We just cannot thank you enough for the wonderful experience we had in Montreal with you and the incredible team of people you assembled to make the Faces of Hope 2008 project happen. We know there was an overwhelming amount of behind the scenes work that went into putting the week together and then making it go smoothly. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Anna and for all of our family; we are very glad that our entire family was able to participate. We are truly humbled that we were able to take part in a project celebrating the lives of these 12 heroes and their perseverance and determined spirits as they faced adversity and challenges head on. Plus, how exciting that the proceeds of the book, calendar, cards, etc. will go to help other children! Thank you for allowing Hugo to hang out with us and Anna. What a great opportunity for Hugo to see adversity that others faced and triumphed over in amazing ways. We felt like one of the greatest experiences in the week for our family was being able to meet and get to know all of the kids, the "heroes" involved in the project. Their stories truly are inspirational to us.

We were very emotional as we went through the week, heard the stories, and then as we left, wondering if we will ever get the chance to visit with our new friends again. We include in that the volunteers that gave so much to this project. We were so impressed with Montreal and the people there! It was such a big task to make this happen, but your team did it with grace and with smiles on their faces. I didn’t sense that anyone was tired or frustrated…or maybe it was just that I didn’t understand French! Anyway, we miss all of the faces that became so familiar last week. Just after crossing into the States on Friday, we stopped at McDonalds to grab a quick bite…and tears again came to my eyes as I scanned the room and looked for the heroes, their families, and the volunteers, but found none! Our family was so impacted by the week, and it is still very emotional for me and Jason. It was a privilege to participate in Faces of Hope 2008.

Anna greatly appreciated all of the wonderful things that she was given..the clothes, the suitcase, bags, the DVD player, the DVD, the angel doll, penguins, more clothes, knick knacks, and more! Children love gifts! Anna also enjoyed being able to play Guitar Hero and the Wii, along with the other games in the gameroom. That was a great idea, and all of my kids loved it. The trip to La Ronde, with the helicopter rides, was incredible as well! Thank you!

Jason and I try to do our best to not give too much to our kids because we want them to appreciate the blessings they already have, and to learn to work for what they want, but it’s still hard in the United States (as I know it is in Canada) where we have so much. You can go to McDonalds here and get a toy with your meal, but there are children in Africa who don’t own a toy at all. I have a friend who recently went on a mission trip to China with our church, and a youngster that went along with them made such a profound statement while she was serving the orphans in China…”how is it that they [orphans in China] can have so little and be content, but we [kids in the US] can have so much and want more?” How true it seems! We were humbled to be a part of Elizabeta experiencing the pool for the first time, where going to the pool here is something we can easily take for granted.

More than the gifts of things, though, we truly appreciate the gifts of friends and relationships that we made. And being able to participate and be inspired ourselves by the heroes and everyone who helped this past week was such an awesome gift...something that no money can buy. Last, but certainly not least, thank you for the chance to meet Celine Dion. We love her music and have always been impressed by her as a person, but even more so now after getting a chance to meet her and speak with her and to see Celine with Anna, helping to make her feel at ease during the photo shoot. We are thankful that there are people like her and like you who are so committed to helping people in need!

Also, in case you are interested, here is a link to Anna’s full story, written in our local newspaper, The News and Observer, and printed in October 2000. There were four chapters, with each chapter running one day at a time. Reader’s Digest condensed down this original version to print their story in July 2003. www.newsobserver.com/anna

Merci, Martyne.
Dieu vous bénissent,
Susan Williamson (for Jason, Anna, Patrick, Lily, and Jack, too)