Jonas, we don’t really know how old he is, but we know he was a restavek slave child. We found Jonas when we were doing a “Food Distribution” in the mountains. We saw a little boy working hard with a big “Haitian hoe,” in the heat of the sun. He was dirty, barefoot, and hungry.

He was working for a Haitian lady who owned the land. He was supposed to get food each day but many times he got nothing. He was often beaten for “not working hard enough.”

When the lady would give him food, she would say, “You’re not worth a plate of food.” We brought him back and took him in, legally. He had never had a shower, never sat at a table to eat, never slept in a bed, and never had a “hug.”

We had to put him in Kindergarten, but he had never held a pencil… that took weeks to teach him. We had to get him a Birth Certificate… the things we take for granted were all new to Jonas. He is doing better, but school is still difficult for him. But, love is a great teacher, and we all love Jonas.

Sherry