Creating Ripples

Mother Teresa says, “I alone can not change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”  This past December many kind and generous individuals created ripples that will benefit our orphanage family for many years to come.

To start things off in mid December, Brett Stevens of Stevens General Contracting came to assess the renovation needs of the orphanage so that he would be able to more easily present the scope of the job to his team.  He and other very skilled contractors plan to return in the spring and work like crazy for several days. The end result will be amazing!

Before Brett left, 8 cadets from the Air force Academy came and worked for several days followed by several more days of work by the Jensen Family.  Thanks to these two teams of wonderful people, we were able to cover all of the bedrooms and the entire main level of the orphanage with a new coat of paint.   The colors are lovely and vibrant.  The day I left, the walls still looked very clean!

During the painting project, the kids were displaced and for several days and had to make do with staying in one area of the main level most of the time. Many of the older kids grabbed a brush and worked for a long time. Even the younger kids pitched in to help.

Although the paint fight that ensued between two of our teenagers caused a little extra work for the two of them, even their contribution was a net gain.  They were all very good sports.   It helped that the DVD player was working so they could continue practicing their English by singing to a karaoke DVD that included Justin Biebers Baby Baby Baby, The Jackson 5’s ABC, and Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up”. By the end of the trip even our little 3 year old knew many of the words.

I want to thank Brett and his team for enthusiastically heading up this renovation project. It is going to be amazing!   Thanks to the cadets who spent part of their Christmas break sleeping in tents so they could serve. They were great with the kids and were fun to have in town.  Thanks to the Jensen Family for giving up all of their usual family holiday traditions and spending their entire Christmas vacation in Haiti.   They got more done than I ever thought possible and their enthusiasm and love for each of the children was palpable.  I know the kids will never forget the memories they made with them.

Thanks to Theodore Berthoni for organizing the Air force Trip and a special thanks to our orphanage director Harry. It was a crazy two weeks! Organizing food, water and transportation for 9 extra people each day was no small task and although in the end everyone is glad to have new paint on the walls it is difficult to have your entire home in disarray, especially over Christmas! Thanks for your patience, Harry!!