They're Rescuing Me

     Recently I posted a quote and a meme on my Facebook page.  It was very simple, and it said "You think that I'm rescuing these kids.  Truth is, they're rescuing me."  Some people have asked for an explanation.  Well, here is my attempt.

     First, there is a huge caveat.  The caveat is that it is really hard to explain what I mean.  Some things we just know, we just feel, we just understand without really knowing all of the details.  Sometimes truth is just truth.  I'll try to explain, but it might make it even more confusing.

     Second, there is, of course, a very real element of our ministry that is us rescuing the kids.  However, I don't look at it that way.  I think that God is rescuing them and, if He chooses to let us play a little part in that, that's on Him.  Give Him the credit if you need to give it to anybody. 

     With those two things out of the way, I'll try to explain here.  I am not a perfect person (shocking, I know).  I am full of screw ups, misunderstandings, attitudes, tempers...you name it.  I try really hard not to be like that.  Some days are better than others.  I am human, it is what it is; perfection is not a goal to try to obtain.  The day to day of life; work, ministry, family are great; I have no complaints.  However, we all tend to get stuck in our lives.  We are confortable where we are and with what we are doing.  Monotany can be killer...but we all strive for it. 

     The kids we work with in Haiti force me not to be like that.  They force me to live outside of who I am.  They force me to not be me.  They are part of God building a better me.  I can't be comfortable and serve them well.  I can't get stuck in the monotany of everything being okay.  They push me to be better, they push me to care more, they push me to love without condition.  They have taught me more than I think I can ever teach them.  Empathy. Compassion. Grace.

     I don't want to be stuck.  I don't want to just do what everybody else does and be happy.  Life isn't about being happy, life is about bringing little pieces of Heaven to earth for others.  That can make you happy; that can also drive you to insanity.  That's a risk I am willing to take.  I don't want to be stuck in a bubble, I don't want to tread water, I want to move forward.  This is what the kids have done for me.  They have rescued me from me.  They have given me all of the inspiration I need to get off of my knees and do something. 

     That either explained the meme to you, or made you even more confused.  Either way, come to Haiti with me sometime...then you'll get it for yourself.



 

I Speak Ninja! - Austin

Austin, 7 years old, recently spent a week in Haiti, his future home.  Here are some of his thoughts...

What he liked most...

" Playing soccer with the boys." (It was more of a handball/soccer hybrid, with lots of pushing...but they loved it!)

"It's not cold." (Can't argue with that!)

Why are we moving to Haiti...

"It's not cold in the winter." ( I see a theme here...)

"We have to help the kids.  They need help with food and stuff.  The clinic will help the kids when they get sick." (Simple and true!)

What are you most excited about...

"Warm weather!" (Ummm...)

"Playing with the kids everyday.  Like the kids at the school who think I speak Ninja!" (Ok, so we were working in the clinic during school hours and the kids played during recess with the school kids.  One of the boys came up to Austin, with all his little bravery, and asked in English "Do you speak English?", Austin replied "No, I speak Ninja!" with his best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pose.  The boy had no idea what to do, so they just laughed together.)

Who is your best friend in Haiti...

"Nica.  She is funny and my size.  She let us call her Dr. Nicachu." (I think that's a Pokemon reference that Nica surely didn't understand, but Austin found it hilarious!)

Thoughts from mom and dad...

Austin is energy 24/7!  He had a great time in Haiti and always had somebody to play with and expend some of that energy.  He makes friends everywhere and is a comedian, even if speaking a different language than his audience.

He is going to love having boys to run around with, in warm weather, everyday after school.  I am sure the boys are excited for him too.  Somewhere in Haiti today is a little boy asking everybody that he knows if there is a Rosetta Stone to help him learn Ninja.

To help support the Reichard Family as they prepare to move to Haiti this summer, please go to fgo.webconnex.com/contribute and select "Reichard Family Support" from the drop-down menu.

Sharing My Barbies - Madison

Madison, who is 6, recently had her first trip to Haiti in preparation for moving there this summer.  Here are some of her thoughts:

What she liked the most...

"I liked to play with the kids.  We colored with chalk.  They were very nice to me and showed me how to say Haiti words." (We still hear "Bonjou" everyday.  It's the only one she remembers, but at least she's practicing it!)

Why we are moving to Haiti...

"Some of the kids don't have moms and dads, so we can help be their family." (She's slightly obsessed with the idea that their moms and dads aren't there to put them to bed and help with homework.)

"It's a good idea to have a place for them to go when they are sick or hurt." (Pretty sure she thinks that she is the nurse for the clinic.)

What she's most excited about...
"Sharing my Barbies" (We'll believe it when we see it!)  :-)

Her best friend in Haiti...
"Rebecca.  I gave her my shoes that are too small.  We are friends." (She bought her friendship with shoes!)

Mom and Dad's Thoughts:
     Our Haitian kids have been asking to see Madison since before she was born!  We told them they saw her already, sort of, because we were in Haiti when about a month pregnant with her.  That wasn't good enough for them, of course.  It was an exciting day at each of the homes when Madison showed up.  The girls, obviously, became very close to her very quickly.  After the initial obsession with her long, straight hair they began to include her in whatever they were doing.  She jumped rope, colored, played dress-up and played on the swings.  All of the girls, especially the older ones, were in "big-sister-mode" and made sure that she always had her water bottle, was not too-hot and didn't want for anything!
     Madison asks a lot of questions and wants to know about the story behind the story.  She is worried about the kids not having parents around.  She is worried about the school kids having not had a place to go when they are sick until now.  She is most worried, in typical 6-year old fashion, about why they don't all have Barbies.

If you'd like to help support the Reichard Family as they prepare to move to Haiti this summer, please visit fgo.webconnex.com/contribute  and select "Reichard Family Support" from the drop-down menu.

I Work For Them

      One of the things that I struggle with is when people say to me "What you're doing is so amazing" and "I couldn't do that, you guys are awesome".  I know what people mean and I know the intent behind what they're saying; it's just not something I am comfortable with.  I am no hero...but I know some...I work for them.
      I am not a saint.  I am not a hero.  I don't need kudos and pats on the back.  I book flights, make travel arrangements, do budgets, plan ministry, write blogs, give ideas, listen to ideas, make phone calls, send emails, organize stuff, speak to groups...it's not rocket science.  It's not that hard.  Does somebody have to do it?  Sure, somebody does, so I will, but I am not special.  I am not irreplacable.
      The real heroes of what we do at Freedom Global Outreach are the kids.  They do all of the hard work.  They work through life battling histories that would keep most of us awake at night.  They do incredible amounts of school work in hot, stuffy, crowded classrooms.  They live in a full house with almost no privacy or quiet space.  They do the hard work that it takes every single day to change their circumstances.  They face their demons, face their trials and move forward each and every day.
     I am not a hero, but I know some...I work for them.  Now, really we all work for God, the kids and I both, all that we do we do because of Him and the grace that He has given us.  That we know...but beyond that macro-level, in the day-to-day, I work for the kids.  They are my bosses and my supervisors.  What I do, I do for them.
     I am not a hero...but I know some...I work for them.


If you'd like to help support our family as we work towards moving to Haiti this summer to work for the kids full-time, please visit fgo.webconnex.com/contribute and select "Reichard Family Support" from the drop-down menu.



    

We're Giving Them Life

    Sunday evening at Pastor Abraham's house is always, always Haitian hot-chocolate night!  At the end of a weekend it is always nice to sit over a cup of the chocolaty, spicey mixture and a piece of cheese and bread.  It is a time to chat and reflect on what has been going on and where we are as a ministry.  

     This past Sunday while sitting and chatting Abraham was sharing about some of the children's services paperwork he has been doing for the homes and the kids, he began to talk about the way we want the kids treated in the community.  We want them to be treated as kids, just like all other kids, with love.  They don't need the label "orphans" or to be treated differenty, they just need to be loved, just like all other kids.  It is love that will ultimitley give them life.

     We talked together about a girl who recently had to move from our home to another due to a certain behavior that couldn't be handled in a home our size.  It was sad hearing Abraham talk about all of the ways that he tried to love her, the staff tried to show her love and the effort that we all put in to helping her.  In the end, it didn't work out for her.  We can't save everybody...actually, we can't save anybody, that's not our job.  

     Our job is actually really simple.  We are to love kids.  We have kids who were restevek's (child slaves), kids without living parents, kids with a disabled living parent and a few with a living parent who left them.  It doesn't matter how they came to us, it just matters that they came.  They are here now, now we are responsible.

      Abraham reminisced with us about how far some of the kids have come in their time with us.  They were so different from when they first came.  Abraham shared that he is pretty sure some of them wouldn't be anywhere at all, or would be in terrible places, if they weren't with us.  Loving them is our job, the result of that love is giving them life; physical life, spiritual life, emotional life. 

     Sometimes we think that our job has to be complicated and we have to do all sorts of things to help the kids.  No we don't, it is actually really easy.  We have to do our job and love them and let God do His job and save them.  Love looks a lot of different ways, but it is still love.  When we give them love, we give them life. 

     

Reichard Family To Serve in Haiti

          Freedom Global Outreach is thrilled to announce that the Reichard family will be moving to Jacmel, Haiti in the summer of 2015 to work as our first full-time missionaries! The Reichard’s are co-founders of FGO, along with the Lock’s from Canada, and will be great representatives of our values and mission in Haiti. They have been with us from the beginning and have deep connections to Haiti and to the kids and communities that we support.
          Julie is a Registered Nurse and will be overseeing our exciting new project, Heaven’s Angels Pediatric Clinic, which is currently being built in Jacmel. Julie and her staff will oversee the medical care for over 1,300 students of Vie De France Primary School and several hundred other kids in the community. She will also be responsible for overseeing visiting nurses, physicians and lay people who come to assist in the clinic.
          Matt has an extensive ministry background and education and will be the director of all of our on the ground ministry. He will work with Julie on the administrative aspects of the clinic, including connecting children and their families with other community resources when needed. He will oversee all visitors to FGO in Haiti, ministry budgets in Haiti and work hand in hand with our Haitian leaders on the mission of our orphanages, which is to develop individualized goals and plans for the kid’s long-term education and careers.
          Logan, Austin and Madison will also have a role to play in ministry. While they navigate the huge change from living in Pennsylvania to living in Jacmel, and the change to home/cyber school, they will work alongside of their parents in sharing love and life with the children in our ministry and the surrounding communities.
          Please join us in welcoming the Reichard’s into this amazing new journey of their life. Pray for them as they begin the process of closing down their lives at home and preparing for their move to Haiti. Keep an eye out on this space and others for information on how you can help be a part of their journey and our mission.

Freedom Global Outreach

Meet Some of Our New Kids!

We have 19 new kids that joined the Freedom House Grace family in the past several weeks, brining our girl's home up to 37 and our boy's up to 21!.  Many of them came from an area in Haiti that is suffering major food shortages, starvation and the abandonment and orphaning of children.  They are battling some medical issues (worms, distended stomachs, malnutrition), but are on the mend.  It is not always easy work for our amazing staff to walk with these kids through these issues, but they are lovingly caring for their needs.  As with many of our kids in the past, a little bit of medicine and a lot of love can heal many, many things.

Meet some of the new kids...