About 3 years ago, I began training the staff of Emmaus House, as well as others who work with children in Haiti, on trauma informed care. I saw a great need for understanding trauma, its effects on the brain, and teaching practical ways to help these children. As usual, I learned more from the participants than they did from me. I asked the group what I thought was a rhetorical question during my first training: “Is it better for children to grow up in a family or in an o

In life we all make mistakes. Mistakes made by careless error. Mistakes made by a lack of understanding. Mistakes made by bad choices. Mistakes made simply because we are human. And although mistakes often lead to unfavorable consequences, the hope is that by the grace of God we will learn some sort of lesson and walk away a better and wiser person. I made a lot of mistakes while living in Haiti. A lot. Especially during my first few years. I had a lot of good intentions, don