James 1:27

“Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:17)
After reading this scripture, I sat back and thought about the true meaning God seeks to convey through this message. “Look after the widows and the orphans…” In my experience, it seems people are much more eager to help orphans and often forget about the widows. Here at Lifeline, we go above and beyond to help orphans. While we love them dearly and enjoy taking care of the children of Haiti, we decided it was time to apply every aspect of this verse and really seek after the Lord’s will.
No longer wanting the widows to fall through the cracks of love, Lifeline sought to take care of the widows of Haiti by providing baskets of love for each of the wonderful widows of the village. Knowing that few things make a woman feel as good as a make over and a good meal, these lovely and appreciative women were provided with a new dress, laundry soap, bath soap, shampoo, nail clippers, lotion, wet wipes, beans, and spaghetti. Such a simple gift brought tears of joy and appreciation on grateful faces I will never forget. For the first time in maybe days, weeks, or even months, they were receiving the gift of cleanliness and a moment of complete satisfaction. As we watched them dig through their new treasures, however, we realized there was much more to give. Some of the women were in need of medical attention and not able to walk to the clinic. We happily drove them to see the doctor and get their ailments taken care of and then drove them back home to their new treasures.

At the end of the day, we felt blessed to have been able to provide these women with much needed love and care. Not only that, we were humbled by the spirit these women carried. Despite their poverty, they were smiling, happy and grateful for the Lord’s blessings. Their attitudes and appreciation were so inspiring and uplifting it was as though they were the ones blessing us with the gift. After such a fulfilling experience, we are excited for many opportunities in the future to bless and be blessed by the wonderful women of Haiti.

Delivering benches & making a difference

We started out our morning up at the prayer rock, the pastor gave communion and it was very touching. After the prayer rock we came back and got started on our day building benches for Barbencourt school, a few of us took a little break and went to see a baby that was just one day old. He was such a tiny little thing.  We got back from the seeing the baby and had lunch.   Then went and delivered the benches we had made to Barbencourt.  On our way home we stopped at a nearby orphanage and handed out a few little things to the kids.  There was one little boy who was very malnourished and they just can’t seem to get him healthy.  It definitely opened a few eyes as to how lucky we are back in the states to have hospitals and doctors right at our hands for situations like that.  Once we got back from delivering the benches we had some down time and then ate supper and had more relaxing time to end our last night.

Amazing and Rewarding Time in Haiti

This is day four for our small group from Ohio. It has been an amazing and rewarding time for us so far. Today we awoke very early to go to a small village on top of the mountain. It was about a 2 hour hike and it took us approximately about an hour and a half to climb it. It was a tough hike but very worth the while. The view was absolutely amazing and the people are precious.
We started out by handing out some backpacks for the kids to use when school resumes. The kids then sang some songs to us and we made a feeble attempt to sing to them. Then we acted out a David and Goliath skit for them. We followed this with a rousing game of duck duck goose. The kids absolutely loved this. It was a fun time had by all. It was very rewarding for us to laugh so hard and to see them have so much fun. They are rich is spirit and we are blessed to share time with them.
On our way back out of the village we visited a very sick woman who is battling an infection that is trying to take over her whole body. She cannot walk or talk and eats very little. We laid hands on her and prayed over her for God’s healing hand and comforting touch to be upon her. Her husband will be coming down to Lifeline tomorrow to get some bandages for a wound she has on her leg and for some food and water supplies.
It is not unusual to experience such a stark contrast in experiences and a wide range of emotions here in Haiti. Sometimes it is hard to process it all. But one thing is for sure, the people here are always a blessing and leave you feeling closer to God.

Looking into the Eyes of a Haitian

Sadness, pain, and heartache are what we feel when we look into the eyes of an innocent Haitian child. However, when they look back at us they are full of happiness, excitement, and life. Each day is a new blessing as we bring joy and wellness into their life.

                Today we adventured into ObamaVille, which is a tent city right outside of Port au Prince. There were approximately 200 hundred tents in the village. In which we provided medical help to 49 adults and 67 children. We supplied nutritional supplements, skin treatment, worm treatment, and overall assessment. When living in a tent city, the food supply is very low. So, Lifeline brought rice and beans to give to the villagers. It was heart breaking to see the desperation in their eyes as they nearly cried tears of joy as they were given one scoop each. They brought rags, shirts, plastic bags, buckets, or anything they could find to gather what was allowed. Haitians of all ages came to gather food. 

                After leaving the tent city, we went on another journey to help a small orphanage, Titanyen, of 23 children. Here we were shocked by the living situation of the dorm rooms. The two rooms were extremely small with a bed in the corner that held ten children each. After providing medical care, we sang songs to the children and gave them candy.

                Finishing the day off, we developed a different perspective on the life of a Haitian and how they receive their everyday needs. We went to the market, which is like a huge flea market in the US but here this is where they purchased food, clothing, toiletries, and charcoal. Food, such as fresh meats, was not refrigerated. It was left out in the heat. To us it was not acceptable, but to them it is their way of life.

                Overall, it was a very rewarding day, not only to us but to hundreds of children. We never imagined it could feel this incredible to have these precious children running to us and wanting nothing more than to hold our hand. We both feel very blessed to have helped make a difference, put a smile on a child’s face, and to be a part of this amazing experience.

Kynea Johnson and Tiffany Fletcher

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65968419@N02/

Haitian Hope

To begin our day, we arose bright and early and were loaded on the bus by 4:45 am. By leaving this early we would arrive at the first orphanage at 8:00 am. After our long and bumpy ride in the back of a bus and a truck we arrived at the orphanage, which consisted of three tented structures. This is where the children sleep, eat, go to school, and worship. We were welcomed by the sound of children screaming “blah, blah” (white, white) while running toward the bus. The faces that were gazing up at us were filled with excitement and fear knowing that they were to be treated by our mobile clinic. The children at the first orphanage had not been seen in over a year, and the second orphanage had not been seen in approximately six months.




After quickly assembling our stations we began to treat the children. Since neither orphanage had been seen in a while we began with a thorough assessment. Assessment findings indicated ringworm on the scalp and body, scabies on various areas of the body, their teeth were beginning to show decay from lack of treatment, multiple skin impairments to the feet and toe nails, and their bellies were distended and painful to touch. We quickly began treatment by applying various creams to help treat the ringworm, scabies, and feet. Each child was given a multivitamin and a dose of medicine to treat the suspected worms that would explain their distended bellies. Unfortunately we had already given out all our toothbrushes the day before to another orphanage in need. While we treated the lacerations and missing toenails, we unable to ensure that it wouldn’t happen again because of the shortage of shoes for the children.



At the end of the day we treated 167 Haitian orphans in all. After all treatments were done it was playtime! We began with songs of worship and praise in both English and Creole and danced around the tented room. It was such a blessing to have the children laughing and dancing with us. The joy from the children escalated when we presented them with the toys we had brought. We had toys for both boys and girls. Even though we did not have enough for each child they were overjoyed and shared with one another. At the end of our day as we looked into the Haitian children’s eyes our hearts were filled with love and hope. Hope for the Haitian people and their country.



To view today’s pictures please go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/65968419@N02/

Hannah Wagner and Amber Miller

Haitian Love

Sorry! This post was from August 4, 2012. Due to the storms that surrounded us, but missed us, the internet was down and we could not post this. Hope you are enjoying following our trip!


Being in Haiti for the first time is absolutely incredible! We started the day off with a wonderful devotional that certainly prepared us for our day full of service. All 20 of us, along with our interpreters, loaded the bus and headed to our first of two destinations in Williamson. One of these destinations was an orphanage and one a school. At the orphanage, they sang beautiful songs in their native language, and were even excited and enthusiastic about learning some of the songs we had to share with them! At the school we treated many children, as well as some adults. At both places we were able to figure out a system that helped us see many, many people. After all was said and done, 204 people had been cared for and given medical assistance! Being amongst people who appreciate something as simple as hydrocortisone cream (something in every American medicine cabinet) was an amazing, heartwarming experience. To see the joy expressed on their faces when given a lollipop brought smiles to our faces and we couldn’t deny the pure joy we felt, even though we were certainly not used to the absence of air conditioning! Holding a Haitian child’s hand is one of the most memorable moments we will cherish upon returning to the United States. The love they express and the happiness they have, in the midst of so much tragedy and despair, truly is eye opening.

Although this is only day 3 of our 8 day adventure, there is still so much work to be done in Haiti. Even after we leave, Haiti will still need help. We feel very privileged to be able to serve here and know that our work has not been the first, and hopefully will not be the last in helping these wonderful people live a better life. The future of Haiti is looking bright, as long as the help continues! We look forward to the possibility of returning, even though the week has really just begun! The people of Haiti are truly magnificent, kind people. We look forward to the rest of our time here, serving our new Haitian Zamis (friends)!!!

To see today’s pictures, please go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/65968419@N02/



---Noelle Smart and Erin Hughes

A Hopeful Return

After anxiously awaiting another year to pass, we have finally been given the chance to return to Haiti. Upon arrival, we were quickly taken back to the poverty and devastation still lingering here. In contrast, seeing familiar faces and warm smiles, we were quickly reminded of our desires to continue mission work in this country.


Since last year, we have witnessed several changes and improvements, both at the mission and in the villages. Children’s International Lifeline was blessed with a nice bus for missionaries to ride in while traveling to surrounding villages. This has been a great improvement compared to the gated truck beds we rode in just a year ago. They are also doing great work in the villages. They have added a roof to a neighboring church, bought land and started construction on a new orphanage; as well as initiated a block-making trade school. Also, they have expanded their feeding program from 5,000 children to 8,000 children within just one year.

During our last mission trip, we were shocked at the conditions that most Haitians were living in. There were tons of tent cities and it was hard to believe that four sticks and a tarp could be called home. Today, we are happy to report that many of the tent cities have diminished or been replaced with wooden homes. It is evident that God has been working and shining his light on the people of Haiti and Children’s International Lifeline.

Hannah Adkins, Tabbetha Loan, Heather Knipp, Evan Bennett