Croatian Relief Services Inc.

The expectations of Easter in Haiti for the three of us can be summed up into one biblical phrase: “Behold, the new has come” (Cor 5:17)

So much has changed here since Christmas, you can say that the orphanage is looking “like new”. With the help of the volunteers we have painted the entire interior of the house, organized a small infirmary for the children, and planted lots of flowers and citrus. We have mounted several of the children’s beds that arrived in the container, and we no longer have four children sharing a bed. The old, thin sponge pads that they had been sleeping with are now replaced with used mattresses, which are actually in great condition. The cook and housekeeper no longer sleep on the floor; they now have their own little room and beds. We purchased and painted 50 new chairs for the kids, as well as having formed a small library, study room, and play room for them. Through the goodness of your hearts and your donations we can proudly say: The Cardinal Stepinac Children Center is a new place, adjusted to the needs of our orphans.

God has blessed us with some other “news”: the little boy with tuberculosis has recovered and returned to our orphanage from the hospital. His return to our home was the greatest gift for his first birthday. We celebrated modestly, but the children continue to mention the cake and sweets that we made through straight improvisation with the ingredients we had on hand. The incidents of skin infections are all the more rare since the hygienic conditions and nutrition is increasingly better.
We look at the children and cannot help but be amazed at how much they have grown, their skin is shinier and their hair all the stronger. We are very grateful for the vitamins that you have sent us. Another piece of good news is that our boy with scoliosis is in the process of obtaining a visa and the possibility of an operation that would significantly increase the quality of his life is looking more and more likely.

We have begun some English courses for the children. They have learned so much in these past few months: that you don’t throw garbage on the floor, everyone has a toothbrush that only they use… and even their games are new. When we first arrived they were trying to convince us that a Frisbee was actually a plate, but now they can be seen playing with it in the yard as their new favorite game. New puzzles, storybooks, videocassettes, various toys… with your decisions to send these to the children, you have uncovered a joyful and playful life for them – thank you for that!

Easter is a holiday of hope. Let us cherish our hope and continue to work together for the benefit of our children and for the glory of God. May He bless you and your families with peace and joy… Happy Easter!

Beta, Sandra, Marija & kids

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“It takes a village to raise a child”, was one of the first things Teresa said after arriving to our orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. As soon as she got here, she got right to work. It started with painting chairs for the orphans in our yard. In any case , we were surprised, especially because of her young age and her title, which she very quickly showed us she completely deserved. She seemed to not even bat an eyelash at the unpleasant smell of the water, or the very different food that she was now being fed, or even the lack of electricity for most of the days of her visit, not to mention the physical work we were doing in the extreme heat of the day. She won the three of us over immediately, and the kids just the same. Pierre Lyne very quickly decided that she was going to take up all of Teresa’s attention, and the rest of the girls kept coming up to us with the same question, “Who is that new, pretty girl in our house?”

Teresa truly won us over not only with her beauty, but also her intelligence, modesty, compassion for others and when it came down to it… rolling around in the grass with a group of screaming kids. Some things you can’t fake, and she was truly such an honest person, completely herself. With such sincerity in her eyes she really sympathized with the people we were coming across – children, the sick, abandoned, dying – all things she was seeing in the hospitals and along the streets of Port-au-Prince. A week flew by in the blink of an eye, but the friendship that formed into a sisterhood continues on. With promises to continue forward and that our mutual love for our orphans will fuel much further cooperation for the organization, Teresa very emotionally said goodbye to us and the orphans, which to this day still ask us when ‘the pretty and nice Teresa will be back’. Not only will she just be coming back, but with God’s help, she plans to some day adopt some of our orphans and offer them a warm home, so our ties, aside from just the emotional ones, will become unbreakable in more ways than one.

Teresa, we miss you already, and we’re waiting for your return with a new round of chairs to be painted … along with promises of the best Mac & Cheese you’ve ever eaten, and new brainstorming sessions until late hours of the night. Thank you for all you have done for us, and for all that you’ll do in the future. Love, your CroHaitian Team

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Father Gio in Haiti

The year is off to a great start. After anxiously waiting for the arrival of the containers, the disappointment that came with the realization that the Christmas gifts for the children would not arrive in time, and an all too common need for a male hand for both little and not-so-little repairs around the house, in January all things seemed to come together. The container arrived, and a sense of relief came with it. But most importantly, at the end of January it brought Father Gio to us. Shouts of happiness could be heard as soon as he stepped foot into the orphanage, hugs and little voices exclaiming “Per Gio, Per Gio!”
The children were delighted, but we were even more thrilled. There is food for the soul and God’s love in every child’s smile. Our favorite workaholic went straight to work and in a few days rid us of some frustrations that we had been contemplating for days. Shelves for the infirmary and orphanage, food depot, tool room – everything quickly became the best it could be.
Mass by candlelight, with no electricity, mosquitoes, and the unavoidable sounds of never tiring Port-au-Prince are the norm. But there is much thankfulness for every trouble, sadness and happiness all at the same time, the togetherness through all the discouragement, as well as the immeasurable joy of helping those most in need. Fr. Gio’s three week long stay with us translated into a ton of work done under his direction. He even managed to build a chicken roost completely. He had a life lesson whenever he brought the children some sweets. “Do you know why I am here?” – Fr. Gio asked the children. “Because you love us!” – replied several of them in unison. “Then imagine how much God loves you”, replied Father with insight. And that was followed by what would normally be impossible, but in this case completely manageable, a great hug with seven children in his arms.
For the three of us here, Fr. Gio is a man and priest who is such an inspiration, in his love for our orphans, in his tolerance and patience, and in the spirit that he blesses us with every single day.

After three weeks here he returned home, blessing us with words of encouragement. We now have a lot of work ahead of us, with plenty more lectures on patience and tolerance, nevertheless we are more than happy and our “batteries” are charged. With this new enthusiasm we continue going forward for our kids.

A big thank you to all who continue to support us and keep up with our latest news. Thank you for your generosity, for the hearts that have room for the poor. Thank you friends and may God bless you.

A special thank you to the friends of Father Gio who have paid us a visit – Sijedom i Mariju– for all the laughs, jokes, bravery and the greatest set of stairs the world has ever seen! Franceska and Denci – for all the hugs and meals good enough to lick your fingers, and for all the motherly understanding.

Good people, thank you all, because without you Croatian Relief would be nothing.
God bless you all!

Beta, Marija, Sandra and the children

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Dear friends, donors, supporters…

Two years ago, at 4:53 in the afternoon on January 12, 2010, the earth shrugged and added another chapter to the sequence of tragedies that define Haiti’s history. A devastating 7 magnitude earthquake killed an estimated 300,000 people, destroyed 80 percent of the capital city of Port-au-Prince and left more than a million Haitians homeless. Nearly all public buildings were destroyed, and with them much of a generation of civil servants, doctors, nurses, engineers, professors and students. The world responded immediately and with a generosity and for a while things looked optimistic for the future. Today, two years later, the outlook for Haiti’s future is probably worse than ever. The poorest country of the Western hemisphere before the earthquake, today is the poorest country in the whole wide world. The media spotlight has moved away from Haiti. Cameras are gone, controversy related to human rights, lousy conditions in tent cities are old news but for most of Haitians everyday life. The big international entities with histories in Haiti, like the U.N. and the United Nations Development Program, remain, but much of the promised aid money was never delivered and Haiti is more desperate than ever. The consensus, in Haiti and abroad, is that little progress has been made, and a sense of pessimism has enveloped the country and its million-strong overseas community.
But beyond disappointment at the slow progress of reconstruction, many Haitians and Haitian Americans have begun to lose faith. Politics, racial issues and different interests need to be overcome for this poor Caribbean nation of 10 million to move forward.
It breaks my heart seeing these proud people drowning deeper and deeper but still trying to stay on the surface. At the same time it fills my heart with pride and hope seeing how much we have done with your help and prayers for the most needy ones. Blessed are you and your generous hearts for providing a better life for our Haitian orphans and truly making a difference in this world.

 

Thank you, God bless you and Haiti

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Our youngest wishes you a merry Christmas

Baby Widson is our youngest orphan. He came to us when he was only 22 days old. His mother died while delivering him, and his father gave him away because he wasn’t able to feed him. Widson was our Easter carol, and this Christmas is going to be his first Christmas with the only family he will ever know. Like baby Jesus, there was no room for him when he came to this world, but Lord found a place for this little soul and gave him a home in our orphanage among 47 others with similar destinies.

Today, Widson is a wonderful baby  with the biggest eyes I’ve ever seen, and he has conquered our hearts for good. I was holding him in my arms today and told him the story of the most holy birth, of our little Lord. He was staring at me without blinking, almost as if he understood what I was talking about. So, he was given to us, warmed our hearts and souls and us brought new joy, and every time I look at him I find purpose all over again…

So please, keep your faith and cherish it, we need you, this baby needs you… all our kids need you…

Once again, if Widson could talk, I’m sure he’ d thank you and wish you a wonderful Christmas.

God bless you!

“Don’t be afraid!” Angel said.
“I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior yes, the Messiah, the Lord  has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!”  Luke 2.

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Jean Richard, Edly & Lovely singing Christmas song

Wishes for a merry Christmas from the Children

Dear friends, supporters, donors…

Our big family: all the kids, nannies, volunteers, our staff in New Jersey and wider, on behalf of Croatian Relief Services, wish you all a Merry and blessed Christmas, may baby Jesus bring you joy and happiness, continue to bless your hearts, homes and your dearest ones.

We are endlessly  grateful to you for helping these wonderful and amazing children in building their futures, giving them hope for a better life and changing the perspective of this sad country. As we cannot thank you enough, we know Jesus will thank you for us…

Happy and blessed holidays with best wishes,

Croatian Relief Services

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Dear friends and supporters,

This time I was accompanied with Elizabeta Letincic, a 27 year old religion teacher from Zagreb as well as pastor Tomislav Debelic from the Croatian island of Susak, and father Gio’s parishioner  Mr. Albino.

Pastor Tomislav and Albino stayed with us for 5 days on their 1st visit to Haiti. As they both said, it’s very difficult to try to explain to people how chaotic, desperate and poor this island and it’s people are. And at the same time, they both agreed they’ve never seen so much willingness and hope to still go further no matter how bad obstacles on that road might be. And they are bad, trust me.

We all visited the shelter and hospital of Missionaries of Charity here in Port-au-Prince where we spent some time with the most needy ones, malnourished children.

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“Bondye wè tout bagay, e li pa ta dwe frisonen …” (God sees everything (and he wouldn’t be thrilled… if I do that) came out of Faustin’s mouth when I asked him to kill a cockroach that scared me. Even though he wasn’t comfortable that he had to refuse my wish, he looked at me straight in the eyes and said no. But, immediately I was the one that felt ashamed. This boy is seventeen, his mother died when he was a baby, his father is terminally ill and lives far in a province. Faustin doesn’t go to school, but he is grateful for a job he does and strongly believes that God has His reasons for creating things the way they are. And he is truly happy, truly faithful and one of the best people I’ve ever met. And he taught me and teaches me every day what Jesus taught us and wanted us to follow. Of love and respect, every day, all the time. All the creatures. I apologized immediately for even asking him to do that… More…

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