Hopegivers Blogs

Blog Entries for: June, 2007

Lessons From a Penny Pincher

esther_blog_2007_100pxMy name is Esther and you can call me a lot of things. Penny pincher is definitely one of them. I’m a college student, and, suffice to say, I’ve learned to survive on very little. I can make it a couple of weeks with only about ten dollars.

I’m working with Hopegivers this summer, saving up money for the next school year. It will be more costly this year – I recently got a car. I hold up every penny I can every chance I get, but here I am, working with a nonprofit organization surrounded by people who love to give. Being around these people, along with the staple church sermon about living a fuller life through giving, has helped me loosen up.

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June 20, 2007 | 0 Comments | View or add comments
OK, So I'm Not a Good Travel Guide...

When we finally got to the hospital, we got Denise admitted quickly and some much needed meds came her way. After taking said meds, she felt much better and became an instant hospital classic—providing some much needed levity for our weary team by naming her bug bites, wheeling around the hospital with a big smile, and cheerily befriending other patients and doctors.

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June 17, 2007 | 0 Comments | View or add comments
Her Peace was Other-Worldly

In the end, it wasn’t kidnappers, bandits, malaria or even an auto accident that got us, but a slippery floor. Denise, who is a cancer-survivor and one of the toughest, bravest people you’re likely to meet, took a horrific spill our second night in Haiti. Unable to move and in unbelievable pain, Denise suffered as we wondered what to do. Though she was able to pull herself up into bed for the night, she was almost completely incapacitated and suffering in terrible pain as there was no doctor, no ambulance, and no hospital to be had. Trever, a war-hero and former paramedic, became a hero one more time as he spent the night with Denise, praying for hours, calming her and being there for her through the seemingly endless night. He diagnosed her as probably having a broken tailbone, but there was a possibility of spinal chord damage.

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June 16, 2007 | 0 Comments | View or add comments
Our Troubles Were Only Beginning

haiti_gals_100 Relieved to be cruising through cotton-ball cumulus clouds en route to the US of A, I replayed in disbelief the events of our tumultuous week in Hispaniola. True, you kinda had to be there to appreciate the depth and magnitude of the impact this trip had on all of our lives, but believe me when I tell you that the four of us will never be the same.

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June 15, 2007 | 0 Comments | View or add comments
What Else Do We Have To Spend Our Money On?

sandy2_100pxRight now I'm on vacation, attending my daughter's graduation from the University of Washington. As I watched the processional today, I felt only joy for Kelli, knowing she has her whole life ahead of her with endless opportunities. My daughter steps into her new life knowing that she has the support of a large family behind her. There were no thoughts of fear or sadness in this occasion, only thoughts of joy and excitement.

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June 10, 2007 | 0 Comments | View or add comments
Interview With a Pirate

Greetings! We have arrived safely in the Caribbean on our way to see Hopegivers' Haiti work. Already, I've had a great stroke of good fortune. As fate would have it, I ran into a living legend today-the last living Pirate of the Caribbean-right at our own Hope Home in Haiti. Fortunately for us, Bottle-Nose Bob renounced looting, killing, and general pirate naughtiness when he became a believer in 2005, and has since spent the last two years as a helper at the home.

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June 10, 2007 | 0 Comments | View or add comments

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