My Name is Hope & I Have A Request

I've been in Haiti, working at Maranatha's Preschool for over a month now; which at times is hard to believe and at other times I feel I've always been here. I call each of the kids by name, know the troublemakers & the sweethearts, the quiet & the ones that never seem to stop talking, the shy & the ones who will tackle hug you all day long. 

My name has gone through a little trial here in Haiti, when I introduce myself, or someone else introduces me the person usually gets a funny look on their face "Hope?" they ask a couple times "Oui, mwen Hope" (yes, I'm hope) there are three responses after this: The ones that chuckle and repeat "Hope?" as if it's a joke, the ones that don't believe and ask for my real name and than ones that just can't get their minds around it and begin to spell it to make sure they have it right "H-O-P-E.... Hope?”, yes that is my name. At Maranatha the kids call me "HoPe" (large emphasis on the P) & when a couple of the younger children say it, it sounds more like "Wop" which makes me laugh.

    I've always loved my name & how unique it is (I've only once had a class with someone who had the same name) How easy it is to spell, I love that it's an invitation to share the gospel when people ask why I'm called Hope or what exactly it means. And my name describes a huge part of who I am.

Tomorrow is my 20^th birthday and I never thought that I would be spending it away from my loved ones, though I do love my Haitian family; it’s amazing the places God takes us. Since I am overseas and mail in Haiti has to come through people who are traveling from the states to Maranatha, I have a request/birthday wish. You've heard a couple stories of the kids here at Maranatha and hopefully seen pictures on my photography page of their sweet little faces; Maranatha has a sponsorship program for each child, their website reads:

 "Each one of these children has been lead to us in a way that could only be directed by our loving Father.  We are prayfully asking you to partner with us to change their lives.  Sponsorship is $50 a month and provides the necessary funds to keep the child in the program.   You will receive a photo and information on your sponsored child, as well as occasional correspondence from them."

There are over 80 children registered here at Maranatha, but only 24 have sponsors. For my birthday instead of cards and gifts I'm asking that you prayerfully sponsor a child here. I know that some of you are already supporting me or other missionaries or children and I thank you SO very much for that so I'm also asking you to share this post. To step out of your comfort zone and share with someone. Maybe have your small group sponsor a child or use this as an opportunity to challenge yourselves to cut back on different things, let God speak and listen.

I don't like asking people for money but God humbled me and showed me some different things about Christians and how we are supposed to live and give our all, pretty sure Matthew 16:24 doesn't say "And God said, pick up all your favorite things, pack them in boxes, place them in your Lamborghini and follow me" God asked us to give up everything, we are not on this earth to live as comfortably as humanly possible. Here's a blog post I found that really took the words from my mouth. 

Why We Don't Sponsor A Child

1. The Money

That’s probably the biggest reason, isn’t it? I get it. I totally get it. Extra money is hard to come by sometimes, especially now-a-days. But think about this. By just living in the United States most of us are in the top three percent (or something like that) wealthiest people in the world. A pastor said that once in one of his sermons, and my mouth almost dropped. The percentage may not be exact, but it’s something crazy-high like that.

Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48)

There’s no doubt that giving to a child in need takes sacrifice. It takes saying “no” to some of our monthly pleasures to be able to use that money elsewhere. But when you see how God blesses you with peace and joy when you get that first letter from your sponsored child in the mail, then you realize how you gain more than you could ever give.

If you want to read the whole story, here is the link: http://triplebraidedlife.com/2012/09/why-people-wont-sponsor-a-child-compassion-blog-month/

Yatzin is one of the children I have written about who does not have a sponsor; he's made INCREDIBLE headway here at Maranatha and I hope he will be able to continue his remarkable journey; read about him here  http://hopeblownaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/2014/01/yatzen.html

Thank you so much for all of your love, support & prayers. To sponsor a child go to:  http://www.mcmhaiti.org/getinvolved.php I would love it if every single child had a sponsor by the end of this month; if you have any questions please feel free to email me or leave a comment.

Also find pictures on facebook: H.e.rPhotography94