When our own kids were still in our house and as they approached their teen years, our focus was on preparing them for the “outside” world. Preparing them to be “okay” in any situation as they head out to college and the years beyond. Helping them understand the importance of having a job, and supporting them in their quest to find their first one. McDonalds? Somewhere in the Mall? Wegmans? The choices for a part time job seemed many. Helping them “transition” into adulthood and the world outside of our house. Supporting them in what they felt “called” to do in their work after college.
Never would we have imagined at that time in our lives we would have to think about all of this process with over 70 kids in a country like Haiti! It is so different, but we want the same goal for these kids. We want them to have hope and desires for their futures just as we experienced with our kids in the USA.
Continue reading “Expanding Transition Training”
In this season of Thanksgiving, we want to reflect on other things that we’re thankful for….and it starts with the amazing donors, supporters and friends that are all essential to making this journey possible! Thanks for all your prayers, financial assistance, encouragement, conversations, care packages, and sharing our social media posts. We can’t do this without you and really appreciate each and every one of you.
This weekend we had the opportunity to celebrate the first high school graduation from one of our kids within the Hands and Feet Project (HAFP) organization! Congratulations to Marvensky for making it through 13th grade (Filo) and we pray that he will continue with his educational success and fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor! He is currently looking at universities in Port au Prince where he can continue his education.
As we approach the end of our 2nd year in Haiti, there are some successes that bring us a great deal of joy. Our relationships with the kids continue to grow as they see that we’re not packing up our belongings and leaving Haiti. That’s been a topic of conversation with some of our kids as many of our predecessors left before the 18-month mark. It’s also exciting to see 12-15 of our older kids wanting to go with us to church and wanting to also attend church youth group 
Therefore, 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.