How Are The Kids

In all of the craziness that is going on in Haiti right now, many of you probably have 1 simple question in regards to All Things New:  "How are the kids?"

The answer to this question is both really simple and really complicated at the same time. It is simple and true to say that the kids are safe and doing well right now. They have food and shelter and they are far away from the center of the craziness of Port Au Prince.

At the same time, over the past 3 years, the country that they call home has been broken. Since July 2018, here are just some of the things that they have seen happen to Haiti:

 - In July 2018, there were intense protests throughout Haiti as the government tried to raise fuel prices. These protests were also against corruption in the government. 

 - In February 2019, after a few tenuous months in the country, "Peyi Lock" happened for the first time. For almost 2 weeks, the entire country was locked down so that there was no movement on the streets, no deliveries of gas/food/etc, and very little commerce was taking place. We saw at least 10 helicopters daily flying over head to pick people up from different parts of Haiti to get them to the airport to evacuate.

 - Since the beginning of 2020, gangs have taken over different parts of Port Au Prince. Kidnappings have been common and political protests have been the norm.

 - They have missed almost 2 entire years of school combined because of social unrest in 2018/2019, Covid in 2020, and a combination of Covid and unrest again in 2021.

 - One week ago, on July 7, President Jovenel Moise was assassinated. Armed assassins entered his home and shot him numerous times killing him and injuring his wife. No security guards were harmed and nobody else was injured in the operation.

I say all of this to say that while the kids are safe, they are almost all old enough to understand what is going on in their country. They know that it is dangerous, difficult, and extremely uncertain right now.

Many of our kids are in high school and will be entering the "real world" soon. In all honesty, this is not the type of world I would be excited to enter and I know many of them feel the same way. We are not even able to get down to see them to talk with them about all that is happening.

At the same time, because of our supporters and our employees (who are all still coming to work right now), the kids of All Things New are in a better position than the vast majority of people in Haiti. They are still eating 3 meals/day, they still have a place to go and play, they will start school again in September, they have the resources to know where their next meal will come, and most importantly they have people who love them and are taking care of them. 

There is a lot to pray for in Haiti, but there is also a lot to praise GOD for at All Things New. Please join in me in doing both. We will update you soon with what we know about the assassination and what it will mean for the country, but for now there are just too many unknowns.

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