We thank the Bergens for their service!

Brian and Tina Bergen have been serving at NVM in Haiti for almost a year. And they are returning home next week. Brian has been managing the projects for short-term teams and has initiated a significant agriculture project. And he has done other things we will not try to list. Tina has been managing the production of the crafts being produced by Haitian ladies and managing the NVM Hope Gift Shop. And their kids are here as well. Both parents have been involved in home schooling their children.

God has brought many wonderful people to NVM over the past 4 years. And we are grateful that Brian and Tina answered the call. We pray that God will lead them as they return home and bless them richly for their faithful service in Haiti.

Serving on your behalf in Haiti,

Jim & Cheryl Warner

Thank you Tina

Tina has been running the new Clay Bead Class this past 8 months...she has been helping the Haitian lady who runs the classes.  She has done a terrific job assisting and helping to encourage the ladies.  They have turned out some beautiful clay bead bracelets.   Thanks, Tina, for a job well done.  Tina is now going to assist the NVM Project Hope Gift Shop from their home in Indiana.

Tina encouraging the clay class ladies

Beautiful work being sold in the gift shop

If you would like to purchase some of these NVM Project Hope Gift Shop bracelets, please contact Cheryl Warner by email cheryl.warner.missions@gmail.com   We have suppliers in the USA.

Serving on your behalf in Haiti,

Jim & Cheryl

Nehemiah Vision Ministries

Global Training Network

CRU Haiti Country Director, Esperandieu Pierre & Global Training Network, Dr. Jim Warner, meet at Nehemiah Vision Ministries Compound in Haiti to help develop Haitian Pastors

During our nearly 3 + years in Haiti I had the privilege of conducting Saturday monthly conferences for pastors. We fed them a good breakfast, let them worship together and tried to challenge them from God’s Word.

Yesterday was the August pastor’s conference. Pastor Pierre & I had the opportunity to team teach and once again meet with these dear Haitian Pastors. We had 93 pastors come to the session. The topic was How to Avoid Moral Failure in the Church. It was well received and many of these men walked away with a dedication to be committed to what God has for them here in Haiti. 

The monthly conferences will continue in Haiti under Pastor Pierre.  I will have the chance to minister to the pastors once again in December when we return for our quarterly visit.

Preparing my thoughts

Ministering to these men of God

Their attention was focused

Team teaching with Pastor Pierre

Please be praying for these wonderful pastors. They work so hard and are so committed to their church congregations. They do it with little or no financial reward. Their reward is all stored up in Heaven.

If you would like to support this specific NVM Ministry in Haiti  – please contact Jim Warner at equipsaints@gmaill.com   

Serving on your behalf in Haiti,

Jim & Cheryl

Rubber band bracelets a big hit here in Haiti

Some good friends of ours, Mark & Kim Peck, from Michigan sent us down with a bunch of the rubber band bracelets and the kits to make therm.  Here are a few of the faces of those who received them along with a lollypop

              

Thanks, Mark & Kim, for being a blessing down here in Haiti!!

Jim & Cheryl Warner

We are back in Haiti

After taking time with our family and moving into a new home -  we are back in Haiti and want to let you know what is happening.

Last Sunday Jim had the opportunity to preach at Nehemiah Vision Chapel service.  However, the video camera was destroyed in a small fire so you will just have to trust that I was up there sharing. My topic was loving your enemies and it hit home for a number of people. It was so nice to see so many familiar faces in the church.

Yesterday, Cheryl had the chance to take part in the graduation program for a number of ladies who have just completed the craft-making classes.  10 ladies completed the basket-making class and 8 ladies completed the jewelry making class.  It was a lot of fun and many of the ladies are hoping to start a small business of their own.  We sent them off with supplies to keep them going.  Now its up to them.  The new classes will start up next week with a new group of ladies willing to learn a skill.  Cheryl also had a chance to share about trusting God when life seems to be a tangled mess, using a tangle of zippers as her prop.  It was fun to watch.  Then we served them a wonderful meal.  It was a joy to be with these precious women again!!

We will keep you posted during the rest of our visit to NVM.

Serving on your behalf in Haiti,

Jim & Cheryl Warner

The Haiti Ministry Continues

Greetings to you all. We are sorry for not blogging recently.  As we have shared in our last newsletter we are in a time of exciting transition. We have spent 12 years on the staff of CRU. And for the last 3 years we have lived in Haiti. We are now back in Dallas and transitioning to a new organization, but we are still helping and working in Haiti!

Global Training Network is an organization dedicated to training pastors and their wives overseas. In our new roles I will be following my passion of training pastors in Haiti and all over the world and Cheryl will be able to continuing her ministry with the Haitian ladies. We will be sharing more about our new work in the weeks to come.

Here is an update on Cheryl's work in Haiti.  In May we made our first return trip to Haiti. It was great to see everyone! And it was a great encouragement to Cheryl that her work is continuing and is in full swing.  Even the guards at the NVM gate we excited to see us.

Reunited with a great friend

As you may remember, during our 3 years in Haiti Cheryl started and led a ministry to Haitian ladies teaching them craft skills so they can earn an income. She also greatly expanded and ran the Project Hope Gift Shop on the compound of NVM. Just before we left, Tina and Brian Bergen arrived at NVM. While Brian's job is to lead project teams and run the agriculture project, Tina focuses her attention at taking over Cheryl's ministry with the ladies and gift shop. And she has done an amazing job!

Cheryl's workshop is in full swing

The ladies continue to make baskets in Onaville

The gift shop looks great and is doing a thriving business. Cheryl is so pleased to see that all of the classes with the ladies are continuing and that the gift shop is thriving. And during our visit, Cheryl introduced a new craft. To date, most of the craft business centered around hand rolled cardboard beaded jewelry and woven baskets. The new craft is making jewelry out of clay beads that are crafted and baked.  The results are stunning and the ladies now have a new option for making a living.  Watch for them in the gift shop next time you are in Haiti - or email Cheryl and she will send you one - they are only $5.00

Learning the new skill of making clay beads

Please pray for this ongoing ministry. We will continue to make return trips to Haiti every 4 months. Cheryl will be bringing in raw materials and returning with finished product. She will also be working to expand the sale of these items in the United States. It is having a tremendous impact on so many families in Haiti. And thank you for your prayers and support. You all are a huge encouragement to us both.

Serving on your behalf,
Jim & Cheryl

Great progress in Haiti

People often ask us if we see progress happening in Haiti. And the answer is yes! Over the past three years we have seen damage cleared, buildings constructed, ministries growing, roads improved, and lives changed. We should all be encouraged.

Here is a quick glimpse of two wonderful advances related to agriculture and housing.

A few months ago, Pastor Pierre decided that it would be a blessing if we built new homes in Chambrun. So he, along with his Haitian advisers, selected the first recipient. Those receiving new homes will be in families who will never be able to build a home on their own. And a group from Collin Creek Community Church in Dallas decided to fund and help build the first new home. We are grateful for their involvement. Below you will see a photo of the old home and the new one being built.

Another important ministry focus for NVM is agriculture. Our goal is to grow food for the ministry and to teach those in nearby communities how to grow food for their families. The soil around NVM is good for farming. Learning how to irrigate gardens is the key. Below you will see three photos. Pastor Pierre is happy about our new wood chipper. We can purchase sugarcane stocks for next to nothing. These stocks are shredded and used to blanket fields to hold in moisture. Also pictured is the new garden planted that is growing in the children's home compound. And finally, a test site modeling a proposed manual irrigation system. Water is poured in the bucket twice daily and water is distributed to the plants through soaker lines. It's cheap and it works.

God is working in Haiti. We want to keep you posted about what he is doing and the impact it is having on the lives of Haitians. We will continue to bring you news from the compound of NVM in Haiti.

Serving on your behalf,
Jim & Cheryl Warner

Progress at NVM!!

For some time we have been considering the possibility of building homes for people in need in the nearby community of Chambrun. As we have reported before this is a very poor community of 4000 located just 1/2 mile from NVM. Recently the decision was made to start these projects. The homes are being provided to those with the greatest need. Here are some photos of the first home being constructed.

Mixing the cement 

Laying the blocks

The walls are finished

The home will be completed soon. All the is left is to put on the roof! We are so grateful for the team from Dallas who funded and came to help construct this home.

We have also been dreaming for some time about growing crops on our compound. After a few test plots NVM has expanded the faming effort. There is a large demand for watermelons in Haiti. So that is what is growing in our field. Here is a shot of the field where the planting was just completed.

Our watermelon patch

Brian Bergen is managing this process. He also has planted a 1/2-acre garden behind the staff apartments where vegetables will be grown. More photos will be forthcoming as the crops develop.

We are so grateful for the progress being made. God is good and we are moving forward in faith based on his faithfulness.

With news from Haiti,
Jim & Cheryl Warner

A New Church Building in Onaville

Onaville is the largest displacement camp in Haiti. And just over two years ago, NVM planted a church in this community. The congregation quickly grew to over 500 and the church has been thriving ever since. Through the generosity of donors in the US a new church building was funded and now has been built. And just a week ago the doors were opened. What a joyful time for this new body of believers. A team of 30 construction professionals came down to Haiti and built the church in one week. Thanks to all of you. Here is the fruit of their labor.

The new building!

The church interior during construction

Inside the church, fans included!!

We are thankful for this team of construction professionals

It is so good to see progress in Haiti. And we are especially grateful to the Lord for his blessing in expanding his kingdom in this country. We will keep you posted on the growth of the Onaville church in the months to come.

Blessings,
Jim & Cheryl Warner

The Maine Team Goes Off Campus

The team's activities today took them off the NVM compound. We loaded up the vehicles and headed for Onaville. As we have reported before, Onaville is the largest displacement camp in Haiti. However, it is quickly becoming a permanent community. It is good to see progress. The purpose of our trip to Onaville was to work with the Haitian ladies who are producing crafts and to conduct a special event for 30 ladies from the church there. It was a great success. The men came along to see the ministry and what the ladies were doing. Gami Ortiz came along to give them a short talk about the Onaville community and ministry. And while the sessions with the women began, the men took a long walk up the mountainside. Here are some of the sites.

Gami giving his talk

The men hiking up the mountainside

Some of the ladies bought baskets from specific Haitian women

Babies are hard to resist

Buying the specific baskets helped build relationships and prayer partners

Handing out supplies for the next batch of baskets

Snacks were served!

Cheryl gave a powerful devotional on putting hurts behind us

The second session was a sewing event for ladies in the Onaville church 

Our translator and friend Regine models the sewing project

The team ladies helped guide the sewing process 

The ladies did a tremendous job on their projects 

Hard at work 

A helping hand 

Sewing away

You have to love those drinking glasses 

Success 

Proud of their finished projects 

Pat gave a devotional to this group

They are so grateful for what Cheryl has done

Cheryl's ministry to these ladies has made a tremendous difference in their lives and they are very grateful. The last line of the sign above is true. They really do love Cheryl. And the feeling is mutual. It will be hard for her to leave these dear ladies. But they are in good hands as Tina Bergen assumes the leadership of this ministry. We are so grateful for what God has done and will continue to do to help support these families and to build a sense of self-worth. And we thank the mission team ladies who were a big help today.

The team has a day off tomorrow and will complete their work week on Saturday. Please be praying that God will work through them and speak into their lives.

Serving on your behalf in Haiti,
Jim & Cheryl Warner