Hope for Haiti: April 2011

Monday, April 25, 2011

Love, Life and Light

This coming Thursday EMEVI Conference starts at Bois Neuf. The theme this year is Love, Life and Light. Local churches join the EMEVI churches for this yearly gathering that brings over 1000 people together. Many have come to share during this time of worship, baptisms, teachings, messages and more. This year a pastor from Tennessee will join in, lending and hand and speaking during the conference. It all started very simply with wood posts with leaves attached for protection from the sun as shown in this picture. A huge tarp has been set up in recent years and maybe by next year a roof will be in place as we look to the future. The encouragement the attendees receive reaches far beyond this yearly gathering. With most of the EMEVI churches being rural, the message goes back home for those that could not attend. Pray with our brothers and sisters as they come together once again calling out to God.

Love, Life and Light, with thoughts from the parable of the Good Samaritan being used out of Luke chapter 10

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Shoe Bags 2011

Just what are these? We call them "Shoebags". Filled with school supplies and simple hygiene items for children in Haiti. Last year we kicked this off for a test run and run it did. A wooden box on a pallet filled with donated items reached out to quite a number of children. So the visionary that shared this last year asked are we going to do it again? Yup, it's off and running, with groups from multiple states joining in. The first shipment made it here last week and our ship date to Haiti is not even until the end of May! So folks have been asking about it and this past weekend churches in at least two states shared with their respective fellowships. If you are interested there are many different parts to this whole process, so a referral to a couple of web sites is appropriate. www.shoebags4haiti.info or www.hopeforhaiti.ws should answer most questions or call or email the noted information at each website. Even a new slideshow clip of last years project is available right here by following the video link on the left side of the main page.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Water Filters

All water is hauled to this mountain location in Haiti. With the river valley below possibly contaminated with Cholera these water filters attached to buckets provide safe drinking water. These long lasting filters are simple to use and maintain, so seeing this bucket being cleaned before use was an encouragement. God provided many of these filters which were distributed to many rural locations and churches/schools around St Marc. The news media has shifted it's attention away as other stories have caught their attention but in Haiti the needs have not gone away. Want to help make a difference, not only for a drink of water but for an eternity? Contact us and lets see where He leads.

Hope for Haiti the story..

Hope for Haiti was Incorporated January 25th, 1993 and is a registered 501(3)(c) non profit organization that was established on January 23rd, 1995. Jon and Diane Seitz as well as Tim Whorl founded Hope for Haiti with the intention of “Promotion of giving and contributions to provide relief for needy Haitians”. Hope for Haiti was founded in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania. In 2008, most of the administrative and logistical services were moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee with Jon and Diane still providing oversight for Hope for Haiti from Pennsylvania.
In 1990 Jon and Diane Seitz planned a trip to Haiti with their daughter. Just before their departure their daughter came down with Chicken Pox and plans were changed allowing a door to be opened. Their travels went forward but with a empty seat as their daughter stayed home. On the flight into Haiti, their first, the passenger that filled that seat would forever change not only their lives but many others as well. Being their first trip into Haiti this passenger was concerned that they make the connection at the airport and the journey had begun. They swapped contact information and the rest is now history in the making. 1991 brought another trip back into Haiti for Jon then in 1992 Tim went with Jon and talk started about setting up this ministry. While visiting in 1992 the conversation was started about the possibility of child sponsorship for helping insure that children be able to attend school. After arriving back in the states the paperwork was drawn up and filed to incorporate Hope for Haiti as a Domestic Nonprofit Corporation. The trips continued and after seeing the needs from year to year at Bois Neuf Church/School their contact invited them to a nearby community called Charrette. Charrette sits above St Marc in what might be called foothills with a partial view of the bay below. This had opened another door and the tent pegs were about to be expanded. Hope for Haiti's focus had been primarily with Bois Neuf and now it seemed good to reach out beyond there. 1998 there was a stirring going on and a community that was mocking the people of the church saying “where is your God?” was about to change. Charrette church would soon be meeting inside a building instead of under a tree. A trip was organized and planned and in 1999 a Youth Group from Pennsylvania brought much encouragement by working right alongside their brothers and sisters in Christ building what is now the Church/School at Charrette. This was the beginning of a new season for Hope for Haiti and how it would be challenged to continue to reach beyond anything that could have been imagined in those early days. Working alongside a Pastor and Friend that is passionate about God and helping others has and is making this a labor of love. The ministry in Haiti “Evangelical Living Water Ministry of Haiti” or EMEVI has now expanded to include 7 churches and schools with around 1200 students. Today Hope for Haiti continues with it's mission to Promote the giving and contributions to provide relief for needy Haitians. Many have come alongside and through their generosity people's lives are being touched and changed. Teams continue to go providing encouragement and hands to help. Buildings are being built, jobs are created, medical clinics and of course children are being sponsored and educated. Remember that empty seat on the plane? Well Marcel Destine continues to touch many lives and is making a difference. You never know when that divine appointment may come or where it might lead, that is still a work in process.

Hope for Haiti...

a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, located in Glen Rock, PA, with administrative and logistic functions being handled in Chattanooga, TN, works with the ministry EMEVI (Evangelical Living Water Ministry of Haiti). Marcel Destine oversees EMEVI which includes 7 churches, 5 of which are also schools, and are located in and around St Marc, Haiti. We pray this may be used to get the word out to those whose hearts are being tugged on, to come alongside some of the poorest people on earth. Hope for Haiti raises support through sponsorship of children which helps provide for schooling, meals and supplies for schooling. EMEVI info. You might want to check out the video clips for a further explanation of the ministries of EMEVI and Hope for Haiti.