MEET KESNEL

I was three years old when I was brought to Danita’s Children’s Home in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. They were celebrating something significant to them. Their house was decorated from the inside out, but I was amazed by the tree in their living room, dressed in strings of colorful lights that were so little but so bright, with an angel at the top that shined as bright as the sun. There were a bunch of kids singing songs in a language that I didn't know, as I only spoke Creole, but they were singing in English. 

I wondered if this was not an accident but a way for me to find a new home. It was my first Christmas Eve at Danita's Children’s Home, an orphanage where I would spend the next seventeen years. 

Even at such a young age, this experience stands out as a moment when I consciously realized my life had changed. My life before my first Christmas Eve was a stark contrast from the coziness and comfort I found in my new home. For weeks, my mother pushed me around in a wheelbarrow, searching for doctors. A piece of metal had cut my knee, leaving it hanging by a thread while I sat in my blood and infection. Coming from a low-income family in an undeveloped country such as Haiti, she was too poor to afford a hospital and searched for any doctor willing to help. Finally, an American missionary named Danita saw me and was moved to help us find a doctor. The doctor said my leg was already infected and would probably need to be amputated. I woke up inside a hospital with a little toy motorcycle as a “get better” gift from the missionary. My leg was still there, and I was told I would go live at a children's home where my needs could be met. That is how I came to Danita's Children's Home. 

I have often reflected on how this new home experience, which brought a sense of belonging and hope, shaped my future and character. At first, it wasn't easy for me to open up to this new life. It took me weeks to try and take my first step, but the love and the hospitality they showed me there were overwhelming.

God brought us together from hardships to be chosen children with the opportunity to be educated and given hope that we can make a difference. I slowly began to believe that I could be something more significant. I began to have a great vision.

I started participating in sports such as soccer, volleyball, and basketball, and I accepted the leadership qualities within me. 

I wanted to be the first to graduate high school in my bloodline, so I was always among the top 15% of my class. I was also voted president of my class. I then gained favor in the eyes of the school administration and the entire student body so that in my final year, they voted me president of the student government. Even after graduation, I was honored to be the high school volleyball coach and share a trophy with them. Growing up in a house different from my mother’s meant my family expanded. I was given a chance to fulfill a dream, and although the process was painful, I feel so glad to be where I am now. 

The missionaries I grew up with provided me with a great education and I am so grateful. But I didn’t want to stop learning. I wanted to pursue my dream of an excellent college education in the U.S.

This is where The 509 Foundation comes in. They helped me apply to Hope College in Holland, Michigan so I can achieve my educational goals, develop stronger character, reach my full potential as a leader, and serve my country with the skills I acquire.

I was accepted at Hope College and, after a rigorous and highly selective application process, awarded the Hope Forward Scholarship, a college funding model based on generosity and giving. This means my tuition is fully-funded up front, and I will then pay it forward, committing to donating to Hope College after graduation so future students can have the same transformational experience I am receiving. 

Then, through generous givers to The 509 Foundation, my room and board, as well as my living expenses, will be covered for all four years. This is a huge opportunity for someone like me who has great potential but very limited resources.  I needed a helping hand, and The 509 Foundation gave that to me! I am studying biochemistry to help bring good medicine to my country, and to provide what I couldn't find in my moment of need in that wheelbarrow so long ago.

In closing I would say I have found yet another part of my family at Hope College in the new people I have met. I love Hope College! And God has given me a family in Holland, MI with a couple named Rick and Mary Lyons. I am so grateful for their love and daily presence and mentorship in my life. They have made such a huge difference in my life. And I wholeheartedly hope to see similar opportunities extended to my brothers and sisters at the orphanage who are praying and waiting for an opportunity like the one I’ve been given.

When you give to The 509 Foundation, you are giving my brothers and sisters at the orphanage an opportunity to become all God intended them to be! You are protecting them from a life of poverty and propelling them into a life of purpose.