expenses (air fare, passport etc.) totaling $2,500 need to be met.

Ronest lives with his grandmother and 4-year-old sister. His father is a mechanic, his mother died in 2007. He lives in a 3 room house with rock walls, an iron roof and cement floor. There are two beds in the home and it does have electricity at times but no running water. He does NOT have food to eat every day.

Prayerfully consider helping us bring Ronest to Chicago for treatment.

Click here to donate


Question can be directed to Susan
at suelynn144@aol.com

“No Haitian is ever hungry.”

There is a Haitian saying that says, “No Haitian is ever hungry.” We know that is not true! A large majority of the Haitian people are hungry! But, they are also unselfish and have a gift of hospitality.

When a Haitian person only has a loaf of bread, he will break it in half to share with those nearby. Thus, the meaning of the saying! I saw this very thing in action last night. French fried potatoes had been prepared for me. I could not eat all of them, so I offered them to one of the neighborhood children who I knew was hungry. Soon she was offering some of it to her sister and then the Camp children started gathering around. As one little girl bit into a fry, she took the second half of the fry and put it into the mouth of another child. They all took turns sharing the spoon to scoop up the sauce that was at the bottom of the pan. All the children went away happy having had at least one bite of food. These actions continue to remind me what a selfish person I am!


NORA

read more of Nora's refugee camp experience here :

Click here: Causes

just know that your gifts and donations will be shared by many in need.
KEN