Dear Scott,
Happy
Tuesday ! I hope you and your loved ones and well. I just wanted to
give you a quick update on this past weeks whirlwind trip to Haiti with a
team of 59 folks.
But first here is a quote that I feel many of us need to be reminded of on a consistent basis:
"Press
on - nothing can take the place of persistence. Talent will not;
nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will
not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the
world is full of educated derelicts. Perseverance and determination
alone are omnipotent." - Calvin Coolidge
It
is that sense of pressing on that stretched our team to host such a
large team in Haiti. We press on daily to tell our story, to share the
plight of the Haitian people, to make the world a better place.
This
past Thursday and Friday I had the privilege of taking Frank McKinney
and supporters of his foundation to see our new village we constructed
on their behalf.
I
remember getting a call from Doug Doebler a member of the Caring House
Project a few months back saying looks like we may have 40 people on the
trip. A day later another call from Frank saying, we are closing in on
50 people so if we have 50......maybe we aim for 60......
 I thought..........
Anyway... we had one drop out last minute so at 7am last Thursday our merry team of 59 took off for Haiti.
What
an amazing group of people. We had sisters, teens, mother and son,
folks from California, Canada, New York, South Florida, Maryland, and
several other places.
It
is amazing how quickly a group of such diversity bonded together for
the common good, This team was made up of donors to Frank McKinney's
Caring House Foundation whose cost of this trip financed the village
build. Each member had donated enough to build one home in Tante Jeanne,
Haiti.
We named the village:
The Guernsey Family Village
In loving memory of
JordanGuernsey
For Paola, Izabell, and Kyle
Jordan
passed away last year after a long battle with cancer. He was a true
friend to Haiti, to the Caring House, and to me personally. I can not
begin to express the joy Jordan brought into this world. His wife Paola
is featured in the above photo.
Here are a few photos of our team.
That is Frank McKinney the founder of the Caring House Foundation.
His
foundation has built 22 sustainable villages in Haiti providing housing
to over 10,000 people. I am very privileged to have Hope to Haiti build
his last four villages. He has given so much hope to Haiti and has
transformed our ability in our efforts. I am honored and humbled to call
him my friend.
On
Friday we bought the 30 orphans from our newest children's home into
our hotel for a day at the pool and ocean. A couple of our team took the
older boys jet skiing. The day was a total blast !
On
our final night in Haiti we all shared our thoughts and takeaways from
our trip. Many tears flowed........ Haiti has a way of getting in your
soul.....
Frank then shared the following ( my paraphrase )
Everyone
talks about wanting to change the world, but is that really possible?
YES look around you guys have done that! Look at the village your
donations built. The world of those villagers have been changed forever.
They now have homes, opportunities, and hope because of your
willingness to sacrifice your time and treasure. You HAVE changed the
world. Tante Jeanne, Haiti is proof of that. Be proud, world changers.
Those
of you who have followed our efforts in Haiti know how far we have come
these past 8 years. Many of you have joined our efforts trough prayer,
encouragement, and your financial giving.
Well done world changers, well done.
Join us and let's keep changing the world.
God's best to you all,
Hope to Haiti
PO Box 180391
Tallahassee FL 32318
850-364-3022
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