Chances for Children Blog
Wisdom
Posted by Kathi on Thursday, March 14, 2013 |
Seeking God’s wisdom and not our own can certainly be challenging. Over the last few weeks in Haiti, I have had a few experiences which highlight that relying on manmade wisdom is never enough:
- Waiting in multiple lines at a bank for 3 hours to get a cashiers check.
- Having 3 of our 4 vehicles end up at the mechanics on the same day (with me waiting in a mechanics shop for 4 hours)?
- A birthparent who hasn’t seen or visited their child in 3 years sending someone to tell us that they want them back, now that they are old enough to work or be sold?
- Damaged equipment and vehicles because people don’t respect personal property and let them deteriorate due to neglect?
- A child with a sexually transmitted disease at the age of 7, due to abuse.
When I lean on my own knowledge it is not fathomable. It makes me angry, frustrated and discouraged. But then I take time to read Proverbs 2 and realize, it is impossible to understand human nature. It is not within my makeup to understand His ways. I have to realize that this too is all part of His plan. My job is to continue to keep stepping forward in faith and knowledge that one day it will be revealed.
The last week has been filled with many positive things as well. I don’t want to focus just on the negatives. The crèche now has 7 children in the final stage of their adoption process, and while we have had some glitches with paperwork missing dotted I’s and crossed t’s, we are confident that all 7 will be heading home to their adoptive families within the next 30 days! That is great news for these families, and the children – it is also encouraging to see the fruit of our efforts. We now have 50 children under our care!! The place is rockin’ and the kids are so amazing and I am proud of what a family feel the Crèche still has - even with that many children. That is a reflection on our team in Haiti and our amazing staff. We now employ over 60 individuals and the blessings this brings to their families is a joy for us to witness. I recently brought down employee badges for everyone, and the happiness that each person expressed receiving their simple little badge was heart piercing. They proudly wear their badges as they walk home from work to show off the fact that they have jobs. Something no one takes for granted.
As always, Haiti continues to present a myriad of faces. Some dark and jaded others bright and brilliant. But it is the laughter and smiles of the children we love and provide for that keep us on course, even in bumpy seas. We are excited about all the new things we have underway to enrich our community here in Kenscoff (especially our new medical clinic for children in the community). We love where we work, what we do and hope you will join us by coming to visit and share in our mission to provide hope for children in Haiti. Thanks for your continued support and prayers.
Blessings,
Sponsor | Donate | Facebook
Leave a commentHaiti as seen from the eyes of a C4C volunteer
Posted by Kathi on Wednesday, February 06, 2013 |
We might be an eclectic bunch from California, but there's nothing random about how or why we came into contact with Kathi Juntunen and Chances 4 Children. After speaking with Kathi this past summer and hearing her heart for Haiti, we knew we wanted to be a part of what God was doing thru C4C. We had all come to a place in life where we wanted to be doing something more with our lives and living for something greater than ourselves! So November 2012 We took our first trip to Haiti… We instantly fell in love with the beauty of the Haitian people as well as the breath-taking views we experienced on our drive from Port Au Prince up into the mountain community of Kenscoff. Amidst the beauty, we also witnessed the hardships the people of Haiti face on a daily basis and our hearts were stirred as we saw a country affected by so much devastation. It's these hardships and devastation that have produced such great needs and why it was such a blessing to come and serve with C4C!
The outdoor bathroom project was underway when we arrived in November and it was our work project for the week to help with it's completion. We didn't know what this would entail but soon realized that our contribution was to be the manual labor that moved the building materials from their point of drop off, down the hill, around the back of the creche, to the construction area where a team of Haitian laborers were steadily working on the building… Let's just say we got our workouts that week via shoveling huge piles of sand and gravel, carrying bucket after bucket and moving cement cinder blocks. But it's amazing how hard work doesn't seem as hard when you're fueled by passion and the knowledge that you're doing something meaningful and life changing for others.
Our time with the kids at the creche was amazing. We fell in love with their smiles and hugs, laughter and life. Their longing to be hugged, loved and nurtured was precious and the bonds we created with them made it more than difficult to leave. The only thing we could think about when we left was coming back.
Last Wednesday marked the beginning of our second trip to Haiti! It was incredible to be greeted by those little familiar smiling faces and to see how they've grown and blossomed in only the past two months! We specifically noticed a couple of the kids who had been newer to the creche back in November had filled out and looked so healthy and happy. We knew it's because of the care they've had through the C4C creche.
This second trip has been a few days longer than our first trip which has enabled us to spend a LOT of time painting the inside of the new medical clinic on the C4C property. It's so exciting that the children of Kenscoff will have a large and well-equipped facility to tend to their health needs. One day we even got to let a few of the kids paint with us. It was so cute as they were SOO excited and felt so special. Going to church on Sunday was a unique experience as it was so different than attending church in the US… Although we couldn't understand what they were singing, speaking or praying, we all clearly saw the hope that they have. After church on Sunday we did a Valentine's day party and lunch at the Kenscoff orphanage. It's heart breaking to see the conditions that these kids live in but that only elevated the joy we got to experience in being able to provide them with a meal and do a Valentine's day craft with them.
We're psyching up mentally and emotionally for our goodbyes tomorrow which definitely won't be easy! But we know we'll be back, and that will ease our pain just a little! We already can't wait for our next trip and our next opportunity to spend quality time with these precious souls!
Written by Michelle Dirks
Blessings,
Sponsor | Donate | Facebook
Leave a comment10 Productive Days
Posted by Kathi on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 |
Usually my trips to Haiti are filled with more setbacks than positive outcomes, and I always come with a HUGE To Do list, and low expectations. That way I don’t get overly frustrated. But this trip has been like arriving in a new and improved Haiti. Things seemed to fall into place, or maybe I have just learned not to sweat the small stuff. Of course, small stuff is relative – like not getting stressed out that the C4C Van has been sitting at the mechanics for over 60 days. Or the fact that on the day of arrival 2 out of our 4 vehicles were in the shop. Or that one night after a long hot day in Port au Prince, I arrived home to no power and no water. Or that a translator who took 2.5 weeks to do her job, did it poorly and wanted 3 times the going rate. It’s true, a year ago, stuff like that would get me annoyed, stressed and a bit aggravated. But I have come to love and accept life here in Haiti – nothing goes as planned and there are always struggles. But it helps you realize that as much as we might try, we really aren’t in control of anything!
So when you have a week with only a few disappointments and lots of major accomplishments you can’t help but feel giddy. This week was one of those weeks for me. One of the highlights of my week was reading the report cards of the children who just finished their first ½ of school. Now keep in mind, these are children living at our Children’s Home – kids who have never attended school in their past. This is a BIG thing for them and they don’t take the responsibility lightly. They love displaying their uniforms, backpacks and shiny shoes as they walk next door to the private school with other children from the community. They are proud of this accomplishment and their performance and integration with other children in the community is great for their esteem. They are serious about their school work and every day they diligently work with their teachers and tutors to complete their studies. As a reward for their amazing performance I had the privilege of meeting them after school one day with snacks and then walking them home. They were beaming, to have me meet them at the school and we got to talk about the importance of always trying your best. Their report cards were the frosting on the cake – many of them received glowing reports and have proven to be “top in the class”. I was one proud Mama.
I also got to see how blessed I am with an incredible Director in Haiti, Pastor Renelus Maxime. With very little direction from me (other than a floor plan and funding) the construction of our new medical clinic is well under way. This is an exciting time for us as we can continue to add new services to the community. As we start 2013 we will be actively looking for partners to help us develop, manage and run our children’s medical clinic.
And the rest of my time in Haiti was filled with many, many meetings. The last days were spent visiting attorneys, shipping brokers, other NGO’s, IBESR, USCIS, The Embassy and plenty of hardware stores. It was productive, but left me very little time to spend with the kids. But that’s the way some trips are and I am just grateful for each and every day that I am able to continue to work in Haiti. It is always hard to transition back into life in the U.S. but with God’s grace and the love of my family and friends – it will be a great homecoming.
Blessings,
Sponsor | Donate | Facebook
Leave a commentHappy 2013
Posted by Kathi on Monday, January 07, 2013 |
Sometimes I get ahead of myself – and even worse, I get ahead of God. As a Type A personality, my head fills with goals and action items the minute the clock strikes midnight ushering in a New Year. Within the first hours of the new day, I have charted out my plan, my goals, my to do list. I get a giddy, excited and anticipatory feeling when I think about the great ideas and plans that have been formulated to help improve the lives of families and children in Haiti. But then it hits me – where is God in all of this. What is His desire and will? And that’s when I realize that my action plan has a major flaw – I have forgotten what should be center and forefront in my 2013 plans – God.
So this is why my New Year’s salutations are a bit delayed this year. I needed some time to reflect and pray on my plan, to gain a better understanding of how God’s will should shape my direction.
The reality is after a week of prayer and reflection – nothing miraculous happened. No lighting rod, no burning bush, and no river held back. But I do have a calm, peaceful, settled direction about where we are headed. We made a few adjustments to the 2013 plan, but what was major was that I examined every single goal and action item with a fresh perspective – is this pleasing to Him. Does this serve others? Am I always valuing others needs before my own? A simple reminder to use my foundation to better plan both my personal life and my professional life as it relates to C4C. In fact, especially as it relates to C4C and our work in Haiti. Because there are always going to be challenges, setbacks, problems and difficulties, but knowing that everything we do is in alignment with God’s will, strengthens us. It allows us to persevere through the challenges. It keeps us fighting for what is right. This year I expect great things for our work in Haiti. We start the year with so many blessings unfolding.
- 40 orphaned children living at our Children’s Home
- 7 children preparing to be united with their adoptive families in the next few weeks
- 30 women in our artisan program who are now earning regular and consistent incomes to care for their families.
- $13,000 and 4,000 pounds of donated food being sent to Haiti to help us feed our children, and kids living at 3 other orphanages as well as an elderly group in our community.
- Construction of our medical clinic is underway and we are actively looking for health care partners to start the clinic this year.
- And in February we start the construction of a second home for children – our Toddler House.
As I depart for Haiti this week, I will continue to ask each of you for your prayers and support. While keeping God at the forefront of this all, I also need the personal encouragement that each of you provide to me. There are many changes within C4C, the most significant being the departure of Vivian, who has been my rock for the last 5 years. While it is time for Vivian to explore new opportunities it leaves a big hole in our adoption program. This week, I am traveling to Haiti with Vivian’s replacement and I am excited to introduce her to our team in Haiti and our children. Her role will be different than Vivian’s and it will be a time of re-learning, growing and stumbling, but knowing that this is His plan for our ministry – helping orphans-will sustain us through the difficult first few months. We ask for your patience and support if you are in our adoption program.
So here we go….embarking on our 7th year of working in Haiti. Believe it or not, it has gotten easier, thanks to the increasing network of friends, donors, supporters, families and churches that have stepped up to help us. We wish you all the best in 2013.
Blessings,
Sponsor | Donate | Facebook
Leave a commentThe many blessings
Posted by Kathi on Monday, June 25, 2012 | Comments 0
Sometimes all you need to do is to step away to realize the many blessings that have come your way.
It has been 3 weeks since I left Haiti, and while it feels like I have been back at home much longer than that – I am amazed by the progress in the past few weeks. The tile work is complete; all the rooms have been cleaned and are ready for the children!! We plan to start moving this week!
The place looks amazing, thanks to the help of 2 volunteer teams in June. One group worked on cleaning and organizing the home and also ran a medical clinic for all of our children. The second team landscaped and prepared the playground and finished up all the touch up painting. Both groups spent every afternoon with the children in prayer, bible study activities and fun.
Our plan is to move the children from the crèche this week. Then in August we will start admitting children from the Kenscoff orphanage. Thank you to everyone who donated funds and time especially our partner Alliance for Children.
I sometimes have a hard time asking for help. But at this point, we are so close to being done, that I need to ask for your assistance. If you saw how the kids in Kenscoff were living, you would understand the urgency. We still need some additional financial help to finish. We have a few more projects that need funding:
- We need a commercial washer and dryer (due to the volume of clothes and the humidity)
- Outdoor bathrooms are needed to help minimize the use on the indoor facilities
- Completion of the driveway and side walkways
- A second septic needs to be built
- Hot water heaters, generators, invertors and other systems to generate power and hot water.
- We need funding to admit the Kenscoff children (medical screens, legal paperwork, court appointments, attorney fees, blood work, medications) approximately $150-$200 per child.
Please consider making a financial donation to help us.
The life lessons I learned from my 3 months in Haiti are still etched in my heart and soul. My brain, still plays tricks on me and I wake up thinking “Oh, I hope we have power this morning”, but then I realize I am back at home and am appreciative for the little luxuries I used to take for granted.
Some days the work in Haiti is discouraging, but this month I am extremely encouraged. I am touched by the support of friends and our church communities. Lakewood Church (CO) donated a water filtration system for the kids & the community. Highlands Church (AZ) has helped fund many church renovations and sent over 40 volunteers to serve with us. Highlands has partnered with us to provide both VBS programs to the children and mentoring and enrichment classes to church leaders. We have already started using the unfinished community center for these programs.
The past few weeks brought some setbacks in our adoption program, as the Haitian Parliament ratified the Hague (which is NOT a good thing for international adoptions). But we also had good news - four families were approved by IBESR, one step closer to completing their adoptions. We now have 24 children in our adoption program.
We have also had great success with the Micro-Credit / Artisan Craft program – 3 months with jewelry sales of over $1,000. These funds go directly to the artisans in the program - allowing them to care for their children, continue education and become financially secure. We would love to have you support us with this program by donating your old cereal, cracker boxes, scrapbook papers, etc. We would love to ask our adoptive families across the country to host jewelry parties to help us empower women in Kenscoff.
I look forward to the continued progress in our programs, the impact we are making in the community, the hope we are providing to the orphaned children, and to the gift of continuing to serve God. As always, thank you for your continued love, support and prayers.
Blessings,
Sponsor | Donate | Facebook
Leave a commentLessons I have learned
Posted by Kathi on Friday, June 01, 2012 | Comments 3
At my advancing age, one would think I have had enough years to really have things figured out. Well, God certainly had other plans in store for me when He called me to Haiti. Because the lessons I have learned in the last 3 months will forever impact the way I live my life! For this I am most grateful.
I am also grateful to my husband and children who allowed me the opportunity to come spend 3 months in Haiti – without their support none of this would have happened. I had the support of an amazing team in Haiti – especially Pastor Maxime, who helped me through the cultural maze with patience, kindness and humor (well, most of the time). I am incredibly sad knowing that I will be leaving in a few days, the people in this community have become my family. They look out for me, they genuinely care about me and they take time to whisper words of encouragement and appreciation. I am deeply moved by their hearts.
As you know in a matter of 3 short months (although sometimes it felt like years) – we got a lot accomplished. Rome Ventura and her team from Lake Union were incredible to partner with and we all worked long days to get the community center completed. We also made great strides on our new Children’s Home, thanks to the support of Alliance for Children and friends/donors who continue to support our work in Haiti. We should be able to move the children who have been living in plywood shelters into their new home within the next 30-45 days. They come every day to gaze with pride at their new home – it makes my heart melt to see their joy at finally having a real home to call their own. To finally have a bathroom with running water and showers and toilets. To have a dining room that is bright and cheery. A bedroom to hang artwork and space for their own things. And the new playground has been a big hit!!
But the real accomplishments were of a personal nature. I learned that in a place of absolute despair and hopelessness, there is light. That joy can always be found. That just because you have no material possessions – you can still be joyous and grateful. That even if you haven’t eaten in days, you can always find a way to share a little with your brother. The deep faith in God resonates strong in this community and I marvel at the strength of the Haitian people. Of course, there are many, many challenges and behaviors that years of hopelessness bring, but the people of Kenscoff genuinely care about each other. Relationships are the cornerstone to the community. I learned about throwing away my task list some days to take time to get to know the people I was working with. The value of a smile and a kind word far outweighs any Nintendo or DS that a child thinks they need. I learned about respect, patience, and gratefulness. I pray that these gifts stay with me for a very long time. But mostly I truly learned the beauty of Haiti – the flow of life here, the pure pleasure when I make one of our children smile, the happiness that helping women earn an income through hard work brings, that humility and dignity are key traits of the poor, and I have learned that respect is a great gift, regardless of a person’s net worth. I will have a difficult time with my “re-entry” but with the love and support of my family and friends and God’s grace – the transition will happen – step by step.
As I write this, my eyes fill with tears. I will truly miss my Haitian friends, family and community. But it won’t be goodbye, simply au revoir.
Blessings,
Sponsor | Donate | Facebook
Leave a commentPage 1 of 5 pages 1 2 3 > Last »