Welcome to the Joy and Hope of Haiti Website
As told to the Beacon Magazine
AMBASSADORS OF HOPE
Story by Sandra King Photos by Kurt Frers, Kim Miller and Gill Shoemaker
One of Rick Elliott's earliest experiences in Haiti was with a team building an orphanage in the community of Fougerole.
On a return trip to that village last year, Rick and his girlfriend Kim Miller were deeply touched by what they saw,
but in a much different way than they expected. "The orphanage was indeed providing a better life for the children. But
still so many children were hungry and improperly clothed," says Rick. "In a purely physical way, the children at the
orphanage were the most well-off because at least they had clothes, shelter and food."
Rick and Kim knew that handing out money would not be the wisest action, but they felt they had to do something. The pair approached the director of the orphanage. For $50 the orphanage could provide a meal for 50 of the community's poorest children. "It was amazing to see these little ones, most of them between four and nine years old, come into the dining hall so well behaved, not even speaking out of place until they were given instructions. The orphanage director then sang and prayed with the children before they ate. It was beautiful," recalls Rick.
During that one meal, Kim and Rick conversed with the smiling children while serving heaping portions of beans and rice alongside a bottle of pop (because of the scare supply of clean water and milk).
Yet, as hungry as these children
were, Rick and Kim were most powerfully touched when they noticed that many did not finish their meals, but folded
the paper plates, tucked them into their clothing, and took the unfinished portion home to share with their family.
Bold Beginnings
It was a challenge from God that saw a Hamilton-area men's Bible study group put their faith into action. And when they felt the call to embark on a journey of mercy and compassion, it soon became clear that Haiti was where God wanted them to serve.
What began in 1989 as a mission trip is now, more than 15 years later, a deep bond and friendship between the impoverished Caribbean nation and a passionate group of Hamilton and area residents. More than 200 men and women have participated in 13 mission trips to Haiti, and seven schools, an orphanage and playground have been built through OMS International (Canada) and its Men for Missions International (MFMI) division. The local men and women, who organized into a group known as 'The Joy and Hope of Haiti', have since 1992 been holding an annual dinner and auction to raise money for various projects in Haiti, with particular emphasis on building a better future for the children of Haiti.
The deep, personal rewards experienced by those who have participated in the 'Joy and Hope of Haiti' is something Art
Duerksen has seen over and over again. The Eastern Canada director with MFMI, Duerksen says, "It is actually so
easy to make a difference to the Haitian people. Even a little effort goes a long way. It is an expression of
James 1:27; the importance of caring for the widow and the orphan. Often, people will go to help only to find that
they themselves have been helped."
"Our long-term plan is to build 40 Christian schools to provide education for 15,000 Haitian children. So far, we have completed seven schools. In the next five years we would like to complete the remaining 33. Building a better future through education is the most effective way to truly bring joy and hope to Haiti."
In 1997, one of the 'Joy and Hope of Haiti' work teams met Pastor Emmanuel Eugene (affectionately known as Pastor Mano), a Haitian who had studied at the OMS Bible College. Pastor Mano persistently pleaded with them for help. Agreeing to see what this pastor was facing, the group was taken to a landfill site (garbage dump) where 50,000 Haitians, including members of his congregation, lived in appalling disease-filled conditions. Moved by what they saw, the group was filled with compassion and knew they had to help. Within two years, enough money had been raised to purchase and clear the landfill site, to build a church, an orphanage, a school, and a playground. The Haitian pastor died in 2003. But his dream has forever changed the lives of many Haitians.
Being part of a work team in Haiti has also been a life-changing experience for many area residents, such as Roy Anguish and Tena Groen.
Roy's Story
Roy Anguish is just beginning his journey to discovering more of who Christ is and what Christianity is all about. By his own admission, Roy is still healing from losing what he had built up over 20 years. It was a friend, a former missionary to Haiti, who suggested Roy join a mission team. When he arrived, Roy saw the poverty as children were dressed in an assortment of hand-me-downs and cast-offs. He could smell garbage, sewage and gas, while children played in polluted, disease-infested waters. At first Roy just wondered what he could offer. He quickly learned that being willing and flexible was all that mattered. Before long, Roy found he could help people just by making simple repairs. His biggest accomplishment was to fix the generator that provided power for the orphanage. He enjoyed working hand in
hand with the Haitian men, but his greatest delight was playing with the children, despite the language and cultural
differences.
Today Roy feels satisfied. "I have lost everything I had built in 20 years, but I always think now, that I should be thankful because I know there are people who face much greater hardship. Haiti helped me to accept what I have now. What I lost is nothing. I can't wait to go back."
Tena's Story
After raising three children, and blessed with four grandchildren, Tena Groen could almost be expected to sit back, relax and enjoy retirement. But when she read a Hamilton Spectator story about the 'Joy and Hope of Haiti', Tena knew she could not waste another moment. "It was Ester Pauls (a Hamilton business woman) surrounded by Haitian children, that initially attracted me to the story." After reading about the organization and its' projects, Tena was hooked. She had to go. Three trips later, Tena cannot stop talking about the country and people that have enriched her life. She saw the Haitians' desire for learning while she taught English as a second language. One of her seminary students even came to school with Typhoid Fever because he didn't want to miss writing a test.
"Some children go to school in the bowels of a building where classrooms either have one bare light bulb or no light at all. Despite the dark, dirty and crowded conditions, children are happy to learn because it gives them hope and a future."
Tena is excited for the Haitian children's future, but even more delighted that they are able to learn about Jesus Christ through initiatives such as the Starfish Kids sponsorship program. "What matters to me today, is to be used by God. My life is enriched by the Haitians because of their passion to know Jesus Christ." That passion has stirred her own passion, and she confesses, "I hope I never become the Tena I was four years ago."
SIDEBAR
My Haiti Lesson: Utter Dependence
By Sandra King
Haiti was the last place on earth I ever wanted to go. I was never the overseas missionary type. Despite what I thought, God had another plan. So imagine my surprise when, in 1997,
I found myself enroute to the western hemisphere's
poorest nation. I remember the initial anxiety that gripped my heart until God reminded me that the thing I feared the
most would be the thing that would set me on fire.
When we arrived in Haiti, God began stirring something in my spirit. Although our team was moved with compassion because of the outward poverty, I saw something else in the faces of the Haitians, but was unable to identify it at the time. That night I woke up from a sound sleep terrified, due to a mosquito flying overhead. Unable to get back to sleep, I cracked open my Bible. God began to speak to me. He showed me that the Haitians were not 'unhappy' the way some Canadians can be. They constantly smiled despite their circumstances. They were thankful for their one meal a day, and for the three walls they call 'home'. God pointed me to Jeremiah 9:23-24, which says we are not to boast in our riches, but in how well we know God. These Haitians knew something of God that I could never fully grasp because of their utter dependence on Him. God then showed me Proverbs 30:15-16 which speaks about a spirit that is never grateful or satisfied. The Haitians I met were grateful for everything. This revelation changed my life and our team's vision.
Beacon Magazine
An interdenominational news, features and happenings publication
SERVING BURLINGTON * OAKVILLE * HAMILTON and surrounding communities
KEN BOSVELD * Publisher and Editor
ken@beaconmagazine.ca
905-689-5491
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