nixon@haitianchildrenshome.org
joyinhope.org sandra@haitianchildrenshome.org
January 31, 2010
Dearest family and friends,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We pray that all of you are well and in good spirit.
Nixon and I have had a difficult couple of weeks. They have been trying weeks in that we have desperately wanted to be there for our team, and our loved ones in Haiti but it has been very hard to get there. Many have been able to make it into Haiti but somehow we have not. We have been able raise funds and awareness in the U.S. side. This has been a comfort at a time when we have not been able to get our hands dirty.
Joy In Hope has been doing an excellent job on the ground in Jacmel, Haiti. The staff in Jacmel started the after-earthquake season by finding missing persons. They had emails from dozens of persons unknown to them, asking for help. They were able to find many of these people, alive and well. They then began to get supplies brought to the local hospitals who were attending patients outside. They even were given control of the small airport in Jacmel by the Mayor of the city. During this time Joy In Hope Stateside was able to coordinate planes full of needed food, water, and other medical supplies into Jacmel. It has been an amazing thing.
Joy In Hope is finally able to slow down, doing daily food distribution in the area. They are very tired but encouraged by the work that they have been able to do.
Nixon and I spoke to Whiskey, one of our boys from our Boy’s Home on Wednesday. He and the rest of the boys are in Seguin with their families. They say times are hard right now but their families are alright and Seguin was not devastated like Jacmel or Port Au Prince. Praise the Lord for this. We ask you to please keep our boys and their families in your prayers.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed financially to the relief effort in Jacmel. If some of you have still not contributed, we hope that you will consider doing so. I know some of you are concerned about sending money to countless organizations helping in Haiti at this time and we understand your concerns. We strongly encourage you to give to those organizations that have been in Haiti before the time of the earthquake. These are the organizations that will stay for the long haul of rebuilding lives. Joy In Hope has been in Jacmel, Haiti for five years and have BIG future plans for Haiti. Your money will go to the people if you send money there. We say that with great confidence.
Throughout this tough time, Nixon and I have been keeping busy but have also continued asking for direction from the Lord as to the future. Many of you know that Nixon now has Permanent U.S. resident status. He and I have been looking for avenues for us to continue being in Haiti without having problems with Immigration. Though there are ways to get around this we have decided not to take that road. After much prayer, we feel that God is directing us to not continue to live in Haiti. Due to the chaos in Haiti, school is not expected to start again for the rest of this year and so our boys will keep on with their families. New faces are coming into Haiti and will be there to help with the rebuilding process. Nixon and I plan to still make trips to Haiti and be as involved as we can with the ministry in Jacmel but we will be living in Texas for the time being. It is our hope that we can take supplies as well as teams to Joy In Hope periodically. It is also our desire to keep raising awareness as well as fundraising for Joy In Hope. You all can expect updates on the work being done in Jacmel, just as you’ve always gotten. It has been a hard decision to make but we feel certain that this is the right course.
Thank you all for your support during our years in Haiti. I have been in Haiti for three years now and we have always felt loved and supported. So many of you have supported us financially and we literally could not have lived without your support. Thank you for giving to us in good faith. All funds that have been given to us recently have gone into the Earthquake relief fund for Joy In Hope. These finances will be used to give the people in our area food, water, shelter, as well as medical care. These finances will make a world of difference to the people back in Haiti.
We will be seeing many of you in the coming months and send you all much love. If you have any questions and concerns please call us at (915)861-6059 or send us an email (at the top of this mission moment). You can also keep up with us through our blog on reachinghaitiforchrist.blogspot.com.
All our love,
Sandra and Nixon Altidor(Jer. 29:11)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Miracles-So proud of Joy In Hope
photos courtesy of Leann Pye;)Dearest family in Christ,
It is very humbling to see how God has moved mountains in Haiti. The faith of our people on the ground, doing everything they can--the faith of the people (Stateside) who are doing their best to get Joy In Hope what they need in order to help the people. The week began with 75% of the buildings damaged. These were the UN's statistics given mid-week last week,
1,785 homes completely destroyed 4410 homes partially destroyed
87 commercial businesses destroyed
54 schools destroyed
24 hotels destroyed
26 churches destroyed
5730 families displaced
1,785 homes completely destroyed 4410 homes partially destroyed
87 commercial businesses destroyed
54 schools destroyed
24 hotels destroyed
26 churches destroyed
5730 families displaced
Death count approaching 3,000
Most of the community was sleeping outside, fearful that their homes were damaged. We understand many had ventured indoors when this morning's 6.1 aftershock rocked Jacmel once again. There was no report of anyone hurt in this afterschock.Both of the orphanages as well as our Boy’s Home are in good shape. The Pye's, the Mangine's and the Riegel's dove into all sorts or earthquake relief projects. They did all they can, cleaning out the Rue Petion house, in order to get all the supplies possible in order to help the people of Jacmel(only 25 miles from Port Au Prince). Our understanding is that Hands and Feet Project has been working with them as they have brought all the relief they could to the people of Jacmel. JIH has also been trying to locate missing loved ones from different people in the United States. We have heard all sorts of reports from thankful and relieved relatives in the United States. As the week continued, the North Carolina headquarters for Joy In Hope has been able to make significant connection, getting supplies flown into Jacmel via the Dominican Republic as well as Puerto Rico. Joy In Hope team on the ground have even begun manning the Jacmel airport, directing flights, checking passports, doing crowd control, and even talking to the press. They have even gotten supplies delivered to Christianville, a medical facility in Leogane. They have had their hands full and we are very proud of their efforts there. In Christ's name, they are definitely making a difference.
Our boys are safe and began this crisis time at the Mangine orphanage then joining their families in the mountains of Seguin. Mackenson was in the north of Haiti when the earthquake struck and he is safe. Lucette and her family are safe as well as our beloved elderly folk. All of the people that we were concerned about are safe and being helped. Still, our hearts are sad for those who have lost so many. Nixon's father was checked on by our team on the ground and he and his family are fine. There was significant damage done to his home but we feel better knowing that JIH staff in Jacmel are getting him and the people there so much assistance. Christ is truly shining in Jacmel and hopefully all of Haiti. We Praise God for that.
Nixon and I have remained State-side during this time. We do not know why but we are doing everything we can from here, to raise awareness as well as funds for Joy In Hope so that they may continue in this long rescue and rebuilding effort. Much attention has been drawn to Port Au Prince but areas like Jacmel have had to fight to be helped. We want to help be the voice for the people calling for help in our area. Joy In Hope continues to need your help. It is going to take a long time in order to get the people of Haiti where they need to be.
JOY IN HOPE.ORG
JOY IN HOPE-FACEBOOK JOY IN HOPE
Earthquake Relief - Donate at http://www.joyinhope.org/donate.asp and select "Immediate Needs" (or mail checks to JIH - Earthquake, 2731 NC Hwy 55 #251, Cary, NC 27519) to help provide much needed food and supplies to those affected by today's earthquake.
Nixon and I would like to keep busy continuing in the effort to raise funds and awareness for the people of Jacmel, Haiti. Please let us know if you have any connections to platforms where we would be able to speak at. Nixon and I have had the opportunity to do a t.v. interview as well as speak to a few other groups of people. Immanuel School has launched a fundraiser for Joy In Hope. They hope to raise a large amount of money by the first week of February and then that money will go directly to Joy In Hope in order to help the people of Jacmel, Haiti. We want to do as much as we can though, so please spread the word for us.
Nixon and I can be reached at 915-269-4406 or 915-449-0861.
Our flight was scheduled for the 20th of January but planes are not flying into Port Au Prince, we have rescheduled our flight for the 25th of January. Today we called the airline once again and that flight will not go out either. We are exploring the options of flying out to the Dominican Republic and then flying to Jacmel from there but we have to see if that is a possibility. If it is God's will, we hope we will fly out next week.
Please follow our blog at reachinghaitiforchrist for more frequent updates on the amazing things Joy In Hope is doing for Christ in Haiti.
In Him,
Sandra and Nixon Altidor
Jeremiah 29:11
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Help is on the Way!
The Mangine's
Lucette
One of the many collapsed buildings in JacmelHello everyone, I am feeling tired, emotionally drained but we must go on and do what we can from here.
There is good news and bad. I will start with the good.
Crosspointe church, a church in N.C. who greatly supports Joy In Hope in Jacmel has gotten a plane to go from N.C. to Jacmel, through Puerto Rico. That is great news!Medical supplies will get to the people of Jacmel. Pam McKerring, missionary coordinator for the church, is on the plane. She will be delivering medical supplies and then picking up the 3 Mangine kids and then going back to deliver them to their grandparents.
Please pray that all goes well.
I don't know why Nixon and I are not on that plane as well except that God willed it that way. We have to trust the fact that He knows best. He always does and has shown it many times.
Also, I dont have confirmation on this yet but Seguin does not seem to have felt the quake very much. Seguin is the home of 5 of our 6 boys. I hope to hear soon whether their families are well.
Also, Lucette and her family is well. Her house doesn't have anything but a few cracks. God is good!
I am still waiting to hear about our dear elderly friends. I trust that they are fine as well.
My heart broke as I read the statistics on Jacmel. I can't believe what has happened. Jacmel definitely is not the same town that we had left. These are yesterday's UN statistics. Danny Pye and Leann Pye, directors for Joy In Hope in Jacmel, Haiti attended a meeting yesterday.
1,785 homes completely destroyed 4410 homes partially destroyed
87 commercial businesses destroyed
54 schools destroyed
24 hotels destroyed
26 churches destroyed
5730 families displaced
Death count approaching 3,000 (nearly 10%)
-Please keep praying for our people in Haiti.
-Pray that the supplies are delivered and that the children are delivered to their parent in N.C. safely.
-We also pray that you pray for our team on the ground in Jacmel. They need strength, both physically and mentally to keep on doing what they are doing. Danny and Leann Pye, Nick and Gwenn Mangine(who are sending their kids to N.C. today), and Georgette Riegel and her two sons(her husband was in Florida when the earthquake hit).
In Christ,
Sandra and Nixon Altidor
Jer. 29:11
Friday, January 15, 2010
Keep Keeping On
http://www.KVIA.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=4459965&at1=News&h1=Haitian family in EP trying to get news from home&flvUri=&partnerclipid=
Hey everyone,
I pasted a map of Haiti so that you all would know where Jacmel is in respect to Port Au Prince. Nixon and I also pasted a link to an interview with abc 7, local news--although it should be seen in parts of New Mexico as well.
We are hopefully making an impact for the people of Jacmel. The world is hearing about Port Au Prince but Jacmel desperately needs help as well. Jacmel is only 25 miles from Port Au Prince but on a normal day, with not so good roads as well as a winding out of the way road through the mountains, driving time is about 3 hours.
As I said yesterday, this is our goal for now, please let us know if you have any connections. If we can get a platform to say a few words on tv, radio, local groups, churches, that would be a blessing to the people of Jacmel, Haiti. There is lots of suffering going on there, needs for meds and food and water, as well as many deaths to report.
Thanks to God we did hear from Mackenson. He is fine, and was in the north of Haiti where the Quake was not felt. Praise the Lord that he is fine. He was encouraged by our amazing JIH team to stay with his family.
The boys are in Seguin, JIH Director sent them with money for transportation as well as help for their families. We are so thankful. Seguin is relatively close to Port Au Prince as well and is high in the mountains. We pray that their families are allright. You can look on the mountains for Seguin. Nixon pinpointed it between Kenscoff and Marigot, under the capital of Port Au Prince.
Our team members on the ground in Port Au Prince are continuing emergency aid efforts and are looking after Haitian staff familie's needs.
Today the team cleaned out our guest house, taking sheets and any supplies that could be found. I wish we could get them those ibuprofen and Tylenol that you folks have collected. God knows.
We recieved a call today regarding Nixon possibly going with an organization into Jacmel from the U.S. That fell through and we trust that God didn't let it happen for a reason. Although I have to say that I was disappointed. Nixon and I are torn that we cannot be there with the people of Haiti.
The team on the ground in Port Au Prince have their hands full but I hope to know more soon about the people of Jacmel's wellbeing. My heart breaks for Lucette and her 4 children as well as for Madam Robert, Lancia's baby boy, and our dear elderly friends. We will know more soon.
Nixon and I learned that there are many dead in Jacmel. We don't have any sort of number to report as of now, nor do we have names.
Nixon's concern rises for civil unrest in the country. He fears that desperation, along with the Haitian government's silence, can cause the people to act foolishly. Please pray that God would keep the people calm.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/cb_haiti_earthquake
We need the money to keep flowing in so I am posting the information as to how to give to the people of Jacmel. Please give what you can.
Joy In Hope
Earthquake Relief - Donate at http://www.joyinhope.org/donate.asp and select "Immediate Needs" (or mail checks to JIH - Earthquake, 2731 NC Hwy 55 #251, Cary, NC 27519) to help provide much needed food and supplies to those affected by today's earthquake.
Praying,
Nixon and Sandra Altidor
Jer. 29:11
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Concentrating on what we can
Dearest friends and family, January 14, 2010
Greetings in the name of our Lord. Nixon and I are doing well. We are trying to keep busy, keeping informed as to what is happening back home and trying to raise awareness as well as funds for our area. We understand that Port is in terrible shape but the surrounding areas were also greatly impacted. Our concern is that the majority of the help will go to Port and the surrounding areas will be the last to get aid. Jacmel, the small city in which we work is in devastated. Our goal right now is to get funds sent over there to help in the relief efforts made to help the city of Jacmel as well as it’s surrounding areas. Here is how you can get funds to Joy In Hope.
Greetings in the name of our Lord. Nixon and I are doing well. We are trying to keep busy, keeping informed as to what is happening back home and trying to raise awareness as well as funds for our area. We understand that Port is in terrible shape but the surrounding areas were also greatly impacted. Our concern is that the majority of the help will go to Port and the surrounding areas will be the last to get aid. Jacmel, the small city in which we work is in devastated. Our goal right now is to get funds sent over there to help in the relief efforts made to help the city of Jacmel as well as it’s surrounding areas. Here is how you can get funds to Joy In Hope.
Earthquake Relief - Donate at http://www.joyinhope.org/donate.asp and select "Immediate Needs" (or mail checks to JIH - Earthquake, 2731 NC Hwy 55 #251, Cary, NC 27519) to help provide much needed food and supplies to those affected by the earthquake.
Joy In Hope has a facebook page as well.
You can also look on our facebook page to see more pictures or see more updates. Nixon and I have a facebook page-Nixon Altidor as well as a blog: reachinghaitiforchrist.blogspot.com, joyinhopeboyshome.blogspot.com.
It is estimated that 75% of the buildings were damaged, and many are missing. Most of the community is sleeping outside, fearful that their homes were damaged. Our Joy In Hope team on the ground in Jacmel are also sleeping outside. We have no information as to how many are dead or missing. Both of the orphanages as well as our Boy’s Home are in good shape. Our home, in downtown Jacmel, has been closed up because of the risk of collapse. The Pye orphanage, one of the two orphanages under Joy In Hope, was damaged but we think it can be repaired. The Mangine orphanage held up very well.
Our boys spent their first night at the Mangine house, sleeping under the stars. Yesterday morning the boys went up into the mountains of Seguin, about two hours east of Jacmel, in order to check on their own families. Nixon and I expected that. We are a concerned about Mackenson, one of our boys in the Boy’s Home. He was having trouble finding the finances to come down and go back to school so he had not arrived back to Jacmel. We are hoping and praying that Mackenson was in the northern part of Haiti and was not at all affected by the Earthquake. Please keep Mackenson in your prayers.
Nixon was very worried about his father, who lives right outside of the city. After a lot of waiting, our people with Joy In Hope on the ground in Jacmel were able to check on Nixon’s dad, his new wife, and his 6 month old baby boy. Praise the Lord for this. Nixon still has another few brothers that he would like to hear from, on his mother’s side of the family, as well as some friends.
Nixon and I desperately want to be able to get back to Haiti but we just don’t know what we will be able to do at this point. We are scheduled to fly out next Wednesday, the 20th of January. We will just have to wait to see if we can get a flight out at that time. We are thinking we will not be able to take any of the clothing and supplies that we are gathering. Jacmel is a 3 hour drive east of the capital of Port and it will take time for those roads to be passable. We are thinking we might have to backpack it into Jacmel, perhaps by motorcycle. At this point we are not gathering any more supplies or clothing to take back to Haiti. We will get what we have to Haiti, whether in the near future or later future.
Right now our goal is to just spread awareness as to our local needs in Jacmel. If you have any groups or churches that we could share a few words with, please contact us. We can also be reached at 915-449-0861.
Norma Hinojos was interviewed yesterday by abc 7-local news. Nixon and I were interviewed today and it will be airing on abc at 10:00pm. Please spread the word and paste the joy in hope earthquake relief fund information on your facebook. Again, please let us know if we might be able to talk to any group and raise awareness as well as raise funds for the people of Jacmel.
We love you guys and pray blessings on you and your families. And thank you all so much for all your prayers and emails of love and encouragement. From the bottom of our hearts, thanks you. Attached is a picture of Mackenson as well as pictures of Jacmel, Haiti-home to us.
In Him,
Sandra and Nixon Altidor
Jer. 29:11
Joy In Hope has a facebook page as well.
You can also look on our facebook page to see more pictures or see more updates. Nixon and I have a facebook page-Nixon Altidor as well as a blog: reachinghaitiforchrist.blogspot.com, joyinhopeboyshome.blogspot.com.
It is estimated that 75% of the buildings were damaged, and many are missing. Most of the community is sleeping outside, fearful that their homes were damaged. Our Joy In Hope team on the ground in Jacmel are also sleeping outside. We have no information as to how many are dead or missing. Both of the orphanages as well as our Boy’s Home are in good shape. Our home, in downtown Jacmel, has been closed up because of the risk of collapse. The Pye orphanage, one of the two orphanages under Joy In Hope, was damaged but we think it can be repaired. The Mangine orphanage held up very well.
Our boys spent their first night at the Mangine house, sleeping under the stars. Yesterday morning the boys went up into the mountains of Seguin, about two hours east of Jacmel, in order to check on their own families. Nixon and I expected that. We are a concerned about Mackenson, one of our boys in the Boy’s Home. He was having trouble finding the finances to come down and go back to school so he had not arrived back to Jacmel. We are hoping and praying that Mackenson was in the northern part of Haiti and was not at all affected by the Earthquake. Please keep Mackenson in your prayers.
Nixon was very worried about his father, who lives right outside of the city. After a lot of waiting, our people with Joy In Hope on the ground in Jacmel were able to check on Nixon’s dad, his new wife, and his 6 month old baby boy. Praise the Lord for this. Nixon still has another few brothers that he would like to hear from, on his mother’s side of the family, as well as some friends.
Nixon and I desperately want to be able to get back to Haiti but we just don’t know what we will be able to do at this point. We are scheduled to fly out next Wednesday, the 20th of January. We will just have to wait to see if we can get a flight out at that time. We are thinking we will not be able to take any of the clothing and supplies that we are gathering. Jacmel is a 3 hour drive east of the capital of Port and it will take time for those roads to be passable. We are thinking we might have to backpack it into Jacmel, perhaps by motorcycle. At this point we are not gathering any more supplies or clothing to take back to Haiti. We will get what we have to Haiti, whether in the near future or later future.
Right now our goal is to just spread awareness as to our local needs in Jacmel. If you have any groups or churches that we could share a few words with, please contact us. We can also be reached at 915-449-0861.
Norma Hinojos was interviewed yesterday by abc 7-local news. Nixon and I were interviewed today and it will be airing on abc at 10:00pm. Please spread the word and paste the joy in hope earthquake relief fund information on your facebook. Again, please let us know if we might be able to talk to any group and raise awareness as well as raise funds for the people of Jacmel.
We love you guys and pray blessings on you and your families. And thank you all so much for all your prayers and emails of love and encouragement. From the bottom of our hearts, thanks you. Attached is a picture of Mackenson as well as pictures of Jacmel, Haiti-home to us.
In Him,
Sandra and Nixon Altidor
Jer. 29:11
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Earthquake
Nixon and I were leaving D.C. with some good friends of ours when we recieved the first email on the earthquake. Panic was my first reaction. Then my mind flooded with questions and worry.
Thanks to the internet we were able to get on facebook and recieve updates from our friends and organization(Joy In Hope) in Jacmel, Haiti.
Everyone is accounted for in Jacmel, Joy In Hope. We know some buildings are down including a hotel--dont know which one. As we have seen, much damage is reported in the Capital. The real shocker is the palace collapsing as well as many other goverment structures. Haiti has suffered a severe blow.
The many countries that are ready to respond are comforting. We know God is present and in control and even now He sees and hears his children crying.
Nixon and I are stunned. We are scheduled to fly out in only a week and momma thanks God that we are not there. Honestly, my feelings are quite different. I just want to be there and comfort my boys and help to do anything that I can. We feel terrible that we are not there. Helplessness is definitely something that we feel.
All we can do is pray and see what we can do for now.
Nixon is worried about his dad, his new wife and their 6 month old baby boy. We are also worried about our very dear elderly. We hope to know how everyone is tomorrow.
We hope to know in the next few days as to our travel plans.
I will keep you all updated. Please keep Joy In Hope in your prayers. Please visit Joyinhope.org in order to make donations or email me for more information.
We arrived in North Carolina about an hour ago and are scheduled to fly out to Texas tomorrow afternoon, unless can be useful to our Stateside office here in N.C.
Praying,
Sandra Altidor
Thanks to the internet we were able to get on facebook and recieve updates from our friends and organization(Joy In Hope) in Jacmel, Haiti.
Everyone is accounted for in Jacmel, Joy In Hope. We know some buildings are down including a hotel--dont know which one. As we have seen, much damage is reported in the Capital. The real shocker is the palace collapsing as well as many other goverment structures. Haiti has suffered a severe blow.
The many countries that are ready to respond are comforting. We know God is present and in control and even now He sees and hears his children crying.
Nixon and I are stunned. We are scheduled to fly out in only a week and momma thanks God that we are not there. Honestly, my feelings are quite different. I just want to be there and comfort my boys and help to do anything that I can. We feel terrible that we are not there. Helplessness is definitely something that we feel.
All we can do is pray and see what we can do for now.
Nixon is worried about his dad, his new wife and their 6 month old baby boy. We are also worried about our very dear elderly. We hope to know how everyone is tomorrow.
We hope to know in the next few days as to our travel plans.
I will keep you all updated. Please keep Joy In Hope in your prayers. Please visit Joyinhope.org in order to make donations or email me for more information.
We arrived in North Carolina about an hour ago and are scheduled to fly out to Texas tomorrow afternoon, unless can be useful to our Stateside office here in N.C.
Praying,
Sandra Altidor
Thursday, December 31, 2009
New Mexico
Yesterday we took a short road trip with our friend Yoli. I love New Mexico. It has a different style, different decor, different people, different feel and the State border is only about 30 minutes away from the west side in El Paso.
Our highlight was a Tiki the Toucan. Nixon spent way too much time talking to him.
We still haven't heard anything about my uncle. My same uncle Martin's son's wife's father was kidnapped yesterday morning. His body was found later the same day. I was watching the news last night and there are so many more found each day.
My heart bleeds for my aunt's family and for all those stuck in the middle of this.
Our highlight was a Tiki the Toucan. Nixon spent way too much time talking to him.
We still haven't heard anything about my uncle. My same uncle Martin's son's wife's father was kidnapped yesterday morning. His body was found later the same day. I was watching the news last night and there are so many more found each day.
My heart bleeds for my aunt's family and for all those stuck in the middle of this.
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