Tag: Caribbean

Compassion Bloggers are Going to the Dominican Republic

A team of Compassion Bloggers will be in the Dominican Republic from February 16 through February 20, 2015, blogging for children in poverty.

“It’s For the Kids”

Why do we do all we do for children? We do it because every child matters and every single child is worth fighting for!

What’s the Language of Love?

What is the language of love? Is it French (ooo la la!)? Spanish? And, how do we express love to our sponsored child when there is a language barrier?

Jesus Loves Me

The sound of children singing praise to Jesus has to be one of the most beautiful sounds. The joy that comes from a relationship with Jesus shows when the children sing.

“I’m Not Broke”

The lies of poverty tell a child that they are broke, unfixable and hopeless. But then there is Jesus. And Jesus tells a very different story.

Easter in Haiti

Easter weekend is a time of great celebration in Haiti. As in some other aspects of Haitian life, it’s a combination of Catholic and Voodoo tradition.

The Value of Vocational Training

Enock always shares with his siblings that he is the one who will take over from his father as breadwinner. He says that he always feels uncomfortable when he sees his mom crying when there is nothing at home for them to eat.

You’re Never Too Old to Learn

Julienne grew up with the belief that her ability to learn, her wisdom and her knowledge had all been drained by her twin sister who, on the other hand, always did well in school.

Combating Malaria in Haiti

Malaria, nearly non-existent in many other Caribbean countries, remains the third-leading cause of death among children under 5 in Haiti. Haiti lacks the public health, sanitation and human resources needed to deliver crucial preventive health and medical services to the population.

What Can a Hard-working Person Accomplish?

It’s 5 a.m., in the midst of complete darkness, and members of the Pentecostal Church of God in Batey Magdalena are gathered in one of the dusty streets of this sugarcane-cutting community. Worshiping the Lord, they pray for spiritual healing for their people.

Claudio, now a civil engineering graduate through our Leadership Development Program, is in charge of leading these gatherings.

As he was leading the group one day, the area’s most-feared voodoo leader came after him with a machete. The man shouted death threats and claimed that “those prayers” bothered him. But as he raised the machete to attack Claudio, the man’s body began to tremble and he collapsed to the ground. His sons picked him up and took him home.

Despite threats Claudio faces while doing street ministry, he persists. He is accustomed to overcoming obstacles.

During his early years, this young adult’s life was similar to the lives of many other children in Batey Magdalena: He and his twin sister were being raised by their uncle while their mother, Clarissa, worked on another island.

Then his mother returned home and, to better support her children, she began to make iced drinks, corn pies and fried wheat goods. Claudio sold trays of these goods and iced drinks to the community.

He learned at a young age that hard work and determination would help him accomplish his goals.

In his last year studying civil engineering, he flunked the exams in two classes and passed one class with a very low grade. He was called into a meeting with our country office director, Kleber Isaias Lora Bautista.

“I remember when I was called to Kleber’s office, I said to myself, ‘Well, in this lap, I’m out.’ But Kleber said, ‘Let’s do something that I have never done before. I’m going to write a letter so that you can get a time extension.’

“He said, ‘Claudio, I know that you are going to finish well; I know that you can.’”

Claudio was able to feel the grace of God in this time of trial. (more…)