Charity benefactor Megan Boudreaux and her husband, Josh Anderson, visited the Ignite House Nov. 8 during Orphan Sunday, which is an annual commemoration of the effort to help parentless children. Boudreaux explained how she traveled to Gressier, Haiti, adopted orphaned child slaves known as "restaveks" and met Anderson.

"Moving down there, it was not something where it was like I have everything planned," Boudreaux said. "I had been down there almost a year, and I thought 'Oh my gosh, now I live in Haiti,' and long story short, one of the little girls I met in Haiti ended up becoming my daughter."

Michaelle became Boudreaux's adopted daughter after the family that owned her told her they did not want her anymore. She was a restavek, who was a slave to a family that was not her own, and Boudreaux would walk with her to fetch water which was one of "Mika's" jobs at the age of 7 she said.

Boudreaux said that Mika showed up on her doorstep on a rainy day with a bundle of clothes. After several months, Boudreaux was able to complete the needed paperwork to officially adopt Mika.

Boudreaux announced that Respire will be offering internships to Southeast Missouri State University students lasting three or six months rather than just weeklong mission trips.

She credits learning the creole language as a gift from God. Boudreaux confided in Anderson about how she fears forgetting the language.

Boudreaux had difficulty communicating at first.She used a translator until she suddenly realized that she could understand the language one day.

Respire enrolls approximately 500 students. Most were restaveks at some point, and many of them are girls between the ages of 4 and 15. Since starting Respire, Megan has also opened Respire Haiti cafe, which provides iced coffee, a novelty in Gressier, Haiti.

People typically travel to Haiti through the close personal connection between Boudreaux, Ignite House and La Croix United Methodist Church, according to Jeffrey Waters, Ignite pastor.

The Supper Story at Ignite House ended abruptly after an entire weekend of speaking on behalf of Respire Haiti Christian School, which Boudreaux founded, in Gressier, Haiti, Waters said. Boudreaux stayed with local cardiologist Bruce Jones at his cabin in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to retire from the series of discussions before returning to Haiti.

"I felt like I kind of cut it off a little bit," Waters said. "There might have been some more questions, but I knew they had something to do."

Churches such as La Croix United Methodist participate in Orphan Sunday as a way to raise awareness for children such as those that Boudreaux works with in Haiti. The overarching goal is to help thousands of orphans through an extended effort lasting roughly 25 years.

Megan told a story of a 13-year-old girl who was one of her students at Respire who was discovered to have scoliosis and had no way of getting treatment in Haiti. The girl miraculously recovered from surgery after months of transportation between Haiti, Philadelphia and Cape Girardeau, where she received therapy and stayed with Molly and Justin Brown.

It is only thanks to scholarships provided by people such as those who participate in Orphan Sunday that Respire students can get an education.

Supper Stories will continue to be hosted at Ignite house with speakers such as Boudreaux telling their stories.

"Don't ever question if you can use what God can and will gift you with," Anderson said. "Don't ever let the fear of the unknown paralyze you from stepping out..."