Updates from staff in Haiti!!!

From Brittney:

I'm sitting in a hospital bed with our newest and youngest little baby boy named Julian. Julian is from Port-Au-Prince. He survived the earthquake on January 12th and was found a few weeks later in one of the hundreds of tent cities made up of earthquake refugees. Imagine the worst place you could ever think of your child living in- that's where we found Julian. A slum where the homes are made of pieces of twigs with sheets draped over them, where pigs are running around feeding on people's waste. A slum located at the bottom of a hill so when the rain falls it washes over the hundreds and thousands of rotting bodies above before it rushes down to fill the stream the people bathe in and drink from... Children drinking water that just washed over their 3 week dead family member... There's no food, no water- just scribbled writing on a piece of cardboard at the entrance that sums it all up... WE NEED HELP.In this slum was a little 10 pound, 1 year old boy who was dying. Danita offered the people looking after him help and now here we are- 4th day in a group room in a hospital a few hours away from our orphanage. He's suffering from malnutrition and a bad case of pneumonia. Both can be cured with a simple treatment but there's no doubt that he would have died without it. He just lost his home, his mother, and everything and everyone he's ever known.... and we wonder why he cries through the night.I spent almost 3 weeks in Port-Au-Prince a week after the earthquake. There are some memories I pray I will forget and some that wont leave my dreams, but most that I feel privileged I get to hold forever. I believe God and his power can be seen and experienced everyday, even in the small and seemingly normal things. We may overlook it, and most of the time we do, but He's there. But once in a while we get this extreme honor to watch God's power and might come in a huge way- a way in which there is no denying it was Him... This was one of those times. To watch God sweep in and save even one child is something I'll never feel worthy of seeing, but He chooses to let us see anyway. I can't say I understand people's suffering, or why so many died that day while some were spared, but I do know I will forever trust God, whether I have the answers in this life or not. As I rocked Julian to sleep tonight I sang him the familiar hymn and verse from Psalms. The hymn that my father sang to me as a little girl..
As the deer pants for the water so my soul longs after theeYou alone are my heart's desire and I long to worship thee
Death seems so far off to us, like we are all going to have enough time before we die to change our lives and get our priorities straight, but it rarely happens like that. Almost never. It happens in an instant, when you are least expecting it. You don't have time to change, you don't have time to live like you always wished you did. I know this last month has challenged me. It has reminded me of the reality that life is short. It has made me think about what really matters and I have drawn closer to God because I know that it is only HIM that matters. It will be only Him and I standing face to face at the end of this life, and nothing else will count for anything.

Hi Everyone,

I'm hearing from my mom about no updates recently! Sorry.

The Olympics here in Vancouver are all consuming right now. Go Canada!

However things are extremely busy in Haiti as well and not alot of updates have come from people down there but here is what I do have!

Brittany Joy Hilker Still in the hospital with our youngest baby from Port-Au-Prince who is very malnourished and has pneumonia. Keep little Julian in your prayers...

Karris Hudson ...special thanks to our "family" from Victory Church in Oklahoma City (Pastor Mark and Jennifer Crow) for sending to Haiti some of the best people the world can offer. They helped us in 2004 when we took in 26 new children from the Gonaives floods. Such a giving church with great people.

Please keep thinking about Haiti. There is so much work going on and so much needed!

thanks
Jen

Update on Fundraising efforts

February 2010
I wanted to give everyone an update because of the earthquake in Haiti.
I arrived back in Vancouver 4 days before the earthquake hit Haiti. Thankfully, I was able to be in touch with the orphanage within minutes of it happening. The Hope for Haiti Children’s Orphanage (http://www.danitaschildren.org/) was not damaged. The school was evacuated as it was swaying back and forth but no damage has been detected.
There is now a team including Danita Estrella and Brittney Hilker in Port au Prince to bring home more orphans. There have been bunk beds put up in the church and school. (School has been shut down in the entire country) A team including Karris Hudson has been to Santiago, DR purchasing beds, food, clothing and supplies for all the new children to be added.

Check out http://jeninhaiti.blogspot.com/2010/01/newest-addition-to-hope-for-haiti.html to keep up to date on the newest additions to the orphanage.

I have been blessed to be able to partner with some amazing people since this has happened. People who are helping raise funds for the orphanage!
One of those people is Mike Estrella who is Danita’s brother! He is in Langley, B.C (Estrella’s Montreal Deli) and he has International Support Ministries Canada already in place to raise Canadian funds for the orphanage!

http://www.ismcanada.ca/

This allows you to donate via Paypal, receive a tax receipt and the funds will go directly to the Hope for Haiti Children’s Orphanage!!!

In partnering with Mike, I am able to raise support for my move down to Haiti this spring. If you want to help you can make a cheque out to International Support Ministries Canada and tag it Jen Wride. You can mail it to 6215 Mackenzie St, Vancouver, BC V6N 1H4

You can use the paypal link on ISMCanada.ca with a credit card. Please email me at jen@jeninhaiti.org when you make a donation so we can tracking accordingly! THANK YOU!

http://www.ismcanada.ca/index.php/donate/

Other fundraising efforts!
UBC Athletics (http://www.gothunderbirds.ca/) have been so supportive and have arranged for every adult ticket that I can sell over the last 4 weekends of the season, half will go to the Hope for Haiti Children’s Orphanage via ISM Canada!! Even better – every $5 from a ticket and every donation will be matched by the government before it goes to Haiti! I will have a booth set up at War Memorial Gym for basketball this week vs UVIC and Feb 13th vs Trinity. Come by for a visit and get your ticket to the game!

Thank you to Les Robertson for working so hard to get the word out! Stan Wong and Megan Robinson for getting this going on the UBC Athletics side!

Also Pasha Bains and Chad Clifford of Drive Basketball (http://www.drivebasketball.com/) have had a 2 day shoe collection and fundraising effort for Haiti! Former UBC basketball players, Pasha and Chad organized the event at their facility in Richmond for Jan 23 and 24th. Donations will go to the Hope for Haiti Children’s Orphanage. Thanks Pasha and Chad!!!

With this collective effort I hope we can help support the orphanage and all the new additions for some time to come. The tragedy and loss from this earthquake is overwhelming but there are amazing people on the ground in Haiti who are working so very hard to love and care for these children.

One sweet little girl who has been added to the orphanage has been told she may have trouble learning to walk. Because no one is ever going to put her down!!!

Thank you to everyone who has donated, asked how things are, prayed and listened! I am very blessed to have so many wonderful, caring people in my life!

Jen

latest updates from staff in Haiti..........

Brittany Joy Hilker is with the newest member of our family. very very malnourished and infant sized 2 year old. She has 3 week old, untreated 2nd and 3rd degree burns on her arm. this sad, sweet little baby is precious to God and is already getting showered with love. I told her she may never learn to walk because I don't want to put her down :)