Students Successfully Complete Masonry Class

9/9/21

This week we are celebrating the first class of masonry graduates from our partnership with Extollo International. All 15 enrollees successfully graduated from this Level 1 Masonry class which took place on the Barye Fe campus from Aug 23 to Sept 3. The students benefitted from desk-based instruction and practical hands-on work. This training class – and others we hope to develop in the future – have enormous potential to help our Haitian friends by giving them valuable skills and experience. This, in turn, will impact many lives and improve Haiti. On Tuesday, the group had the opportunity to visit Extollo’s training center in Bercy for graduation and to see what other opportunities are available for them in the future. Thank you for your partnership, Extollo, and congratulations to this amazing class!

New Classroom at Barye Fe Nears Completion

Here are a few of the photos of the new building at Barye Fe high school.  The students and the building should be ready for classes September 6.

Thank You Note From Chrisna Saint-Louis

“This school has fortified me.”
~ Chrisna Saint-Louis, age 12

Chrisna Saint-Louis has attended HOM schools since the age of 3. In June, as she graduated from Terre Noire primary school, she sent a beautiful thank you letter to School Superintendent Jacky Dorleans, saying how proud and happy she was for the opportunities the school has provided to her. Chrisna will be a new 7th grader at Barye Fe secondary school this year.

Our schools will get back to the business of fortifying students like Chrisna next Monday, Sept. 6. The administration is hard at work getting ready to welcome over 1,900 students across the four campuses. As Madame Jacky shared in a recent message,

“Students really need to be back to their oasis, to their safe place where they can continue to be loved, taught, fed, and play with their mates. They are having a very tough and sad time now.”

We are grateful to all of you who make it possible for HOM and MICECC to provide this needed oasis to our students. As Haiti continues to struggle with earthquake recovery and sociopolitical uncertainty, your prayers, support, and gifts are cherished.

We do still have a need both for student sponsors and for essential school supplies. You can change a life like Chrisna’s by visiting our student sponsorship portal here. Donations for essential school supplies can be made here – please indicate school supplies in the notes section.

PS: As this email was going to press, Jacky shared the great news that 100% of 9th graders – all 58 students – passed their national exams taken in July. Jacky writes, “Praise be to God! Thanks to their sponsors and to HOM/MICECC.”

8/17/21 UPDATE – Now Accepting Earthquake Relief Donations

HOM is now accepting financial contributions for earthquake relief in Haiti. We are working with our partner staff at Mission Communautaire de l’Eglise Chrétienne des Cités (MICECC) to provide food and medical supplies. Our MICECC medical staff in Haiti is interested in making a trip in September to provide much needed care. Longer term, we are exploring the possibility of rebuilding homes and drilling a well to provide clean drinking water to the community. All this is possible through the relationship our Terre Noire church has with the church community located in Cavaillon, near the earthquake’s epicenter. We will be working through that relationship to provide assistance.

Financial contributions will help us to meet needs in the earthquake-ravaged area as transportation and safety considerations allow. 

To make an online donation, please click here

Mailed donations may be sent to HOM, P.O. Box 71042, Durham NC 27722. Please indicate “Earthquake Relief” on your check.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers for Haiti.

8/16/21 – Update On Earthquake in Haiti

Thank you for all the messages of support and prayer following the recent earthquake in Haiti. Our partners at Mission Communautaire de l’Eglise Chrétienne des Cités (MICECC) and our facilities continue to be safe.

Many of you have asked how you can help. With MICECC, we are currently assessing needs in the affected regions and ways we can respond with assistance. Our Terre Noire church has a church plant in the damaged area of Cavaillon in southwestern Haiti, about 112 miles west of Port Au Prince, and we are exploring relief opportunities there.

We will share updates and ways you can get involved. Please continue to keep Haiti in your prayers.

Cavaillon is located near Les Cayes and was amongst the hardest hit by Saturday’s earthquake.

7/15/21 Update on Status in Haiti

Thank you for your many wonderful responses offering support and prayer for Haiti over the past week. It is difficult to see this country we all love so much struggle with turmoil and uncertainty.

I am glad to share with you that our colleagues in Port-au-Prince are all safe and have sent the following update:

• All our campuses and activities – health clinic, vocational school, clean water distribution points, construction, and MICECC offices – have resumed normal operations. The schools are currently closed for summer break.
• Things are calm around the campuses. There have not been that many people out and about, although traffic is slowly starting to resume.
• Getting gasoline is a bit of a challenge.
• Worship services were held at all three churches this past Sunday. Many people attended the services at Terre Noire and Repatriote.
• Approximately 200 worshippers attended church at Cite Soleil despite insecurity challenges which have existed in the area even prior to last week’s tragic events. To make it easier for Cite Soleil residents to attend worship, plans are underway to organize a second service for them at Terre Noire.
• There is confusion about the future leadership of Haiti, and the population is eager for answers surrounding the assassination of President Moise.

As you can see, our ministry continues to make plans in the midst of difficulty. The prayer below, written and shared by the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson II and the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), speaks to what is on HOM’s hearts as we join our Haitian brothers and sisters in hoping for a better tomorrow.

Grace and peace,

Gary W. Fulton
Executive Director

A Prayer for Haiti

Loving God, 
Your children in Haiti have known so much pain and anxiety, and this news tightens throats and brings more fear. 
Be with the family of President Jovenel Moïse, slain in his home early July 7, and First Lady Martine Moïse, who remains hospitalized with injuries. May his soul be at rest and her recovery swift.
This violence is an ominous sign of more unrest for an already volatile island nation. 
How long, O Lord?  
Even as most people in Haiti are living hand-to-mouth, they are left with more confusion. 
What does this mean? they ask. Who will fill this power vacuum? What more trouble will come? 
Accustomed to so many storms, Haiti is in the eye of the hurricane of violence. They wait with caution, too afraid to leave their homes, even to find their daily bread. 
They are hungry for so much more than bread. 
We ask you, O Lord, to bring long awaited peace to your people there.  
Be with each and every one, whispering encouragement to draw on their deep faith in you.  
They walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and though they fear, they know you are with them. 
Your rod and your staff comfort them. 
They depend upon you, O Lord.  
Give wisdom to leaders to care for the weak and ill,  
to lift up the poor and powerless,  
to seek justice for all. 
Make room in the hearts of those with power to seek your wisdom in all their actions. And above all, hold each of your children in the palm of your hand.  
We pray all of this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. 
Amen.

7/9/21 Update on Status in Haiti

Update from Haiti: Pastor Leon reports the campuses are open today after being closed yesterday. The church leaders are meeting, and plans are underway for services this Sunday. A shed roof and benches are being built at the Terre Noire church to welcome extra worshippers from the Cite Soleil area. While the clinic is open, patients have not come today. Things are calm, but everyone is being careful. We are grateful that our colleagues are safe, and thank you for your continued prayers during this challenging time for Haiti.

Haitian President Assassinated

Please join us in praying for Haiti as news unfolds today about the assassination of their president. Pastor Profaite Medeus, President of our partner MICECC, sent this message earlier this morning: “We highly request your prayers for Haiti because the President, his excellency Jovenel Moise, was killed last night in his residence. The situation is still relatively calm, but such events usually lead to great violence. We strongly believe that God is in control. So, please for protection of all Haitian people, especially our staff, employees, church members, and campuses.” To all our friends in Haiti, please know that we are standing with you. We will share more information as it becomes available.

Teachers Recognition Day

The students were honoring their teachers today for Teachers Recognition Day.

Important Update about Team Travel to Haiti

I am writing today to share a status update on volunteer teams returning to HOM mission sites in Haiti. We currently expect team travel will resume no earlier than March 2022.

Click here to read the full letter regarding team travel to Haiti.