Dear Reformation Hope Partners,
We send these newsletters out each month to keep you up-to-date on what God is doing to transform Haiti, and due to the nature of the nonprofit work that we do, we often appeal to you for various kinds of help and investment (giving, praying, volunteering, sharing with others).
But for this June 2020 report we want to take a moment to encourage all of you, our dedicated and generous mission partners. The wonderful truth is that none of what we are able to accomplish in supporting Souls Winning Ministries in Haiti would be possible without you. So let’s review what God has done through you in Haiti during the past 12 months, an unprecedented time of unrest, inflation, shortages, and now pandemic in Haiti.
1. Supporting the Growth and Development of 91 Children in the New Joy House Orphanage
Rev. Jean Paul’s ministry began almost 18 years ago when he was handed seven street children to care for immediately after arriving in Haiti. Since that time, the number of children that Souls Winning Ministries serves has grown to 91 boys and girls. Over the past 12 months, your support has provided entirely for the lodgings, care, clothing, three meals a day, schooling, discipling, house parenting, medical services, and spiritual formation for these children. Unlike many other quite worthy organizations that provide once-per-week care and discipling, Souls Winning Ministries acts as the 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week home and care-giving source for 91 children housed at the New Joy House Orphanage. And while accomplishing this incredible mission through your support, the New Joy House has been recognized this past year as one of the top orphanages in all of Haiti.
2. Sustaining Low–cost Quality Health Care for a Community of Several Thousand People in La Plaine / Marin
One of the more unique services that Souls Winning provides is a 5,000 square foot medical clinic, which is actually larger than some hospitals in the country. Each day, the medical clinic serves not only the children of the New Joy House, but also the surrounding community. During the past 12 months, the clinic has served approximately 75 patients per week, and that number has risen dramatically in the past two months due to the Corona Virus pandemic, which has now arrived in Haiti. At the time of this report, the medical clinic opens each morning to find that a line has formed from the waiting room area all the way out of the building, winding around the compound until it extends to the main entryway gate. By 10:00 a.m. each morning, the staff of the medical clinic close the gate and let those outside know that unless they have an emergency, they must return tomorrow, because there are already so many inside in the line that it will take the rest of the day to see them. Your giving during 2019–2020 has empowered the medical team at the clinic to provide low to no-cost medical care and medications to the impoverished people in La Plaine / Marin—people who often have no other places to go to find help and treatment.
3. Increasing the Number of Churches Planted Around the Nation
Despite the civil unrest and the great difficulty of travel during much of the past 12 months, new churches have been planted and are growing in Cap-Haïtien, Gonaïves, and on the isolated island of La Gonâve These new community churches are pastored by recent graduates from the first class of the Reformation Bible College. Through your partnership, these local churches have served communities facing extremely difficult circumstances, and their gatherings have become places of real hope in a period of deep despair throughout the country.
4. Furthering the Training of Biblical Pastors to Serve the People of Haiti
Many of you have followed the progress of our Bible college with interest, because there is so much potential for cultural transformation through the development of new leaders for the nation. While our mission has faced frustrations in the past 12 months, due to unsafe travel conditions—both for our visiting teachers and even for the students, there have been three courses completed by the second class of students. And through the efforts of Dr. Wiley Smith, we will soon have a virtual classroom in operation on the compound, enabling us to proceed with teaching these students despite any interruptions in international travel. We fully expect to be able to complete 4 to 6 more courses prior to the end of 2020.
5. Advancing the Creation of a New Network of Churches (Presbytery)
Challenges with travel, both inside and outside the country, have slowed the progress of the plans for a fully functioning presbytery of churches in Haiti. However, the work has continued going forward since last June through video conferencing and conference calls, and there are firm plans in place for the formalization of this new network of churches by the fall of this year.
6. Supplying and Sending, not One but Two Containers of Vital Supplies
So many churches and individuals have stepped up last year and this year in providing the needed supplies, and in covering the costs of shipping and customs for two containers sent to Haiti. Both represent wonderful provision for the children of the New Joy House, for the hard-working staff of the medical clinic, and for the church partners in Souls Winning Ministries’ network. We cannot thank you enough for the ways in which you have been used of God to meet so many pressing needs among our Haitian partners. We also hope to continue our container shipments later this fall.
7. Providing Emergency Assistance to Several Families Devastated by Tragedy
None of us are ever prepared when tragedy strikes suddenly and someone that we depend upon is taken away from us. And in a more chaotic environment like Haiti, this is certainly true. Sadly, it is also a bit more common. In the past 12 months, several families in the Souls Winning network (including Jean Paul’s family), experienced the violent deaths of primary providers. Also one of the recent Bible college graduates, serving as a pastor in the poverty-stricken Canaan tent city area, was among those who died unexpectedly from a health-related cause, leaving behind a wife and children. In each of these situations, our Reformation Hope partners rose to the occasion in order to alleviate some of the sufferings of the family members left behind, including funeral expenses, food assistance, and even help launching a small business to make up for the missed income.
All of us at Reformation Hope, and those who serve in Haiti with Souls Winning Ministries, simply want to express to you our deepest appreciation for your continued journeying along with us in serving the people of Haiti with God’s love and hope, and for providing the resources and the prayer we need to advance the mission and vision for the transformation of Haiti. We also pray for you, thanking God always for each and every one of you.