Healing Haiti Sweetheart Ball - February 14th, 2015

Purchase tickets today for you and someone special to attend Healing Haiti's 4th Annual Sweetheart Ball!

CLICK HERE to order tickets!

 

Join us this Valentine's day for a delightful evening filled with Healing Haiti friends, good food, and plenty of dancing, all to celebrate how God has moved through the ministries of Healing Haiti over the past eight years. 

 

We will carry on the tradition of dancing to Jerry O'Hagan's 14 piece orchestra and having fun with the photo booth, but we also have some new experiences in store to keep this event fresh and fun.

 

Join us Valentine's Day, February 14, 2015

• 5pm: Cocktails and Sharing with Friends
• 7pm: Dinner
• Followed by Dancing All Night Long!
• 'Black Tie' optional
• Crown Plaza Riverfront Hotel in Downtown St. Paul
• A ticket price of $35 attached to a tax deductible donation of $65 reserves your spot for the night for only $100

Whether you come with someone special, single, or just wish to share the night with family and friends, please join us for the Healing Haiti Sweetheart Ball!

CLICK HERE to order tickets!

New Library Arrives at Grace Academy

Library Lead Advocate Ann Spinner felt God plant a seed in her heart in March of 2013 to bring literature to Grace Academy.  Through as string of miracles only God can receive credit for, 6,000 books were donated from a variety of sources, namely Books for Haiti, who donated 5,200 books.  Receiving donations was just the beginning—with help from family and friend, Ann orchestrated the processing and cataloguing of all 6,000 books at her dining room table.

The books were shipped to Haiti this past summer, and during the week of December 8^th, Ann traveled to Haiti to work with other short-term missionaries and staff to assemble shelves, unpack, and organize books in the two new library buildings.

This library is such a blessing to students and teachers.  Many staff have shown interest in helping to manage and take care of the library.  We are so blessed by Ann, whose tireless energy to follow through on God’s calling made all of this possible!

Healing Haiti Staff Highlight: Gates Lindquist

As many of you may already know, we have been actively recruiting for 3-month internships in Haiti.  We are so happy to introduce you to our first intern, Gates Lindquist!  Gates is interning at the Guesthouse, and we wanted to let you know a little more about her!

Name: Gates Lindquist
Healing Haiti Position: Guesthouse Intern
First visit to Haiti: November 2013
Favorite Haitian food: Black Bean Soup & Pumpkin Soup
Favorite part of living at the Guesthouse: "Watching the development of our short-term missionaries. Every person's heart is touched by Haiti in a different way, I love watching and hearing about the personal interactions Team Members have with the Haitians that make up this beautiful culture.  It is amazing watch God work in the hearts of each Team Member from the first Monday the arrive to the Monday the leave; it's amazing to watch the transformation."
Goals for the next few months in Haiti: Learn all of the children's names and individual personalities, and become fluent in Creole.
Fun Fact: My first name really is Gates!
Favorite food to bring me from the US: Starbucks Refresher drink packets and anything from Trader Joes!

Welcome, Gates!  We are excited to have you as a part of our team!

Here am I. Send me.

Join us this winter on a short-term mission trip and experience a journey like no other. Come as you are, but be prepared for God to move in your heart as you deliver water to the poorest slum in Haiti, care for the sick and dying, feed the hungry, and give hope and joy to countless children and families.  God never cease to amaze us when we wholeheartedly live out his calling to bring the good news of salvation to all people!

 

If this opportunity is tugging on your heart, we have partial and full team slots available during during the following dates:

• February 23 - March 2
• March 2 - 9
• March 16 - 23

If you are interested in learning more, contact us at missions@healinghaiti.org and provide your contact information and the number of people who would like to travel with you.  We may be able to accommodate alternative dates as well.

Feel free to share this invitation with family and friends who may also be interested in taking advantage of these awesome winter & spring break opportunities! 

Blessings,

Healing Haiti Missions Leaders

Healing Haiti Staff Highlight: Jonas

We are pleased to continue the Healing Haiti Staff highlights, and introduce you to...Jonas!

• Position with Healing Haiti: Translator, Driver
• Interesting Fact:  Orphan, spent whole childhood at Mother Theresas or Home for Sick and Dying Babies
• Favorite food: Everything!
• Favorite sport: Soccer
• Favorite subject: Science
• Favorite Service Day with Healing Haiti: Mother Theresa's
• If you could add one more activity for all short-term mission teams, what would it be? General Hospital for all teams
• If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be? Qatar, Spain
• Favorite Place in Haiti: Island Vache
• What word would your friends use to describe you? Kind
• If you had one wish, what would you wish for: To follow the rules of God

Thank you, Jonas, for all that you do for Healing Haiti!  We love you!

The Sponsorship Team is Looking for New Members!

The Sponsorship Team is calling for more members!  The Sponsorship team manages the sponsorship program for our Grace Village children, Transition Program young adults, and our Elders. Soon, they will also be launching sponsorship for the students at Grace Academy as well!

They generally meet once a month (WITH snacks provided :). If you're interested in checking out this team to see if it's a good fit for you, please contact Sponsorship Team Lead Advocates Kari Uetz (kuetz.healinghaiti@gmail.com) or Emily Bruhn (erbruhn@gmail.com) either for more details!

Thank in advance for your interest in plugging into the Healing Haiti Volunteer Community through the Sponsorship Team!

Healing Haiti Staff Highlight: Cherley Nelson

We are continuing to highlight Healing Haiti Staff so we can get a chance to know them better and appreciate all the hard work they put into Healing Haiti.  Today we are excited to highlight Cherley Nelson!

Position: Guesthouse Staff
Favorite Food: Fish!
Start Working for Healing Haiti: February 2014
Favorite Food to Make at the Guesthouse: Tacos!
Info about yourself: Christian; generous; I love people. I'm getting married this December! :)
Birthday: September 22

Thank you for all that you do, Cherley!  We love you and are so thankful for you!

12 Feet of Trash

12 Feet of Trash... ...the perfect location for God's hope to be planted.

Trash.   We don't want to touch it, smell it, or see it.  We throw it in our big garbage bin as quickly as possible and never have to see it again.  Out of sight.  Out of the way. How would you feel if you had to live in the very waste you created?  The trash can was your front porch, and your yard was made up of years and years of compacted garbage. This is the reality for residents of Cite Soleil, Haiti.  Trash is everywhere, but hope and joy can be hard to find.  We want to change this.  After years of delivering water to this city on a daily basis, we know there is potential here.  There is endless potential because of the incredible people in Cite Soleil who are gifted, intelligent, faithful and determined--people we want to provide with the opportunity to gather and worship and grow.  Join with us as we build a church that can provide a haven where the community can bloom. We invite you invest in this critical area of our ministry.  To learn more about this initiative, visit our website by clicking here. Did you know you can schedule your Give to the Max donation?  Don't risk forgetting to donate, and schedule your gift NOW!  Click here to schedule your donation. Give to the Max Day is NEXT THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13th!!  Mark your calendars, and kindly consider supporting this specific initiative! Watch this video for a window into Cite Soleil and the people who God has called us to love!

Meet Morcine Scott-Warren, First Director of HR and Volunteer Development!

We are excited to announce that we have hired Morcine Scott-Warren as the Director of Human Resources and Volunteer Development.  As a member of the Organization's leadership team, Ms. Scott-Warren will be responsible for attracting, developing and retaining employees and volunteers. She begins her new position on October 27, 2014.

"We are pleased to welcome Morcine to the team", says "Cathy LeVahn, Board Member for Community Outreach, Sustainability, Human Resources and Sponsorship. "She brings a wealth of human resources and leadership experience in the private and non-profit sectors. We look forward to her guidance and leadership in this critical area as we continue to grow and evolve to fulfill our mission."

With more than 16 years of Human Resources experience, Ms. Scott-Warren was most recently a Human Capital Partner at UnitedHealthcare. Her professional experience also includes leadership roles at the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, Circuit City, INROADS, and GPU. Her expertise includes talent acquisition, talent management, total rewards, employee relations, and organizational development.

Morcine expressed her thoughts about joining Healing Haiti, "As a native of the Caribbean, I am thrilled, honored and humbled to join an organization dedicated to serving Haiti's disadvantaged citizens while simultaneously providing opportunities to open the eyes, hearts and minds of those who are able to a serve and make a difference."

Morcine is active within her church and volunteers with many Twin Cities organizations. She holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Development from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Human Development from Lehigh University.

We are so excited to have Morcine join our ministry and look forward to what God has planned!

To contact Morcine, email her at mscottwarren@healinghaiti.org.

Healing Haiti Staff Highlight: Patrick Toussaint

We are excited to take some time to highlight, appreciate, and get to know some of the Staff of Healing Haiti.  It's their continual time and effort that makes this place hum, and we are so thankful for each and every one of them!

The first Staff Member we want to highlight is Patrick Toussaint.  Read below to learn more about this awesome guy!

Role with Healing Haiti: Translator & Driver

Favorite Service Day at Healing Haiti: Translating

If I could add one more service day for HH, I would add: Special time for worship

Family: Just married Sept 25th of this year, wife is Kori from California

Interesting Fact: Orphaned at 11.  

What word would your friends use to describe you: Funny

Favorite Food: Lasagna

Favorite Sport: I love all sports

Passions in life: Playing Music

Favorite Place in Haiti: Club Indigo-a resort I was married at

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go: California

Favorite subject in school: Language

If you met a genie and he could grant you one wish only, what would it be: Go to Heaven

Stay tuned for more Staff updates in the future!!

Want to Really Make a Difference? Join Us as a Volunteer Intern (in Haiti!) or as a Volunteer Advocate!!

Healing Haiti continues to grow, and we couldn't be more excited about what God is doing through our ministry.  Along with this exciting expansion comes the need for additional committed volunteers.

We are specifically recruiting for volunteer advocates for various roles related to the Bakery & Job Creation Initiative, as well as three intern positions that would take place in Haiti!  See below for 

Discipleship and Education Advocate

The Job Creation and Community Oven Team is seeking an Advocate for Discipleship and Education who will partner with our team to create the faith foundation and discipleship curriculum for the Training Center. This position will develop and bring Jesus to the center of the following curriculum:  financial, discipleship, bread-making, and entrepreneurship as well as creation of a community kitchen bread oven certificate program.  

Community Ovens Purchasing and Resale Advocate

Grace Bakery project needs you as an Advocate!  The Community Ovens Purchasing and Resale Advocate will partner with our team to: develop and manage both mobile and brick/mortar wholesale business; inventory, equipment and delivery fleet management; pricing, money handling procedures and security; delivery driver hiring and management.

Finance and Savings Advocate

Join the Grace Bakery project as a Finance and Savings Advocate!  This Advocate is needed to partner with our team by providing accounting functions for the commercial bakery, identifying profit and expense strategies; handling accounting and management of the employee savings account program; and assisting in developing the finance curriculum.  Use your gifts for God’s work!

Community Oven Construction Advocate

Community Oven Construction to develop the prototype commercial bread oven, and identify, develop and train Haitians to construct these ovens.

Come and partner with our team of Advocates in establishing our roadmap for the Community Kitchen and Training Center!  If you or anyone you know feels God’s nudge to consider an Advocate role, please contact Mike McCain at mccainm74@comcast.net.

Healing Haiti also have several life-changing opportunities for people who are interested in volunteering for a 3-month internship position in Haiti!  The following internships are available:

Elderly Intern

You will care for 28 elderly in our ElderCare program and oversee the ElderCare Artisian Program.  You will help evaluate and prepare new elders, as well as work with our Haiti ElderCare employees to ensure excellent care for all elders in our program.

Guest House Intern

The Guest House Intern is responsible for working alongside Healing Haiti’s Guest House employees, supporting and guiding short-term missionaries and overseeing the Guest House operations.    

Grace Village Program Coordinator Intern

The Program Coordinator will work alongside the Grace Village Staff and Long-Term Missionaries to support the operations of Grace Village and to develop programs and activities for our children, adolescents and elderly.  You will help coordinate all programs at Grace Village including children's activities, setting up a small market, organizing donations, working with mission Team Leaders and more.

Full position descriptions are available.  Please reach out to Cathy LeVahn at cathylevahn@healinghaiti.org.

Grace Village Update: Young Adult Transition Program Underway

Healing Haiti’s Transition Program was developed to prepare the young men (pictured right) and women served by the organization for independent adult life. A few months ago, Healing Haiti secured a traditional Haitian family home located within the village of Titanyen to be used as a transition home for males who are approaching adulthood. On December 21, 2013, Grace Village’s eight oldest boys moved into the home to begin the next phase of their life: the journey towards independence.

While living in the transition home, the participants receive training and support from the Transition Program’s coordinator, Kekete. Kekete (pictured below) is a mother of 11 and provides invaluable expertise in working with and supporting the young adults we serve to better prepare them for the demands of independent adult life. She works alongside the young men to teach them skills such as cooking, cleaning, budgeting, time management, work ethic, job seeking skills and much more.

The Transition Program continues to expand. Recently, Healing Haiti began planning for a female transition home by securing another small house in Titanyen. Soon, we will be welcoming a wonderful group of young women into the program when the oldest girls at Grace Village enter into the next phase of their lives and learn the skills necessary to live an independent life.

Once the participants master the program’s independence objectives, they will be supported in seeking gainful employment and securing housing and will then graduate from the Transition Program. We are so proud of how far our young men and women have come in such a short time and look forward to watching them continue to grow and mature through this program.

If you would like to have a personal involvement with one of these young adults and support them in this transition to adult life, please CLICK HERE to learn more about Child Sponsorship.

10.11.2014: International Day of the Girl

On Saturday, October 11th, the world celebrated International Day of the Girl.  This day is a "response to the urgent problem facing our world today: the neglect and devaluation of girls around the world.  Every year, dynamic groups across the world (led by girls, of course) acting to highlight, discuss, celebrate and ultimately advance girls' lives and opportunities across the globe. (cited from Day of the Girl's website)" 

Healing Haiti celebrated by bringing 15 of our girls to Baptist Mission in Fermenth. It's a beautiful green area that one of the first missionaries to Haiti established.

Long-term Missionary Elisa recounted the following: "We had a great day. We toured Baptist Mission's history of Haiti museum. Enjoyed hot dogs, chicken nuggets, fries and ice cream at their mountain view restaurant, picked out a few gifts for their parents and then played on their playground. After arriving in Port-au-Prince we stopped at the guesthouse for some tacos and decided to write "thank-yous" to our parents. What a fun day celebrating these beautiful women in our lives."

View their website by clicking here to learn more about their organization and ways you can get involved next year!

Haiti Internship & Graphic Design Volunteer Positions Available!

We are excited to offer a few new ways for Healing Haiti supports to literally plug into our ministry.  Check out brief volunteer descriptions below and see if you or someone you know is interested!

Internships: Healing Haiti has several life-changing opportunities for people who are interested in volunteering for a 3-month internships position in Haiti.  That's right, IN HAITI!  The following volunteer internship positions are available:

• Elderly Intern: You will care for 28 elderly in our program.  You will help evaluate and prepare new elders and work with our Haitian Elder Care employees to ensure excellent care.
• Guesthouse Intern: You will help coordinate team activities and assist in the daily functions of the Guesthouse.
• Program Coordinator: You will help coordinate all programs at Grace Village including children's activities, setting up a small market, organizing donations, working with mission team leaders and more.

Full internship position descriptions are available.  If you or someone you know is interested in serving as an intern, please contact Cathy LeVahn at cathylevahn@healinghaiti.org for more information.

Back stateside, Healing Haiti is also searching for a Graphic Design volunteer.  Regular projects include postcards/signs/banners/social web art/etc.  This volunteer needs to have relevant experience in print and web design, and have a good knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite.  Time commitment varies depending on need, but does build with preparation for Healing Haiti events (Sweetheart Ball in February, Kids Fun Run in May and Golf Event in August).  Please contact Erin Moser at erin@healinghaiti.org to receive an application.  Applicants will also be asked to provide work samples.

Thank you for your interest, and help us spread the word so we can fill these positions and keep moving our mission forward!  Blessings to you all.

Grace Church Update: Movie Night with 3000 in Attendance and 34 New Christians!

We are excited to share another Grace Church update that includes 3000 people and 34 new Christians!!

Pastor Wesley recounts the story, "Last Sunday night, Grace Church members and leaders went down to Titanyen to show a movie.  About 3000 people were there praising the Lord.  After the movie I talked to the people in Titanyen to let them know why God sent Jesus Christ to die for them, so we can all have a new relationship with God and He will forgot our sin.  Pastor Wesley also shared with them that "as we believe in our heart and confess our sin, we can be saved in the name of Jesus Christ."  Then, 34 people invited Christ into their lives!  A lot of people stayed to learn more about Grace Church.  Pastor Wesley and others invited them to come to church so they can continue to worship God and learn more about Him.  We praise God for everything!

Thank you all for your prayers and support of Grace Church!!  

If you would like to support Grace Church in their mission in Titanyen, click here.

Grace Clinic Makes Positive Impact in Titanyen, Haiti Community

We are excited to share some updates with you about Grace Clinic! A Grace Village staff member had high praise for the clinic, saying that one of her family members had been enduring knee pain for years following an injury. She sought out medical care in many local facilities without finding any relief. After coming to Grace Clinic, she found help and medications, and is now pain-free! She is so thankful and is telling all her neighbors and family members to visit Grace Clinic when they are sick. Our staff member wanted us to know that the clinic is making a difference, and people in the community are talking about the good care they have received. Praise God!

Another man, who lives up in the mountain past Grace Village, said he sent a child to our clinic to find care. She had sores all over her head for a long time and was not able to find a cure. After finding treatment at Grace Clinic, she is now healed and healthy. He never knew there was a clinic at Grace Village before this and is excited for what this means for his community.

We have heard two other stories of praise this week from patients who found quality health care at Grace Clinic. We are so happy that God is using the clinic to serve the people of Titanyen. Please continue praying for this community—for physical, spiritual, social, and emotional health.

To help Grace Clinic continue to make an impact on the local community, please donate by clicking here.  We are also so thankful for your prayers for this area of our ministry!

Charity Event & Silent Auction Raises $57,000 to Create Jobs in Haiti

Healing Haiti’s 4th Annual Charity Event & Golf Tournament could not have been on a better day of sunny skies and gorgeous weather.  On August 5th at Keller Golf Club in Maplewood, over 150 guests joined us for golf, music, good food, auctions and lots of laughs, while holding Healing Haiti’s Bakery & Job Creation Initiative close to their hearts as the reason for this event.  

All of our golfers had lots of fun playing the newly reopened Keller Golf Course, and there was plenty of competitive bidding taking place on over 100 items in the silent auction, while live music from the one and only Steve Duede played in the background.  During dinner, we enjoyed the program featuring a recap of the impact the 2013 event had on Grace Medical & Dental Clinic, a live auction, and a video casting the vision for this year’s initiative, the Grace Bakery & Job Creation Initiative.

The Grace Bakery and Job Creation initiative capitalizes on the opportunity to give HOPE through stable employment for Haitian moms and dads in Titanyen, Haiti.  Many Haitian parents are faced with the daily struggle of finding an income in an economy with 70% unemployment.  The lack of income forces many hardships on a family, including lack of food and essential nutrients that are critical to the wellness of their children.  Because of parents' inability to provide for their children, they are faced with the heartbreaking decision of whether to watch their children go hungry, or give them up to an orphanage, another relative or even a stranger that promises to take better care of the children.  Parents are very aware of the fact that it is not uncommon for this situation to lead to child slavery, where children is gravely mistreated and could be scarred for life.

Grace Bakery will create 50 sustainable jobs to parents such as these.  A stable income will give parents the ability to keep their children, provide for them, and see them thrive throughout their childhood.  We are very aware that women are often the sole provider for a family, as many fathers desert their family for any number of reasons.  History has shown that mothers are more likely to invest their income in their family, and also their community.  Because of this reality, we plan to provide many of these jobs to women.  The hope for a better tomorrow can become a reality to many families in Tiatnyen, one of the poorest villages in Haiti.

We are thrilled with the success of this year’s Charity Event & Golf Tournament.  $57,000 was raised and will help the launch of this bakery, which will be built just outside Grace Village, right next to the new Grace Church.

THANK YOU to all of this years’ participants, Corporate Sponsors, golfers, and dinner guests and donors to the auction.  We also could not have done this without the help of our incredible volunteers.  All of your support is critical to the success of this initiative!  We know that God is going to do great things through this initiative—even greater than we can imagine.

If you are interested in supporting this initiative, click here to learn more and donate.