The Learning Center for Special Needs

It is with great anticipation and overflowing excitement to finally say that our Learning Center for children and teens with Special Needs will be opening JUNE 18TH!!

Here’s some background info: Back in February riots broke out for 2 whole weeks across this little island causing the construction on the community center (next door to the learning center) to be delayed and postponed and delayed again. The learning center could not open because there were piles of rocks, sand, and nails spread out all across the yard. It also would be hard to open the learning center while construction men are making noise right outside the windows as well as trying to push wheelchairs as we maneuver around piles of rocks and gravel. Good news arrived a few weeks ago and I was told the community center would be complete the last week of May give or take a few days.... But then an accident occured and our head welder sliced his finger and broke it while putting on the door frames. I rushed him to the ER with our painter who accompanied us. The ER didn’t have the medicine that he needed so I stayed with the welder while the painter took a motorcycle to the pharmacy. Before arriving to the pharmacy, that motorcycle got hit by a truck and the painter went flying through the air. He returned in bad shape without the medicine but with a collapsed lung and was transported to a bigger hospital. From all of this, we are here on June 15th with yet another delay in the finishing of construction for the community center....

I talked it over with the nannies/teachers that will be working with the children in the center and they said “let’s open now”. No more wasting time. These children desperatey need this. And so here we are!

The children don’t have a cafeteria yet (the community center will be used for this) or a playground... but they do have beautiful classrooms filled with play dough, flashcards, crayons, balls, and workbooks to help each child learn their colors, numbers, letters, how to zip, button, tie, how to wash clothes and wash hands. How to build blocks and learn manners. How to sing, dance, but most importantly learn about Jesus. This learning center is all for Jesus’ glory. These children will hear bible stories every day. They will learn bible verses and be taught about His love and His mercy. And even more than teaching these sweet kids, we’re praying this ministry reaches even further out to each of their families. For the first time they will see that their child is accepted. Loved. Cherished. Worth more than jewels. They will see that we as Christ followers do not shun them for their disabilities like the culture sometimes says, we won’t cower away from their mental illness that some of them have been told is a result of a voodoo curse. We will speak truth into them and the truth will set them free. They will see the worth in their child and see the worth in themselves and open their eyes wide to see just how much our heavenly Father loves us. That is our prayer with this learning center. Will you pray with us?

For the summer months we will have a condensed schedule. This will give us time to learn about each child, their disabilities, and how to best help them thrive. The center will be open from 7:00am-12:30pm 4 days a week so the children and teens can get adjusted. I am beyond grateful that we are able to show the love of Jesus in this much needed way and I could not have built the center without your help. For that, I say thank you with all my heart!

BUT, after the riots broke out in February, the State Department raised the security level for Haiti to a level 4. Majority of our mission teams have had to cancel due to the unrest and because of these cancelations, we have not received all those lovely suitcases full of diapers, wipes, shampoo, and food. The funds we have is having to go towards purchasing these things (that teams usually provide) for the girl’s home thus we are limited in providing for the learning center’s students. We have 23 sweet souls registered for the learning center. Would you be willing to sponsor one of them? We are desperately needing help to pay the extra staff (teachers, maids, cook, security, bus driver) as well as each student sponsorship fees for supplies, food, activities, physical therapy, and doctor visits. If you feel led in your heart to sponsor one of these students, please go to www.lalimye.org to the donate page, choose your amount, and type in “learning center sponsorship” in the memo. You’ll then receive a picture with your sponsored child and a great big thankyou from them for giving them the opportunity to learn in a school type setting for the first time in their entire life. We are looking for 23 sponsors to give $20.00 a month, but pray about it and give whatever you feel the Holy Spirit leading you to give. Nothing is too small or too big. We are just beyond thankful and are trusting God to provide!

“if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Matthew 17:20

To be honest, we don’t have the extra funds lying around to open the learning center, but we do have faith and we will trust in our Provider. We will open the doors, pour out our hearts, and love these sweet souls while trusting that He will provide. He is a good, good Father and He wants what is best for His children. Let Him use you to make a huge difference in the life of these children. Together we can be the hands and feet of Jesus.