Author: Randy

Time Away and Visiting Us in Haiti

We returned to Haiti on January 10 after a restful furlough. We had a great time visiting with many family, friends and supporters during our time in upstate New York and on both coasts of Florida, and wish we could have visited with many more of you!  We also intentionally built in a good time of rest for us. Self-care. We have learned the value of that, big time!  We are so glad we did!

On our trip back to Haiti, we traveled with an intern from Alabama. Graham is here with us for 3 months Continue reading “Time Away and Visiting Us in Haiti”

15 Year Anniversary

Happy New Year everyone!  

It was over 1.5 years ago that we moved to Haiti to serve with The Hands and Feet Project (HAFP). This year, HAFP is celebrating 15 years of serving in Haiti! In the short time we’ve been there, we’ve seen positive change and so much potential. We can’t even imagine what those who have been part of the organization for 15 years have seen! Here’s a video Continue reading “15 Year Anniversary”

We Are Thankful

As we write this we can almost guarantee that anyone reading it has a full belly. We have seen posts on Facebook all day of all the turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pies, and even pizza that has been prepared and consumed. So now you have someone napping, watching football, doing dishes or maybe even out starting the Christmas shopping!

Continue reading “We Are Thankful”

Transition Time

Moving Off Campus

Some exciting news is that some of our kids young adults have moved! Social Services in Haiti has a policy that kids can only stay within an orphan care facility until the age of 18. Considering the challenges that kids face here in Haiti, on top of the effects of trauma from abandonment or possible abuse that kids in our care may have dealt with, the age of 18 comes too quickly.  Transition House Moving DayTherefore, Hands and Feet Project has transition housing outside of our facility where our kids can live for a few years to help them transition into living in the community. They have a resident assistant to help them navigate living independently without all the benefits of those living on our campus.

Continue reading “Transition Time”

Summer Sizzles and School Starts

volleyball in the courtyard Every time we write a new post, it seems like we talk about how fast the time goes by. This is no exception. Summer is sizzling away here with temperatures at least in the 90s every day and the heat index into triple digits.  We visited our old hometown of Rochester, New York in the last part of June and into July. Soon after our return to Haiti, there was a period of unrest and some rioting over a proposed significant increase in fuel prices. You can read more about this and the impact on the Hands and Feet Project in a post from Mark Stuart by clicking here.

The period of unrest resulted in an increase in the travel advisory level from the US embassy / state department that caused us to cancel 2 teams that were supposed to visit us this summer. Continue reading “Summer Sizzles and School Starts”

Life in Haiti

As you may have seen on TV and on the internet. there’s been a bit of unrest in Haiti over the last week.  It started when a significant fuel price increase was announced.  Depending on the type of fuel, the increases ranged from 38-51%.  The price increase was put in place due to pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).  Hands and Feet Project MissionCan you imagine the chaos that would cause in your community?  That would be a bit of a hardship on some people.  Here in Haiti, Continue reading “Life in Haiti”

One Year in Haiti

It’s hard to believe that we moved to Haiti a year ago!  That year has flown by.  As we look ahead into our 2nd year, we took some time to review the last year and provide this video update.

Thanks to our many amazing supporters that help make this possible.  We would love to have you join our team of financial and prayer partners!  You can support our work financially by making a donation to the Hands and Feet Project in our name.  You can also sponsor one or more of the kids that are in our care.

Feel free to Like and Share this video to help spread the word about the work that we’re doing.

Open House Opportunity and Rochester NY Visit

After a very tiring and long journey back to the states, we arrived in Rochester, New York and got into bed about 4:00am-ish on Tuesday morning. We had both been up for just over 24 hours.  Neither of us had not done that in many years!  We will be in Rochester through July 2nd, and are staying at Randy’s Mom and Dad’s house in Webster.  They are wonderful hosts to us.

Continue reading “Open House Opportunity and Rochester NY Visit”

A Day in Haiti

A few people have asked what a typical day in Haiti looks like, and we’ve put off trying to answer that because there’s not much of a pattern to a typical day!  We’ve tried logging our time a few different days, but that gets put aside when the first urgent need of the day comes up. We never get bored of the routine, and there’s always something else to learn!

Hands and Feet Project Campus from the Big House
Panorama view of campus form the Big House

Our campus consists of perhaps 15 acres of land, separated by a suspension bridge. Continue reading “A Day in Haiti”

Nine Months

Kids Ready For School
Kids Ready For School

Nine months. That’s hard to grasp. Where does the time go? Can you believe that it’s been 9 months since we moved to Haiti? Nine months of waking up to the joyful sounds of kids waiting to be taken to school (and the occasional rooster). Nine months of learning about each of the nearly 75 kids on our campus and in community care, forming a relationship with each one of them and helping to determine their areas of strength. Nine months of getting to know each of our Haitian staff who each Continue reading “Nine Months”