Jonas' Story

Shortly after we began going to Haiti, we met Jonas.  Jonas was living on top of a beautiful overlook nestled in the remote village of Ravine Sable in a miserable situation with his ten brothers and sisters.  He was about six years old at the time and had been blind for a number of years.  As the story goes, when he was only 3 or 4 y/o, he fell in front of his house unto an object of some type that went into his eye.  Whoever was there with him at the time, poured a bleach solution into his eyes that further damaged the optic nerve and retina.  Since that initial visit, every HMI mission team has visited Jonas, his family and his community to pray with him, play with him and to always help his family in a particular way since they care for Jonas in such a loving and unselfish way – especially his father.

 

One year when we visited Jonas, he had tripped, broke his leg and he was lying on a make-shift cot with his leg set with a piece of branch and banana leaves.  It had been broken too long  for anything to be done to repair it at that time.  We also, on one occasion, flew him to visit some eye specialists who were in Haiti at the time for assessment and they assured us that nothing could be done to restore his eyesight. So we just pray and visit.  Jonas has a wonderful gift of a singing voice.  Click on the attached link and enjoy the “Music of Jonas” which he sang for us in the Spring of 2017 when our mission team along with Fr. Joe visited him. 

Music of Jonas 

Jonas' Testimony