Giving For His Glory started out by asking Marie Prinvil, director of the El Shaddai Children’s Home, how we could help the children in the El Shaddai orphanage/children’s home. It was decided that we would provide Christmas gifts for the orphans of El Shaddai, as well as the children in the Village of Dessources, which is a little village in the Croix des Bouquets area and where the El Shaddai orphanage is located. Through small donations, garage sales, and using our own funds, we were able to purchase and take gifts for about 250 children. Each child got a toy of their choosing, a stuffed animal, and a treat bag that had crackers, raisins, and small toys. We were also able to provide a piece of clothing to each child, whether it be a shirt, shorts, dress, underwear, or a pair of shoes.
The following December, we, once again, purchased toys to provide Christmas gifts for the orphans of the El Shaddai Children’s Home and for the children of the Village of Dessources. Again, about 250 or more children were served. In addition, we purchased rice, pasta, salt, and oil and did a food distribution for the people of the village. Food bags were distributed to 327 families during this distribution. This was all made possible due to small donations and garage sales and using our own funds.
In June 2014, we again went to the Village of Dessources to the El Shaddai Children’s Home. We did a number of projects. First, we decorated three of the children’s rooms, which served about 23 children. We purchased bed sheets and had them sewn to size for the smaller mattresses, had handmade pillow cases and covers made, bought decorative pillows and pictures, and purchased other matching decorations. The boys’ room had a sports theme, one of the girls’ rooms was colorful with a butterfly theme, and the other girls’ room had a monkey theme. Murals were painted on a wall in each room and scriptures were put up, made and donated by Enchanting Quotes.
During our June 2014 visit, we also did another food distribution. This time, we had rice, beans, pasta, and oil for the families. We were able to serve 320 families.
We provided a snack for all the children in the orphanage each day and took crafts for them to do. We also took clothes for the orphans, and each child got a new outfit. We had two people who made hair bands or hair bows for the girls, so the girls got to choose a hair band and then got a hair bow that matched their new dress.
Due to the recent Chikungunya virus epidemic, we also took powdered Gatorade and Ibuprofen tablets they were in desperate need of. Four large canisters of Gatorade and 8 large bottles of Ibuprofen tablets were given to the director of the El Shaddai ministries to help those who were suffering from this terrible virus.
While in Haiti, we were also taken to another orphanage. For a number of months, we felt God was leading us to help other orphans in Haiti. We were given a tour of the facility and we got to meet the children. We had taken an 80 lb. bag of rice, snacks for the children, and a stuffed animal for each child. We found out that the children had had no food that day. The facility was unfinished, with no water on site and no bathroom facilities hooked up. There were 50 children at the orphanage. Before we left, we gave money to get the water pump fixed and left money for the purchase of more food for the children for the next several months.
During 2014, we collected toys for our December trip to Haiti. We have garage sales each year to help fund our trips. We also have a few businesses and a wonderful church who have donated money and items for us to take. In addition, friends, family, and acquaintances have either given us items or money to help with our efforts.
Due to increased violence in Haiti, two trips had to be cancelled at the last minute in December 2014 and in June 2015. God then led us to the Dominican Republic in the summer of 2015.
We have partnered with the village of Cajuil, which is an impoverished community made up of Haitians and Dominicans. God has allowed us to provide food, water, Bibles, Bible studies, Vacation Bible School for the kids, medicine, and even a spaghetti dinner for the village. Severe hurricane damage ruined the small church and the water system in Cajuil. Again, God has provided and the church is being rebuilt and a new water pump system installed for the precious people of this village.
We have worked, as well, in the mountains and the sugar cane fields at churches with impoverished congregations struggling to survive. We want everyone we meet to know how much Jesus loves them and that He is there hope.
Giving for His Glory has a small number of supporters and churches who help us with these projects and efforts to share God’s love for His glory. For them, we are very grateful! And to God, we are most grateful for Him allowing us to be His hands and feet and serve in His name!
