Sunday, January 4, 2015
Thursday, December 11, 2014
How Do I Do Christmas?
So just 1 month ago, I was here...... in Haiti.
It looks like a tropical paradise, and in many ways it is just that. But it is also one of the poorest countries on earth, at an annual per capita domestic product of $1300 compared to the US at $58,000 per American citizen. And this difference of affluence from a 1 1/2 hour flight from Miami International Airport.
So here I sit on my comfortable couch, with working bathrooms, and plenty of food in my refrigerator.....as I make my Christmas shopping list.
I'm trying to reconcile in my mind and heart about this upcoming celebration. The time and money I will spend in preparing for this day. I cannot fix the problems in Haiti. I can hardly even begin to understand the depth of the issues there. I certainly don't have the money to make much of a difference in the day to day lives of my friends on La Gonave.
I will continue to share what I have. I will teach my children to be thankful for all of their blessings. I will teach them that they have a responsibility for being born in this time and place of fortune to share with others. I will teach them to work and study hard, so that they can continue on this path of a blessed life and help others on the way.
So how do I do Christmas this year? I will wait with great anticipation for Christmas morning. I will decorate, bake, and wrap presents. All in preparation for the greatest day of the year.....our Lord's birthday.
But what about my friends in Haiti this Christmas? I'm sure their celebration won't look like ours. It will probably be more along the lines of the early Christian celebrations....simple and pure. Not many distractions. Hopefully at least a big meal. My thoughts and prayers will be with them on that beautiful island. I will not forget them. I will continue to help support and bring awareness to their needs.
The Haitian people on La Gonave have given me a gift that could only come through experience. The gift of friendship.....even with a language barrier....through their smiles, hard work, dedication and laughter. If anyone is interested in practical ways to help, please see the blog post "Give The Gift of Life". If there is not any extra in your Christmas budget this year, please just keep Haiti in your prayers. A Christmas wish where all of God's children have access to basic needs.
JWAYE NWEL! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
The Haitian people on La Gonave have given me a gift that could only come through experience. The gift of friendship.....even with a language barrier....through their smiles, hard work, dedication and laughter. If anyone is interested in practical ways to help, please see the blog post "Give The Gift of Life". If there is not any extra in your Christmas budget this year, please just keep Haiti in your prayers. A Christmas wish where all of God's children have access to basic needs.
JWAYE NWEL! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE
If this Christmas you feel called to give a gift that will out last the latest fads and will have a life giving impact.....please consider one of these! Help a community in Haiti this Christmas season and honor someone with your gift in return. The gift card shown below can be used for this purpose.
The gift of EDUCATION. Help break the cycle of poverty by supporting education for children in need. $30 for 1 month of school and 1 nutritious meal a day.
LIFE SAVING FOOD - Your gift will help provide food for the children who are at risk of physical and mental impairment from chronic hunger in Pointe-a-Raquette. $60
EMERGENCY FUND - Your gift will be directed to where it is most needed in the community. $100
SHELTER AND CLOTHING FUND - Your gift will help provide refuge by repairing roofs, providing blankets and clothing for those in need. $10
SCHOOL SUPPLY FUND - Your gift will provide teaching supplies, textbooks, toys, sporting equipment and more. $25
This is the school "library".
HEALTH FUND - Your gift can help provide medical supplies and delivery of critical care based on the community's specific needs. $30
FUND A BUSINESS LOAN - Your gift will help the community invest in a business to grow and help sustain and provide for the community. $50
Community leaders in Pointe-a-Raquette
Feel free to donate any amount to help with these needs. You may mail a check to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 118 N. New St., Staunton, VA 24401. Make checks payable to "Haiti Outreach Ministry".
Make a comment to which "Fund" you would like your donation to go towards!
If you would like a "Gift Card" to sign and give as a gift to honor someone in particular, please email Lisa Olshove at litzandosh@msn.com or leave a comment below with your name and address and I will mail one out to you!
THANK YOU for your support!
Blessings,
The Haiti Outreach Ministry at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
Friday, November 21, 2014
Sustain
I have often heard a negative connotation to the word "sustain" or "sustainability" when it comes to 1st world countries helping to support 3rd world countries. So I decided to look up the definition of sustain 1. to support, hold, or bear up 2. to bear 3. to undergo an injury, loss ext. without yielding 4. to keep up or keep going 5. to supply with food, drink, and necessities of life 6. to support a cause by aid or approval. When I read through these definitions I can see that we are MUTUALLY sustaining each other. It is a 2-way relationship....benefiting both parties.
We have helped "sustain" St. Louis Parish in Pointe-a-Raquette for 35 years....in helping to provide education, meals, and medical care, and prayers on the island. They have helped support St. Francis Parish by teaching us about perseverance, deep faith, taking care of each other, and through their prayers for us. We can learn to be less self-centered and selfish by giving from our excess, and in return receiving the joy that can only be found in giving of oneself.
This is the airport that you fly into when coming from Haiti's mainland to the island of La Gonave.
From this point, it is a 2 hour drive, on a nonexistent road, over the mountain to the other side of the island. This is one of the main reasons why life, commerce, and medical care are so challenging in Pointe-a-Raquette. It is a physically challenging and extreme "off-roading" experience to get to St. Louis Parish. One of the things people can do to help is to SIGN A PETITION that will be sent to the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation, and Communications in Haiti in favor of building a road from Anse-a-Galets to Pointe-a-Raquette. You never know what a little pressure and awareness brought to someones attention can accomplish!
This is the "donkey parking lot" at the market on La Gonave.
This is an "ambulance" that the Prime Minister's office donated for Bob's Clinic to use. Unfortunately, it is useless on the roads of La Gonave because it does not have 4x4 capabilities.
We have helped "sustain" St. Louis Parish in Pointe-a-Raquette for 35 years....in helping to provide education, meals, and medical care, and prayers on the island. They have helped support St. Francis Parish by teaching us about perseverance, deep faith, taking care of each other, and through their prayers for us. We can learn to be less self-centered and selfish by giving from our excess, and in return receiving the joy that can only be found in giving of oneself.
From this point, it is a 2 hour drive, on a nonexistent road, over the mountain to the other side of the island. This is one of the main reasons why life, commerce, and medical care are so challenging in Pointe-a-Raquette. It is a physically challenging and extreme "off-roading" experience to get to St. Louis Parish. One of the things people can do to help is to SIGN A PETITION that will be sent to the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation, and Communications in Haiti in favor of building a road from Anse-a-Galets to Pointe-a-Raquette. You never know what a little pressure and awareness brought to someones attention can accomplish!
This is the "donkey parking lot" at the market on La Gonave.
This is an "ambulance" that the Prime Minister's office donated for Bob's Clinic to use. Unfortunately, it is useless on the roads of La Gonave because it does not have 4x4 capabilities.
Sign the petition for a road on La Gonave.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
What to do now?
I have been home for a day now and I keep thinking, "What do I do now?" How do you visit a place and make friends with people and then leave them on an island that their own government has literally ignored and forgotten? As we flew off the island it broke my heart. Why do we have so much in our country and there is so little in Haiti? Trust me, I know there is real poverty here in the USA, but I also know that here we have access to clean water, food banks, homeless shelters, and health care. The average Haitian on La Gonave makes $200 a year....yes, a YEAR! So I'm wrestling with these feelings of overwhelming gratefulness for what I have been blessed with and the heavy weight of knowing I have a responsibility to share my blessings.
Our small parish of St. Francis Catholic Church in Staunton, VA is a very generous church. We help support the St. Louis Parish in Pointe-a-Raquette on the island of La Gonave. There is a Catholic school there named Our Lady of Pointe-a-Raquette School that has grades preschool through 6th grade with approximately 170 students. We also help support the only clinic on that side of the island called "Bob's Clinic".
The problems on La Gonave are overwhelming for someone visiting for the first time. I ask myself, "What can I possibly do here?" I cannot build them a road....so they have access to emergency medical care and supplies from the mainland. I cannot change the infrastructure of an unjust government where the gap between the "haves" and "have nots" is so dramatic, and I cannot relieve the suffering from extreme poverty with few options for a bright future.
The Haitian people I met in Pointe-a-Raquette are a strong and resilient people who smile easily and are open to new friendships. They take their time and work very hard. They enjoy the small things in life and take care of each other. They taught me to slow down, enjoy a beautiful sunset, take care of the weak in the community, be grateful for what we are given, and to embrace life in the small things. They have a lot to teach us....in our fast paced life of trying to get ahead and seeking more and more.
So, what do I do now? I will continue to pray for my friends. I will see what we have in common and what they can teach me. I will share their story with my friends here so that we can continue to support St. Louis Parish in their journey to a safer and easier way of life with more opportunities. I will try to see the face of God in all people. Lord, please open my eyes to what you see!
Our small parish of St. Francis Catholic Church in Staunton, VA is a very generous church. We help support the St. Louis Parish in Pointe-a-Raquette on the island of La Gonave. There is a Catholic school there named Our Lady of Pointe-a-Raquette School that has grades preschool through 6th grade with approximately 170 students. We also help support the only clinic on that side of the island called "Bob's Clinic".
The problems on La Gonave are overwhelming for someone visiting for the first time. I ask myself, "What can I possibly do here?" I cannot build them a road....so they have access to emergency medical care and supplies from the mainland. I cannot change the infrastructure of an unjust government where the gap between the "haves" and "have nots" is so dramatic, and I cannot relieve the suffering from extreme poverty with few options for a bright future.
The Haitian people I met in Pointe-a-Raquette are a strong and resilient people who smile easily and are open to new friendships. They take their time and work very hard. They enjoy the small things in life and take care of each other. They taught me to slow down, enjoy a beautiful sunset, take care of the weak in the community, be grateful for what we are given, and to embrace life in the small things. They have a lot to teach us....in our fast paced life of trying to get ahead and seeking more and more.
So, what do I do now? I will continue to pray for my friends. I will see what we have in common and what they can teach me. I will share their story with my friends here so that we can continue to support St. Louis Parish in their journey to a safer and easier way of life with more opportunities. I will try to see the face of God in all people. Lord, please open my eyes to what you see!
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