The Next Trip to Haiti is Fast Approaching

July 27, 2010 - Preparations are being made for the Fall 2010 trips to Haiti. The dates for the first trip is October 28 - November 4. The annual Pastors Training Conference will be held during the first trip. Close to 200 local Pastors from across Haiti will make their way by foot, "tap-tap", or any way possible to the Mission Center in Saintard for a week of learning, worship and praising God. Pastor Roy Houston will lead a team of American Pastors as they teach the Bible to the Haitian Pastors who will take their new knowledge home to the people they pastor.

The second trip is scheduled for the following week (November 4 - 11). Church construction, Medical Clinics and facility improvement projects are scheduled for this trip. Both trips offer the opportunity to share the love of Christ with Haitians who don't know Jesus Christ. It is sometimes difficult to list everything that will take place during a trip to Haiti because you never know what God has in store for you when you are there. I can tell you this; you will see God work in ways you never have before and you life will be changed forever. If you would like to go with us there is still time to make your reservation. You don't have to have any special skill to go on a mission trip to Haiti. The only requirement is a heart willing to yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

To make your reservation or to make a donation to help support someone who would like to go but would need financial help call our Treasurer, Roy Blankenship, at 828.667.1640.

  DATELINE HAITI

JULY 24, 2010 - Mission Haiti Board of Directors member Courtney Kilby is spending the summer at the Mission Center in Saintard and sends along the following update on activity in Haiti -

A project started by SMI Haiti and Mr. Frank Williams to rebuild the school damaged in the January 12, 2010 earthquake has started as well as plans for a new church for Saintard. They have also begun constructing the first of a planned 36 homes for families who suffered loss from the earthquake. The first home is complete and has been given to a local family that has had no place to live.

Two weeks ago a Medical Team of 33 people from Pastor Larry Poe's church, Faith Community Church, was here. They conducted a Medical Clinic for 4 days during which they treated over 2000 patients, pulled somewhere around 200 teeth, distributed hundreds of eye glasses and most important prayed over each patient individually as well as passing out 1000 Kreyol language Bibles and thousands of Gospel tracts. During the clinics held in a Port-au-Prince neighborhood completely destroyed by the earthquake I translated for a woman who told us she had lost her baby, husband, mother, father and uncle during the earthquake. She herself was badly injured when a piece of metal rebar pierced her side. Yet the entire time she was sharing her story a glowing smile radiated from her face. She told us that she did not understand why she lost her whole family but what she did know is that God had a bigger purpose for her life. This and so many other stories were shared during those two days. It was truly humbling.

Pastor Jean Marie's daughter Rebecca started a Youth Program at their church in Saintard. The program is led by the older youth in the church and targets children ages 2 - 14 years old. This past Wednesday night they celebrated the three month anniversary of the program with a party that the older youth leaders paid for by pooling their own money. Each of the over 100 children who attended received a gift bag that Rebecca had put together for them. Please pray for Rebecca and the other older youth who help lead this program; also pray that God will use their efforts to bring these young children to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Sister Phyllis Newby has recently returned from a time of healing and rest in Jamaica.  As many of you may not know Sister Phyllis has been very ill recently as she fought the effects of Malaria and Typhoid. Continue to pray that Sister Phyllis keeps getting stronger and healthier each day.

June 19, 2010 - The smell of BBQ and the sound of soul stirring Gospel Music filled the air today at New Morgan Hill Baptist Church during the BBQ & Car Show to Benefit Haiti. Hundreds of people enjoyed the best BBQ to found in the area while listening to some the best Gospel Music you've ever heard. Car, truck and motorcycle enthusiasts were treated to a display of mighty fine examples of vintage horsepower at the Car Show. All in all it was a good time of eating and fellowship with friends and neighbors all the while raising money to help support the relief and humanitarian work in Haiti.  A special thank you goes to everyone who came out and helped raise over $2ooo.oo for Haiti.

                         Ray & Donna Shoaf staffed the Shoes for Haiti table                          Mission Haiti Humanitarian Relief banner

Folks enjoyed some of the best BBQ Ribs, Pork and Chicken you ever put in your mouth!

Custom Bikes and Classic Cars were on display for all to see

The crowd enjoyed the soul stirring sounds of Southern Gospel music

To view a video slideshow of a collection of photos taken during our April 2010 trip to Haiti click on the link below. The photos were taken by members of the team that made the first trip since the earthquake. We hope that the slideshow will be a blessing to you.

April Trip to Haiti Video Presentation

Recent Trip to Haiti is a Great Success

The April 16th - 23rd trip to Haiti found Mission Haiti volunteers braving uncharted waters in our mission work to the Haitian people. Our group left Charlotte-Douglas International Airport on time on our way to Miami International Airport. We made our connecting flight to Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Arriving on time we were met at the airport by Loren Lanter who had flown into Port-au-Prince earlier in the day. We made our way through customs and then onto the bus for our trip out of Port-au-Prince and on to Saintard.

As we made our way along the streets of Port-au-Prince there was so much evidence of the January 12th earthquake still visible.  Collapsed buildings, piles of debris and thousands upon thousands of tents crammed into spaces all over the city and surrounding hillsides testified to the disaster that had struck this country only three months earlier. However, among all the rubble were signs of improvements. Lots once occupied by collapsed buildings had been cleared or were being cleared in anticipation of new construction. Outside Port-au-Prince National Highway #1 had received a new smooth blacktop surface which made travel to Saintard faster and safer but the most important change we were to find was not buildings or roads but to the souls of many of the Haitian people.

Buildings all over Port-au-Prince collapsed as a result of the January 12, 2010 earthquake

Just like Motel 6, Sister Phyllis Newby had left the light on for us! As we pulled up to the Mission Center some of us were seeing our new home for the first time while others had come back home again. We unloaded the bus, claimed our bed for the week and did some catching up with familiar faces some had not seen for awhile.

Saturday morning we started to unload the trailer that had arrived a few weeks earlier. While the trailer contained much need food, clothing and medical supplies we all knew it also contained a very special item; a brand new Kubota generator that would supply enough electricity to power the entire Mission Center, Children's Home, Medical Clinic and anything else we may decide to power up.

Hearts with Hands of Western North Carolina supplied 55 gallon drums full of food, clothing and medical supplies that were distributed throughout the area

Everyone was eager to help unload and install the new generator for the Mission Center

Once the generator was unloaded from the trailer Scott Ogle and his eager team of local helpers delivered it to the new addition to the generator building for installation. In no time Scott and Loren had the new generator installed and it was providing electricity to the entire Mission Center! Thanks to all of you that made the purchase of this generator possible with your donations. Your gifts has made life at the Mission Center (orphanage, pastor's training center, medical clinic, etc.) easier and safer.

Temporary Housing and New Convert Training Materials Needed

Three months after a massive earthquake struck Haiti hundreds of thousands of people are still living in makeshift shelters that have been erected on private property all around the city of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas. The rainy season has started in Haiti and many of the people who lost their homes in the earthquake still do not have an adequate place to live and be protected from the elements. Therefore; the need for tents large enough to sleep several people and tarps to help make shelters to protect the people from the rain are desperately needed. Pastor Jean-Marie and Sister Phyllis Newby have also told us that there is still a need for clothing, food, Biblical training material for the hundreds of new converts that have accepted Jesus Christ and small Bibles in the Haitian Creole language. Many of the Haitian people that have long been followers of voodoo and other faiths have come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savoiur through the ministry of Pastor Jean-Marie and other local Haitian pastors. These new converts are hungry for the Word of God and with your help we want to place a Bible in the Haitian Creole language in the hands of every new Christian.  Tents and tarps are needed to get people out of the rain and the hot sun that is common in Haiti. If you would like to help meet these needs please contact us by phone or my mail at the address and phone numbers found on our Donate page.

Family size tents and Tarps are need to help provide temporary shelter to thousands who no longer have a home

Tent Cities like this one are home to hundreds of thousands of people in and around Port-au-Prince

The Mission Center in Saint Ard, Haiti is located about 30 miles north of Port-au-Prince which is the capital city of Haiti

Fantastic Voyage

Mission Haiti Inc. has gone where no Mission Haiti Inc. team has gone before! On a bright and sunny morning the team that made the recent trip to Haiti set sail for the island of La Gonave which is about 30 miles off the coast of Haiti. This was no pleasure cruise however; we were on a mission to deliver and distribute much needed food to the residents of the island. Some of us had our doubts about the trip once we saw the boat that was to take us to the island; it was not your typical ferry boat to say the least. We all knew that God had lead us there to take food to the island and show the residents the love of Jesus Christ so we placed our trust fully in Him and loaded the boat. After a calm and relaxing one hour and forty-five minute cruise we arrived safely on La Gonave. We made contact with local Pastors who informed us we had to be cleared by the local police before they would let us onto the island. One of the Mission Haiti Inc. team members is a Deputy Sheriff in the states and after showing the local police his badge and credentials we had a police escort for the entire time we were on the island.

We estimated that we brought over a thousand bags of food with us to the island. As the day went on and the hours passed we saw multitudes of people coming everywhere we went. The convoy of vehicles made its way slowly over rough dirt roads from distribution point to distribution point. At one point in the journey between locations the convoy suddenly came to a stop. One of the local Pastors told us that down a narrow alley lived the poorest of the poor in the village we were in. He asked if we could take some food down the alley to them. Without hesitation we turned our smallest vehicle down the narrow alley. As we off loaded a 55 gallon barrel full of food an elderly Haitian lady appeared out of nowhere. With tears in her eyes she began to hug each member of the team as tightly as her frail arms could; all the time she kept saying "Merci, merci!" "Thank you, thank you!" As we drove back up the alley there wasn't a dry eye among us. With daylight fading we loaded the trucks back onto the boat and made our way back to the Haiti mainland. All the while praising God for His safety and the lessons He taught us that day.

Setting sail for La Gonave

Preaching the Word during the voyage

Preparing the boat for the Ford F-350 Super Duty!

Driving the Ford F-350 onto the boat. Please don't try this at home!

Upcoming Events

August 21: Board of Directors and Membership Annual meeting

October 23: Board of Directors meeting

October 28 - November 4: Scheduled trip to Haiti (Pastors Training Conference)

November 4 - 11: Scheduled trip to Haiti (Work Camp)