Returning Home to Sous Savanne: Magdala's Story

As if living in a small Haitian village with no electricity, no running water, no clinic close by is not enough of a challenge, the January 12, 2010 earthquake turned a lot of lives upside down. We?ve all seen video clips, read stories and some of you may have even visited Haiti since as a Hope Force Reservist. Yet for a young mother (24 at the time) with three little ones, a 3, 2 and 1 year old, her life changed right before her eyes.

Their traditional house was damaged and was no longer a place to live in. Thankfully no one was hurt but like many Haitians, they were scared. With others in the village, they camped out on the soccer field for quite some time. When HFI visited the village shortly after the earthquake and returned with the tents in August of 2010, Magdala was grateful for a tent-roof over her head. Yet during the rainy season of 2011, pregnant with her 4th child, it became too much. She left Sous Savanne to move back in with her elderly father in the hills of Boignotte.

We would still see Magdala every month as her daughter, Djanesta, is in the Child Sponsorship Program. Now with four kids, trying to raise them as a single mom, Magdala realized she wanted to return back to Sous Savanne. During the summer of 2012 she asked to be put on the list for a ?House of Hope?.

We visited her living area and saw firsthand what a challenge it was to live and raise her children there. The location proved to be a long walk in the hills with no transport for Djanesta to attend school. Magdala?s father?s home was dark and humid and all four kids were fighting pneumonia. Something needed to be done.

Through donors in the USA, we were able to start the building of Magdala?s House of Hope late November and soon she will be able to move back to Sous Savanne. During the Christmas season one of the sponsors for the HoH project came and visited the village and met Magdala and family, showering her with gifts. When we asked Magdala what she thought about all this? her response: ?I felt so blessed, so overwhelmed -- I loved all the presents. I never thought that somebody who does not know me, would do this for my kids and for me. I do not have enough words to say THANK YOU?.

What a great opening to share with her that this sponsor reached out with all those gifts because of Jesus? gift we celebrate at Christmas time. The smile on her face said it all.