Backpacks, Ruffled Socks and Saving Hope

The first day of school is often characterized by nervous excitement.  Monday, October 8, 2012, was no different but for a few additions for our children at Alex's House.  The overriding theme to myself, as an outsider, was pride.  The good, healthy, ‘I’m a child of God who’s greatly loved’ sort of pride.  Each child wore that new backpack all morning!  

They were crisp and clean, chatty yet anxious, excited and prepared.  Alex’s House thought of everything.  Youse clipped fingernails.  Patrick wiped down the bus seats to make sure they didn’t get dirtied on their way. Bill handed out those prized backpacks.  

Jimmy made sure the older boys slacks and belts were just right.  And just as any kid knows to do, they all smiled beautifully for their ‘first day of school’ picture.  The pride that they felt in how they looked, what they had, and where they were headed was clearly written on each face.

With every child dressed (perfectly!  Love those ruffled socks!) and fed and clad with backpacks full of all they needed, the family did what I keep seeing them diligently do.  They circled together, sang their songs, said their prayers, and gave their day to Jezi. 

 It was, however, after school that really told the story.  All over that campus, kids carried their books everywhere they went.  Little boys sat in corners reading.  Little girls sat with pencils, paper, and the biggest smiles of appreciation.  They were filled with hope, already proud of what they were becoming.

On the way back to Ms. Bettie’s guesthouse after seeing the kids off, we passed a young boy carrying the family water bucket.  He was probably about 11, looked much like Wilkens or Remy.  He wasn’t dressed crisply in the most fastidious of school uniforms.  He donned no backpack.  There were no shining shoes.  And there was no smile of hope or pride.

                  
Even Willy tried to climb into that white truck as the kids loaded for school.  They all knew the value of what they were getting.  It’s the difference not between a crisp school uniform and a tattered hand-me-down or whether you carry a book or a water bucket.  It’s who carries you, and the wings of hope on which He does so.

It was successful, exciting, appreciated, and packed full of all the hope of a future filled with God’s presence and blessing.  ~ Jana Abbott (Ingleside Baptist Church)

A Glorious Move-IN Day - Friday, September 28, 2012!!

There are many rooms in my father's house . . .

Malachi Cottage

 If this were not true, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.

Teresa Cottage

Fully stocked Kitchen!

If I go and do that, I will come back.

And, I will take you to be with me.

We sang, danced and gave thanks on the way up! Meci Jezi!

Then, you will also be where I am. 

Our children lined up outside the gate

Then, they entered through a tunnel of love made of His hands and feet . . .

Words are inadequate!

Beautiful in every way!

Their smiles and laughter lit up the entire place!

Home sweet Home!

Papa Bill's smile lit up the place, too!

Gratefully blessed!

Lord, thank YOU for providing!

Words seem so inadequate!  We bow down and give thanks to the Lord for His steadfast provisions!  We are moved in and the children are loving it!  A huge thank you to all the teams and supporters who made this day possible - it was definitely a team effort and will continue to be!  We are not finished yet, but Friday was an amazing day as we started a new chapter in Kalico! For more pictures and weekly updates, please visit www.facebook.com/AlexsHouseOrphanage

Grateful. Blessed. Humbled. God is Good.

My Helper Kevin Flory

On occasions the Apostle Paul talked about being in challenging situations, fatigued, nearing his breaking point.  During these times he spoke of how the Lord would send him a helper - someone to work by his side, to help carry the load – right at the time when he needed it the most.

I’ve had an Apostle Paul experience.

God has greatly blessed the growth of Alex’s House, both with the health and growth of our children and with the progress of our construction. Our official move in date is September 28th. Praise the Lord – we’re going to make it! Yet as you could imagine – with all the growth, blessings, groups, construction, storms and trials - I’m very tired.

This is where my apostle Paul experience comes in. Right when I needed help the most – God sent me a helper – a friend – Kevin Flory.  Kevin came to Haiti with one of our Partnering organizations – Families Outreach. The night before the group was to depart, I was feeling the pressure. How were we ever going to be ready to move the children in before the start of school? In nine months, we have built over 10,000 sq. feet of buildings with picks, shovels, wheelbarrows and 5 gallon buckets!

Yet – the groups were gone and there was still much work to be done – and very little time to do it in.
I had mentioned to the group my need for help. Kevin said – “I could stay and help.” I said something like – “yeah man – if you could stay an extra week, that would be incredible.” He responded – “I’ll stay the whole month if you need me.” Tears flow now as I remember his generosity and the incredible work he did in those extra three weeks. Kevin completed the septic lines; ran the plumbing lines for all the cottages; plumbed a water tank; and built the bathroom cabinets and stalls for all the cottages. There is no way I could have completed these task without him.

Kevin – you were an incredible blessing to me. I can’t thank you enough. God sent you to me when I needed you the most. Without your faithfulness, servants heart and hard work, we wouldn’t be ready for the move in. I and the family of Alex’s House are forever grateful.

I love you brother,

~Bill

Alex's House honkers down at the Yorkhouse to weather Storm Isaac!

As Storm Isaac heads towards Haiti today, Bill is on his way to Port-au-Prince to gather our children and take them to Kalico to weather tonight's storm. Our children will be staying in our new guesthouse property (a/k/a the Yorkhouse), where we sense they will be offered the greatest protection from tonight's storm. It will be a long night for our staff and children, so pray that God wraps a mighty army of angels around them and the Yorkhouse!

Our prayer is for the Lord to protect Haiti as the winds blow and the rains fall.  We trust God will use this storm to draw Haiti closer to Him.  We continue to pray for existing roofs to stay attached; the tarps to be stronger than we can imagine for those still living in tents; minimal to no flooding; the mud to stay put without sliding, and for the cholera to be contained.

We lift our voices in praise and cry out in prayer today . . . may He draw each one of us closer to Him today as we enter His presence to pray for our loved ones in Haiti.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, 

Before                                           After
Uncle Woody

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, 

Before                                            After
Sweet Kinsey

I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, 

Willie (end of March 2012)

Precious Willie (end of July 2012)

I was sick and you looked after me.  - Jesus

It has been 5 months since the Lord blessed us with these little fellows, and His favor and blessings continue to pour out on these little ones!  Alex's House can not wait to see what the Lord has in store for these 3! 

Glory to God . . . the transformations are amazing and speak of His love!!  We sincerely thank you for joining our team and making God stories like this possible at Alex's House!

Teachers' Summit 2012 - a God story!

Over 90 percent of the schools in Haiti are non-public schools run by religious organizations or non-government organizations. Many of the teachers only have an education up to the level they are teaching and are offered very limited resources with which to teach. Alex's House had the privilege of joining another local ministry to present the 4th Annual Teachers' Summit -- serving and ministering to 65+ teachers who the Lord drew to the Summit. Men and women made lengthy and difficult journeys to attend a teacher’s summit where they spent two and a half days learning how to use the resources they do possess to help their students learn.

Pastor and Director of Schools - Pastor Morvan
Haitian Leadership for Summit 2012

Teachers' Summit 2012

Alex's House was blessed with five exceptional teachers who used their experience to show the Haitian teachers that they possess the resources and the ability to be excellent teachers! It was a celebration focused around education! Each lesson incorporated materials that can be found for free in their environments. Using sticks and rocks as math manipulatives. Using old boxes and labels to teach letter and number recognition. Taking old Coke bottles and making them into a planting pot. Using old cereal boxes or paper to make beads to sell as school fundraisers. Not only were the teachers learning how to be better teachers, they were learning how to care for their environment.

God's Team for 2012 Summit!

Many of these ideas and methods were totally new to the Haitian teachers. And it’s never easy teaching new ideas to people. Especially when you are teaching through a translator. But God worked through these barriers, and we were able to see the teachers grasp what we taught them! Relationships were forming as we embraced them, and they embraced us!

Haitian teachers presenting to us!

On the last day of the conference, we challenged the teachers to create a lesson using something they learned at the conference. As the teachers shared their presentations, we were so excited to see them think outside the box to find new ways to teach their students. Several teachers used recycled materials and some even found ways to incorporate Scripture into the lesson. How rewarding to see men and women apply knowledge that will aid them as educators and influence generations to come! The tears were flowing as God's faithfulness was overwhelming and obvious to all involved!

Art lessons incorporating God's Word!

A beautiful masterpiece . . .
"Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus."
2 Peter 3:18
Teachers' Summit 2012 Theme Verse

As you can see, the teacher’s conference was quite the success but only due to God's favor and blessings. At the beginning of the week, we weren’t so sure about how it would go! We had not seen the location. The bathroom situation was unclear—which is especially worrisome for a group of ladies! We had no set schedule, and we weren’t sure how many people would be attending. The teachers were not confident in how or what to present. And the non-teachers were not sure how to be useful. There were so many unknowns going into this conference! We entered with trembling and fear.

Making necklaces and bracelets from cereal boxes!

But our God is so faithful! The location was gorgeous, in the shade, and included a bathroom! The schedule was never definite, but each person was flexible and prepared to jump in as needed. Each teacher presented beautifully, and the Haitian teachers listened and took in the information with great interest. The non-teachers found ways to help in preparing crafts, handing out supplies, and praying for our sisters as they presented. And almost every time we had something to give away, we had exactly the number we needed. God really showed off in arranging things for this conference!

We praised and gave thanks!

They praised and gave thanks!

Beautiful worship transcends any existing language barriers as
we praise our Creator!

We ended the conference with a time of praise and worship: first in Haitian, then in English. It was such a beautiful time of praising our God in two languages! Several team members were able to share their testimony, and we were able to hear a few of the teachers share. Throughout the whole conference, the teachers were encouraged to incorporate the Bible in everything they taught in the classroom. What a foreign concept to those of us educated in the U.S. public education system! But what a great opportunity for us! We can invest in Haitian schools where they are free to teach about our Creator, and as a result, enable multitudes of children to learn about Jesus! To God be the Glory!

God's Leadership Team for Summit 2012!

Alex's House is looking forward to next year's Summit!

P.S.  Huge thanks to Tricia Howell from Starr Baptist Church for submitting this wonderful write-up!  What a blessing!

Pinwheels to windmills!

Sixty children caused quite a windstorm at First Baptist Church in Fort Sumner, New Mexico – in a good way, of course! During their vacation bible school week, they stood behind the challenge to literally turn pinwheels into windmills for Alex’s House Orphanage, stirring momentum for the rest of the church body to support the orphanage’s fundraiser to install windmills as a power source at its new location in Kalico, Haiti. 

For every $10 the children brought in, Hope Finney, the VBS mission coordinator, made pinwheels to illustrate the ultimate goal of the fundraiser. With such an outstanding amount of giving, the kids ran out of pinwheels by the end of the week by raising an incredible $2,600 for the windmills just from loose change around the house. Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters really add up to dollars here and in Haiti!

The kids heard about Alex’s House all week as a part of the missions aspect of VBS and “their little hearts were really touched,” said Finney. Each day, they prayed over pictures of all of the children at Alex’s House and each got to take home a picture home of the children he or she prayed for during the week.

The compassion these children showed for the children of Alex’s House spilled over into the entire church body. Inspired by the dedication of the children’s ministry, MaryAnn Cortese challenged her church body, with an average attendance of 125 people, to continue the blessing the children had started, setting the goal at $25,000. "After such an amazing act of sacrifice, we challenged our church to join in the opportunity," Cortese said.  "We are a small congregation, however, we believe in a BIG God."  FBC of Ft. Sumner has currently raised $22,600, and fully expects to reach their final goal of $25,000 very soon. 


"We know that all the glorification goes to a God who is the "father to the fatherless," Cortese said. "We are so grateful for the people who listen to the voice of God and provide us the opportunity to serve in His kingdom building project." Amen!  

The church became involved with Alex’s House after a few of its members met Bill Howard through BGR missionaries in Haiti, Sam and Delores York, and were inspired by the vision Pastor Howard had for an orphanage to rescue street children. The church formally partnered with Alex’s House this past January and is pooling resources to do what it can for the children of Alex’s House. “Alex’s House was the perfect fit,” said Nathan Lawrence, the pastor of FBC – Ft. Sumner. “We could help rescue street children and do construction.”

The Lord has richly blessed the ministry at FBC, and Alex’s House is thankful for all of its efforts to shower love and support onto our 26 precious children. “The church is getting more and more into doing what they can for the least of these,” said Pastor Lawrence. 

Thank you again, FBC of Ft. Sumner, for hearing His call and allowing Him to use you in a big way in Haiti!