25th Anniversary

Last Sunday we went up to St. Helene in Kenscoff for the 25th Anniversary of NPFS- Haiti! Before we hopped in the car for the two hour drive, I met the Archbishop of Haiti who was also coming up for the celebration. Twenty-five years ago when Father Rick first came to Haiti, he knocked on the door of the National Cathedral and introduced himself to the Archbishop, who at that time was the Cathedral Director, and said he wanted to help. This man is the one who introduced Father Rick to his earliest collaborators and supporters and has been following Father Rick's progress all this time. He gave a wonderful talk at mass in Kenscoff about Father Rick's mission and how he has been an incredible friend to the people of Haiti. All of the children at St. Helene attended the mass and so the Archbishop directed a lot of his words towards the kids. He talked about how NPFS has provided so much for them and that they now have a responsibility, just like all Haitian people, to give help and support to their country. It was such a beautiful moment, when later on in the mass, a group of ex-eleve's (adults who grew up at St. Helene) announced that they were forming a group of NPFS Collaborators, to support and expand the mission of NPFS. There was a group of about 15 who stood up to present themselves as a unified in their mission of providing unconditional love to the children of Haiti who need it most.


Many of these ex-eleve's are around my age and I have gotten to know them during my time here. I know that they already do so much of what they talked about in their mission. They are attending university, studying public health and social work, and directing many of our child-care and health programs. They spend their free time visiting children in our homes and supporting other NPFS programs. Maybe it's because they are my age, but I am so excited and hopeful for this group. For me, this is the biggest success of the organization and Father Rick-- to raise children into adults who feel the social responsibility and have so much heart that despite the terrible things that brought them to St. Helene, they are banded together by their desire to continue reaching out to those in need. I recently saw a video of Father Rick (here: http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/world/george-stroumboulopoulos-tonight-in-haiti-special-episode.html) saying that really, we're in the business of giving people jobs. It's just that we give them jobs in which they are helping those who are even more in need than they are. Much in the same way, the organization is raising the next generation of leaders and educated service providers who care for those in need.

On a less serious note, I spent a good amount of time this week being amused by three baby goats that showed up at Fransis Vil one day.
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Lucxoit baiting the goats

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chasing the goats out of the warehouse