Photos From Eve Rose

Here are some photos from my visit to Eve Rose’s orphanage.

Best Haitian meal ever!

Handing out backpacks and school supplies.

Books in the library.

The library building.

In a month, these chickens will make the perfect meal.

Love these babies!

Play time!

One of the classrooms.

Goats.

Brown-eggers.

Rabbits.

White-eggers.

When you need to charge your phone with a Haitian portable charger because there is no electricity.

Mmm, mmm good.

Roost Squad.

Mangoes on deck.

Pineapples.

Fresh produce.

Inside the classroom.

New bag swag.

What girl doesn’t know Madeline?

The Joyful Mother of Children

The sunrises in Haiti are absolutely beautiful. They make up for all of the roosters.

Our second day in Haiti began with team members unpacking and organizing our supplies. We also had Haitian oatmeal for breakfast. It was thick, creamy and delicious.

Me, Adrian and Monica.

Our time today was spent at Eve Rose’s orphanage. The orphanage is not too far down the road from Haitian Christian Mission (HCM). We took a van by two trips to get all of us there. When we arrived, the children all greeted us with warm smiles and hugs — how sweet. Eve Rose’s place is beautiful. Oddly, the structure reminds me of a larger version of the playhouse that my cousin’s had while we were growing up. From the top level, you can see the lake and mountains as well as the rest of the property.

Eve Rose shared her testimony with us. She used to live in the United States where she received a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree and worked as a teacher in North Carolina. She and her husband planned to have a family, but ended up having 12 miscarriages. Because of this, her husband left her. This was not a dead end for Eve. She decided to return to Haiti to do the work of the Lord. While working, God blessed her with a new husband. Together they have started an orphanage. Eve went from having no children to having, now, 31 children. God has truly blessed her. They also have a school that is free for children to attend. Eve Rose has a sweet spirit, and it was so nice of her to welcome us into her home.

He gives the childless woman a household, making her the joyful mother of children. Hallelujah! Psalm 113:9

Another sister at the orphanage shared her testimony. It was kind of similar. She went to live in the United States, but returned to Haiti to be a blessing to others. The key point in her message that touched me was when she talked about raising money so that she could go out and do the work of the Lord. She noted that it was more important for her to have people who believed in her and supported her. If you use all of your own money, then the work has not been anointed by God. This was important to me because several of my family and friends supported me by sponsoring this trip. Whether is was money, supply donations, prayer or comforting words, I am so thankful for all of the support that I received. It tool a lot for me to have confidence to ask for support, but God gave me the extra guts to do it. In addition, he placed it on my supporters’ hearts to graciously give to me, which allowed me to give to others. This is how I know this trip was anointed.

On the tour of Eve Rose’s property, we saw the school classrooms and the library. The classrooms are open buildings without a door or windows, so students are able to enjoy a fresh breeze and great view while they learn. I loved being in the library. Although it is not yet full, it is growing. We were able to bless them with new French books for the library. Eve Rose told us that along with a regular education, which is a blessing to have in Haiti, they also work to teach the students a trade. The boys can learn skills like manual labor, and the girls can learn skills like cooking, physical therapy and beautician artistry. They working on building an entertainment building that can be used as a movie theater to project the screen onto a blank wall. There are tons of chickens. Chickens for white eggs, chickens for brown eggs and chickens for a two-piece special. They also have goats. In addition, they grow all of their produce. There are bananas, plantains, corn, okra, watermelon and mangoes just to name a few things.

Next we got to play with the kids some more. I played on the playground, jumped rope blew bubbles, drew pictures and colored with the adorable kiddies. We gave each child a new pair of shoes and a new backpack filled with school supplies. The kids were not only nice to us, but you could easily tell that they really love each other and Eve Rose; they are a family. Several of the kids come from interesting situations. The youngest is five months old, and she was abandoned by her mother at birth in the mountains. Also, many kids come from all over the area to attend her school because there is no cost.

We wanted to do something special for Eve Rose since she does so much for others. We did a makeover in her bedroom with new sheet sets for her bed and the two cribs in the room. Have I mentioned how cute the babies are!? This definitely makes me want to adopt one of them.

I think my favorite part of the day was lunchtime. It started with fresh pineapples. Then we had rice and beans, millet, fish and these super yummy biscuits (best Haitian meal ever). During lunch, the children sang for us. The spirit of the Lord was truly present. It always warms my heart to see children praising God.

All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. Isaiah 54:13

A view of Eve Rose’s site.

Mwen Renmen HCM

(I Love HCM): Life at Haitian Christian Mission

Rooftop view outside of our room.

Staying at HCM is actually pretty cool. There is so much going on around the compound; you can literally create an entire life here. There is a clinic and hospital with a maternity ward, a school, a church, a recreation center, basketball courts, a wood shop, and a new peanut factory.

There are dorm areas for us to sleep. The guys stay in the main building where the dining room is and most of the girls stay at the apartment house; sorority house style living. I’ve had a great time with my four awesome roomies Regina, Shemaria, Dawn and Janice. We have our own bathroom and the house has a full kitchen area. There are even two kittens. There is electricity sometimes. It usually comes on around in the evenings around dinner and goes in and out during the night. If there’s electricity, there is A/C — praise the Lord!

Oh, hey there neighbor.

In Haiti, the water is not as sanitary as water is in the U.S. Many people do not have easy access to water. Also, many people have to travel outside of their homes to retrieve water for their families. Water to cook, clean, bathe and drink. We were fortunate to have water where we were staying, but we were advised not to drink or brush our teeth with the water from the faucet. The only downfall is that the water is cold. Since it’s so hot, it actually feels good to me in the shower. We also wash the dishes with cold water. It is also important not to waste water if possible. I have noticed that I waste a lot of water on a regular basis. One evening, I was washing the dishes and didn’t notice that I was letting the water run while rinsing the dishes until one of the kitchen staff members shut if off. I think she was a little upset. Oops. This doesn’t include how I usually let the water run while I brush my teeth or let the shower run for minutes before getting in it. For drinking, we were provided with fresh, purified water  — as well as Coke and Couronne (orange soda).

The staff is beyond amazing here, especially the kitchen staff. All of the food is authentically Haitian and organic which I love. We have everything from fresh fruits like mangoes and bananas; fresh vegetables for yummy salads; fresh passion fruit, mango and coconut juice; and I can’t forget the beans and rice or that delicious porridge.

All in all, I have to say the only thing I kind of hate is the fact that the roosters love to crow at all times of the day and night. The first night a choir of them woke me up at 1:43 a.m. The split sleep was the worst, but, I guess, there is no way to ever oversleep and you have a chance to catch the beautiful sunrise.

The view of the lake and mountains at sunrise from outside our room on the roof.

I am thankful to have easy access to clean water at home. Clean water out of the faucet that can be hot or cold and clean, purified water out of a bottle if I want. I am more than thankful to have A/C all the time also.