This is a amazing day! The people here have been so gracious and full of life. The fellowship with the guys on this trip have been a true look into the hearts of other brothers in Christ..We went too look at the work needing done at the school, and the Lord  had to humble my heart into remining me that this was not about me only about him..THANK YOU  Star of Hope foer allowing to find  this feeling. But prasise be to GOD for allowing me too grow in this part of my heart and soul. RICK S. 2/24/2013

In Dano village in Haiti the village leader is also the pastor at the local church. Mr. Wallas is a busy man of God, he has also a big heart and always in a good mood. He fights hard to do the very best for the villagers, the children and the elderly. If not preaching the good word he is out doing good works.

His personality encourages the people to help others in the village and he is always ready to step in and do the work himself if needed.

Here are some pictures from a service after the flooding in 2008:

The armed and violent conflict in Colombia has been going for 50 years. Right now, peace negotiations are ongoing betwwen left guerrilla group FARC and the Colombian State on neutral ground in Cuba's capital Havana. It goes not so well, according to most experts. Hopefully there can be a sustainable agreement reached soon, although most think it can take time.

The conflict has killed a quarter of million people and there are approximately 4-5 million Internally Displaced People (IDPs). I have meet several families that are displaced in their own country. Many sad stories. One of the families was José and Nayibis Lopez and their three children, who were forced to flee three times.

They were forced to flee in 2002 from the small community Fundacias Magdalena when paramilitary groups alleged that the family worked with the FARC. José and Nayibis were threatened to death and had no choice but to pack up and flee. They were forced to flee twice agan in similar circumstances before they ended up in Villa Gloria outside the Colombian coastal city of Cartagena.

The family lives in a small borrowed poorly built wooden shed of about ten square meters. It has two beds, a fan and a TV. Along the walls above the beds hangs clothes and toys. Outside the small room is a small space without a roof where they cook.

Mom Nayibis told me that during the dry season it is fine but when the rainy season comes, the soil in and around the house is partially under water which made it very difficult. After many years without a job José finally get a job as a motorcycle taxi driver. It is good for the poor family, who lived very scant and poorly since they fled the first time.

BE A SPONSOR TODAY

In Haiti we have given out goats and chickens since mid December again. The animals were given by sponsors that wanted to give a good and useful Christmas gift to poor children in one of the poorest countries in the world. Pictures has arrived and I would like to share them with you.

The pictures are taking Tony Boursiquot, Star of Hopes project manager in Haiti. You can see more pics on Flickr if you click here.

Of Haiti’s 9 million inhabitants about half is under 20 years of age. The life expectancy is 53 years for men and 56 for women. Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas. The living conditions, with unemployment around 70% and a totally inadequate healthcare system makes death physically present and a natural part of everyday life.

To get an education is getting more important. Please help Star of Hope give more children a good start in life. We need more sponsors for the kids that we are trying to help. Maybe you can be a sponsor as well? Thank you!

 BE A SPONSOR RIGHT NOW

When I visited North Korea in 2003, you had to visit a number of tourist destinations. They included a couple of monuments honoring leaders among others. You also had to visit the Mangyongdae Children's Palace, which was a house full of various activities for children. I think these visits are still a must.

These children showed a range of activities for us tourists. It was sports, games, singing, dancing and more. It was reported that the children were more skilled than their peers in other countries. They were extremely talented, no doubt about that. However, there were many with me that questioned then and even now, the methods used to get the kids so talented.

Some pictures from my visit in 2003 below. These images concludes my short series about the disaster relief that Star of Hope did in 2003. The effort was much needed and very appreciated. I hope to return to North Korea sometime in the future.