Amber and Brandon LaChappelle just returned from a life changing trip to Haiti. We first introduced you to the Two Rivers siblings in November when they launched a Go Fund Me page to raise donations to help Hurricane Matthew victims. Now, they're back home and sharing what happened on their mission to bring hope to Haiti.
The scars from Hurricane Matthew will take a long time to heal.
"I mean I cried in the car and just seeing the miles upon miles, it's like the devastation, it doesn't end," said Amber.
Houses are destroyed. Trees are toppled. She says it's still a battle to rebuild three months after the storm hit.
"They still struggle to provide food for their families. Many are just sharing homes with other families and just really sad to see how much of a struggle there still is."
Amber and Brandon arrived in Port-au-Prince the day after Christmas.
"We slept on the floor on some old mattresses. I had a mouse in my room, and we had some cockroaches in the house as well. A lot of ants," chuckled Brandon.
They were ants that bite, but they fought through the tough conditions. The siblings partnered with the group Haiti Teen Challenge to pack 4,800 meals. They delivered them to three hard hit villages in the southwestern part of the country.
"It was really awesome to be able to provide that much," Amber said.
Each bag of beans, rice, and oil was enough to feed a family for two weeks.
"The smiles on their faces. I just love seeing that and just seeing how happy they were," added Brandon.
The siblings also met a family of five living in a tent in their backyard. The LaChappelle's put a new roof on their hurricane damaged home
"While they have absolutely nothing, they are just thankful for their lives and that really just hit me in a huge way," Amber said.
Amber and Brandon also returned to an orphanage she visited back in October. They brought them clean water, clothing, and children's vitamins, as well as a lot of love.
"What stuck out for me was just how friendly and grateful the people were. They don't have anything, but they were the nicest people I think I've ever met," explained Brandon.
The pair from Two Rivers couldn't have helped so many people without the nearly $11,000 in donations from Northeast Wisconsin.
Amber says, "We are just so grateful for everybody that had donated whether financially, prayerfully, with fundraisers we've done, just beyond grateful that people cared enough to support this project and help to change the lives of those in Haiti."
The lives of the LaChappelles were greatly impacted as well. They say even as broke college students, they have a new appreciation for how blessed we are in America.
The pair hopes to return to Haiti in May to continue their work to serve others.
as they launched a Go Fund Me page in hopes of raising $15,000 to bring aid to Hurricane Matthew victims. The public's outpouring of support allowed the siblings from Two Rivers to travel for a week to help struggling Haitians in their time of need.
