On Wednesday and Thursday, Caroline once again entered our daily day, sharing her presence with our Haitian brothers and sisters. Whether it was helping with homework, visiting the homes of our kids, or visiting the sick, she offered the God life in her to all she met.
On Wednesday, Caroline went with the Mother Angela Clinic to St. Andrew’s. After a two-hour ride through the mountain on some bumpy roads, we made our way to where patients were waiting for us to arrive. Some left their homes as early as 5 a.m. to be there for 9 a.m., our scheduled arrival time.
On Sunday, September 9, Caroline Stanfill, Program Outreach Coordinator for the Felician Sisters of North America, arrived in Jacmel at the Felician Haiti Mission. Her joy beamed as we introduced ourselves and met the Lord in each other. The purpose of her visit is to get to know the Mission, as we offer opportunities for people to share in the art of accompaniment. Daily, she is entering our life here and truly being present to all those she meets. Already she has a friend, James, a shy little boy, who took a liking to Caroline. She taught him how to play ping pong. The next day he came up to us and said: “I want to ask the white lady if she wants to play with me again.” We told him, “Go ask yourself.” Sure enough, he did. The power of presence and relationship is transforming!
I still remember and shed a tear every year, as I remember what happened that day we call 9/11.
Can you imagine never having your own pair of shoes, let alone dress shoes? This little guy for the first time received a new pair of dress shoes and he was ecstatic with joy! Thank you for caring enough to offer a kid a new pair of shoes. Now he can go to school.
Now that school has started, during the week we offer an after-school study program. Kids come with their backpacks and books and work with a teen tutor to do their homework. Kids also have the opportunity to use the computer lab regularly.
We are taking great pride in our garden on our property. Lately, we have been having a lot of pumpkins and watermelon.
Soon the papaya will be ready.
On Saturday, August 25, Ludwiga and Mathilda were prepared to receive their First Holy Communion…their joy and anticipation shouted loudly their love for the Lord and their desire to now take and eat and to take and drink the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It has been a very blessed weekend for us here. Ludwica and Mathilda were accepted into the Catholic Church and received their First Holy Communion. They have been preparing for this moment during this past year, desiring every day to participate at the Table of the Lord. Over the summer, they had some intense preparation as the day became closer.
On Friday, August 24, everything was ready for their Baptism in our convent chapel. The water, the holy chrism for Baptism, the candles. Dressed in their white dresses, made by Madam Omanie, they were ready to enter the sanctuary of the Lord. Father Samson presided at the Mass and preached boldly what their Baptism means for them and the Church: their call to be priest, prophet and king, now to be a living witness of their lives with Jesus Christ and His Church. Ludwica and Mathilda were ready to answer loudly the questions asked: DO YOU BELIEVE…? YES, I BELIEVE…could be heard by all.
After the celebration, a small receptions was given with Soup Jamou (pumpkin soup) and two cakes. The joy of the Lord is our strength!
We never know when someone comes to the door what their need might be. One day, within that one morning, we received two little babies. One, you may remember his story, was Jamesly. When he came to us last year, just a month or two old, he was nearly dead. Malnourished and sickly, he did not have the strength to feed at his mother’s breast. Today Jamesly, who we see monthly, is a healthy year-old boy, getting ready to walk. Jamesly gives us such joy when we see his progress.
Right after Jamesly left, another mother arrived. This one we had not seen before. Her child was lifeless at first and also a year old. What a difference from Jamesly!
Both the child and her mother looked so sick and so hungry. The mother gave us a story that the child had been in the hospital and received blood, but she was still in bad shape. We gave her some pedialyte, powdered milk, diapers and some clothes. We encouraged her to see our doctor in the Mother Angela Clinic.
And, as always, we prayed over them for healing…
