The Hope House is thinking outside the box!
Today was a great day. Most of you know that I have been a little overwhelmed by our teenagers, we have over 30 of them. Trust me it’s a lot of pimples, deodorant, hormones, bras and mood swings. When I came to the orphanage the kids were little and we were an amazing orphanage for little kids: one of the best in Haiti by far. Unfortunately, kids can’t stay little forever. The majority of our kids are now over the age of 12. They are growing up and the orphanage needs to grow with them. What worked for a 9 year old doesn’t work for a 14 year old. We have definitely experienced some growing pains this past year as we have been trying to figure how to grow with them. How to make it work and how to make it great.
Over the past few months I have gone away twice by myself for a long weekend. I spent this time without electricity, alone, praying through the changes and seeking direction for the orphanage. Thankfully the Lord showed up on both of these trips and gave me clear vision of where we need to go. Fast forward a few months and here we are starting to implement the changes the Lord revealed to me while I sat next to an oil lamp with my pen and paper. It’s a little scary, but it is so amazing to watch that vision turn into a reality.
We have always had Mommies working the kids. One of the major changes we are making is bringing in “Daddy’s” to work with the boys 12 and older. I think it is so important for the boys to have a strong male role model, especially during adolescence. The boys need to have someone to model their lives after, someone to talk things through with and learn from. The problem was that I had no idea where I would ever find the “right men” for the job. The whole idea of men working as caregivers at an orphanage is something that doesn’t really happen in Haiti.
Today was my first day of interviews. We had 4 positions to fill and I was worried it would take days of interviews to find the “right” people. I have done A LOT of interviews over the years and it usually takes 4 or 5 interviews to find one new employee. I thought I would start with 4 interviews today just to see how things went, I really wasn’t sure how it would all go down. I was blown away by the first man Frantz and I interviewed. He had such a clear vision, passion and tons of experience working with youth. It was unbelievable! When he left the interview Frantz and I turned to each other and at the same time said, “We need to hire him!” The second man came in and it happened all over again, the third man and once again we were left saying, “We have to hire him too!” When the last man came in we couldn’t even believe what was happening. In two hours we had found the men we need! Every one of them is exactly what we are looking for. One is a gifted musician and music teacher, another a mechanic, another a former Math teacher. One was a youth pastor, one is an artist who loves to teach painting and they have all graduated high school (a great achievement in Haiti) and two had finished university. Two of the men were even Mission of Hope students, which I thought was the icing on the cake!
Teenagers are a whole new experience for me, and it has been overwhelming at times but after today I feel like we can actually do this! I feel like it’s not only going to work, but that it’s going to be amazing!
Look out Haiti, the Hope House just got even more amazing!!
Peace, love and Daddy's!
Rachel
Over the past few months I have gone away twice by myself for a long weekend. I spent this time without electricity, alone, praying through the changes and seeking direction for the orphanage. Thankfully the Lord showed up on both of these trips and gave me clear vision of where we need to go. Fast forward a few months and here we are starting to implement the changes the Lord revealed to me while I sat next to an oil lamp with my pen and paper. It’s a little scary, but it is so amazing to watch that vision turn into a reality.
We have always had Mommies working the kids. One of the major changes we are making is bringing in “Daddy’s” to work with the boys 12 and older. I think it is so important for the boys to have a strong male role model, especially during adolescence. The boys need to have someone to model their lives after, someone to talk things through with and learn from. The problem was that I had no idea where I would ever find the “right men” for the job. The whole idea of men working as caregivers at an orphanage is something that doesn’t really happen in Haiti.
Today was my first day of interviews. We had 4 positions to fill and I was worried it would take days of interviews to find the “right” people. I have done A LOT of interviews over the years and it usually takes 4 or 5 interviews to find one new employee. I thought I would start with 4 interviews today just to see how things went, I really wasn’t sure how it would all go down. I was blown away by the first man Frantz and I interviewed. He had such a clear vision, passion and tons of experience working with youth. It was unbelievable! When he left the interview Frantz and I turned to each other and at the same time said, “We need to hire him!” The second man came in and it happened all over again, the third man and once again we were left saying, “We have to hire him too!” When the last man came in we couldn’t even believe what was happening. In two hours we had found the men we need! Every one of them is exactly what we are looking for. One is a gifted musician and music teacher, another a mechanic, another a former Math teacher. One was a youth pastor, one is an artist who loves to teach painting and they have all graduated high school (a great achievement in Haiti) and two had finished university. Two of the men were even Mission of Hope students, which I thought was the icing on the cake!
Teenagers are a whole new experience for me, and it has been overwhelming at times but after today I feel like we can actually do this! I feel like it’s not only going to work, but that it’s going to be amazing!
Look out Haiti, the Hope House just got even more amazing!!
Peace, love and Daddy's!
Rachel
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