Members of an Oxford family have opened their home and their hearts to a Haitian family that runs an orphanage damaged-beyond-repair during the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated the Caribbean island nation Jan. 12.
‘It’s a blessing for me because the people here are very understanding,? said Haitian native Leonie Izidor.
She, along with her small grandchildren, 3?-year-old Stephane Gelin and 10-month-old Gregory Gelin, have been staying with Tom and Kimberly Donnelly, of Oxford, for about a month-and-a-half now.
‘I feel happy because they have received me in their home and are taking good care of me and my family,? Izidor noted.
In Haiti, Izidor and her family operate the Children of Israel Orphanage. Established 10 years ago by her late husband, Pastor Israel Izidor, the orphanage cares for 30 children.
‘My husband was a big dreamer and he had a lot of visions to help people,? Izidor said. ‘The family would like to continue with that dream.?
Unfortunately, during the earthquake, the orphanage was severely damaged. It was later deemed uninhabitable by a United Nations inspector.
Tom Donnelly said the structural damage is such that any aftershock could bring it down.
‘Eventually, it’s going to have to be torn down,? he said.
Thinking only of the orphans, all of which survived, safe and sound, Izidor moved all 30 of them into her house, which was not damaged by the earthquake.
In light of this, the Donnellys invited Izidor and her grandchildren to stay here, while funds are raised and permanent living quarters are built for the orphans.
‘When you meet the Izidor family, you get a feel for their compassion for children who don’t have homes and parents,? Tom said. ‘You can’t help but want to help.?
‘I want to be like Leonie,? Kimberly said. ‘She’s so gracious and so loving and loves everyone she meets. To be able to open my house to her family for just a little while…we said yes right away.?
Tom first met Izidor eight years ago on a mission trip through Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Orion. He went there to help her husband with his church and orphanage.
‘I’ve gone back every year,? he said.
A closeness has developed between Izidor’s family and the Donnellys. It was that bond that made watching television news footage of the earthquake’s aftermath so difficult for the Oxford family.
‘That was the hardest thing in the world,? Tom said. ‘There were a lot of tears. We wanted to be there so bad and wished we were there. We felt helpless.?
Haiti has always held a special place in the Donnellys? hearts and now, in light of the earthquake, the family is even more committed to helping Haiti.
‘It’s just something that’s part of my tithe, part of my ministry,? Tom said.
About a year ago, Tom, who’s also a pastor, started his own ministry called Firmly Rooted Ministries, which offers teaching, counseling and outreach services.
Through his ministry, Tom’s collecting money to help build a cabins for the orphans to live in. Donations can be made by visiting www.firmlyrooted.org or by mailing checks to Firmly Rooted, P.O. Box 751, Oxford, MI 48371. Please include a note indicating that the money’s for the Haitian orphanage.
Other churches in Michigan and throughout the Midwest are also raising funds. ‘We want to try to work together to get this built as quickly as possible,? Tom said.
The overall goal is to raise $175,000, but $50,000 is needed to get things started.
‘The first donations that come will be to get the 30 children that we have into their cabins,? Tom explained. ‘All the monies that are raised after that will be to support additional cabins, so that possibly we can at least double the number of orphans.?
‘The orphan crisis in Haiti is huge after this earthquake,? he noted. ‘There was a crisis before, but this has quadrupled it. There are children literally left on the streets to fend for themselves.?
On March 23, Tom and his daughter, Adrianne Schmidt, a 2008 graduate of Oxford High School, will travel to Haiti for five or six days to assess the situation.
‘Being responsible for those funds, I want to make sure I go down there and see what needs to happen,? Tom said. ‘It’s so much easier to be on the ground talking with them, then trying to deal with archaic phone systems.?
While this will be Tom’s ninth trip to Haiti, it will be Adrianne’s third. ‘You just can’t help but give back and that’s what we’re doing in a small way,? she said.
Adrianne would eventually like to move to Haiti and become a mission leader ? someone who plans, directs and aids missionary groups that come to the country to help out.
‘I just feel like I need to be there helping those people,? she said.
Adrianne’s felt that way ever since she first visited Haiti when she was 16. ‘After that week, I knew that’s what I wanted to do,? she said.
Tom and Kimberly are planning a six-to-eight week trip to Haiti this summer as a test to see whether or not they might move there.
‘Life is very clear in Haiti,? Kimberly said. ‘It seems to me that we have so much here in the United States that the water gets muddied. Down there, there’s so little that you understand what’s really important.?
‘I feel like I was put on this earth to do one thing ? love people and show them Jesus? love,? she continued. ‘If I can do that everyday down there, that’s what I want to do.?
Kimberly said the Haitians are ‘the most wonderful people I’ve ever met ? every one of them.?
Leonie Izidor is a prime example in Kimberly’s opinion. ‘Leonie is such a wonderful host for us when we’re in Haiti,? she explained. ‘The people in Haiti have so little. They feel privileged if they get one meal of rice and beans a day. That’s rich.?
‘Yet, Leonie goes out of her way to make us feel comfortable when we go down,? she continued. ‘She works from before the sun comes up till after the sun goes down to prepare wonderful meals for us and make sure we’re very comfortable.?
Kimberly recalled that once while she and the other missionaries were working in a village that had no electricity or running water, Leonie surprised them with a toilet seat.
Why? Because the toilet consisted of a hole in the ground and she knew the women were having a difficult time with it.
Even the Donnellys? other daughter Stephanie Schmidt, a 2008 OHS graduate now attending Central Michigan University, is ‘itching to go back? to Haiti to help out.
‘It’s my favorite place in the world,? she said. ‘Everything’s so clear down there. Every time I’m down there, figuring out who I am as a person and what I’m supposed to do with my life becomes so much easier.?
‘Knowing I get to share God’s love with kids that don’t get to hear it everyday is the greatest opportunity anyone could ask for,? Stephanie noted. ‘Anytime I’m available to go to Haiti I will go. Sign me up. I’d leave on a plane tomorrow if I could.?
Unfortunately, Leonie must return to Haiti this week because a relative of hers, Pastor Doris Jean Louis, was shot to death in his home by robbers March 12. Louis was considered the father of Lutheranism in Haiti.
Her grandchildren will be staying here with the Donnellys for about six months to a year. She said she knows the family will take good care of them.
Perhaps, Stephane and Gregory will get to experience more new things. The brothers have already seen their first snow.
Leonie noted that Stephane loved playing in and eating the snow.
‘The first time he touched it, he just held it in his hand and stared at it,? Tom said. ‘Then he quickly realized he could throw it at someone.?