Well, after more than three years of being the official home support, I finally went to Haiti earlier this month to see what my wife Diddi Washington is doing over there.

I can report to all of you that Diddi has done an even better job than reported or than I had imagined.

I knew my wife was a gifted pioneer and organizer, but I came away from Haiti truly impressed.

In a land of seeming endless disorder and chaos, Mission Haiti Helping Kids has three homes housing 30 kids and 10 employees which function quite efficiently.

I enjoyed hand pumping water and basketball with the boys. The homes function whether the power is on or off. The power seems to turn on and off without any rhyme or reason.

The homes are all walled, gated, and seem quite safe. There is a good staff which really cares for the children and seems capable of coping with a lot of children.

All of the children who can go to school are going. I was there during a school break so the kids were entertaining themselves with basketball and soccer. They are thrilled to have visitors and Diddi has a wonderful rapport with them all. I know that a couple of dozen folk have gone from our town and have seen what is being accomplished.

This has not been a single church project but a town project with people from almost all of the churches represented in town and folk who do not come to church seeing the value of Mission Haiti Helping Kids and doing what they can to help.

ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Lake has proven itself to be a very compassionate town during the recent crisis and it has certainly been compassionate over the past three years to the children of Haiti.

I love living in a place with so many people from so many different backgrounds who are so kind.

Diddi and I appreciate the people of ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Lake for their continued support of this mission. We expect that it will grow and grow.

Henry Washington