Helo! Newsletter
Home
Education
Elisabeth Kennedy, Publisher
Love
Opportunity
Volume Number 2
Issue Number 2
6/15/10
Trips
2010 has been a busy year for HELO! Teams
traveled to Haiti in January, March and May!
The January trip was highlighted in an earlier
mailing, but to recap, a team of four flew to the
Dominican Republic where we had the great
honor to be flown on a donated flight (CARE &
Go-Ministries) directly to les Cayes, carrying
over 2000 pounds of much needed relief
supplies to refugees of the
earthquake. Supplies were
distributed to the refugee camp
set up in the soccer stadium,
tents and food were to orphanages
in Leogane and HELO.
Ken George, GoMinistries, Elisabeth
and Jeff Francis
You may also recall that in January while
visiting the children’s ward of General Hospital
in les Cayes, we found an abandoned baby boy
in desperate need of a loving home.
He was malnourished and suffered
sensory deprivation, having very
little human contact. Pastor Jean
was able to get the necessary
paperwork the from the hospital
a few weeks after our departure,
and Jean Davidson was welcomed
into the HELO family. He is now
flourishing, smiling, laughing, and just started
walking! God is good, and his love transforming!
The March “team” was Ellen Donohue and
myself, a trip to register the children of HELO’s
second home, which
officially opened on
February 15, 2010.
What a joy to meet the
children, some of whom
we’d met in the refugee camp in January, most
of the children are orphaned by the earthquake.
If you have not yet “met” these children, please
visit HELO’s new website (still under construction)
www.HeloHaiti.org where you will find photos
and bios of each child.
HeloHaiti Goal Project
In May a team of 13 set out to bring the joy of
soccer to the children of HELO and surrounding
community. It was the first time in Haiti for
most of the team and they were not spared any
of Haiti’s challenges, starting with gridlock
traffic for hours in the midst of rubble, garbage,
the heat and smells Haiti is known for! Despite
continued challenges of blown tires and other
vehicle repairs, the team kept a wonderfully
positive attitude and wonderful sense of humor.
Jordan Eck, Silas LaBorde, Josiah Zoodsma, Elisabeth
Kennedy, Mar Peter-Raoul, Diane Volk, Jaimee DePomeo,
Brandon Gerhardt, Mark Banta, Jeff Francis, Mike Stivers,
Mauricio LaBorde and Tom Tuzzolino
The team built soccer goals and cleared a field
for community games. Soccer uniforms and
cleats were distributed to hundreds and soon
the community was decorated with brightly
colored soccer gear! Great fun was had by all,
and it is our hope that the games will continue
through a church soccer league. It is our prayer
that the joy and laughter brought to so many
children will continue to brighten the lives of
children so desperately in need of so much.
Other News
The May-June team also did a lot of painting,
we put a much needed second coat on the
school and painted inside and out of the newly
completed second home, then went over to the
first home and painted the interior of that
home. Lots of painting,
but we left three bright
and cheerful buildings for
our bright and cheerful
children!
The May team brought much more fun and
laughter to HELO with the addition of a swing
set at the second home. Materials were
purchased, a welder hired, and a swing set
fabricated for the two beautiful swings donated
by the team. We did try to explain a glider to
the welder, but the children adapted just fine!
It has been our mission to help the earthquake
survivors in les Cayes since January, and we
have done food distributions
each time we visited. The
May team put its stamp on
their distribution by adding
a soccer ball to the cheers
of many! Food distributions
have also taken place in church each time we
visited. In January we were able to do three
food distributions;
in March we did two
and in May we did three,
hoping to bring some relief
and hope to as many as
possible. With that comes our promise of
prayers, so we ask that you please continue to
pray for the people of Haiti, especially as they
are now in the midst of hurricane season.
A well is being dug on HELO’s property. We
were so excited to see the crew working, and
God bless them for the
tedious and back-breaking
work that they are doing.
We pray they find water
soon so that they can bring
in some equipment to drill
rather than dig by hand.
The well will serve not only
HELO’s families but the
neighbors as well. Clean
water will be a great blessing to many!
Cookhouses
Cookhouses and storage rooms on the property
adjacent to the second home are nearly
completed. The cookhouses
will allow more room and
additional safety for both
the second and third homes.
A Third Home
HELO is pleased to announce that our third home
will open on July 1, 2010, welcoming the twelve
children (orphaned by the earthquake) who have
been on a waiting list since January. Staff has
been hired and the family will temporarily move
into the school building when Pastor Erick moves
into the newly completed second home.
Future teams
A team will travel to Haiti in August and will
hopefully assist in building the third home as we
hope to complete it before September so that
the school can move back inside when school
starts up in September.
The community at large continues to benefit
from HELO’s presence, employing not only the
staff at its homes and school, but masons and
laborers who have been building since
September, and who will continue to work as we
grow. Please watch for future fundraising
efforts, and please pray for our efforts as we
continue to grow. Thank you for helping us get
this far!!
A team will travel in December for our second
annual Christmas party. Teams are already
planned for Spring and Summer 2011. If you are
interested in traveling to Haiti with HELO, please
contact Elisabeth (Elisabeth@HeloHaiti.com)