- POSTED BY SHELLEY, 5/2012 -

  Living the Resurrection Life :

  Reflections on a Long Relationship with the SJF

I've been coming to stay with the St. Joseph Family for just over 15 years now, and I've been reflecting recently on what it was that "hooked" me.  Of course, there are many things, and they all work together, but I think the most powerful thing that grabbed me on my first visit to St. Joseph's Home for Boys in January of 1997 was the evening meeting and time of prayer.  Even more specifically, it was the "Bravos" and the prayers of the boys.  I was amazed at the way they gave each other affirmations.  I remember one time Michael telling us that after years of doing Bravos, he offered to stop them, but the guys did not want to stop.  Even when sometimes they seem a bit forced, or when some guys roll their eyes, they did not want to stop.  There is something so life-giving about affirming each other, because at their root level, those affirmations are very real.  After years of being treated as "the least," it matters that they take time to say yes to each other. The boys who grow up to become fine young men at St. Joseph's Home for Boys and now Trinity House learn that who they are, and how they treat each other, makes a difference.

But I cannot separate the Bravos from the prayers.  I remember from that first trip being absolutely stunned when I listened to boys, teen-agers, and young men pour their hearts out in prayer.  Sometimes they were confessing sins.  Sometimes they were giving thanks to God for the blessings in their lives.  But they prayed, not because they had to, but because they wanted to.  God's presence is palpable to me in prayer time and in Sunday morning worship at all of the St. Joseph Family homes, and that is because in the face of the family members, I meet Christ.  It does not matter that I cannot understand every word they say.  I can hear the emotion, the life, the spirit in their voices.  And it fills me.  And so I keep going back for the Bravos and the prayers, and for all the other things too, like watching the residents grow up, like the good food, like the laughter and music and drumming and dance that fill the homes.  Now I go back for friendships forged through years of working together, for the joy and beauty I find in Haiti itself, and for the commitment to living a resurrection life that fills the entire family.  They have become part of my family, and for the St. Joseph Family I say "Praise be to God."

- POSTED BY RENEE, 4/2012 -

Easter in Haiti, 2012

Photos from the Easter celebrations at two of the three St. Joseph Family homes today. Starting the day with a sunrise service on the new roof at St. Joseph's Home for Boys was both beautiful and sacred. Next it was Wings of Hope for the traditional child-led service and decorating of the cross with flowers. Then on to the Wings egg hunt, or rather three egg  hunts — one for the wheelchair kids, one for the walkers and one for the employees. We don't have pictures of the celebration at Trinity House, but know it was spirit-filled and family-centered. The St. Joseph Family wishes a very blessed celebration of resurrection to ALL!  Pictures from the St. Joseph's and Wings of Hope have been posted to the St. Joseph Family, Haiti Facebook page.

- POSTED BY GEOFFREY, 3/2012 -

Earthquake Resistant Construction Matters for Haiti

For Haitians in and around Port-au-Prince, March's moderate 4.6 earthquake was an all too familiar feeling and an eerie reminder of the terror of Jan 12th, 2010 and its aftermath. Since the majority of Haitians do not live or work in earthquake-resistant dwellings, even a slight shaking must be a terrifying feeling. That is why Hearts with Haiti and the St. Joseph Family have made rebuilding earthquake-resistant facilities such a priority. These buildings are not cheap and don't go up in a day, but they will stand the test of time, come rain or shine. We owe it to our partners to bring about a stronger future by building strong structures. Anything else is too much of a risk in an earthquake-prone country.

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