Click any photo
to enlarge
Nick and Gwenn Mangine, Apex, NC
August 12-19, 2006
Nick and Gwenn Mangine traveled to the Haitian Children's Home to be a part of a Vacation Bible School in Basin Bleu-a community of believers about 25 minutes up into the mountains.
Having no idea how many children they would have, the planned enough materials and supplies for 50 children the first day-70+ showed up. Kids from under 2 years old to 18+ showed up to participate, and many adults came to listen as well. By the last day of VBS, there were over 120 in attendance. They used the "Peche Pou Jezi" (Fishing for Jesus) VBS that Danny did last year up in Seguin. This curriculum focused on some of the "fish stories" in the Bible. Gwenn was a part of a team to Seguin last year during this VBS, so she was familiar with the songs and the program. Frenel (a local student) and Jean, one of the Haitian Children's Home kids, lead the lesson time and served as interpreters.
Nick and Gwenn also participated in several other projects around the Haitian Children's Home. They installed oscillating ceiling fans into all the kids' rooms, helped sort dozens of boxes of donated clothing, installed new computer monitors, and helped the kids with a service project-making salvation necklaces for the VBS kids.
They visited Damou Christian School, where the Haitian Children Home kids go to school and helped them set up and test some donated computers. They also visited the Hands and Feet Orphanage to see the ministry there. Gwenn got an appreciation for the dreadful state of medical care in Haiti when she and Danny brought a little VBS boy named Ricardo down to the hospital in Jacmel to have medical care for a severely infected wound on his face.
Nick and Gwenn got to visit the Basin Bleu waterfall, took a trip with the kids to the beach, visited the city market and local shops. They brought a CD from their church's children's ministry and taught the kids some new dance moves. They enjoyed a Bible study and a few game nights with other American missionaries as well. Their favorite time was spent just hanging out with the kids-singing, dancing, finger-crocheting, learning Creole, getting loved on and loving back.
The highlight of their time at the Haitian Children's Home was a pizza party with the kids to celebrate the end of the school year and advancement to the next grade.