Today we visited Compassion project HA-800. It was an amazing place where the kids are starting to thrive.

One of the biggest reasons for this success is because the staff and pastor are incredible.

The Pastor is the kind of man radiates Jesus. You can see it in his smile and feel it in his demeanor. He is humble as he serves these children. We might not have spoken the same audible language, and even though we speak the same language of faith, he is far more fluent than I am.

This project is growing because of his commitment to God. He said, “We have many problems in Haiti like people not being able to feed themselves, but the bigger problem is people not knowing Jesus.”

This shy kid was a victim of the earthquake and he was severely hurt and almost lost his vision when the ceiling of his home collapsed on his head. He needed surgery and Compassion helped get him that surgery. The cost would have been far too much for his family to pay and he would have lost his vision, but today he is doing well in school and wants to be a doctor so he can help others. We asked him what would he say to his sponsor if they were there right now and he said, “I would ask them to help me with life because it is very very hard.”

We talk about the importance of writing your sponsored child because your words have life. They have the power to lift a child out of poverty and change the course of their life forever. It was really cool to see this kid writing his sponsor first hand. I wish I knew who he was writing to so I could send them this picture. These are real kids and not just numbers or photos.

Compassion teaches children not only things like math and science, but also schools them in the arts. It helps to make the child more well rounded, but it also provides some of them with a skill they can use later to make a living. I love buying these paintings the kids do for class even though they are not technically for sale. I now have two in my house and the child gets all the money.

There was one painting in particular that broke my heart. It was of buildings collapsing on people from the earthquake. I am not art aficionado, but you could see the pain and fear in every brush stroke of the child that painted it.

After meeting so many children and my own sponsored child, Ilderson, I can’t wait to get back and share their stories with you on Monday and let you know how you can help give Hope to Haiti. Be forewarned sponsoring kids can become addictive especially when you see how much it changes their lives.