Healing Haiti Staff Highlight: Salomon Georges

We are excited to introduce another incredibly fine gentleman on our staff...meet Salomon Georges!

• Position with Healing Haiti: Grace Village Administrator, House Father, and Aquaponics Manager
• Has been with Healing Haiti Since: October 2012
• Favorite Part of His Job: Working with the kids
• Favorite Bible Verse: 2 Corinthians 9:7: Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
• Fun Fact: He likes to dance when no one is watching. :)

You are a blessing to Healing Haiti and everyone around you, Salomon!  We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for using your talents and abilities for God's glory through our mission. 

Stay tuned for more staff highlights!

Healing Haiti Sweetheart Ball 2015: A Celebration of Infinite Love and Hope

It is with full hearts that we write to celebrate the huge success of this years' Sweetheart Ball.  We couldn't feel more blessed; what a wonderful way to celebrate Valentines Day, savoring God's love for us, for Haiti, and our love for each other!

This year we are happy to share that we had the most successful event yet, and over 460 lovely guests celebrated with us.  The photo booth was a bigger hit than ever, and the fun props made for some awesome pictures!  D'Arcy Teasley had her jewelry on sale, which is always a hit, and we gave away two pairs of fully-funded trips to Haiti.  Amazing!

The 2015 Sweetheart Ball marked the start of the "Hope Grows Here" initiative, which supports the Hope Church & School in Cite Soleil, Haiti.  Guests had the opportunity to fund a tile that will be installed as part of a 'commemorative wall' celebrating what God has done and will continue to do within the walls of the church, school and community.  Guests could write out a Scripture, message, and/or name on the customized tile to show their support of this initiative.

We are so excited to share that we have raised 80% of the funds needed to build the church and school!!  Amazing!!  Ground has already been broken and construction is underway, and we are eagerly expecting God to meet us with the remaining 30%.  We serve an all-powerful God who has met us every step of the way, and we know that Hope Church & School is going to make a huge impact in Cite Soleil and the surrounding community.

We extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to all who attended the Sweetheart Ball, joined us in the Hope Grows Here campaign, and who have joined us in supporting Hope Church & School.  We cannot adequately show our appreciation for your partnership in this initiative.

If you would like to be a part of the "Hope Grows Here" initiative, CLICK HERE to learn more about this initiative and fund a customized tile that will live on for years to come as a message of hope in Cite Soleil, Haiti.

Thank you, Rachel Lamb!!

Long-term missionary Rachel Lamb will be leaving Grace Village tomorrow, and heading home with her dog, Nora.  She has served with Healing Haiti in our clinic since July 2013.  We are grateful for her time with us for over 1 1/2 years! The clinic was completed in October of 2013, and Rachel aided with many clinic procedures, dental surgical teams, staff hires, staff and children, and many other areas.  We will miss her expertise working in Haiti as well as her ability to connect with the children, staff, and the community.  She has been integral as we started with our clinic in Titanyen, and the CHE program.  We are thankful for her time and want to encourage her as she moves back to the states to pursue other avenues.

Thank you, Rachel, for ALL that you have done to help develop Grace Clinic into what it is today.  The lives you have touched, and the relationships you have built while you are here are truly incredible.  God has worked through you in enormous ways during your time here, and we will miss you dearly!

Fall Medical Trip Stories

...better late than never, right?  We hope so!  We're delighted to be able to share storied from a medical team that traveled to Haiti in mid-September of 2014 and spent two full days at Grace Clinic

.  During those two days they saw 21 patients—12 children, 6 women and 3 men.  Ailments ranged from burns, hernias, tumors and skin cancer, to name a few.

Dr. Daniel Cantwell, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, shared stories of a a couple patients that stuck with him after the trip.  One story was about a 25-year old man who was a machete worker who accidentally sliced his palm wide open on the job.  He found the clinic just a couple hours after the injury.  “He had his hand wrapped up in a dirty sock, said he saw signs for the clinic, and we were able to repair his hand that day,” Cantwell noted.  “If he hadn’t seen treatment early on, he would most likely have lost his hand due to infection, potentially affecting his ability work work.  If bacteria got into his blood stream it could have been even worse.”  The man came back in for check-ins a couple time over the next two weeks, and the permanent Grace Clinic team was able to see the man to full recovery.

Another story included a 4-year old girl who had fallen into a fire while her mother was preparing a meal.  Her dress caught on fire and burned stomach.  Cantwell commented that the girl’s mother “had taken her to a different clinic where they were changing dressings, but were not able to repair the burned skin.  The girl was experiencing a lot of pain.  With the help of anesthesia, she was able to be without pain while we applied bio-brain on her skin—bio-brain adheres to the skin and heals the wound 50-60% faster.  Again, the permanent Grace Clinic team was able to follow up with this young girl and see her back to full health.

This is not the first time Danny Cantwell and his team have been to Haiti on a medical trip, and it won’t be the last.  Cantwell said he hopes to be back in 2015.  We are so thankful for Daniel Cantwell and all those who have given their time, energy and talents to Grace Clinic.  The clinic serves as a beacon of physical and spiritual hope to Titanyen, Haiti and the surround community!

Healing Haiti Accredited by National Financial Accountability Organization

CHAMPLIN, MN – The ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) announced today the accreditation of Healing Haiti of Champlin, MN.

ECFA accreditation is based on the ECFA Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship™ , including financial accountability, transparency, sound board governance and ethical fundraising. Healing Haiti joins a growing number of Christ-centered churches and ministries across America, supported by over 27 million donors that have earned the right to display the ECFA seal. When an organization is accredited by ECFA, it demonstrates its willingness to follow the model of

biblical accountability.

“We are pleased to accredit a ministry committed to bring clean water, food, housing, and education to the poor and most vulnerable of Haiti providing opportunities to live and share their faith and build strong Christ centered relationships,” said Dan Busby, president of ECFA. Founded in 2006, Healing Haiti (www.healinghaiti.org) encourages all to be obedient to God's call to serve the poor, to step out in faith and to see the world through a different lens through a short-term mission experience, and to share their experiences in Haiti with people back in the U.S. helping all to see how blessed they are and that God blesses not to consume his many blessings for themselves, but to let them flow to others.

To learn more about Healing Haiti and their stewardship opportunities, visit ServantMatch® , ECFA’s program that matches God’s servants with the stewardship options of ECFA members based on ministry sectors and categories. It is ECFA’s newest online feature that allows you to quickly and easily find giving opportunities.

ECFA, founded in 1979, provides accreditation to leading Christian nonprofit organizations that faithfully demonstrate compliance with the ECFA Standards pertaining to financial accountability, fundraising and board governance. For more information about ECFA, including information about accreditation and a listing of ECFA-accredited members, visit www.ECFA.org or call 1-800-323-9473.

Family Style Homes Offer More Stability

We are grateful for the opportunity to provide care for over 40 children in Titanyen.  In August of 2014, we opened our family style homes.  Our orphaned children live in these home with two parents, providing a warm and safe environment for the children to grow up and learn about living within a family.  Included in the home is a structure that encourages independence.  All children are responsible to clean their rooms and the home, wash their clothing, help with food preparations and general house upkeep.

- Elisa Bachmann, Director of Operations Haiti