Almost Everyone at School

So last wednesday we saw what it would look like if almost all of the afternoon kids showed up on the same day, which has never happened. Well Wednesday we were almost there, we were only missing three kids. Which means we had 15 in school, which I know may not seem like a lot but. to say the least it is. It was so crazy and yet so good just to have them all together again. The classroom looked so full, because all these kids can walk and move around and they sure like to. What a great day just full of great kids coming to school.

Thanksgiving

Well yesterday was thanksgiving and just full of blessings. It started out with morning school and we just had a time to talk about thanksgiving and what we should be thankful for. Than for our stations the kids we did an abc dot to dot of a turkey, we made hand print turkeys, the sign language teacher taught the kids thank you and had the cutest little picture of a kids saying thank you and a banner turkey we painted their hands for the feathers a lot of work but so much fun. Also, thanks to Jocelyn and her mom for coming down to take pictures and then helping with these projects.

From there I went to lunch when Nahum came up and we had bought a turkey for the Miriam center and he went to Port de Paix to get it. He had just got back and wanted to show me a picture. He showed me a picture of Kenderson a kid in the Miriam center holding a live turkey. I just did not know what to think, I asked where the turkey was now and he said the kids were playing with it. Well everyone at the table went downstairs to see this and sure enough the kitchen playing with a live turkey and having way too much fun. Then Nahum took it out to show the school kids and then Presendue carried the turkey out, never to be seen alive again. I took a moment to think about how the kids would react to eating that turkey a couple of hours later but it was a fleeting thought, It was time for afternoon school.

Well the afternoon school was nothing close to normal. Will said that he would make another sing a long cd for the kids, we had so many people in the surgical hallway just singing as he recorded. I love that Haitians cannot sing a worship song and not be affected by it. It was an unforgettable time. Then, when the cd was done they sang like a parade all the way to the classroom and just kept singing the kids had so much fun.

Well, then school was over and it was time for turkey, the cook fried it in this really good seasoning it was so good and I don’t feel like anyone gave a second thought about, wow we were just playing with this poor thing and now it is food. I guess that is thanksgiving in Haiti for you.

Took a couple of the kids down to aquaponics and they played in the tanks for a while, than it was time for dinner it was pretty much an american thanksgiving meal, I was especially thankful to be sitting with my mission family and the teenage orphans who are living here now.

What a great day!!!!

I will add a picture to this blog when I get home.

Six Greatest Needs for 2012

As we look towards 2012, here are the six greatest needs of Kimmy’s House

1. Office space in the Lakewood/Green Mountain area. Currently we work out of the home of the Executive Director.
2. Staff support funds for Laura Hutchings and Erin Drescher. Shannon Neel, founder and Executive Director, volunteers her time to run and administrate the non-profit, as well as coordinate fundraisers and donor development. As Kimmy’s House continues to send mission teams, take on new partners globally, and have more fundraisers; Laura and Erin are raising personal support to come on staff and work with Shannon and the board to carry out the vision and passion of Kimmy’s House.  Laura and Erin will begin early 2012.
3. Board: A few more members to serve a three-year term on our board of directors who will bring specific skills. We would like to be diverse culturally and have a few specific professional skills. (Occupational, Physical or Speech Therapist, Medical professional, Special Education teacher, CPA or Accountant, Legal background.)
4. Partners: Organizations globally who are well-developed in the countries they serve and know of unmet needs in their community for any special needs children and orphans. We greatly desire to be connected to the needs and work along-side existing organizations that are well established with the nationals.
5. Corporate sponsors: To underwrite fundraising event costs.
6. Funding Goal of $50,000 beginning on Tuesday December 6, 2011.

We want to hear how you are available to help us!  Please CONTACT US

Our 2012 goal, beginning on December 6, 2011: Colorado Gives Day, is $50,000

Colorado Gives Day is an initiative to increase philanthropy in Colorado through online giving. Because Kimmy’s House is based out of Colorado, we have the opportunity to be involved; however, anyone (living anywhere) can give on Colorado Gives Day.

This funding will cover new operating expenses, support our work in Haiti and India,
and allow us to pursue future partnerships to expand to new locations
and further the work of Kimmy’s House in the year 2012.

Please consider how you can invest in global special needs orphan care and make yourself available by helping us reach our $50,000 goal beginning on Colorado Gives Day.

We are asking for:

• 200 people to make a monthly recurring donation of any amount (If 200 people make a $25/month donation for a year we meet our goal!)  You don’t even have to wait until December 6th.  You can go online now and set your recurring donation to begin on December 6th, and Kimmy’s House will still receive a percentage of the matching funds
• 9 people to make a one-time donation of any amount every hour during the 24 hours of Colorado Gives Day

In addition, we are looking for people who are willing to make themselves
available by getting their community involved.

• 25 people to create their own fundraising page
• 7 churches to support Kimmy’s House
• 4 schools to hold a “penny war” or other
  type of fundraiser

Which of these ways are you available to help Kimmy’s House?

We are thankful for your involvement and ask that you join us in praying for God’s
provision as we move forward into the next year.

We want to hear how you are available to help us!  Please CONTACT US

Sincerely; Shannon Neel, Carol Record, Jen Janz, Holly Gosa, Shelly Shunk, Laura Hutchings, Erin Drescher

Bible Class

Well I owed my translator and favor and he took me up on it today. He needed to go to Port au Paix this afternoon and he needed to be here to teach a Bible class in English. So I went with Lukendly and we went to teach the Bible class. They were starting a new curriculum and so we had the creation story today. So I would read the story a couple of times and than the students would ask questions, either about the story or about what a certain word in the story meant. And this went on for about an hour and  a half. The part that got me was the last half hour of the class it was dark. There was no power and the sun had set, yet no one seemed ready to go home. Instead they all pulled out their cell phones and turned the cell phone lights on and just kept reading the story. Now honestly, I dont know if it was because of the Bible aspect of the story or the English but their eagerness to learn just amazes me. Although at the end of class one of the students came up and asked for an extra copy of the story because his Aunt just needed to hear about this. So just my thoughts but there is so much that I need to learn from this culture and the people here. It was an incredible experience that I am looking forward to doing again next week.