Day 2 of Giving: Sponsor an Orphan

Not a day goes by when one of my girls does not mention the orphans in Haiti. Meilani prays for the orphans each night at dinner and before bed. Giada frequently asks when we will be going back to our mission house to see her friends at the orphanage. Meilani remembers Rose Kathia, the oldest girl in the orphanage, who always included her.

This summer we had the privilege of living next door to The Bridge Christian Children's Home, an orphanage opened in Fall of 2009. Our church, The Bridge, in Fresno, California, helped provide the funding for the building. The orphanage today is home to 15 orphans and an all-Haitian staff. These beautiful children became sisters and brothers to my Meilani and Giada.

Roro is the director of the orphanage. He and his wife, Moseline, are the papa and mama to these children along with three dorm parents, Angela, Maniolitha and Eracin. These adults lead the children in Bible studies, teach them how to care for their home and even help the with their studies. The children attend the church and school also on the same property as the orphanage. They eat three Haitian meals a day and have health care.

Orphan care is often complicated in Haiti but we know these children are in a safe place. Sponsoring a child in this orphanage is one way your family can "adopt" a child and keep her off the streets. Many of these children were abandoned by family members who could no longer provide for them or left because their parents died from disease. In two years time, we have watched them grow physically as well as spiritually and emotionally.

*We invite you to consider supporting an orphan like James. It costs $100 each month to provide the food, clothes, education, health care, pay our staff and provide a loving home for these children. We still have several children who are not yet fully sponsored or have lost sponsors because of the economy. You can choose to sponsor a child for the full amount or share a sponsorship and pledge $25, $35 or $50 a month and join with other families to support them. Each sponsor will receive periodic photographs and updates on their child. See www.ChristianFriendshipMinistries.org for more details on sponsorship.