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February 28, 2013

These Students in Haiti Got Sponsored

But WWV Has 400 More Waiting

Belizaire, Djomeca

Djomeca

Monfleuri, Alta

Alta

Cassius, Nephtalie

Nephtalie

Bruce, Marvens

Marvens

Saint-Cyr, Biguechama

Biguechama

Could you say no to these kids? Fortunately for them, somebody saw their pictures and said, “I want to sponsor them,” in the past week. It was a good week. In fact, Bob W., one of those who sponsored a student this week, also sponsors 12 other children in Haiti. That decision means they get to stay in school, and research shows that for every year a student in Haiti is able to stay in school the odds of them being trapped in chronic dependence and poverty drops several percentage points.

In a country with 40%+ unemployment, and 56% functional illiteracy, and where the government can only pay for about 1 in 10 student’s education, keeping students in school is critical to the future.

World Wide Village sponsors three schools in Luly, Williamson and Dumont, Haiti with a total enrollment of about 650. Unfortunately, only about 1/3 of the students have sponsors. If we can get another 50 students sponsored we will be able to fund our commitment to the schools without having to draw funds from other programs. This is good news, but it’s not the whole story. A fully funded commitment provides only the bare necessitates.

WWV currently has about 400 students who need sponsors. If we were able to get a sponsor for everyone of them we could consider the possibility of building new classrooms, or including high school in our education programs. If we had full sponsorship we might even be able to say yes to funding another school (we get 3-5 requests from other schools every week). Full sponsorship would be an unimaginable blessing.  Fortunately, we serve a miraculous God that specializes in the unimaginable, but sometimes He uses people to accomplish His purpose! 

Just as you might have difficulty saying no to faces like those shown here, World Wide Village hates to say no to helping more schools. We know that the only way to build a brighter future for generations of Haitians to come is to keep more students in school for longer, but we can’t take more on…yet.

It takes a generous heart to say yes, but it doesn’t take a lot of money. For less than $1 per day a sponsor can change the future for a student. Can you imagine what the Haiti’s future might be like if more people like Bob W. decided to sponsor a number of students?

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February 27, 2013

Tell Your Story & You Might Win a Trip to Haiti

Team Banner with Logo

In 1968 artist Andy Warhol said, “In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” With blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, and other similar electronic media, it has never been easier to generate “15 minutes of fame.”

For most who achieve their “15 minutes of fame”, it’s a short-lived moment in time. For others, however, that 15 minutes fosters a dramatic change that lasts for a lifetime. Why the difference? Why does one story change the world and the other fades from memory? For me, the difference is rooted in the power of the story that was told. Never underestimate the power of a story that is personal and from the heart. That’s one of the reasons World Wide Village is holding its “Touched by Haiti” Story Contest. 

Between now and Easter Sunday, WWV is collecting stories from people about their personal experiences in Haiti, as a sponsor of a child, or as a supporter of WWV.  If you’ve been to Haiti, how did the experience affect you? Did a child you sponsor open your eyes and your heart? Did God awaken your spirit while you were helping build a home? Was the sound of laughter amid desperate poverty change how you saw the world? If you’ve been to Haiti, or supported someone who did, then you have a story to tell that can change the world…or possibly just inspire one person to get involved.

 Those whose 15 minutes of fame changed the world didn’t know their story would have such profound impact before they shared it. The same is true for your stories. If you share a small, personal, touching moment of tears, love, laughter or God, you have a chance to change the world. You may not change the world the way Martin Luther King or Abraham Lincoln did, but for the child who gets a sponsor because you inspired somebody to become a sponsor, the world has been changed. Or you might inspire someone to finally take that mission trip or make a generous donation. But it can only happen if you’re willing to share your story.

Grace Andover team pouring foundationIf you sponsor a student in Haiti, or have taken a mission trip there or supported someone who did, or if you’ve helped World Wide Village in anyway, tell your story and share it with us – YOU COULD WIN A FREE WEEKLONG TRIP TO HAITI with WWV (airfare not included). We want written stories, photo stories, videos, or recorded stories. You don’t have to be a polished storyteller, you only have to be willing to share it with us. We’ll take care of making sure your story has the chance to change a life.

Don’t wait. Send us your story today.

For questions and submission information, just click here.

February 20, 2013

A Change of Heart in Haiti – A Pastor’s Story

A “Touched by Haiti” Story Contest Entry

by Dan Schauer


Dec 12 Pastor's TripI had the opportunity to go to Haiti from Monday, November 26 to Friday, November 30th on a senior pastor trip hosted by “World Wide Village.” My time in Haiti was spent with six other pastors from various parts of our nation. While we were there, we toured the ministries that World Wide Village is involved in, consulted with Haitian pastors, school administrators, and WWV staff, and got a taste of what Haiti is like, both the beautiful and the ugly. One of the goals of the trip is to see how our church could partner with WWV to make an impact on Haiti. WWV and Randy Mortenson were awesome hosts and I had a great experience! 

Let’s look at some facts about Haiti: 
- Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Sea. 
- Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and among the poorest in the world. 
- The official languages of Haiti are Creole and French.
- Haiti’s population is about 10 million people. 
- Roughly 70% of the working age population is unemployed. 
- Illiteracy rates are close to 50%. 
- In January of 2010 a 7.0 earthquake devastated the country. 
- Close to 500,000 people still live in tent cities where basic needs such as food, water and sanitation are seriously lacking. 
- 90% of Haiti’s children suffer from waterborne diseases and intestinal parasites. Many adults suffer from cholera. 
- People die daily from illnesses like the flu and diarrhea.
- Haiti is 80% Catholic, 16% Protestant however over 50% of Haitians also practice voodoo.

I learned some valuable lessons on this trip. 1) Haiti is an incredibly complex nation with no easy answers. Generations of poverty, corruption and greed have made solutions elusive. 2) Helping can be hurtful. When we Americans go to places like Haiti and help by doing a free medical clinic or building a home, we take jobs away from Haitians who need the money they would receive from doing such projects themselves to provide for their families. 3) I learned the Haitian people are awesome. They have a contentment and joy, even with their poverty, that many Americans lack. I especially enjoyed meeting the children at the various schools we visited and hearing their joyful songs sung to us with passion. 4) Haiti transformed my heart and gave me a new appreciation for God’s blessings in my life. I hope I never complain again about what I don’t have after seeing Haiti! 5) There is hope. With God there is always hope! The church in Haiti is growing fast and with God all things are possible!

What is my response to my experience in Haiti? 1) Jesus said “Go” not stay in our comfort zones. God wants me to go too! If not Haiti, God wants to challenge me to go somewhere to spread the Gospel to others. 2) Haiti and organizations like WWV need our financial help. Our church is considering how we can financially help WWV. 3) I need to be committed to pray regularly for Haiti. This nation needs our prayers for God’s intervention. 

Go to Haiti! It will change your life and heart.

February 19, 2013

Telling the Story of Haiti

Bill Rancic in front of Jacmel House

Bill Rancic

Last year reality TV star Bill Rancic, of the Style Network’s hit “Giuliana & Bill Show” traveled to Haiti and worked with World Wide Village mission team members to build a house for a family in Haiti. He shared his story on his TV show and hundreds of people connected with WWV as a result.

Bill was so moved by his experience that he recently returned to Haiti with WWV to build two more homes. The story will again be aired on the “Giuliana and Bill Show”, though we don’t know the dates, yet. What we do know is that the show is likely to produce a lot of interest in helping World Wide Village in its mission in Haiti.

We also know that you don’t have to be a reality TV star to tell a great story about Haiti. Every person who has been to Haiti, or who has supported someone who went to Haiti, has a great story to tell. Maybe it’s the story of laughter shared with kids. Maybe it’s a story about holding hands and sharing a moment with an ancient woman. Or maybe it’s a story about how thumping thumb with a hammer while putting the roof on a home opened a heart to what being in Haiti really meant. There are dozens of such story every person can share… if they’re willing.

Visit the “Touched by Haiti” story page to learn about submitting your story today. Your story might win you a free weeklong trip to Haiti (airfare not included). Whether you win or not, your story can help World Wide Village build a brighter future for generations of Haiti to come – but only if you share your story with us! 

Don’t keep your stories to yourself, share them – today — and let them do a world of good!

VISIT THE CONTEST PAGE

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February 18, 2013

Have You Been to Haiti? Do You Have a Story to Tell?

SecureHousingHave you been to Haiti recently? Do you know someone who has? If so, we want to HEAR YOUR STORIES!

A couple of weeks ago World Wide Village launched the “Touched by Haiti” Story Contest. The purpose of the contest was to encourage people to share their stories from Haiti, supporting someone who went to Haiti, or as a volunteer or donor supporting World Wide Village. First prize is a weeklong mission trip to Haiti with World Wide Village (airfare not included).

So why do WE WANT YOUR STORIES? Simple. The best way to inform people about the challenges facing the people of Haiti, and the personal rewards each of us receives when we work to support Haiti, is by hearing about other people’s experiences or, even more powerfully, sharing our own experiences.

Haitian boy eating on the floorIf you’ve taken a trip to Haiti, tell us who you met, what you did, how you felt, or how God moved in your life as a result of your trip. YOUR STORY IS IMPORTANT TO SHARE and the “Touched by Haiti” Story Contest is a perfect way to share.

Yes, the contest runs through Easter Sunday, March 31st, but WE NEED YOUR STORY NOW. When you submit your story now it will encourage others to do the same, and the more stories we get, the more powerful the impact can be on how WWV is able to help the children and families of Haiti.

What’s your story? Share it now as a written story, photo story, video or audio. Click here to visit the contest page for more information, ideas and entry forms.

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February 18, 2013

Share You Haiti Stories With Us

by John Hagerman

One of the best things about working at World Wide Village is having the opportunity to hear stories from people about how they’ve been affected by the children of Haiti. Anyone who has gone to Haiti knows how infectious and joyful the children there can be. It only takes one child giving you a smile, taking your hand, and making you feel you are their best friend for however long you are together, to feel your heart surrender.

John & Elemnia
John & Elemnia

For me it was a four-year-old named Elemnia. She grabbed my hand the moment I walked into the children’s home she was living at and, over the next three days, she was never very far away from me. On the last day, when we had to say goodbye, tears were flowing from everybody, including me. Elemnia wiped away my tears and turned them into a smile. I will never forget Elemnia.

Has a Haitian child touched your heart? The WWV “Touched By Haiti” Story Contest is a great chance to share your story. We especially want to hear your stories about students you sponsor in Haiti.

If you’ve been to Haiti and met a student you sponsor, we’re asking you to share the story. If you went on a mission trip and was so moved by the kids you decided to become a sponsor, we’re asking you to share your story. If you have never been to Haiti, but you felt God move you to sponsor a child, or two, or three, we want you to share your story.

If you’ve been touched by the children of Haiti, but aren’t sponsoring a child yet, we want you to tell us your story about how that child touched you…then hopefully make the decision to sponsor a student. 

Tell us what moved you to become a sponsor, or what’s been the most enjoyable or moving aspect of being a sponsor. How has the experience impacted you? What does it feel like when you get a letter from a student in Haiti? If you sponsor a student, or ever thought about it, you’ve got a story to share.

Elodie & Her Sponsor

The winner of the “Touched By Haiti” Story Contest will win a free weeklong mission trip to Haiti with World Wide Village (airfare not included). The submission deadline is Easter Sunday, March 31st, but don’t wait until then to submit your story. Write it up and submit it today. And if you have more than one story to share, wonderful, we invite you to write them all and share them with us.

Now here’s a truth-telling – if you sponsor a student you understand how important it is to your student. We want to hear your stories about student sponsorship in order to inspire others to step forward and sponsor more students. We have 400 students who need a sponsor. You understand what a difference sponsoring a student makes in the life of the students you sponsor, as well as in your own life, and we want you to share that with others.

Don’t wait. Write your story today and send it in. You can also share your story in photo, video or audio formats – and submit any or all of them to the “Touched By Haiti” Story Contest. Just don’t wait.

If you know of anyone else with a good story about Haiti, suggest they share it as part of the Story Contest, too.

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February 11, 2013

Have You Sponsored a Student? Tell Us About It.

by John Hagerman

One of the best things about working at World Wide Village is having the opportunity to hear stories from people about how they’ve been affected by the children of Haiti. Anyone who has gone to Haiti knows how infectious and joyful the children there can be. It only takes one child giving you a smile, taking your hand, and making you feel you are their best friend for however long you are together, to feel your heart surrender.

John & Elemnia

John & Elemnia

For me it was a four-year-old named Elemnia. She grabbed my hand the moment I walked into the children’s home she was living at and, over the next three days, she was never very far away from me. On the last day, when we had to say goodbye, tears were flowing from everybody, including me. Elemnia wiped away my tears and turned them into a smile. I will never forget Elemnia.

Has a Haitian child touched your heart? The WWV “Touched By Haiti” Story Contest is a great chance to share your story. We especially want to hear your stories about students you sponsor in Haiti.

If you’ve been to Haiti and met a student you sponsor, we’re asking you to share the story. If you went on a mission trip and was so moved by the kids you decided to become a sponsor, we’re asking you to share your story. If you have never been to Haiti, but you felt God move you to sponsor a child, or two, or three, we want you to share your story.

If you’ve been touched by the children of Haiti, but aren’t sponsoring a child yet, we want you to tell us your story about how that child touched you…then hopefully make the decision to sponsor a student. 

Tell us what moved you to become a sponsor, or what’s been the most enjoyable or moving aspect of being a sponsor. How has the experience impacted you? What does it feel like when you get a letter from a student in Haiti? If you sponsor a student, or ever thought about it, you’ve got a story to share.

Elodie & Her Sponsor

The winner of the “Touched By Haiti” Story Contest will win a free weeklong mission trip to Haiti with World Wide Village (airfare not included). The submission deadline is Easter Sunday, March 31st, but don’t wait until then to submit your story. Write it up and submit it today. And if you have more than one story to share, wonderful, we invite you to write them all and share them with us.

Now here’s a truth-telling – if you sponsor a student you understand how important it is to your student. We want to hear your stories about student sponsorship in order to inspire others to step forward and sponsor more students. We have 400 students who need a sponsor. You understand what a difference sponsoring a student makes in the life of the students you sponsor, as well as in your own life, and we want you to share that with others.

Don’t wait. Write your story today and send it in. You can also share your story in photo, video or audio formats – and submit any or all of them to the “Touched By Haiti” Story Contest. Just don’t wait.

If you know of anyone else with a good story about Haiti, suggest they share it as part of the Story Contest, too.

SPONSOR A STUDENT

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February 7, 2013

What Haiti Gave Me – A Senior Pastor’s View

In the work we do at World Wide Village we have the opportunity to observe people in Haiti and see first hand how the experience transforms them. It’s not often that we get to see transformation happening in a Pastor, but that’s exactly what the story below is about. Thank you for sharing, Pastor Thompson.

 

by Pastor Brett Thompson

As the plane descended into Toussaint Louverture International Airport I looked out the window and began to nearly weep. Controlled weeping, mind you but weeping all the same. “Where was this coming from?” I thought to myself. Weeping, crying, or even getting misty-eyed was not something I was used to and it perplexed me. It was the first sign to me that God had orchestrated me to be on that trip.

Flying in to Haiti

Flying in to Haiti

I was forty years old, had grown up in church, and had been in full time ministry for over ten years and this was the first time I had been on foreign soil in any mission capacity. I was somewhat ashamed of that but also hopeful that God would stir something in my heart that hadn’t been there before. The weeping was a good sign, I suppose.

I was somewhat nervous about this trip not knowing what to expect. In the months leading up to the trip I studied the history of Haiti and tried to learn about the culture. I found the Haitian people to be noble, brave, and determined in my study of them but what the media seemed to portray of them was that they were violent, unintelligent, and lazy. I was determined to prove the media wrong as well as the things inside of me that agreed with that portrayal.

The last words that my wife spoke to me as I left for Haiti were, “Be careful.” The first thing that I did upon arriving in Haiti was to jump in the back of a pickup truck with all of the luggage and a Haitian teenager named Pete. While not the most careful move (sorry, honey), it did give me a pretty incredible welcome to Haiti. Randy had said that the World Wide Village guesthouse was only about a 15-minute ride from the airport. What he didn’t tell me was that in Haiti-time that was over an hour! Darkness began to fall and here I was, a fresh ‘Blan’ from the USA in the back of a pickup truck riding through the streets of Port-Au-Prince in the dark. All I could hear for that hour were the words of my wife: “Be careful”. So much for that!

Pastor Thompson Boy on a Path July 2012

Boy on a Path July 2012

What I experienced in the back of the pickup truck though, was my worldview changing. Poverty did not automatically equal violence. Whether I liked it or not, my worldview that had been one handed down through the lens of growing up in the south in a racially tense city. Fear. My worldview had not been shaped by experiences. It had been shaped by what society had told me was reality. In the hour ride from the airport through the streets of Port-Au-Prince the shell of that worldview began to show cracks.

The shaking of my worldview would continue as the sun rose on our first day in Haiti. Looking through the safety of the windows of the van I actually longed for the pickup truck. I felt too insulated and safe. I wanted the heart-work of the pickup truck ride the night before to continue. The scenes of poverty rushing by the windows of the van were heart-wrenching but inside of me was rising a deep desire to get out there and do something about it. I didn’t know what I could do, but I felt that I was there witnessing this and feeling this way for a reason.

As we came close to our destination I snapped this picture of a Haitian boy kicking a ball down a path. It reminded me that Haiti is on a path of reconstruction and recovery from economic and natural disasters, but it also reminded me that my heart was also in recovery on this trip. I was headed down a path as well and I needed to keep kicking the ball.

Pastor Thompson & Haitian kids

Pastor Thompson & Haitian kids

We visited schools and orphanages on the trip that certainly touched my heart. The kids are so joyful and beautiful. In one village we entered a school unannounced and the kids just rushed us. I was able to snap a picture with them before Randy had to literally come over and rescue me. These kids and this picture are a gift that I cherish. The temptation is there to want to take these kids home but you soon realize that if Haiti is going to survive it is these children getting a good education that is the future hope of Haiti.

One of the most poignant moments of the trip came when one of the Pastors on the trip with us got sick and needed some “time” out of the van. As he stood on the side of the dirt road in a banana field an elderly Haitian woman happened to be walking by. We watched as the woman stopped and showed compassion by just being there. She stood looking on with concern for at least 5 minutes. This woman who had undoubtedly seen unimaginable suffering and tragedy in her lifetime stopped and waited. She couldn’t speak his language, she couldn’t have done anything to help, but she was available and there to simply show concern and compassion. And with that, a reflection of God’s love.

One of the things that surprised me most about my trip to Haiti was that God sent me to realize that I loved these people and that His perfect love really does cast out fear. I went to Haiti with a few fears. Fear of violence, fear of what I would see, fear of not being different when I came home. The fear was chipped away in the back of a pickup truck. Then those fears were completely displaced by God’s perfect love being shown by an elderly Haitian woman in a banana field. I may not be able to change Haiti, but witnessing this woman’s compassion changed me. I want to be more like her. On this trip at least, Haiti gave me more than I gave Haiti.

 

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February 5, 2013

My Baptism in Haiti

God opens us up to learning in all kinds of wondrous, and unexpected, ways. The WWV “Touched By Haiti” Story Contest entry below tells a tale that has to be read to be believed, and once you’ve read it, you won’t forget it.

 

My Baptism in Haiti

by Kimberly Curry

Matthew 25:35-36 … I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me:

Cite Soleil Sewage Canal

Cite Soleil Sewage Canal Photo

For years, my best friend, Rhonda, applied gentle, relentless pressure in persuading me to join her in mission trips to Haiti. I resisted forever with many excuses…it’s difficult to be gone that long (about 10 days in July), can’t be in the sun (photosensitivity), can’t walk so far (up the mountains), etc. Being a relentless persuader, she organized the perfect trip for a small group: 5 days in June, (short, not so hot) and we would visit programs that she and our church have supported so not much hiking up mountains.

Once the shock wore off, I was hooked, in love with Haiti and wanted the full mission experience. On the morning when Rhonda asked if we wanted to join her to meet the two children she sponsors through Heartline, we were all in. The children live in the poorest section of Cite Soleil, the poorest neighborhood in the poorest city in the poorest country in the western hemisphere. We were taken to the first child’s home where we were greeted warmly as Rhonda gave the girl a Creole Bible. 

On our way to the second house I experienced the biggest “I never in my life…” experience ever. We had to cross over an old stone/cement bridge to our other destination. As I followed the others and started down the rocky steps feeling a little off balance, I hesitated to continue. But, no, I had been praying for God to show me what He wanted for my life and I wanted the full experience. You have to follow me here because there’s a God thing I want to relate to you through this experience. I am a large white woman. There are starving, malnourished poor people staring as we visit the home of Rhonda’s student. They follow us closely and say things in Creole about the “blancs” as we continue on. Children want their pictures taken. We smiled, said, “Bon jou” to everyone trying to respect an unfamiliar culture. 

So, there I was going down the rocky steps when it happened. I stumbled and went right into the “water.” I say that with great reservation because it was actually a cement drainage ditch full of sewage, motor oil, rainwater, grease, anything that could wash down from the mountains and be held there. Anything. I can’t tell you how humiliated and scared I was. There were things hanging off my hair, my now black clothes, my watch. Once reality hit and I drug myself up out of water and onto the cement bridge, I tried to make the best out of an I- can’t- even-tell-you-how-humiliating-situation situation when I was grabbed by the hand by a young Haitian woman and led (trying my best to smile and laugh and pretend I was okay with the embarrassment and not scared to death) down the rest of the bridge to an alley where there was a tub of water there on the cement walkway.

A hot pink top and red sandals is all I remember about my rescuer. We didn’t do formal introductions so I don’t know her name or age. She poured water over my head, sent for shampoo, and tried her best to clean me off. She wanted me to strip down right there so she could make sure I was clean. I say that like we were having a conversation. We were, but it was all through sign language. Obviously I wasn’t going to strip down naked on purpose (there were enough naked people running around already who hadn’t fallen in the water). I shook my head “no” so she led me to what I have to think was her home. It was down the cement walkway and into a cement 2 room “something.” I don’t know the words to describe it. Someone carried a tub of water behind us, set it on the wooden table and shut the door. I did strip down. Soap appeared from a crack in the wall and clothes came from out of nowhere and amazingly they fit perfectly.

After I cried like a baby, hugging her and sobbing from embarrassment and thankfulness, and we were OK with my state of cleanliness and appearance, she led me out wh ere I was reunited with the others. As the young woman led me out by hand, a young man came up to me, pointed at my feet and said something. It was at that moment the girl took the shoes off her feet and gave them to me. Holding my hand we walked back to our truck barefoot on the “sol, sol, sol” or hot, hot, hot pavement to be sure I got back safely.

I had been praying for God to show me how to help others. Should I send money to support a student in Haiti or work with mission projects? Should I send financial aid or collect clothes, formula, or school supplies? I. I. I. I. I. That’s when God smacked me in the head, knocked me in the water and showed me that it’s not about me. It was like God said to me, “Who do you think you are to think you are in the place yet where you can help others? What makes you think you are so much better than others??? You need help. You are the one who needs to be humbled.” That I was that day. Humbled. When a young black Haitian woman from the poorest neighborhood in the poorest city in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere would take me, a stranger, in and clothe me. She took the shoes off her feet and gave them to me. So my journey began: the journey to becoming a person worthy of God’s love, who needs to be in a place to be helped by others. I hope that I can be someone who deserves to walk in those shoes….

 

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February 4, 2013

SMILE, HAITI

A “Touched by Haiti” Story Contest Entry

By Scott Defoe 

Siblings at Williams by Scott DefoeMy most vivid and favorite memory of my first trip to Haiti is the smiles of the Haitian children that I had the privilege of meeting. They knew that if I had a free moment I would eagerly play with them. They recognized that if I needed to go somewhere but had a free hand that I would welcome them to walk hand-in-hand and go there together. They also quickly learned that I always had a camera and could be easily convinced to take their picture and show it to them. As a result, I had the wonderfully unexpected experience of having kids approach me throughout the day with the unspoken request to have their picture taken – they simply made eye contact and flashed their irresistible smile. In particular, the young girl pictured above found me and shared her smile several times each day. No matter how many times she did this, it warmed my heart and I obliged each time.

Midway through my visit, I took a brief break from our project to step out of the hot sun and take a few pictures of an empty classroom. Apart from cooling down in the welcome shade, my intention was to take pictures that I could share with my daughters and that my wife (a teacher by trade) could share with American students. I was touched by both the modesty of the school room and the palpable hope that education was a ticket to a better life. As I knelt in the classroom intently focused on my camera screen, my young friend silently stepped into the frame… already sporting her magnetic smile.

However, this time she had brought her little brother so that he could join in our budding friendship. I suspect that her brother was too young to have met past volunteers, attended school or seen a camera. As I took my first photo, he was brimming with energy while trying to take in every exciting detail of this foreign visitor and the mysterious classroom for “big kids”. I reversed the camera to show them their first family portrait – featuring one well-rehearsed grin and a smaller blue blur. I then listened and watched as she gestured to the screen and seemed to explain that this was a picture of him. Their home in Williamson is far from standing water to provide reflections and mirrors are an impractical luxury. It is possible that he had never before seen himself and didn’t recogni ze the boy in the picture. However, he was a quick study, in the second picture (above) with the help of his big sister’s hands seemly saying “you stand right here” he came through with a smile that is now prominently featured on the walls of both my office and my home. Each time I look at this photo, I return the favor and smile back at them.

“Smile” – Take III. By the time of this last photo, my new friend already looks like he’s had years of experience posing for pictures. In May, I will have the good fortune of returning to Haiti for a second World Wide Village mission trip. I am already looking forward to getting reacquainted with new friends of all ages and to enjoy these amazing smiles once more!

 

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