Overseas Communication

What a wonderful thing is the mail, capable of conveying across continents a warm human handclasp. ~Author Unknown

The mail enables communication down the road, across the country, and even around the world. The child sponsorship program recognizes the importance of conveying a warm handclasp and even a big bear hug across the seas!  This is why sending "snail mail" from the sponsored child to the sponsor and vice versa is so important.

Darlene Winn, a missionary serving in the BHM child sponsorship office said, "Sending letters between the child and sponsor allows the child to become a real person to the sponsor as well as the sponsor to the child.  The child is encouraged and knows someone is interested in their education, and cares about them and their family.  The correspondence between the two reminds the sponsor to continue to give but more importantly encourages the child to stay in school because they know someone cares."

The communication allows the child to know that not only does someone care about their future but they care about their today as well.  The child sponsorship office at BHM provides a variety of ways for sponsors to send their hugs across the ocean.

"We send out reminders to the sponsors about birthdays, Christmas cards, and we provide the sponsors with a progress report from the child in the spring so they can know how to congratulate or encourage their child." said Darlene.

Sponsors are encouraged to write letters and send small gifts that can fit in envelops to their children.  When a child receives a special surprise from their sponsor they are encouraged to write their sponsor as well as draw a picture for them.

Below, a little girl was working hard on a thank you letter. 

Her mother sat off to the side excited about the gifts her child received and thankful for this special connection with their new friends.  The impact of sponsoring a child not only influences the child but also affects the entire family.  

If you are currently sponsoring a child from BHM we would love to hear from you.  Let us know your favorite thing about sponsoring a child.  It is truly a blessing to see the impact on these children because of the generous donations.  For more information on the child sponsorship program please visit our website at www.bhm.org.

Assisting with Effective Leadership

In order to be an effective leader it is critical to be trained effectively.  The heartbeat of Baptist Haiti Mission is to come alongside the leaders of Haiti and assist them with the things they need to train and instruct others with a Biblical Worldview.  Last week ABWE (Association of Baptists for World Evangelism) came to Haiti and did this very thing.  They spent one week teaching lay preachers.  They taught them the importance of teaching the entire Gospel.  They enabled them to see how the whole Bible points to Christ and the redemptive story.  The idea for a conference of this nature did not simply develop over night.

Jim Cook and Gill Thomas who work for ABWE, traveled to Haiti shortly after the earthquake in 2010.  It was then he saw the incredible need for a Gospel centered curriculum for the churches of Haiti.  ABWE has produced curriculum for several other countries and were certain they could produce the same curriculum for Haiti.  Through a series of God orchestrated events and connections the curriculum was translated into Haitian Creole and over 70 lay preachers traveled to Baptist Haiti Mission last Tuesday – Friday to be exposed to this new curriculum.

Gill and Denise Thomas, and Carl Sexton missionaries of ABWE taught the classes.  There was a great deal of information to cover in a short period of time.  However, it was the heart of the instructors to ensure they did not simply provide the participants with the material, but also equipped them to teach the material.

“We would provide and teach the materials to the lay preachers.  We would then split them into groups so they could teach the material to one another.  This allowed us to know if they were truly understanding the material or simply giving us courtesy smiles,” said Denise.

Along with providing Gospel centered curriculum in Haitian Creole for the lay preachers, they also taught about the importance of effective evangelism.  The model they used for this was “Tilling, Planting, and Reaping”.  When sharing about Christ it is important to find out the core beliefs of the person to which you are speaking.  Every person is not at the same place and it is important to realize this.  The lay preachers were again split into groups and encouraged to illustrate this view of evangelism.  Similar to farming, every stage of sharing Christ with someone is important.  Below you will see a simple picture of this life changing concept.

Some of the lay preachers traveled for two full days to arrive for the conference.  After their time at the conference the overall consensus was that it was worth the journey.  There was a great combination of fun and learning that took place over the past week.  Pray for the pastors as they return to their home churches eager to share this new material.  Also, pray for us this week as we are having Sunday School Teachers travel to BHM to be trained in this curriculum as well.  We are excited to see all the Lord has in store, as we seek to effectively equip those who have the power to influence Haiti through the power of the Gospel.

Building, One Block at a Time

“DUCK!”  This word has become quite common for the team from Fellowship Bible Church in New Jersey who are serving alongside BHM this week.  Each morning the 15 member team composed of a variety of ages and backgrounds, pile into the back of one of BHM’s blue trucks. They prepare for a very bumpy 35 minute ride with a lot of incoming tree limbs.  Their final destination is the home of Yonel and Philomene Britus.

This special team has traveled from the U.S. to work alongside BHM and help build a home for the Britus family.  The Britus family lost their entire home in the earthquake in January 2010.  Since then they have been living down the mountain side in a one room house built with sheet metal and wooden beams.  The family has 7 children ranging in age from 17 years to 5 months.  Yonel Britus knew Baptist Haiti Mission was working to build houses for those who had lost their homes in the earthquake.  He informed BHM of his need for his family.  With the help of this team and the workers at BHM the home for the Britus family is well under way.

Ryan, 12 years old, passed cement blocks out of the truck for the team to carry.  They carried the blocks down a very steep, windy, and rocky trail to the foundation of the house.  This is Ryans first time in Haiti.  He came with his dad.  His dad served with BHM last year to build a home for another family.  The team got straight to work as soon as they arrived at the house.

Some of the team remained at the top of the hill sifting through dirt and rock to get sand to use for building the house.  This task was quite time consuming.  However, every little sift made a difference and contributed to the structure of the house.

Down the trail the remainder of the team worked tirelessly to build this two room home for the family.

Of course it would be no good to have all work and no play.  In the afternoon several children came out and were eager to play with the team.  There were many cheers during a game of “Sheep, Sheep, Chicken.”  The ladies who came with the team were able to spend time with Madam Britus and take turns holding her youngest son Ronald.

Madam Britus said she is so happy they are getting this house!  She is excited to have security for her family every night.  She said when it is finished she will definitely invite her friends to come and see this new gift.  The house should be complete on Wednesday afternoon!  Pray for the team as they continue to work hard on this special home.  Pray they will serve the Lord both in word and in deed during their time out building.  Pray for the Britus family.  Pray they will grow in their love and understanding of the Lord. 

If you are interested in being a part of a construction team with BHM contact us by visiting our website, www.bhm.org, for more information.

What Does Mathematics, Character Development, and a Christian Worldview all Have in Common?

Abigail Adams, the wife of the second U.S. President John Adams once said, “Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.”  This quote is a good summary of the events, which took place last week at BHM.  150 of Haiti’s teachers and leaders were here October 17 - 21.  Many months of planning and preparation were done to make this event possible.

The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) put on a conference for some teachers and leaders from a variety of Haitian schools.  The theme of this conference was, “A Recipe for an Effective Christian School.”  The special subject focus for the conference was mathematics, requested by the teachers and leaders.

Speakers from the U.S. and Canada traveled to Haiti to lead this conference.  Head educators in Haiti also lead some sessions throughout the conference.  Christian educators in Haiti and all over the world who teach in public schools use public curriculum.  The entire program in ACSI is to train teachers to think through their curriculum from a Christian worldview.  Throughout the week the teachers and leaders were taught that their personal life as well as professional life must be lived through a Christian worldview.  This is not only important for the teachers but also for their students.

The teachers have a huge opportunity to make a long lasting impact on their current students.  How are the teachers training their students to think Biblically?  How do you teach math with a Christian worldview?  Connie Mycroft, who was assisting with administration for the conference says, “The goal of ACSI is not to ‘devotionalize’ mathematics.  Rather, to train the teacher to marvel at the order of God and to teach the students that nothing happens by chance but is all orchestrated by the Creator.”

There was a great amount of Character molding that occurred this past week.  Pray that this change does not stop now that the teachers have left the conference.  Pray they carry the truths and principles to their students and their home.  Tuesday afternoon Joyce O. Baker, Associate Director for Academic Advancement with ACSI, had the teachers divide into groups to work through a math worksheet.

The purpose of this exercise was to stress to the teachers that they were to work in such a way that no one was left behind.  They could not move forward to the next problem until everyone in their group understood and agreed.  This was a new and exciting experience for many of the teachers.  Working in groups and a variety of other sessions taught the teachers a great deal about themselves as well as the students they interact with on a daily basis.

We are thankful for the opportunity to partner with great organizations like ACSI.  Continue to pray for the teachers and leaders of Haiti.  They have a huge mission field and we are so encouraged by their desire to teach Biblically.  As Abigail Adams said, learning is not attained by chance.  Pray the teachers and leader’s continue to train with diligence.  

Students Helping Students

Last week in the United States it was fall break for many schools.  Most students use fall break to sleep in and stay in their pajama's all day.  This was not in the schedule for Brent Frieden.  Brent is a high school Freshman from North Springs Alliance Church in Michigan.  Last week Brent used his fall break to travel with his Aunt Nancy and three other ladies to do some much needed organizing in the depots on the mission.


Brent's Aunt Nancy works for ABWE.  She has made several trips to Haiti since the earthquake and has made a huge impact in the medical supply storage depots.  This group spent many long hours organizing and sorting through mounds of boxes.  On Tuesday morning they took a special break from their physical labors and embarked on a journey.


Brent and his sister Kayla have partnered with their youth group from North Springs Alliance to raise money to support Smannley through the BHM child sponsorship program.  Smannley is a 4th grade student who attends a BHM school in Fermathe.  The journey for the team began by traveling to Smannley's house to meet her mother and other family members.

After arriving at the house the group walked up a steep muddy hill and were warmly greeted by the family of Smannley.  The group gave the family a variety of food items such as rice, beans, sugar, powdered milk, and cooking oil.  They also brought Smannley some toys and supplies for school.  It was great that the group went to visit her family before visiting Smannley at school.  She has quite a long walk to school and back so it would not have been possible for her to make the walk home with all of her gifts.

Brent and Kayla encourage each student in their youth group to give one dollar a month to support Smannley.  Brent brought a picture of his youth group to give to Smannley.  On the back of the picture was the name of the youth group and an explanation that the students were praying for and supporting Smannley.  It brought forth great smiles from Smannley as she learned that these students cared so much for her.

The child sponsorship program at BHM requires the donor to provide $25 a month to support the child.  This small donation covers a variety of expenses and benefits for the child and school.  Sponsors are encouraged to write letters to their child and begin a correspondence.  Letters and other small items such as ponytail holders, crayons, etc. can be sent in envelopes through the mail and do not have to go through customs.  Packages are not accepted due to the great expense of customs.


If you or anyone you know would like to be a part of this program please visit our website, http://www.bhm.org. 

School Time!

School has officially started here in Haiti!  Check out the blog post by the new missionaries here at BHM.


http://salterseasons.blogspot.com

New Home for the Martel Family

Mr. Martel standing beside his old home.

I am Rene Martel and I am 56 years old.  I live with my wife, and our 11 children between the ages of 32 to 3 years old.  When the earthquake struck I was working, but my wife and some of our children were in the house. When they felt the earthquake, they ran out of the house.  Thankfully they were all out before our house collapsed.  After that, we lived and slept outside for about a week. After that, we built a house using the materials that were usable from our old house.  But our new house has many problems, it is leaking and not very secure.  It is not a great life this way. Therefore, we are very thankful that BHM came and built us a new house. It is the biggest thing that could happen, because I couldn’t have done it by myself.  What I needed has been given, and I am very thankful for that!

Martel Family with some of their children in front of their new home.