Tag: Caring for Kids

McGarvey News Update

On January 16th, the organization we work with, Hands and Feet Project, posted this on Facebook (no Facebook account is needed to open the link):

Please pray for Hands & Feet Project’s missionary staff. Like many missionaries in Haiti, they have experienced interruptions to their ministry and mission over the past several months. Our missionaries are temporarily stateside, away from their home, separated from their community and pausing the life that God has called them to step into. Please pray for each missionary called to Haiti to persevere through setback after setback and challenge after challenge.

HAFP Missionaries:
Rachel, Michelle, Randy & Denise

We could not have asked for a better statement at this time. We are away from our home. We are away from our community. We are away from our friends we have made, the children at Hands and Feet Project, our staff there, our church we have grown to love and many other parts of our home and community in Haiti. We are expected to work as much as we can with those that are in Haiti while we are away from home. This can prove to be difficult. The uncertainty of the internet, power, etc., makes it hard to communicate. Perseverance is a great word for this time we are in. It honestly feels like we have had more setbacks and challenges in our ministry there this last year than ever before. But we also see successes through these trials.

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2021 Review and Looking Ahead to 2022

Happy New Year! While 2021 was a hard year for many of us, we want to pause and look at the positive work that Hands and Feet Project (HAFP) is doing in Haiti. Then we want to look ahead to our plans for 2022.

2021 Year in Review

Throughout 2021, Hands and Feet Project has continued to provide families and to preserve families for children in Haiti. New families are being supported to enable children to stay with them, children have been reunified with family, more children have a safe place to stay in our daycares while their mom & dad work, and new children have been brought into HAFP to provide loving families. There are even more requests for assistance from families in our community as the challenges of finding work and food continue. We are thankful that HAFP continues to have the ability to meet the needs of so many.

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Spring 2021 McGarvey News Update

Welcoming Spring

snowdrops in the snow

Spring is a time for new life and new growth after surviving the winter season. Every year we see the pictures of snowdrops and crocuses poking through the snow on warm days. We had many of those flowers at our house in upstate New York and looked forward to seeing them mark the beginning of the Spring season every year. This Spring is a new season for us as well.

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Modified Open House in Rochester

We are excited to share that we’re heading back to Haiti at the end of the month! In order to see as many people as possible before we leave, we’re having a modified open house for those in the Rochester, New York area. On Friday, August 21, we will be at Panera Bread in Penfield from noon to 3 and 5 to 7:30. We are asking people to reserve a time slot, if possible, so we don’t have a large group there at one time. You can reply to this message, reply to the open house event on Facebook, text us, email us, send a web site comment, send a carrier pigeon, or just come visit us when you have the time available.

Returning to Haiti

Shadows at Sampson State Park in New York
Feeling tall at Sampson State Park

Regarding our return to Haiti, the borders to Haiti opened last month, and we found some affordable flights from Rochester. The number of airlines and flights to Haiti have been reduced, so the trip to Haiti now requires an overnight layover, but we worked it out so we are meeting up with other people along the way and fly in together.

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Haiti, Health and Wellness

Jacmel Campus and Haiti News

Hello everyone! We hope and pray that each and every one of you and your families are safe, healthy, and able to find all the essentials during this lockdown period. We also pray that you have a wonderful Easter weekend as we reflect on the death and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement as we continue to lead our staff in Haiti from afar. So far, Haiti only has 30 reported cases of Coronavirus Covid-19. Only a few cases have been reported in the Jacmel area so far.

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Two Years in Haiti!

Today, June 17, marks our 2 year anniversary of moving to Haiti.

When you think of all that can happen in a two year time period, it boggles the mind. That is how we are feeling at the moment. Really? Two years has gone by? We mean, flown by!

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Congratulations to Our First Graduate!

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.

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May in Rochester

What are your plans for May? Here are some of ours:

  1. Lilac Festival at Highland Park
  2. Rochester Public Market
  3. Rochester Twilight Criterium bike race
  4. Animal Adventure Park visit (think giraffes!)
  5. Dunkin’ Donuts latte
  6. Coldstone Creamery ice cream
  7. Wegmans Food Market grocery store
  8. Panera Bread Company Open House
  9. Church and small group conversations
  10. Time with family, friends and our awesome supporters
Visiting Rochester, New York Lilac Festival at Highland Park
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Campus Life Spring Update

Fun with glasses on the Big House porchAs 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 Continue reading “Campus Life Spring Update”