Friday, February 14, 2014

Smiles....Blessings......

"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward." -Matthew 10:42

Today I am very excited to share this guest post with you.  Lynne today is going to tell you some about an adventure that has changed how she thinks and acts.  I hope you enjoy learning a bit about Lynne's journeys to Haiti as much as I have!!

Tell us a little about yourself. I am a Christian. I am married to my husband Ron. We have 2 grown children, Sarah and Andrew. I am a Special Education teacher. I have worked at my current job for 8 ½ years. Ron and I live a quiet life in Pennsylvania with our 3 greyhounds and 1 Min Pin. 
When did you first go to Haiti and what inspired you to go? My first trip to Haiti was in February 2012. I had no plans to ever leave the US. In fact when people at church would talk about missions trips I would quietly say to myself that I would never be able to do anything like that. In November 2011 Dawn Weidemoyer contacted me and told me she was looking for an experienced Special Ed teacher to help start preschool classrooms for children with disabilities in Haiti. Dawn and I had worked together years ago but had not been in contact with each other in more than 8 years. She said she had been praying about finding a teacher to take to Haiti and God kept telling her to take me. When she asked me to go (through a facebook message) I laughed then immediately tried to think of a way to say no. It only took a week or 2 for God to convince me that it was part of His plan. 
When do you plan to go Haiti next? My next trip to Haiti will be March 15th through the 29th. 
What do you do while you are there? We will spend a week in Port au Prince training 2 teachers to work with children with disabilities. We hope to officially start 2 classes. We will also visit orphanages and local hospitals while we are there. The second week will be spent in Cap Haitian at a respite center called Children of the Promise. We will work with the COTP staff to teach them how to work with children with disabilities. We will stress the “whys” of what we do with these special children. 
What is your favorite memory from your time in Haiti? My favorite memories are of the
smiling faces of the children in the classrooms. They are so happy to be accepted, loved, hugged and given an education. I love singing and dancing with the teachers and children. I have taught them some American songs and I have learned 2 songs in Creole. 
How has your time in Haiti impacted you? I work much harder to conserve all of my resources including money, water, food, material possessions, etc. As Americans we own way too much stuff and we waste everything. My family now eats left overs until they are gone so nothing gets thrown away. I also spend a lot of time picking up donations of things we can use during our trips to Haiti. Those things include classroom supplies, toys, cloth diapers, pediatric mobility equipment and cash donations. I also am able to put my life’s issues into a different perspective. I know how blessed I am to have so much compared to so many other people in the world. I than God every day for all that he has given me. I include a special thank you to Him for giving me both the resources and the heart to reach out and help others. 
How can we help you as you prepare for your trip? The most important thing people can do for me is pray. Pray for our safety in travel and while we are in Haiti. Pray that we are able to live the gospel as we interact with a culture that believes strongly in voodoo. In addition to prayer if anyone wants to contribute a tax deductible donation towards my trip or sponsor a child in our program (also tax deductible), they can look me up on facebook or email me at lynne_d_65@yahoo.com. I have also set up a Go Get Funding page for donations for people who prefer to pay through paypal http://gogetfunding.com/project/disability-classrooms-in-haiti

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing Lynn's story! I was so encouraged by it! I'll be praying for Lynn's work in Haiti. I especially love how she's helping workers learn how to work better with special needs students!!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it Hannah! I agree - it is great that she is helping the teachers know how to better care for the special ed students! :)

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  2. The cutest kid from COTP no longer lives there- he lives with my friends Ashley and Scott! They adopted from Haiti last summer and their little boy (the one featured in my airport party post) lived at COTP! Thank you so much for posting this, Lizzie! And Lynne, you will have an amazing time! : )

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    1. Jessi, I remember you saying that! I thought it was so neat that you knew of COTP and Lynne is going to go there :)

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  3. I love this! My dream (after grad school) is to do something like this. In the third world nations where I have traveled I've seen the lack of resources for and education about children with special needs, which is what really fueled my desire to further my education. Lynn, what organization do you partner with to do this?

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    1. That's so wonderful Rebecca!! I am sure you'd really enjoy something like that and that is would be a blessing to many :)

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    2. I connected with Lynne on facebook. I am really excited to possibly work with them in the future.

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    3. Wonderful Rebecca! That would be so exciting if you could end up working with them!! :)

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  4. Thanks to both of you for sharing this!! As a teacher of gifted students, I'd love to have the opportunity to do something like this someday and help the students that I've been trained to work with. Thanks for an inspiring reminder of the importance of sharing our experiences with those in need.

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    1. I am so glad you enjoyed this Stephanie!! I am sure that if you ever had the opportunity to do something similar to Lynne that it would be such a blessing to you and to the children!! :)

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