Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Young Teenage Girls Graduate from Sewing Class

Over the past 10 weeks, Cheryl has been working with a group of young teenagers teaching them to sew. An important part of the program was mentoring the girls and teaching them about purity and being filled with God’s Spirit. Cheryl has come to love these young ladies and has had a tremendous impact on their lives.  This past Sunday, the church took some time during the morning service to recognize these young girls as they have successfully completed the course. They each received a laminated certificate and a small gift.  Please be praying for these girls that they can use their new craft to help make a living and have hope for a future and that they will be committed to following Christ with their lives.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Introducing Jolina Desir

We want to tell you about an exceptional young lady. Her name is Jolina Desir. Jolina is 23 years old and lives in the community of Chambrun just a 1/2 mile from the NVM compound. She is one of the most cheerful people we know in Haiti. Jolina is actively working on her English and is currently in Jim's ESL class. She is learning quickly! Like many others in in Chambrun, she only has a 6th grade level of education.
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Jolina was born in this community and has lived there her entire life. In fact, she has only ventured out of the immediate area once. Port-au-Prince is only 15 miles from her home and she has only been there on one occasion. That was this summer when Pastor Pierre took a group of young people on a tour of the city and to his home for Cheryl’s birthday party.
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Jolina lives with her mother, two brothers and two sisters. Her father was killed by robbers when she was only 12. So at her young age she is actively involved in caring for and supporting her family. Jolina is employed by NVM and serves as one of the staff cooks. She earns approximately $50.00 per month. She prepares meals for the Haitian staff, the US staff and for the mission teams who are visiting the compound. She has also gone through the jewelry making class taught by Cheryl and is doing very well making and selling beaded jewelry. She uses the income from these two opportunities to support her entire family. She also raises pigeons and goats so her family can eat the pigeon eggs and the pigeon and goat meat. Jolina receives Global Aid Network’s donations of rice and beans often which is a blessing for her, as it helps to supplement her need to buy food for her family. She says she knows God is watching over her family when she receives extra help. DSC01952100_3225











Jolina accepted Jesus into her life when she was a young teen. Since then she has become a leader in the NVM church. She works with the youth, and helps with communion and offering in the church. She has come so far in her leadership abilities over the past two years. Currently her other family members are not Christians so we are praying with her for their salvation. Jolina just recently gave her testimony for the very first time to a group of ladies in the beading class. This was a great step of faith for her.
It has been a joy getting to know Jolina. We ask you to pray for her and her family. Pray that God uses her in a great way and that her family comes to know the Lord through her walk with Him.
Jim, Cheryl and the Girls

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving from Haiti

From the entire staff on the NVM compound, we want to wish you all a  very Happy Thanksgiving. We are so grateful for all that God has done and provided for us.  And for that we are grateful.

Yes, we can purchase turkeys at the grocery store. But why when they are running around the compound. The brave soul is Brodie, Pastor Pierre’s personal assistant.

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While we maintain a thankful heart all year long, Thanksgiving is a time to stop and focus on the specific things we are thankful for.  And all of you are on our list.  Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. They mean so much to us and are the reason that we see God working. May the Lord richly bless you on this special day and throughout the upcoming year.

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Jim, Cheryl and the Girls (and our honorary son Clerice)

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Friday in Haiti–The GAiN Mission Team’s Final Day

Well, the week has passed quickly.  The GAiN mission team in Haiti has had a great week. It was obvious that God has been moving in our lives as we shared at our last team meeting.  As always, God has allowed us to minister but also to be ministered to by those we were with here in Haiti. Here is a quick look at our final day of ministry.
On Friday we conducted a vision clinic on the NVM compound for folks living in Chambrun.  It was a national holiday so the numbers were down slightly. However, we saw 32 people all of which needed glassed, most needed them badly. It was a blessing to help them.
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After lunch we took one final walk to the village of Chambrun.  Team members had been there a number of times during the week and had formed some great relationships with people in the community – especially with the kids!  These kids have so much energy and just want to be loved.  We had a great time playing with them.
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Just before supper we took the team to a beautiful overlook on the mountainside.  From our position we could see completely across Haiti. The ocean was on the right and the Dominican Republic was on the left.  It was a great view.
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I end with pictures of the team and our ride to the airport.  This was a great team and we are so very grateful that they all responded to God’s leading to come.  They touched so many lives and did such great work. Their attitude was fantastic and we formed some great friendships.  We pray that God will richly bless them all as they continue to minister in the various areas of their lives. And thank you to all who have been praying for our time in Haiti. Your prayers made a huge difference.  God bless you all.
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Jim, Cheryl and the Girls

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Thursday in Haiti with the GAiN Mission Team

The week is flying by. We just finished Thursday and it was great.  The team has high energy and are going to finish strong tomorrow.

Today there were three main projects.  The ladies completed day three of a sewing class, the team did some inventory of humanitarian aid and the two guys did some lawn care.

In front of the warehouse are 10, 40-foot containers that are being used as cold storage. We weren’t sure what was in them so we set the team loose to take a physical inventory. They pitched in and did a great job.

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The Haitian ladies completed their sewing projects. They each made a shoulder bag.  You can see them in the pictures below. Everyone had a great time and many friendships were forged. The session today started with the ladies learning an English chorus and Jim doing a couple of magic tricks. The tricks are designed to share the gospel and they were led in a prayer of salvation.  It was a great afternoon.

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I didn’t get any pictures of the David and Adam doing lawn care. But trust me, the place is looking great. Thanks guys.

These trips always go so quickly.  But as I think back over the week, it is amazing how much they have accomplished. Tomorrow we conclude our week with a vision clinic on the compound.  I will check in tomorrow.

Thanks again for your prayers.

Jim, Cheryl and the Girls

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

GAiN Haiti Mission–Wednesday

Hello again from Haiti.  It is Wednesday and we have had a full day. Once again we remained on the NVM compound to minister.  There were three main projects: painting, working on the septic system for the new children’s home and the sewing class.

The base of the school building and the current office needed to be painted and our team was up for the challenge. Bright blue was applied to the school and white to the office building.  In just two weeks, the current office building will become the pre-school building and the staff will move to the newly constructed office building.  The results of the painting were fantastic!

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The two men and a number of the women once again tackled the septic system for the new children’s homes.  The main project for the day was to dig a trench deeper. The pipe was coming out too high so dig they did. The ground is so hard they had to use a pick axe to soften the dirt. And move the dirt they did.

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At two o’clock the women headed over to the large outdoor tent to continue their work teaching Haitian women how to hand sew.  The project for the week is a cloth shoulder bag. They are doing a great job and the ladies on the team have been helping a great deal.  Cheryl is working with these Haitian ladies to teach them this skill to help them make a living for their families.

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We are so grateful to be working along side this great team. They have been willing to do whatever we have put before them. They are true servants. Please continue to pray for our week. Tomorrow is like today and Friday we conduct our second vision clinic. We will keep you posted.

Jim, Cheryl and the Girls