by Jonathan

While I was away on vacation last week, we have much to report from the week before and even since my return! As many of you saw, we were so lucky to have our two Britsionary groups in February, both the St. John's Church from Kenton, OH, followed by the group from St. John's Catholic High School in Shrewsbury, MA. Each group was incredible to have and built houses for two women who work for us, giving them a safe and secure place to call their own! Amazing!







On the heels of the St. John's Catholic High School group's departure, we were equally fortunate to welcome to Haiti UMASS Medical School's Chancellor Dr. Michael Collins and his Chief of Staff Brendan Chisholm. Dr. Collins had asked Len and Cherylann to present at a speaking engagement UMASS last year, but they were unable to because their son Richie was graduating from high school that same weekend! Dr. Collins was generous enough to extend the offer to this year, and so be sure to watch for Len and Cherylann's motivating and inspiring presentation later this year! They will also be given honorary Doctorate degrees for all of their amazing work! What an incredible honor!















This same trip brought two of our medical directors to Haiti, too. Dr. Greg Ciottone and his wife Amalia who is a nurse were down in Haiti making a visit to Brit's Orphanage. While the trip was brief, we were able to discuss some of the more pressing needs for the successful and effective operation of our medical clinic. Dr. Ciottone and Amalia are heading up the telemedicine component to our clinic, and having them on hand to discuss logistics and training for equipment and protocols was great! We expect that together with Susan Johnson, our medical clinic will grow by leaps and bounds in 2014, and our ultimate goal of serving the community beyond the walls of the orphanage will continue to be a key objective for us!







As you likely saw, we were lucky to have Cherylann on hand with us here in Haiti for two full weeks in February! With Cherylann on hand, so many little things that we've been needing to address were able to get done. While Be Like Brit certainly feels like home to our children and visitors alike, those finishing touches that make the place appear to be more like a home and less like an orphanage were so necessary to put in place. Indeed, while Cherylann was here, we added many "finishing touches" to the inside of Brit's Orphanage which have made a tremendous difference!















We were also able to get out to Port-au-Prince and other parts of Haiti and introduce Cherylann to some of the friends we've made who have helped us with programming and training for our staff and children! Jolinda at GOALS Haiti and our friend Steve Kirby from Haiti HERO Project graciously accepted us for visits and to sit and discuss some their work with us. We were able to collaborate, share on some best practices, and discuss ways in which we might be able to work together moving forward. It's wonderful to meet others doing amazing work and find out how they navigate the unique place which is Haiti. It's also comforting to know that some of our own challenges are not unique - rather shared by most NGOs and missions who dive into the realm of this type of work.







We're forever reminded of our blessings in so many simple ways. While Cherylann was here, she decided to have us make up all of the beds in the orphanage, even those rooms where no children are yet living - just to make it feel more like home. While our staff covered the beds in those empty rooms, we realized that soon enough these beds will be filled - and shortly thereafter realized that we were going to suffer a shortage of sheets and blankets! We decided to put a call out on facebook to see if we could get 100 twin sheet sets - enough to cover every bed in the place and have a backup set per bed. The outpouring of support from such a simple request was incredible. After less than a week, take a look at what Cherylann and Len came home to...















Boxes upon boxes of sheets! The goal well met - just simply incredible! We can't thank those of you who support our efforts enough! You are helping us make this place a home for so many and there's no doubt it is indeed a warm, loving, and happy home!







We were also fortunate to meet Fr. Rick Frechette of St. Damien's Hospital in Port-au-Prince. Fr. Rick is the author of the book Haiti: The God of Tough Places, The Lord of Burnt Men. Fr. Rick is obviously a Catholic priest, but he's also a physician, too. Every morning in the hospital's chapel, Fr. Rick gives a funeral mass for those who died during the night. The morning we arrived, Fr. Rick was presiding over the funeral of two people, whose remains rested in a simple box. We arrived late due to traffic, but were able to witness the final 10 minutes or so of the service.







What struck me most was the simplicity of the service, yet the overwhelming humanity of it. When the funeral ended, the handful of people in attendance carefully carried the deceased off, loaded them on to a nearby truck, and along with Fr. Rick, drove off. We would later meet him in his office where we learned more of his work extending the most compassion and maintaining the dignity of the lost and forsaken - the deceased who go unclaimed at the public hospital's morgue - the ones whose families have left them because even in death they may be a burden to bury. While so many people express their respect and admiration for our efforts here at Be Like Brit, I can't even explain to you the amazing work of this man. It was an honor to meet him and speak with him about what it means to do this kind of work in Haiti...

(Photo credit: nph-haiti.org)

After a week of travels to Madrid and to New York, I'm back in Haiti. I was happy to fly back in with the Becker College Britsionary Group, lead in to Haiti by Debbie Pallato-Fontaine and her sister-in-law Susan. As you all know, Debbie is a member of our Program Committee and has been the force behind our ongoing professional development with our caregiver staff. Debbie's expertise is invaluable, as is her patience and her calming presence. We know this group will be as equally amazing as the last and are so happy to meet a new group of friends.







The group started out by painting the house of one of our caregivers, Carline. The St. John's Catholic High School group built the house for Carline on very short notice, and so they weren't able to see the house to completion. Becker happily accepted the task and Carline's house is now ready to move in to!















We're looking forward to having Len and Cherylann back in Haiti later this week, along with other friends! Be sure to keep up on what's happening at Be Like Brit on our facebook page, www.facebook.com/belikebrit ~ You never know who might be stopping in for a visit! It's great to be back and we're looking forward to an exciting month ahead! We hope that it's starting to warm up for you all wherever it is that you call home ~ Keep the Faith! Spring is on its way!!!