Grace Upon Grace

 The following is Hudson's report of the most recent work in Les Cayes.

We were back in Les Cayes, especially in "Gelee". This time God has made a path direction to Jack Charlie's house and his family.

Jack Charlie (far right) and a few members of his family.

We feel so much enthusiasm by how God uses our heart, our hands to make it work. Even everyday is a blessing day.

This family feels further blessed, and we got to feel the same way as them because God has touched our hearts and make us do the right thing.

They are so thankful, so happy, and they want to keep us in their prayers... We feel the same way too.

All our acknowledgment to God, Haiti Awake, and you all that've made this work possible.

Do not forget that God loves us.

Editor's Note:  We will continue the work in Les Cayes as long as funds are available.  Please consider Haiti Awake in your year-end giving.

“Keep your doubt away and hold onto faith, my friend. Because every day His grace doesn’t stop to fall on us, to fortify our lives, and make us feel we were made to love and be loved by Him (GOD). Believe, and be sincere in your acts. A heart that gives must always be happy and so for the heart that receives. ”

— Louis Hudson

Dredging Up Compassion for the Suffering and Desperate

The following is a guest post from our friend, Lisa Moore.

I'm sitting in a big comfy desk chair staring at my oversized computer screen.  Looking back at me is Haitian woman and her child whose home was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew.  My home consists of carpet, tastefully painted walls, and a solid roof to keep us protected.  Her home is no longer a home, but a thrown together shanty made of broken sheets of iron.

I look at the rubble and trash and rocky ground around her home, and I just can't understand as my home is surrounded by a pristine carpet of St. Augustine grass.  I see her shoeless feet standing on the concrete slab, and I think of my recently painted purple toe nails.  But then I notice in the picture her one year old son standing in the makeshift doorway of her dwelling.  He's naked.  And I think, "Where is his diaper?"  My western mind hasn't connected that a shoeless, nearly homeless woman would not be able to buy diapers.  Wow. 

I continue to stare at her but honestly, I struggle to have compassion for her.  I continue staring at the computer screen waiting for compassion to erupt from some deep place in my heart.  But it doesn't.  I wait, and still, nothing.  It' difficult for me to dredge up empathy for this poor woman because I cannot relate to her situation. I cannot comprehend her desperation.  I have shoes, a home, and children that are dressed head to toe.

I continue to read about this desperate mother, Moline, and her family.  She has three children.  She sells fish at the nearby beach.  Her husband is a fisherman.   And then I read a sentence that does produce a reaction in my heart:

“ We could not help her and her family...”

 And I am cut to the heart.  Because, you see, while my heart may struggle with compassion and empathy to relate to a woman I will never know, God's Holy Spirit lives in me.  God knows this shoeless woman that I will never know.  He sees her ramshackle dwelling and her diaperless child.  He hears the hidden wailings of her heart that I will never hear.  He cares for Moline oh so much. 

And God sees me.  God knows that I have the means to help this woman.  He knows that I have some extra room in my budget and I've been waiting on Him to know what to do with it.  And God knows that when He speaks, I will listen.  Although I often resist and question, I will eventually obey.  Jesus, after all, is my example.  God hears the silent prayer of my heart, my surrender, “Not my will, O God, but yours be done.”

My heart is moved to action and these extra funds in my budget will now be sent every month to Haiti Awake, a ministry on the ground in Haiti that helps real families like Moline and her diaperless child.  I know that my US dollars - the amount my family of four would spend to eat out just once - will make a sizeable difference for families in Haiti. 

And even though I still may not understand or comprehend their plight, I will make a difference.  I will touch Haiti - not with my hands and feet - but with my heart.  God's heart. 

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What about you?  Is God speaking to your heart to be a monthly supporter of Haiti Awake?   They need monthly support they can depend on, which allows them to plan, to grow, and to follow where the Lord is leading.  Whether you can share $10, $25, $50 or more, God will use it to care for the Molines and families like hers in Haiti.  Please prayerfully consider giving to this ministry.

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  Lisa Moore has been married to Brian for over 20 years. A nuclear engineer by training, she homeschooled her two children, including her son that has autism.  Through her transparency, Lisa encourages struggling women by giving them the gift of “Me, too. ” Lisa loves Pride and Prejudice, Chapstick, and taking long afternoon naps with her stuffed bunny rabbit, Jessie.  Connect with her at CelebratingWeakness.com.

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This is the Gospel

The following is the weekly report from Steeve Derard, Ground Director for Haiti Awake.

The effects of Hurricane Mathew on the south of Haiti (Les Cayes and Jeremie) will not be repaired in a very short period of time. It will take a long time - maybe years - for those people to get back to a normal life.

But God has not forsaken his children.

Thank you for all who have contributed to help in rebuilding several houses and a church in Les Cayes which had been destroyed by the hurricane.

Pastor Delpeche is one of the pastors in Les Cayes who called me to thank Haiti Awake for helping them, and he was telling me how people in the community were so happy .

Describing Haiti Awake's work in Les Cayes: 

“This is the Gospel.”

— Pastor Joseph Jeneve Delpeche, Mission Eglise Baptiste Sud d'Haiti

Lespwa Fè Viv (Hope Makes Life) - Part 5

This week's final installment from Hudson re: the work in Les Cayes.

Jack Charlie who is a very strong man, spiritually and physically, who helped us every day from the morning to the night and didn't expected to receive anything from us.  His family -  Yvena Cadet and their 5 children -  are also in need.

But through all their pains they don't stop to believe, to preach and hope that God always has a plan for their life.

We could have more samples stories from that community, the people that are living in that community have the same issues.  We noticed a lot of repetition seeing what they have been through.

But they are not desperate because they know someone who is awesome, powerful, amazing - a God that will never stop taking care of them.

They're are so thankful, and they ask us to pray for them, like they will always hold us in their prayers, too.

Thanks to God, to Haiti Awake, Fre Jack, and everyone who has made that trip possible by helping with prayers, love, and finances.  We are thankful that God always give us His hands for the broken-hearted, the ones that are far beyond our reach.

“But they are not desperate because they know someone who is awesome, powerful, amazing - a God that will never stop taking care of them.”

— Louis Hudson, describing the people he met in Les Cayes

Lespwa Fè Viv - Hope Makes Life (Part 4)

More in our week-long series regarding the work in Les Cayes as seen through the eyes of our co-worker, Louis Hudson.

This is Moline Salomon.   She sells fish nearby the beach.   She has 3 children, and her husband is a fisherman. This family has the same issues as so many others because of Hurricane Matthew.

Their life was not easy, but now it is even more complicated than before because Matthew destroyed the whole house.  A mango tree fell on it, and they collected just some broken iron sheets just to make a dwelling.

We could not help her and her family due to a lack of time on this trip.  Maybe we can help them in the future.

More tomorrow . . . 

Lespwa Fè Viv - Hope Makes Life (Part 3)

More in our week-long series regarding the work in Les Cayes as seen through the eyes of our co-worker, Louis Hudson.

Moise Marieta. A few words cannot tell all her story, but by the privilege we had to talk with her.

We know that she is a mother of seven children, and Hurricane Matthew destroyed her house. She used to sell food (Manje Kwit), but the life she is actually living now is to stay nearby the beach and wait until someone gives her some fish to sell . . .  if only they had a good day fishing.  This is most difficult.

When we got to where she was supposed to live, we saw the place.  We can't call this place a house any longer.  Some of her neighbors told us that since the hurricane all that she does is to live nearby the beach.

We could not help her this trip.  There are so many people, so many needs . . .   Time and funds are limited.

More from Hudson tomorrow . . . 

Lespwa Fè Viv (Hope Makes Life) - Part 2

Yesterday, Hudson began to tell you about the work in Les Cayes.  Today he continues . . .

Let me introduce you to some of our fellowship here as we worked. 

At MEBSH,  Pastor and his wife were happy to welcome us in their house during these 4 days.

And we met different families at the church that are in need because of the hurricane.   Even though we couldn't help all of them, there were a few we have decided to visit.  Let me introduce you.

This is Guety Salomon.   She has six children, but she is living with two of them.   She used to be a vendor but right after the hurricane, she had to leave her home with her daughters, because she have lost almost everything.

But God always has a plan.

Look at what we were able to do thanks to your donations!  Thank you!

Tomorrow I want to introduce you to Moise Marieta.

Lespwa Fè Viv (Hope Makes Life)

An image can tell more than a thousand words.

““As a photographer, I am bringing you more than one image and multiple words and making them a great story...””

— Louis Hudson

Life's companions are HOPE and FAITH in God. God is amazing everyday. He takes our prayers and gives us grace. We are so thankful for everything He has never stopped to provide in our lives, no matter what the circumstances.

We are in Haiti, at "Les Cayes," a place where the people have never stopped to be strong, to have faith, to struggle with life's obstacles, even after what Hurricane Matthew did to our beautiful countryside. According to the people who are living here, this place in Les Cayes is named "Gelee" where we are visiting and helping people who are in need. Gelee is a nice place where tourists would ever like to visit because of its natural, humid and fresh air nearby the beach.

Yes! You see "beach"? that's what I mean, a place to swim, to have fun and also to admire the marvelous sunset.

It's also a place where parents use their knowledge in fishing to earn their daily bread, to educate their children and maybe save some money for tomorrow. We also have farmers, vendors... different people who are using the natural resources to survive and try to gain a life.

Now they are facing a very bad situation where they can't even sleep without to have to think and fear about rain because most houses were touched and broken by the hurricane. Some people have lost almost everything, pets, house, garden... but God preserves their life.

They are still optimistic and do believe that there will always be a way that God will use to take care of his children and God does so.

This is Part 1 of a 5 part series we will share this week.    More tomorrow...

#haiti #haitiawake#glwapoubondye #thegospel #hurricanematthew  #prayforhaiti

Where My Heart Is...

Today this is where my heart is.  This is where my mind is.  

I don't know the names of the people in this photo.  I don't even know their stories.  But I know them.

They live near Chambellan, across the Grand'Anse River.  They live in a small community Steeve and I visited just over a month ago, 4 days after Hurricane Matthew took their trees, their gardens, their livestock...

And there is no Gospel witness in their community.  Let that sink in for a moment.  No church.  No Christians.  No hope of the Gospel.

Steeve and I are planning to go back to visit them in January, to start building Gospel-centered relationships.  Please pray with us that God will clearly show us the next step, and that He will prepare hearts and minds for what is ahead.

Although Haiti Awake is still doing hurricane relief work in Les Cayes, our main attention for hurricane relief work after the first of the year will most likely be focused in this area.

“Relationships. Gospel. Hope.”

— Haiti Awake

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  Romans 10:14

The Heart of True "Ministry"

This summer my wife and I were able to travel to Haiti to join our partner organization, Haiti Awake, in the incredible ministry they are doing in one of the most intriguing countries in the world. There were so many unforgettable moments that were crystalized in my mind, but one unique moment sticks out above the rest.

One afternoon while we were in Haiti, I was invited by Steeve—a local Haitian seminary student who works with Haiti Awake—to join him for some ministry in the neighborhood. I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant by “ministry," but I told him I’d love to join him since I’m always up for a new experience. I’ve been a pastor for years, so I was sure this wasn’t going to be anything new for me.

I was wrong. What unfolded was pure ministry bliss. Part of Steeve’s regular “ministry” in his neighborhood includes walking to various homes and praying with those who are sick or in need. So, for the next couple of hours, we walked and entered homes to spend time with people who are in need. We sat. We listened. We shared Scripture. We laughed. We cried. We hugged. And we talked about the goodness of God and how he cares for us as his dear children.

One of the families we spent considerable time was this couple. Though facing a trial in life, they were the happiest people I’ve ever met. Though walking through significant pain and hardships, they were confident that God was working all things for their good.

I’ll never forget that day. It was beautiful. It was amazing. It was a day I experienced the kingdom of God and learned more about the heart of true “ministry.”

- Ethan Welch

Note:  Fre Jack, pictured above with his wife and Pastor Ethan, has been a vital part of our hurricane relief efforts.  We are thankful for his hard work and the way God has allowed us to work together with him to bring healing and hope to our brothers and sisters on the southern peninsula of Haiti.

Another way to give to Haiti Awake

The generosity shown by gifts of time and money to Haiti Awake is truly amazing and continues to grow.

We have shared various ways of giving that cost you nothing extra (for example, shopping through with Amazon Smile when shopping on Amazon).

One of the things that we wish we could do is accept all of the physical items that are offered. Some of these items are valuable and would be useful, but the cost of shipping and customs is prohibitively high.

Given this problem, I wanted to give a short explanation of eBay community charitable selling. This allows you to sell these items on eBay and contribute the proceeds to Haiti Awake.

It is very simple. When you list your item one of the very last options is a little check box that says "Donate a portion to charity."

Check this box and then under "Donation Percentage" choose 100% of proceeds (when you sell for a charity eBay will credit the listing fees back to you).

The last line is "Donate to." Click that drop down menu and choose "Search for Charity." Type "Haiti Awake," and Haiti Awake will pop up.

You are all set! The proceeds will be sent to the Paypal Giving Fund, you will receipt a gift receipt, and 100% of those funds will be sent to Haiti Awake.

For more detailed information you can go to http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/selling-nonprofit.html

- Rick

A new staff member

We at Haiti Awake are extremely happy to announce the addition of a new staff member, Manoucheka Derard Pierre.  Manoucheka has been helping Haiti Awake since day one because she's Steeve's wife, but now she officially has her own position as the Health Care Manager for Haiti Awake.  

Manoucheka will be responsible for overseeing both the staff and children's healthcare, as well as coordinating healthcare outreach in the future.

Congratulations, Manoucheka!

Happy birthday, Haiti Awake!

Yesterday I sat in a coffee shop, chatting with a friend about life and service and responsibility and what it means to live on mission.  And my thoughts were directed back to this quote from Richard Stearns:

“The adventure that God invites each of us on is a life filled with meaning and purpose. His plan for each of us is unique, but it is always filled with a sense of passion to complete God’s mission to demonstrate and share His love. He may send you to Wall Street or the local soup kitchen. He may ask you to spend years in preparation or to drop everything and start doing what you feel totally unprepared to do.”

Two years ago God clearly called the Graves family and the Derard family to partner together in Haiti Awake.     He has given us a passion for Haiti and her people, and He's continued to clearly show us what He would have us to do day-by-day.

On this special day, we are thankful for the many people, both Haitian and American, God has used over the last two years to teach us, to encourage us, to support us, to help us more clearly define our mission and our philosophy of ministry.

We are excited to watch our Haiti Awake family continue to grow, and we look forward to continuing to share the goodness and faithfulness of God in the years to come.

Below are just a few of the memories we're been blessed with here at Haiti Awake.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

— Ephesians 3:20-21

It's a New Week

“It was so hard (seeing the devastation in Les Cayes last week). Most of the people are homeless. They don’t know when they will have a new house. They lost everything. It is so hard for them when it is raining. They can’t even stand under a tree . . . because there is no tree.”

— Polo

The men will leave early tomorrow morning to travel from Port-au-Prince to Jeremie, and by Tuesday evening they hope to be in Les Cayes again.  Current plans include food distribution and repair work on the church where they will continue working with Pastor Joseph Jeneve Delpeche, Mission Eglise Baptiste Sud d'Haiti.  

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Specific prayer points for the week:

1.     Pray for the safety of our men as they travel.  People are getting desperate out on the peninsula, and desperate people do desperate things.     

Psalm 4:8:  'In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety."

2.     Pray for God-ordained, Gospel opportunities that point people to the true hope of Jesus Christ.    

2 Corinthians 4:18:  "As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

3.     Pray for the men to be able to find the supplies that they need at a reasonable price.      

Psalm 90:17: "Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yea, establish the work of our hands!" 

4.     Pray for the vehicle they are driving to run smoothly and clear the roads ahead of them as they go.       

Psalm 40:2  "He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure."

5.     Pray for Americans to continue to have a heart of generosity toward the Haitian people and not be overcome with compassion fatigue.        

James 2:15-16:  "If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?"

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I'll end with some photos from last week. Daily updates might be hard this week because Jeremie is more remote than Les Cayes, but we will update Facebook and Instagram as we can.  

Please continue to pray for Haiti.  The road ahead will be a long, difficult one.

The Lord continues to direct our steps

“As humans, we will miss seeing so many things without God’s eyes. That’s why I’m so thankful to Him, because He gave us His eyes to understand things that we couldn’t, and to show us that He is always in control.
He provided what we didn’t expect and make us feel useful to help our brothers and sisters.
We have crossed rivers by walking, taken out trees from bumpy roads...
As a photographer I couldn’t use my camera as often I used to... because I felt the necessity to carry things and to do my best to help our fellows Haitians in need.
We are also thankful to Haiti Awake team, Redgi from Heart United, and other friends that were there to help during these three days.”

— Hudson

We thought we had a plan for Monday.  The men were supposed to meet a friend at the airport and caravan down to Les Cayes with her group to start relief work.  Instead, that plan fell apart . . . just as another friend reached out to Haiti Awake and offered to partner with us for work in the same area.  I am very thankful for Crystal Funk and Hearts United with Haiti.  As the day unfolded on Monday, it became evident that this was the partnership God wanted for us to pursue for this week.

Here is the short version of what has happened on the ground so far this week.

Monday:  Polo got to Les Cayes by airplane thanks to Gene Schmidt.  Gene is a new friend, an amazing man, an excellent pilot.  Hudson, Wesly, Fre Jack (a friend from church), and Redgi (from Hearts United with Haiti) headed down with the truck later in the day.  Polo had already made contact with Pastor Joseph Jeneve Delpeche at Mission Eglise Baptiste Sud d'Haiti, and the men were able to sleep at his house all week.

On Tuesday the men bought supplies and distributed them.  But the day was not without incident.  According to Polo, they had a flat tire far away from where they could get help.  He said it was difficult to get the help they needed, but in the end they were able to get the tire fixed and finish the work they had set out to do, including buying rice and re-bagging it for the Wednesday distribution.

Today the men gave out rice in the pastor's community before going to his church where they met with the people and gave rice.  They then helped Redgi get iron sheets to people his organization knows and has worked with for years.

“We passed a beautiful 3 days with the Haitians in Les Cayes. The pastor who shared in his house is a good men.
I pray to God for the people in Les Cayes.
God bless Haiti Awake. It can help the people in Haiti.
We need your help, Dear Father, like the Haitian song says, ‘Papa Bondye nou bezwen ou kounye a.’”

— Wesly

Tomorrow the men plan to return to Port-au-Prince after helping Redgi with another project. The current plan is to return to the Les Cayes area next week - hopefully to help with fixing the roof at Mission Eglise Baptiste Sud d'Haiti.

“I am thankful because God had given us this opportunity to help our brothers and sisters who were in need. And I felt so good working with some of the Haiti Awake staff and Jean Frtiz and Redgi from Hearts United with Haiti.
We worked as a team. We worked hard. The road was bad - trees in some road, but God was with us.
The Pastor this morning said the fact we come to help them it a prayer come true; they were hopeless. They said they will pray for us.”

— Polo

Further, having Fre Jack on the team has provided wisdom and experience, as well as a point of contact who already knew people in the area, including Pastor Joseph.

Please continue to pray for Haiti as the road to recovery will be a long one.

We are thankful for a great team of Haitian men who are helping their fellow Haitians and making a difference in the community in which they are working.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

— 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

The heart can only grieve what the eyes have seen

The last 72 hours have been a whirlwind as I left Wilmington, arrived in Pensacola, flew to Haiti, and then went deep into the countryside.

The day yesterday was not what we had planned, but it was what God had planned.

We had planned to Les Cayes, and we did.  But when the contacts in Les Cayes did not direct us to great need, we decided to go on to Jeremie.

From Jeremie we took motos for approximately 3 hours, going through Mafranc to Morow and finally arriving in Chambelan.  From Chambelan we crossed the Riviere de la Grande-anse.  And we climbed further up the mountain until we arrived at Maken's family's home.

When we arrived at Maken's family's house, we found a once lush, beautiful place barren.   The breadfruit trees that surrounded his family home are gone.  The plantain trees are gone.   The coconut trees are gone.  They lie all around on the ground.  Amazingly, his parents' house still stands, but the same can not be said about many houses in the area.

We returned to Chambelan to locally purchase rice and oil and carry it back across the river.  And this morning Maken's father was able to share food with his neighbors and friends.   We returned to Port-au-Prince this afternoon.

 Tomorrow Polo will be going to Les Cayes.  We hope to have more news to share with you later tomorrow.

“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”

— Nahum 1:7

I wish I could tell this story better tonight, but we are all so tired.  I hope I am at least conveying the information well.  Please pray for Haiti.  People are suffering.  They need help.

Please consider donating through Haiti Awake.  We assure you that 100% of the money that you donate will be used right here in Haiti . . . to benefit Haitians.

Haiti Awake is ready to help with post-Matthew relief

Talk to me for five minutes, and it’s almost guaranteed I’ll find a way to work Haiti into the conversation.  People that know me know God has radically transformed my life through volunteer, missions work in Haiti over the last 5 years.  

God has turned our family's heart toward the country and people of Haiti, and we believe God wants us to have a long-term investment in Haiti's greatest natural resource - her people.  Because of this, we founded the Wilmington-based Haiti Awake as a 501c3 in late 2014.

Since our family began to focus more on Haiti, our lives don't look typical.  Some of the things we do, the way we live, the choices we make don't make sense to others.  But we believe with no doubt that God has put this love for Haiti in our hearts, and we will continue to follow where He leads us.

On Monday night, October 3, something amazing happened.  People, many I did not even know, gathered in our home for almost three hours to help us pray over the people, the country that we hold dear to our hearts.  As the day unfolded on Tuesday, the 4th, we rejoiced to see how God has answered our prayers of safety for the people of Haiti Awake, and yet we were intensely sad for those Haitian sisters and brothers on the southern peninsula of Haiti who were not spared from the wrath of Hurricane Matthew.

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Our goal at Haiti Awake is to equip these local Christians to reach their own communities and their own country through showing Christ’s love in action. In line with this goal, our post-Hurricane Matthew relief is focused on allowing our trusted friends and co-workers to go south to minister to their own people.   We want to be wise, purposeful, intentional in our assistance.  Some of you have already given hurricane-relief funds to be distributed through Haiti Awake. We consider this to be a great responsibility, and we want to steward this money well.

This weekend, Steeve Derard, a seminary student, trusted friend, and ground director for Haiti Awake,  will be leading a group of Haitian believers into affected villages.  Further, we have an American ministry partner joining us with supplies.  Steeve has led Haitian teams into the countryside from Port-au-Prince before on ministry outreach.  Further, he has many contacts in the countryside due to his studies at STEP.  His team will distribute food, medication, but most importantly, a helping hand combined with a Gospel-centered outreach through an established ministry in Les Cayes pastored by Joseph Jeneve Delpeche of Mission Eglise Baptiste Sud d’Haiti.

We believe this will be the first of many such trips, as the recovery process will be a slow one.  Further, we want to see development in the southern peninsula, not just relief.

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Will you consider partnering with us on this on-going project?  All donations are tax-deductible, and we desire transparency and accountability as we distribute funds you entrust to us.

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Donations can be made to

Haiti Awake

4630 Mockingbird Lane

Wilmington, NC 28409

Paypal donations can be sent to becky@haitiawake.org

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Psalm 89:8-9

Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
    You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

You rule over the surging sea;
    when its waves mount up, you still them.

Glwa Pou Bondye

This morning we are praising God for His protection over those we hold close to our hearts while acknowledging others have suffered great loss.

For those of you inquiring about relief for our neighbors to the south, here is our advice:

“The storm has reached the southern coast, and the very few reports we’ve seen are scary, mainly because no one fully knows how bad it is.
If you or people you know are thinking about making donations for relief....please wait. Wait to find out what the real needs are, and then find a grassroots organization that’s meeting those needs. I promise you, the big organizations are ineffective. We saw it after the earthquake. No one wants history repeated. See where God is working, and join Him.”

— Allison Vantreese Garrett

We are currently working with a trusted friend and mentor, Gloria Board, on a list of organizations you can trust in Haiti.  If you feel led to give, whether it is through Haiti Awake or another organization, please do your research.  Be discerning.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

— Lamentations 3:22-23

Bondye konnen tout bagay

I am struggling to find words tonight.  I've read so many Facebook posts today, and they all resonate with me.  But somehow I can't find my own words.  The only words I can find are these:  "Bondye konnen tout bagay."  

God knows it all.  

“Statistics are one thing, but friends are another. Numbers may challenge your mind, but faces will soften your heart. And names will stick with you over time.”

— Jeff Shinabarger

These are not statistics.  These are our friends.   Please, as you pray, pray for them specifically.  They have faces.  They have names.  And we love them.

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Steeve, Caleb, Stevenly, Manoucheka, and Lorie

Caelle

Cesnel

Idelmy

Esterlin

Maken

Kerchie, Phebe, Widcherline, and Antonide

Fedlin

Donalson

Handy, Davensky, Fenley

Hudson

Dieussait

Polo

Stanley

Wesly and Christine

Yvenson

Fabenson, Migerlson, and Lorvens

Woodlin

Alanta

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“For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm . . . ”

— Isaiah 25:4

Happy September Birthdays to Widcherline and Stanley!

You are wanted.

You are treasured.

You are loved.