News
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All Things New and Getting Through the Pandemic
This is an important update about the easiest way to donate to All Things New. As you may know, we have recently updated our website, and within th... -
Leadership and Olive Garden
For lack of a better term, I will call it the "Olive Garden Principle." The Olive Garden Principle can be defined as the idea that when a group of people (3 or more) get together to try and choose a place to eat, they always end up at the most average restaurant possible because it neither offends nor excites and because everyone can find at least one thing to eat there. -
Social Justice and The Gospel
Indifference to the plight and hurt of others goes against who Jesus is and what He taught just as much as outright hatred. Preaching a cold version of the Gospel that does nothing to help those who are hurting goes against the example we have in the New Testament of who Jesus is and what He taught. Helping others without specifically telling them of the love of GOD goes against who Jesus is and what He taught. -
The Dark Side of Haitian Orphanages Part 10
Most orphans do not have people fighting for them, pushing them, or loving them. This is the biggest travesty in our world. That we, as followers of Christ, would forget the very people for whom He came to save. The outcast, the downtrodden, the poor of this world. -
The Dark Side of Haitian Orphanages Part 9
There is a measured attack that we have to make on the world of orphan care. In the short term we have to care for vulnerable children and fight against anyone or anything that tries to take advantage of them. Starting new orphanages does nothing more than create more orphans while funding corrupt orphanages does nothing more than perpetuate evil. We have to find places and people that we trust and invest in them and the children they care for. In the long term, we have to attack the root of the orphan crisis in 3rd world countries and fight for children to have families in which they can grow up. -
The 2 Sides of Faith (Protests Here and in Haiti)
My point is that we know these things are going on, and in the face of people dying apart from Christ, we live our 9 to 5 lives. We teach our kids that the lessons they learn from sports are more important than the lessons they learn from Church. We figure out the next big toy, great vacation, or wonderful experience we can have even as people are dying in poverty apart from Christ. We watch a group of people (both here and in Haiti) that have gotten to the point that they believe the only thing they can do is protest, and we tell them why they are wrong rather than standing beside them and figuring out how to help. -
The Dark Side of Haitian Orphanages Part 8
For instance, our kids' schedule does not change just because a team comes down. They still have tutoring, meal time, etc. We do special things when teams come down, and we have fun hanging out with them, but we make sure that our kids do not grow an unhealthy attachment to their sponsors or to other Americans they may never see again.
If you have been to an unhealthy orphanage, the opposite is probably true. The kids probably run out to you when you first drive up, they probably latch on to you and sit in your lap or have you hold them constantly the entire time you are in the country. Our kids are attached to Madam Noucheka or Madam Oser, they are attached to Lener or Gina, and they get excited when Mackenson and Wisner come in the gate. These are the men and women that they are connected to and that they have a relationship with.
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The Dark Side of Haitian Orphanages Part 7
We decided, long ago, not to pursue the orphanage/school/church model of orphan care. We chose, instead, to rent a home in a neighborhood, send the kids to a local school, and even allow the older kids to choose what church they wanted to attend. Is this the right thing to do? Maybe and maybe not. We believe it is the right thing for our kids because it is so important for them to learn to live in their own culture. To have friends that they interact with on the outside, to have mentors in their churches, and to have discipline from their schools. Basically, to have a well-rounded life that can help them to mature into well-rounded men and women. -
The Dark Side of Haitian Orphanages Part 6
The dark side of really well-run orphanages that are backed by a lot of supporters and money is that many of these places do not prepare their kids for real life in Haiti (you can substitute any developing country for Haiti). The truth is, we have made a lot of "American" mistakes. But this is also the reason that we have Haitians in charge of every aspect of our ministry. People that we trust and listen to, and people that make sure our kids are raised in the country where they live rather than an American oasis that is nothing more than physically located in Haiti. -
Haiti Coronavirus Update - 98 New Cases in 24 Hours
The truth is, I know that these numbers could mean nothing, but it does scare me for Haiti and for our kids. The country is so ill-prepared for something like Covid-19, and I cannot imagine what may come from this. That is the purpose of today's blog. To ask for your prayers. I know that our country is under attack, and even as things begin to open up, there is still an uneasiness about things. With that said, please continue to pray for America, but do one thing for me...
Add Haiti To Your Prayers!
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The Dark Side of Haitian Orphanages Part 5
Most people who run orphanages make 1 of 2 mistakes. Many orphanages that are backed by foreign money will "pamper" a kid with things that they will never have again outside of the orphanage until they are 18 and then send them into a world they are neither prepared for nor equipped to handle (I will write more about this at a later date). Other orphanages, mostly those who do not have the same backing, use the kids in their orphanage for as long as they can in whatever way that they can until they are no longer useful and they send them out. Neither of these 2 mistakes are acceptable. -
The Dark Side of Haitian Orphanages Part 4
Did you know that there are a lot of men and women in Haiti who truly believe that getting their children into an orphanage is the first step to a better life? That is such a sad sentence to write and idea to contemplate. I do not want anyone to read these blogs and think that there are a bunch of parents in Haiti who do not care about their children. That is not the case.
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