Sorry

These first couple of weeks of having the foster girls live with us there have been lots of adjustments. The biggest being that the bottom floor of the house that we rented for extra space isn't ready yet, so we are all living in 2 bedrooms. Thank goodness we have 2 bathrooms! I think we all feel like we are falling over each other all the time.

But it's been good too. The girls kinda have to be around us all the time because there is no where else for them to go (insert evil laugh).

One of our girls hasn't had a family since she was 5 years old. The other has been raised by her aunt for the last couple years. These two 13 yr olds deal with a lot of issues on a day to day basis. Among those issues include rape, living on the streets, child slavery, beatings by relatives and rejection by Christian missions.

Their stories make me sad.

But since they have come to live with us and become a part of our family it makes me mad. These aren't just 2 girls living in Haiti to us anymore. We are raising these girls like they are our children. We are starting to love and care about them like we do for Odessa.

How dare someone touch my child...let alone rape her.

I can not imagine my child as a servant in someone's home...not able to go to school or church or anywhere.

One of my friends, Beth (a Christian and teacher), writes a blog at "How do you like them apples?"  She has some interesting views on a lot of topics and she "puts it out there" so to speak. A few weeks ago she wrote a blog post titled, "An Open Apology To My Students."  GO check out the entire post. With her permission, here is the letter:

Dear Students,

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry that adults could not get their crap together.  I'm sorry that you have to deal with situations that nobody should have to deal with, let alone a young child.  I'm sorry that choices others made have tainted your view of what it means to be a father, or mother, or a family.

I'm sorry that the church has not been there more for you. To walk alongside you and your family in hard times.  To care for you when nobody else was caring for you.

I'm sorry that, for the most part, we believers are so caught up in our own lives, our conveniences, our schedules, and our "problems" that we don't look for ways to help you.

God says that true religion is looking after widows and orphans.  Many of you have been "orphaned" in one way or another.  May we, the church, rise up and look after you.

Without getting preachy, I agree.

How can I expect our foster girls to become responsible mothers one day if they don't have an example of one? How can I expect them to choose good husbands if they don't have good, appropriate male influence? How do I expect them to want to follow Jesus when other "Christians" deserted them in times of trouble.

When we were looking for somewhere to put these girls a couple months ago and nothing surfaced...I heard God's nudging. On Facebook.

I know...a pretty unlikely place...I know.

But it was a simple picture. Of six pairs of brand new shoes all lined up. Tennis shoes, sandals, boots. The caption said,

 "Back to school shopping a success!!!"

Then I looked at who had posted it. The teenage daughter of one my dad's preacher friends. 

6 pairs of NEW shoes? Really?

I started in on my rant to God. How was this fair? Have people really forgotten about orphans and those less fortunate around the world? Why didn't God spread the wealth around a but more?

It ended with, "God, SOMEBODY has got to take care of these girls."

And His reply was clear as could be in my head..."Yes SOMEBODY does."

But really it is a lot of Somebody's. David and I have opened our home to them and are raising them but we can't do it alone. We need prayer and financial support.

Ayi and Mardochee need monthly sponsors to pay for food, toiletries, school supplies, after-school tutoring and fun outings. We have another (and final) teenager who is waiting to come live with us also. But we have to get the sponsorship completed for the girls we already have before she can come.

So during this Halloween season where 8 billion dollars is predicted to be spent on costumes, candy and decorations and Thanksgiving where people make so much food that  leftovers end up in the trash and especially Christmas (no explanation needed)...please remember the orphans. 

James 1:27

"Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and without fault is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help, and keeping yourself free from the world's evil influence."

I, too, and sorry like my friend Beth. And like her, I want to help these kids move past the labels. I am sorry that for the 5 years I have been in Haiti I am just now opening my door to give homeless orphans a place to live. 

Church-Will you rise up with us? Help us care for these orphans in a family environment?

To become a Hope Partner in monthly sponsorship with our girls, send your tax-deductible donation to:

Licking Valley Church of Christ

1578 Dayton Rd

Newark, OH 43055

Please put "Invest Hope-Girls" in the memo

If you have additional questions please email me at ginnyandrews@hotmail.com

Job and his Cotton Candy House

 

We started with the story of "Job and the House that Was" and are now ending with "Job and his Cotton Candy House".

It's finally finished!

After much debate in the hardware store...my pink accented house idea won over David's blah brown  and cream one. Job's family now has a nice cement block, two roomed house with 6 windows, a front and back door and a little cemented front porch.

 

 Thank you to everyone who showed true caring for this family you have never even met by donating to this Hope Project.

Thank you from Invest Hope.

And thank you from Job's family. They are so grateful.

1 John 3:17,18 (NCV)

 " Suppose someone has enough to live and sees a brother or sister in need, but does not help. Then God's love is not living in that person. My children, we should love people not only with words and talk, but by our actions and true caring."

So the house is settling down a little. We are getting into more of a routine with our additions.

Meet our second Invest Hope child, Mardochee. She is a smart, articulate 13 year old who takes in everything around her. 

I first met Mardochee in 2011 when I was working with Angel Missions Haiti. She has a debilitating eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa.  She just got back from being in the states on a medical visa for the past year. 

Mardochee's family here in Haiti and her host family in the states were looking for a school for her here in Haiti that would work with her special needs so that she could continue her education. She had not been in school in Haiti for quite some time due to her low vision.

LEKOL SEN TRINITE accepted Mardochee as a student in their program. She just needed a family here in Jacmel to work alongside those providing her education.

 

 

Here is a pic of me, David and Madrochee on the roof of the school building. 

 Madrochee is fitting in really well in our house but it adjusting to being back in Haiti after living in the luxuries of the US for a year. Not an easy adjustment...I know from experience...however we can tell she missed Haitian food! (Man these girls can eat!)

 

Hello from the Nuthouse

My grandpa's last name is Nutter and his house has been nicknamed "The Nut House". Very fitting considering my mom's side of the family. Including myself!

The beginning of this week lots of changes and additions came into our house here in Haiti. So I am writing to you from the new Nut house a little farther south than the original one. But just as crazy...I assure you!

It all started with a 14 yr old girl named Ayi that David and I have known for the past 2 years or so. She was living in an orphanage when some drama happened and then she found herself back out on the streets. Her parents died when she was young and she has lived in a variety of different living situations. We had heard about her struggles and went to visit her a few months back.

What we found made my heart hurt. This once happy, healthy teenager was not the same young lady anymore. Her smile, which once showed you a piece of her heart, was now superficial. The clothes she had on were 2 sizes too small. The word that best describes what we saw: Lost.

This child of God was lost with no hope. I of course wanted to put her in the truck and bring her home that very day. Convincing David of this rash plan was another story altogether...I am still learning that as a married person I don't get to make all the decisions anymore.*sigh*

So I invited her to the beach with us, had her over for dinner, basically spent time with her to help David see how much this girl needs a family.

One day he was telling me how sad it was that she had no one. He has a younger sister the same age as Ayi. He couldn't imagine her in the same situation.

We talked with the Invest Hope mission board. They were in full agreement that this is a great opportunity to show hope to a child in need. We also decided to do this in more of a foster care type approach than as an orphanage approach. She would move in with us and we would raise her along with Odessa.

The next day we took her to Social Services and got guardianship of her.

So meet the newest addition to our household and the Invest Hope family!

 Ayi, 13 years old

Please pray with us for her to feel loved and accepted by not only us, but her Father in Heaven. Pray she learns how to move on from the past and embrace the future.

After that post you're probably wondering why that makes our house crazy right now.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post. Ayi came last week. Two more teenage girls came this week...one with a newborn baby!

So now you can believe me when I say...

Goodbye from the Nut House!