Back to School/Harvest Time

Since it is back to school time, I thought I would share a bit about Haiti and the Three Angels Christian Academy and a way that you can get involved and help make a difference!

This is taken from the Three Angels Children's Relief website (http://www.threeangelshaiti.org/)

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Haiti is a Caribbean country occupying the western third of Hispaniola, sharing the island with the Dominican Republic. It is about the size of the state of Maryland, 50 miles from Cuba, and 600 miles from Florida. It is only an hour and a half flight from Florida yet is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Haiti has historically been poverty stricken due to a variety of reasons including historical factors such as war and war debt, occupations and dictatorships, isolation and racism that are still impacting Haiti today along with current economic and environmental factors such as international aid sanctions, internal political conflict, deforestation that leads to soil erosion and flooding, hurricanes, etc.

The average Haitian earns less than $1 a day, and there have been estimates that 1 percent of the country's 8.1 million people controls nearly half its wealth (Mozingo). More than half of Haitians eight million people lack access to clean water or sanitation. Fifty percent of the population is undernourished, with one in five children underweight or under-height for their age. Twelve percent of Haitian children die before their first birthday, and one third do not make it to their 5th birthday (globalsecurity.org).

According to a 2004 U.N. report, Haiti ranks with Afghanistan and Somalia as one of three countries of the world with the worst daily caloric deficit per person with 2.4 million Haitians unable to afford the minimum 2,240 daily calories recommended by the World Health Organization. In addition, only 1 in every 10,000 Haitians has access to a physician (globalsecurity.org). A 2005 report declares Haiti the second worst place in the world to live (Moyes). Haiti is the fifth most corrupt nation in the world for 2005, according to Transparency International, a global watchdog group who publish an annual list of corruption levels in 159 nations. Haiti was tied for the most corrupt country in 2004.

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The Bible tells us: "These were his instructions to them: "The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. Pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest, and ask him to send out more workers for his fields. " (Luke 10:2)

I'm writing to let you know about a SIMPLE way that you can help. Maybe you can't adopt a child. Maybe you can't travel to Haiti to work on construction projects. But there is something you CAN do...read on for more info.....

Visit here to help today! Please consider sponsoring a student.
http://www.threeangelshaiti.org/sponsorship.htm

Three Angels Children's Relief opened Three Angels Christian Academy (TACA) aka Institution Mixte Chretienne de Petion-Ville in 2005. TACA serves nearly 400 students in a 2 room building on the Three Angels Campus. There is a huge need for inexpensive, quality schools in Haiti. Well over half of the adult population is illiterate. Most of the children currently attending would not have the opportunity to attend a school without TACA opening and granting scholarships. Without an education there is no way out of the cycle of poverty.



Children in Haiti are starving. The students that attend TACA are hungry too-and you can help! Many of them do not get regular meals at home. At this time, TACA provides 1 meal of bread and peanut butter. For many, this is the only meal they get in a day. The goal is to get sponsorships for all the students, so that a full meal of beans, rice and milk can be provided. The only way that this goal can be reached is via the student sponsorship program. For less than $1.00 per day, you can change the life of a child, and change the world. What better way to change things that to feed and educate a student. For $27 a month you can help end the cycle of poverty.

To learn more about this program (it's very simple to do) visit http://www.threeangelshaiti.org/sponsorship.htm $27.00 a month

Imagine the difference that $1.00 can make in the life of these students! It would not be hard to figure out a way to give up something that costs less than a dollar a day to help.

Matthew 6:19-21 says:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

God's calling-the harvest is great and the workers are few. Will you answer?

Visit http://www.threeangelshaiti.org/sponsorship.htm
to make a difference TODAY!

Three Angels is a non profit, volunteer run organization.

Health Insurance and Counseling

Many people have questions about counseling and health insurance. Because it is a personal decision, I’d like to take a moment to provide you with some information to help you decide. Then you can make an informed decision that is right for you.

DID YOU KNOW that all health insurance companies follow the medical model? This means that insurance companies require clients to be “patients”? What this means is that the practitioner must present a formal medical diagnosis. That diagnosis then determines the nature and duration of services allowable and paid for by the insurance company. These records are permanent and may be accessed by employers, insurance companies, and others: a psychiatric diagnosis, whether accurate or not, becomes a lifelong “fact.” These records are supposed to be kept confidential, however Connections Christian Counseling has no control over what happens to the records once they are sent to the insurance company.

In addition, many of the problems that bring people into counseling do not fit neatly in to the ‘medical model’. For example, if you are having ongoing conflict in your marriage relationship, this may or may not be covered by your insurance. Yet it could be causing a great deal of turmoil, stress, and pain in your life. If it does happen to be covered-the insurance company-not you and your counselor-will determine the number and frequency of sessions. Who would you rather have deciding on the services that you get? Some managed care company representative in an office cubicle probably in another state who does not know you? Or would you prefer that you and your health care professional collaborate on your care and make these decisions together?

What if you are interested in personal growth and challenging yourself to be the best that you can be? What if you want support while you set goals and practice new skills? Or maybe you want some accountability while you work to take your business to the next level or plan a career change? These valuable coaching services are not ‘medical conditions’ and will not be covered by health insurance.

These are just some of the reasons that Connections Christian Counseling does not submit bills to insurance companies. However, some insurance companies may reimburse their members for services with Connections Christian Counseling. It varies depending on the policy exclusions and the contract between your employer and the insurance company. The client is responsible for payment at the time of service. Upon your request, I can give you the paperwork to assist you in seeking reimbursement from your insurance company. However, I cannot guarantee reimbursement because your insurance coverage is a contract primarily between your employer and the insurance company. I recommend that you read the article on my website www.ConnectionsWellnessCenter.com called “Paying for Therapy”-it offers 5 more points to consider so that you can make an informed decision about using health insurance to pay for counseling.

Counseling is a valuable service that has the potential to greatly improve the quality of your life and relationships. By investing in counseling services you maintain control, privacy & flexibility in your health care.


Lena Wright is the founder and President of Connections Wellness Center and a Certified Professional Coach and a Board Certified Professional Christian Counselor. Her passion is helping women find peace and contentment so they may enjoy healthy relationships and be all that God has created them to be. She can be reached through her website at www.ConnectionsWellnessCenter.com