The New NVM Thrift Store

Before every mission team leaves the MVN compound, team members leave supplies and clothes they do not want to take home. With the large number of teams coming through, the amount of aid items is growing quickly.  Pastor Pierre came up with the idea of starting a thrift store.  Instead of just giving the aid away, people receive tickets and can redeem them for goods from the thrift store.  This is a more orderly way to distribute the aid and promotes a sense of dignity as individuals receive the aid.  The thrift store is being set up in a 40-foot shipping container provided by Global Aid Network (GAIN).  This will surely bless many in the surrounding area.  Here you see mission team members sorting clothes and hanging them in the store.

Dots in Blue Water - Providing the Gift of Clean Water

One of the greatest needs in developing third-world countries is the lack of clean water. Water-born diseases are the leading cause of death in many of these countries. With that in mind, let me tell you about a team that was on the Nehemiah Vision Ministries compound last week. It is one of the most impressive projects we have seen. Not simply because what they were doing but because of who they are and what they have accomplished. Let me tell you more.

Bill Farrar is the founding director of Fountains of Hope. This is an agency that is committed to installing water filtration systems around the world and teaching people how to maintain them. Bill has been partnering with Dot in Blue Water which is an effort springing out of South Adams Schools in Berne, Indiana. Before I tell you about the mission, let me give you a little background. Michael Baer, working in conjunction with a number of other teachers and a group of students were introduced to the water filtration system being installed by Fountains of Hope and decided that they could improve on the design. Thus, a science project was born and the system was redesigned and improved. And now we come to their mission in Haiti.

It is a unique opportunity for high school students to work on a project and then join a team traveling to another country to implement the project. This is indeed a full-cycle learning project! Along with Michael Baer, Dots in Blue Water brought to Haiti a group of teachers and students. Myron Schwartz and Josh Roby are fellow science teachers. Kristi Geimer is a third grade teacher, Ashley Koons is a junior high teacher, J.D. Keller is a K-6 computer teacher and Alissa McMillian is a recent graduate of Ball State and has just completed her student teaching. These teachers brought with them a hand-selected group of students from the Berne School System who worked on the water filter project. There were 4, 2011 graduates and 4 juniors. Before coming Haiti they raised the funds to purchase 4 purifier systems. Each system costs $3,500.

This team was in Haiti on the NVM compound for one week. During this week they installed a:

• 2-tank unit (400 gallon) for the NVM school
  
• 1-tank unit (500 gallon) in the Chambrun community
  
• 3-tank unit (650 gallon) for the Bouzie camp (helping turn the cholera outbreak and support a clinic)

And they left one extra unit for future distribution. And along with the water work, the team also did work on the compound. They painted, worked on a drainage trench and sorted aid in the warehouse. This was a great team and we thank them for their work!

Helping Haitian Women Earn a Living

One of the responsibilities that Cheryl has assumed is leading a class of Haitian women teaching them how to make beaded necklaces. These necklaces are then sold and part of the proceeds are shared with the ladies. This extra income makes it possible for them to support their families.

The interesting thing about the beads on these necklaces is they are made out or old, cut up cereal boxes or other cardboard boxes. The compound generates ample raw materials for the ladies who cut the boxes into small long triangles, cover them with paste and roll them up. After they are dry they are covered with shellac and put on the necklace. The result are beautiful colored beads that look nothing like the boxes in their original form. It is a wonderful cottage industry providing badly needed income.

GLOBAL AID NETWORK FOOD DISTRIBUTION & VISION CLINC at the NEHEMIAH VISION MINISTRY COMPOUND IN CHAMBRUN HAITI

There were so many people that were helped this week with both vision, food, clothing, Bibles and hygiene products.  As you can see from all these pictures, our team was very busy this week.  We ministered to 545 people this past week, 89 people prayed to receive Christ, everyone heard the Gospel and everyone received aid.  What a blessed week here in Haiti!

Nehemiah Vision Ministry delivers Bibles to those in need through a Global Aid Network team

The GAiN June Haiti team was able to donate Bibles that were donated to the Nehemiah Vision Ministry.  These Bibles have been and were donated to those that prayed to receive Christ during our vision clinic this past week.  89 people were blessed with a Bible this week alone. Praise God!  Marvens Pierre is the young boy who was so excited to get his own Bible. He told us “my father died in the earthquake and I  have taken over as the ‘man’ in the family,  I have no business or way to earn an income at the age of 10, but now I can learn to trust God”

NVM also distributed rice and beans and hygiene supplies that were donated by GAiN.  Angeline accepted Christ with our team and told us she was concerned about her malnourished infant.  She said she was not able to breastfeed her newborn baby very well because she was not getting enough food herself.  She told us that she was so thankful for the help and that she was hoping to see us again as the need here is so great.  We were able to give her hygiene supplies to help with her infant. 

Marissa is helping with a young child that needed some love and attention

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Here we are at the end of the week, we are so thankful for the opportunity to serve here in Haiti. 

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Precious little children!

Dilonoe, a 10 year old boy, was so excited to be able to get new glasses.  He will now be able to get a better education at school.  He said he’d be able to study better too.  He was so thankful for the food and hygiene supplies, he said “this will make my mom so happy”. He left with a big smile on his face.

The GAiN Mission Team has arrived!

A team of 21 arrived in Haiti on Saturday. They are a great group.  On Sunday they had the experience of worshipping at the church on the Nehemiah Vision Ministries compound. It was great. The young people led the service and it was wonderful.  The team is comprised of a group of 10 from Crossroads Fellowship from Raleigh, NC, a family of 6 and 5 others.  We are so glad they are here.

On Sunday evening the men were asked to attend a showing of the Jesus Film in Onaville.  This is a displacement camp were we will be conducting our eye clinic Monday through Thursday.  400 people viewed the film and about 50 went forward to accept Christ.

On Monday we conducted our first vision clinic in Onaville.  We got a late start but still be saw 51 people in the clinic. 9 accepted Christ for the first time and 4 rededicated their lives.  We were also able to provide 22 pair of custom distance glasses, 23 pair of reading glasses and all 51 received rice and beans and hygiene supplies.  It was a great day! We are headed back again today.

Please be praying for our team and for those we are reaching out for. Pray that eye sight is improved and that many will receive new spiritual eye sight.  And as always, pray for the health and safety of out team.

The ‘tent homes’ in Haiti

Today we went to see some of the church tents that were donated by Willow Creek Church from Chicago, Illinois.  The church tents have been put up amongst the ‘tent homes’ where people have relocated after the devastation in Port-au-Prince.  These new churches are where people are hearing the Word of God and coming to Christ through the Jesus Film Ministry.

Feeding the hungry in Haiti

There are so many people in Haiti that need help with food, but the most difficult to see are the young children and the infants.  Here is a 6 month old little baby that has severe malnutrition.  She is under the 3rd percentile. We are giving her mother rice and beans donated by GAiN with instructions on how to boil the rice for her baby.  She was very thankful and said she would never be able to help her baby without the help we are giving her at the NVM Compound Clinic.

New friends in Haiti for Jamie & Janessa

American toys are so much fun to those that haven’t seen all that can be played with in Haiti.  The girls are meeting all kinds of people here.  What a blessing!