A team from Lighthouse Church in Iowa recently returned from a mission trip to Haiti. Their church had come together to raise funds to contribute to our poultry project. During their visit, the team from Lighthouse Church worked together to add a second chicken coop, including a cage for layers. The new layers’ cage is located on the orphanage property. This new development will give the children an opportunity to become actively involved in the poultry project by allowing them to care for the chickens and collect eggs.

The expansion of the chicken coops is a great way to provide for the orphanage, as eggs can be collected and sold in the market. The new chicken coop houses 500 chicks that will also be ready for the market within six weeks.

This project is dedicated to facilitate the growth of the orphanage by providing for the children today and for the future, and ultimately, helping the people of Haiti help themselves. Perhaps your church would like to build a chicken coop or layer cage to help support the orphanage.

Container Loaded with Christmas Shoeboxes & Orphanage Supplies

On Saturday, December 10th, we had a packing party, loading our shipping container headed to Haiti with over 700 Christmas Shoeboxes, bunk beds & mattresses, chairs, cribs, bedroom furniture, clothes, food and other supplies for Open Door Children’s Home.

Our disappointment in our late arriving container turned to concern when our 20 foot container was actually a 40 foot container.  We hadn’t ordered a 40 foot container and weren’t prepared to pay the extra charges for one either…  but this would become our first Christmas miracle.  The shipping company’s mistake became our blessing, and we were able to load lots of extra items on the container that we hadn’t intended on shipping at this time.

After the container was loaded, we gathered around, laid our hands on the precious cargo, and prayed for another miracle.  “Lord, will you please help this container to get on the boat next Wednesday, and then arrive in Haiti on Monday, December 19th.  And will you please do the miraculous and help the container to clear customs quickly so that it can reach the village and the children before Christmas.”

Word of miracle number two came yesterday afternoon.  Our container has safely arrived in Cap Haitien.  Yes, it arrived, as we had prayed for, on Monday, December 19th!  Now it is time to pray for maybe the biggest miracle yet.  Will you join us in praying that our container will clear customs and be delivered to Open Door Church by this Friday, December 23rd.

God loves to work miracles at Christmas!

Serving Christ together,

Doug Holliday

President, Open Door Haiti / USA

Sponsor An Orphan

Maudeline is the youngest of 7 children.  Her father died and her mother is unable to care for all 7 children. Both Maudeline and her older brother, 8 year old Evens, moved into Open Door Children’s Home this week.  They have been given to us to provide the love, care, nurture and hope that they need… but we need your help.

For only $50 a month, about the cost of taking your family out to dinner at Chili’s, you can sponsor one of the orphans at Open Door Children’s Home.  Simply visit our Orphan Sponsorship page, select a child you would like to sponsor, and then go to our Donate menu to begin your sponsorship today.

Jennifer and I are sponsoring two of the children at ODCH.  Will you join us?

For the children,

Doug Holliday

President, Open Door Haiti / USA

The First Supper

The children have arrived at Open Door Children’s Home.  They are happy and excited.  Most children in Haiti don’t have their “own” bed.  They have to share a bed with several other children.  Most children in Haiti don’t get to eat their meals at a table. When they do get to eat, they often stand or sit on the ground.  Many homes in rural Haiti have dirt floors, walls made out of mud and sticks, and no light.  None of these children have ever been in a home that had running water, toilets, showers or other things that we would consider necessities.  Their new home is spacious with lots of room to run and play and laugh and grow.  Their new home has a kitchen filled with nutritious food.  Their new home is bright and colorful, with stuffed animals for each of their beds and toys to play with.  Their new home is a place filled with love and hope.

Thank you to all the special friends of the children at Open Door who have helped to make this a wonderful place these children can call home!  What a wonderful Christmas this will be for 26 special children in Bois De Lance, Haiti.

For the children,

Doug Holliday

President, Open Door Haiti / USA

Children arrive at their new home...

What an exciting day!  After months of raising funds from churches, organizations and individuals across the country and almost 18 months of construction, Open Door Children’s Home is now open!

Today, 26 children are moving into their new home.  This will be a place where they find love, acceptance and hope.  This will be a place where they can play, learn, laugh and grow.  This will be a place of healing for all the brokenness and lost dreams they have suffered.  This will be a place where they discover that they matter to God more than they could have ever imagined!

We still need you to pray.  We still need you to give.  We still need you to go.

We are now looking for sponsors for all of these children.  For only $50 a month, you can provide the love, acceptance and hope that these children hunger for.  We will soon have a sponsorship page on our website where you can select an orphan to sponsor.  The children will also be enrolled in Open Door School and their school sponsorship is $25 a month.

We have many fun projects for teams that want to go and help with our orphanage in 2012.  Would you like to bring a team to build a playground, do landscaping, paint children’s murals on walls, set up a computer lab, build out the closets, etc.

Come on a trip with us.  Meet these precious children.  Share the love of God with them.

For the children,

Doug Holliday

President / ODH-USA