House #4 is in progress!
Here are some houses in our neighborhood needing repairs. There are a total of 45 homes that were damaged.
This house is finished but still needs a new roof.
Finished/ fully funded projects:
We were able to put a new roof on this house on Wednesday!
The roof collapsed on this house and the family also lost their mattresses to flooding. We have received funds to replace and repair all of it!
The roof had collapsed. This picture shows a Father and daughter in front. The daughter is participating in our purity young girls club. Thank you for your contributions and prayers for this family and others we are reaching out to.
This house is for a family of 5. They lost the wall and roof. The home was restored on Oct 7th!
These 3 homes have been finished!
PO Box 236 Akron, PA 17501. (please attach a separate note that says the donation is for Hurricane Relief)
*To utilize your funds immediately please send us an email to [email protected] designating which house or project the money is for and how much you are sending.
Thank you SO much for your donation!
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Strong storm surge seems to be the greatest outcry, with at least 6 homes washed away in our city. YWAM Haiti Staff lead by Marc George helped evacuate people close to the ocean that had damaged or flooded homes. Watch the videos below for on-the-scene reports, and keep connected with our facebook page for the most recent news.
Current reports from Pastor Bossuet in the 5th section (where the Help Them Feed Themselves project is happening) has been that people do not have access to food. Most storms pass within a day, but because of Hurricane Matthew people are stuck in their homes with no way of cooking or travelling.
We feel a need to help in our neighborhood of Portal Montrouis by giving people food today and helping them get warm and dry. If you would like to make a contribution for a plate of food it only costs $2.00. We are estimating 5,000 plates needed. Please send us an email at [email protected] of the amount you are sending so we can utilize it rapidly!
Thank you!
https://transaxt.com/Donate/T26ZKQ/YouthWithAMissionHaiti
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Update 3-31-2016 Click here to DOWNLOAD this document
Dear Partners, Friends and Interested People,
Help Them Feed Themselves project has become one of our most talked about transformational outreaches. I am excited to share an update with you. I hope you will spread the news. May God receive the praise for what He has done in uniting our hearts as one to see this happen.
March 22, 2016 the new Mahindra Tractor with the 12” Stingray Gator Pump officially started irrigating water through the fields of the lower 5th Section of St. Marc. This pump will directly affect approximately 1500 families amongst the villages of Balalie, Gerves, Defouneau and La Grange.
In just three hours of pumping, the dry land received an estimated 1,080,000 gallons. It has been five years since this land has received any significant rainfall or water flow through the irrigation canals.
The canals filled rapidly. No one could imagine what 6,000 gallons of water per minute looked like. It was more water than most anticipated. There were overflows and breaches throughout the canal system but this was not a problem as everyone laughed and smiled, repairing the breaches as possible and attempted to direct the flow of the large volume of water. Their hearts were filled with hope and life. Look at what God has done! http://www.ywamhaiti.org/ministries/help-them-feed-themselves/
WHAT NOW!
Now comes the hard work of filling the fields, planting the seeds, tending the crops and then reaping the harvest!
PUMPING; On March 28 we began pumping large volumes of water and became aggressive in timing water flows, repair of canals, training people and verifying our data system. This is an important time as we need to make sure all is functioning well and our data system is accurate. This will enable us to regain appropriate operating cost and depreciation of equipment when the harvest comes in.
THE WAY IT WORKS; After we complete our testing and are satisfied, we will begin filling rice fields that have been measured by Hectares. We know it takes 815,000 gallons of water to fill a Hectare. We also know how many gallons of water we can produce per minute, 6,000 gallons. We then calculate gallons per hours and we know the cost of operating the equipment.
We have formed committees in each village. These committees are to;
1. Measure the land and verify authorized user is in agreement to pay for water.
2. They are to hold accountable those who may try to trick the system.
3. They are to assure the harvest is brought to the Moulin(Mill) and water bill is paid in full with fruit of harvest.
Consequences of any infraction will mean a delay, reduction or complete halt of water in current or future operations in specific lands or complete villages.
The Leaders of the village committees form the council. The council has direct communication with us, the water suppliers. If there are issues that need to be discussed, decisions made or passing of communication through either party it can be done through the council. The council will meet regularly prior, during and at the end of the water irrigation season. Special meetings can be called as needed.
This project has materialized out of the development of relationships that have been ongoing for 8 years. We are trusting in the success of this project as these relationships continue to grow in knowledge of God and each other. We will use Biblical principals to instruct, correct and resolve any difficulties as they materialize.
Our mission owns the equipment and will retain ownership of it and the responsibility to maintain the equipment. If the project fails, the equipment will be redirected to other locations to be used in same or similar formats.
PLANTING; The farmers are dependent on the Agro Service for the purchase of fertilizer to prep the soil. The normal planting season begin the first week of April. We are currently waiting on the Agro service to release the fertilizer.
Once they have the seed, they will plant small patches of areas until the seed take hold and become seedlings. While waiting for this to occur, they will cultivate their fields surrounding the patch of seedlings. It is during this time the fields will need the majority of their water, and fertilizer is distributed. Once the soil is ready, the seedlings will be transplanted into the larger patties. Water supply needs to be maintained until harvest.
One thing we didn’t take into account was the added 900 acres of land that may receive seed this year. We doubt the Agro Service is aware of our capabilities with the new equipment and we fear there could be a shortage of fertilizer. I have put in an order of 300 – 100lbs bags of fertilizer. We have a revenue issue with this. We need $6,150.00 USD immediately to front the money. This fertilizer will not be given to the farmers, but sold to them as needed. We have already communicated we will sell the fertilizer for cash, not harvest production, with the farmers. They are in agreement. They will need the fertilizer within a week to two weeks. Actually, they will need more than 300 bags but this is the start.
PREP FOR HARVEST; While the fields turn green, we need to prepare for harvest. We are lacking a Moulin. A Moulin translated is “A Mill”. This is not just a piece of equipment but also a building; the place the harvest is brought to once thrashed in the field.
When the rice reaches its maturity, the fields will dry and the heads of rice will turn yellow. The harvesters will cut the rice stalk low to the ground with hand sickles and then bundle the stalks of rice together. Once they have cleared a large enough space of land, they will spread out a plastic tarp and place a large log or rock in the center. They then will take the bundled stalks of rice by the bottom and beat the heads of the stalk on the log. This knocks the rice loose, falling onto the plastic tarp. This grain is collected into sacks and carried to the Moulin on the back of horses or donkeys. The stalks are then used for other things like feed, crafted into mats, hats etc.
The lower 5th Section, where we are giving water, has no Moulin (Haitian word for mill). The closest is a 30 to 45-minute walk away. We need to build a Moulin closer to our crops. Another reason we need our own Moulin is to control the quantity gathered from the harvest. At the time of reaping, we will separate the agreed upon percentage of harvest to pay for the equipment that produced the water that allowed the harvest. The Moulin becomes the control center.
The Moulin will be built in Balalie, the most centralized village in the targeted fields among the four villages. This is also where we have had the best experience and most success with various projects. Land has been given and the Moulin will be operated by the mission and managed by the Balalie people or residences in the area. See attachment below for cost and plans for the building of the Moulin. We will also need to purchase the mill, the machine used to separate the shell from the rice, but we are still researching prices.
We need your help now! Would God allow you to further join in partnership with this project? You can make a contribution towards this by making your gift payable to YWAM Haiti and include a note designating your gift to “Help Them Feed Themselves” and mail to;
YWAM Haiti
PO Box 236
Akron, PA 17501
Thank you for your participation to Help These People Feed Themselves.
Taking the High Places!
Terry W. Snow
Founder/Director
Youth With A Mission Haiti
Total Square Foot Of Building 3,640.
Total Square Foot Of Porch (Used to dry rice) 5,200.
Materials and Laborer needed for the Moulin;
7,000 Block (28gdes delivered x 7000 =196,000 gdes @ 62% = 3,161.29USD)
2,000 sacks cement (515gdes delivered x 2,000 = 1,030,000gdes @ 62% = 16,612.90USD)
55 Dump Trucks of Sand (8,000gdes x 55 = 440,000 @ 62% = 7,096.77USD)
25 Dump Trucks of Gravel (10,000gdes x 25 = 250,000 @ 62% = 4,032.25USD)
68 Dump Truck of Rock (8,000gdes x 68 = 544,000 @ 62% = 8,774.19USD)
102 Dump Trucks of Fill Dirt (7,000gdes x 102 = 714,000 @ 62% = 11,516.13USD)
Carpenters (Roof 122,500gdes @ 62% = 1,975.81USD)
Masons (300,000gdes @ 62% = 4,838,71USD)
Laborer (120,000gdes @ 62% = 1,935.48USD)
Incidentals 31,711.14gdes @ 62% = 511.47USD)
Supplies already donated;
30 – 2x8x16 Wood
206 – 2x4x12 Wood
4 Boxes of Roofing Screws
1 Case of #6 Nails
112 Sheets of Metal Roofing
Total Expense still needed
3,720,000.00 @ 62% = 60,000.00 USD
It’s good sometimes to stop and recap what our mission is all about: to know God and make Him known.
Making God known without having a passion to know Him is a big factor in missionary burnout. Did you know though it can also destroy the joy of giving & supporting missions? When we forget the ultimate goal in missions, which is to see Jesus move in a person’s life, we wonder where the human needs will ever end. If we haven’t experienced Jesus in our own lives, then how could we feel the joy knowing that He is now in theirs? The truth is, the poor will always be with us. Sin & pain will always be with us. That’s why our mission is to “know God” first.
How we go about making God known is relative. A missionary in China shouldn’t be using the same strategies as a youth pastor in the United States. The religious climate in Haiti has changed for this generation. Haitian taxis cover their cars with “JESUS LOVES YOU” signs and churches are springing up around almost every corner. Everybody knows Jesus, as much as the voodoo gods of their local witch doctor. Yet the principles of love & family are unseen. Outreach teams who come to Haiti often discover that sharing about God to someone for the first time feels awkward, and insufficient. Some people like to add Haiti to an imaginary people group known as the “oversaved”; people who become numb because to the gospel because they’ve hear dit so much but never applied it. They learn the Bible like we learn algebra- as a required skill that is never used. We are dedicated to making God known in Haiti, and that means looking long-term into it’s specific issues & needs.
Our dance camp is about showing kids their royalty, which exists beyond their poverty. English as a Second Language gives people a pivotal skill, showing God’s love is empowering and not domineering. Our DTS & FCC schools continue to train Haitians who then go out and bless their nation, turning the tide and fulfilling the promise verse given to us when we first started,
“Just as you were a curse among the nations… so I will save you and cause you to be a blessing.”
So discover who God is, then go out and make Him known in your area.
]]>I trust you had a Merry Christmas and will soon have a Happy New Year. In St. Marc, Haiti 1,260 people received a Christmas meal with a Christmas greeting!
They lined up quickly as I drove on our motorcycle from vender to vender. Each vender was given instruction not to begin serving until I arrived to give a Christmas Greeting.
As I greeted everyone, they pushed and shoved attempting to secure their place in line. These were ones who would probably not receive anything on Christmas if it wasn’t for this donated meal. Christmas for them is a day of rest, but not exchange of gifts.
Children ran up to me, grabbing my hands, with smiles on their face displaying a heart of gratitude. Today was a guaranteed meal for them. Yes, it was a Merry Merry Christmas as they knew there belly would soon be full!
I looked around, taking in the scenery. It still is amazing to me, even after 27 years of ministry in Haiti, how these people survive in such meager housing. Every time it rains their homes are flooded. They are propped up with pieces of wood and by other houses crammed so tightly next to them. One thing is true. It was easy to be thankful as I reflect on God’s Blessings on our family and ministry as I returned home.
As I stood there watching it all unfold I thought to myself; “We offer a partnering hand to see these conditions changed!” I would like to invite you to read about it at; http://www.ywamhaiti.org/
We want to thank everyone who was able to assist in giving a meal to help these people find some Christmas cheer and receive a tangible expression of God’s love!
Taking the High Places!
Terry W. Snow
National Director
YWAM Haiti
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Youth With A Mission Haiti! I pray that God will bless you through this Holiday Season. As you reflect through this year, may He remind you of His goodness and graciousness that has been demonstrated in your life. Isn’t He good? YES!
This past year Ingvild and I have been taking time to reposition ourselves for the future. During this past year, over and over again, God spoke through people and events that the coming years will be GREATER than the past! As Ingvild and I enter into a new season in our lives, we ponder these words with expectation, especially since we have now had time to reflect and rest.
From imprisonment to wars, floods and earthquakes, not to mention multiple attempts on my life, Ingvild and I took a step back in 2013 to heal and process. Now with 2014 fast approaching, marking 30 years in ministry, we look forward to great things in Christ!
In 2014 we will be focusing on bringing together a National Vision for Haiti. YWAM is expanding both geographically and through a variety of ways to minister. January 6, 2014 we will be hosting our first National Leaders meeting within YWAM Haiti. Before we really didn’t have that many leaders but now we have four locations and four new ones desiring to be birthed.
But before this there is Christmas!
As Christmas approaches, we find it challenging as so many in Haiti are hungry during this time of year. We desire to help as in the past when we fed as many people as possible on Christmas day through local street venders. 1 good size plate of food (rice, beans, sauce with some meat) costs $2.00 USD. It has become a highlight through the years. This Christmas could you help us bring a practical message of hope through a $2.00 plate of food? How many could you purchase?
With time so short we need to hear from you today!
If you would like to give please simply reply to this email with the amount you would like to give and then mail your contribution, payable to “YWAM Haiti” to;
YWAM Haiti
PO Box 236
Akron, PA 17501
Please include a note designating your gift to; “Christmas 2013”.
Thank you and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Taking the High Places!
Terry W. Snow
National Director
YWAM Haiti
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Saying goodbye…We said goodbye to the Martin family at the end of September. It was a bittersweet day as they were able to finally take their two adopted boys home after a long 4 year process. They are currently back home in Pennsylvania enjoying the cool weather and spending much quality time with family who have missed them.
We’re certainly feeling their absence, but are overjoyed they are in the center of God’s will for their lives. Please continue praying for the transition back into life in the US as they will be adjusting for a bit longer still. |
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