I recently had the pleasure of interviewing a colleague of Mark Balcos, Mike Leland, of Premier Construction Management (who built the new Bellingham Balcos Insurance office building), and his wife, Chris Leland. They invited me into their home in Lynden, a home that reflected, through its high chairs and scattered toys, inhabitants of a shorter stature. As I peered down the hallway, what seemed a hundred thousand faces looked back at me. Chris proudly told me about some of the family photos that blanketed the walls.

Mike and Chris have led a life dedicated to their family. Their walls are covered with photos of their five biological children, who have all grown up and moved out, and four adopted Haitian children. The spread of years in their adopted children is vast, the oldest, Jesse, is 20 years old, while their youngest is a 23 month old girl, Elizabeth. The deep devotion for children led them to adopting, and in multiples. When asked why he chose to adopt Haitian children versus American, he replied, “American kids deserve it, too, but in Haiti, they’re starving to death.”

Haiti is the poorest, most densely populated country in the western hemisphere, with 80% of the population unemployed and living on less than $2.00 per day, in an economy where the cost of living is about par with the US (http://www.indexmundi.com/haiti/). The life expectancy in Haiti is a mere 53-55 years old, and only one child in five will live past the age of 5 years old (http://www.globalissues.org/article/141/haiti). With a population of almost 10 million that has been hindered by colonialism, dictatorships, depleted natural resources, and most recently, a series of devastating storms, hurricanes, and earthquakes, it is difficult to find where to begin helping a nation so troubled.

The solution to most of the world’s problems “start with a dream,” but Mike and Chris had no idea the expression would be so literal. After the 2004 flooding disasters in Haiti, which destroyed homes, crops, and left behind dried mud several feet deep, Mike started thinking about how he could help. An infrequent dreamer, it struck him as an important message when he had a dream about opening an orphanage in Haiti. Originally, he fought the idea. “I had no idea how to start an orphanage,” he said, “but as soon as I stopped fighting it and accepted that ‘yes, this is what we’re going to do,’ the doors started opening. It all came as though it was natural, meant to be. The doors haven’t stopped opening since.”

For Mike and Chris Leland, their search led them to a Haitian Pastor, Nathan Chariot. Together, they partnered to start The Good Shepherd orphanage in Marose, Haiti, near Haiti’s 4^th largest city, Gonaives. Originally, the orphanage started with 20 children that had no one to care for them – they were living in the streets, and their survival was dubious. But they set to work and took the first steps together, toward their unified vision. Starting an orphanage was unlike anything they had previously done, and it was clear to them that their calling was not to give out an “American handout,” but to stand alongside the Haitians and help fix the problems from the bottom up, giving them the skills they’ll need to help them help themselves.

In an effort to bolster the local economy, the facilities employ about 50-60 Haitian families, and additional work is also done by Haitians. “We try to employ local Haitians as often as possible,” said Mike, who visits the site every couple months. With him comes a team of local volunteers, youth groups and church members, whose primary goal is not to work or to build, but to, “show the children love, and teach them that people care.”

Piece by piece, their vision has been coming together. They now have an orphanage, school, medical care clinic, and church. The orphanage is home to 38 orphans, none of whom have been adopted yet, but are being raised with an education, proper nutrition, housing, and love – which is a great start. The school teaches over 300 children, providing them with books, school supplies, a uniform, and a hot nutritious meal every day. They accomplish all this despite lacking a proper building for classes. They have the property to build on, and now hope for funds to begin construction. But even without everything in completion, their program is being seen as a success. New Generation Ministries is now working with 35 other churches in Haiti, from all denominations, to teach them how to do the same in their communities.

The church acts both as a spiritual hub and a community center. “Life skills” seminars are frequently held to promote topics such as good hygiene, health, and farming. For instance, they have two 3-acre fields, with which people are taught how to plant and harvest, how to rotate crops, and about irrigation. Coming from the viewpoint of well-versed parents, Mike and Chris and know that there isn’t much sense in helping people if they don’t have the knowledge needed to keep themselves healthy and alive. In addition to the many other services provided, the free medical clinic is an incredible boost to the area. Before the clinic was built, the nearest was several miles away, and none of them were free. The Good Shepherd medical clinic sees about 150 people per day. Starting as early as 2am, people start lining up to be seen by Dr. Ralph and the two nurses on staff. To give you some perspective, the Emergency Room at Bellingham’s St. Joseph Hospital serves about 150 people per day – with a full staff.

The recent earthquake has left the already bogged down clinic overburdened. All the medical supplies they had were donated to organizations helping the victims of the Port au Prince earthquake, which has left their own facility stripped. Chris and Mike are working even harder to raise funds and get much-needed supplies to Port au Prince and to their own medical facility in Marose. They recently held collection drives, fundraisers, and talked to possible corporate sponsors and donors. Their efforts were rewarded with four full shipping containers full of supplies, and the $50,000 necessary to ship them to Gonaives.

At this point, we’d like to thank you, our clients and friends, for your support. Because of you, we are able to donate $765 to The Good Shepherd orphanage. Each time you sent us a referral, we put $5 away toward charity. Because of all 153 of you, we are able to lend a helping hand to an organization that is making a difference in people’s lives. To each and every one of you, Thank You Very Much. Your efforts, combined with those of The Good Shepherd orphanage, will positively impact the lives of Haitian children.

To make an impact in the life of a Haitian child,

Sponsor a Child through New Generations Ministries

100% of all donations go directly to care for the children. New Generations Ministries is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable corporation.