Update on New Hope Haitian

Here is a recent newsletter from New Hope Haitian Community Church: Download Newsletter

Haiti Mission Trip - July 2011

We are beginning the preparations for the next Haiti trip in July 2011.  As you know these trips are an integral part in supporting the on going work of ESMI.  The Chicago Metro Presbytery is sponsoring a medical missions trip this summer July 22-30. We welcome your support, involvement, and prayers as we prepare to serve the Haitian people.

Churches and individuals have an opportunity to get involved on different levels.

Download the promo flyer

Pray: We ask that you would be in prayer for the leaders of El Shaddai Ministries and this trip,  for a strong team to form across the churches, for the collection of materials, funds, and necessary items be provided, and for the spiritual and physical needs of the Haitian people.  While the team is in Haiti churches and individuals can receive daily updates and pray specifically for the challenges the team is facing.

Support:  We are in need of underwriting the cost of drugs and medical instruments associated with this trip.

Pack:  Each team member on the trip will bring two 50 pound duffel bag filled with necessary items--clothes, shoes, medicine, and hygiene items.  Churches can collect items and help pack these duffel bags that are essential to our mission. An item priority list will be sent to you soon.

Go:  Individuals who are interested in being a part of this team are invited to attend an informational meeting Friday, April 8 at Naperville Presbyterian Church at 7pm or Thursday, April 7 at Covenant Presbyterian Church at 7pm. 

Attached is an informational flier that churches may use to promote the July trip.  Please feel free use this information in your newsletters, bulletins, and email communications.

If you or your church would like to be involved please contact Chris Kerslake or AnnaMarie Stastny at cmphaititrip@gmail.com.

Midwest Connection - A Conference for the Midwest Region

Connecting for vision, encouragement, and equipping.


Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at noon
to Thursday, May 12, 2011 at noon
Chicago IL

Click here for registration information.
Questions? Please contact Ann Powers at apowers@pcanet.org
 
Why a regional conference?

• The Midwest DOES have its own mindset, culture, and sensibilities. Live somewhere else for a while and then come back and you'll see that more clearly! A regional event can equip you to reach those you are ministering to - most if not all workshop facilitators will have deep experience in this region.
• A regional event can provide exposure to church planting and church growth principles in an exciting teaching environment for staff and laypeople in an economical way. Bring a whole team!
• To encourage the far flung and sometimes isolated planters and pastors in the Midwest and their spouses. It gets lonely out there sometimes!

You'll benefit in these ways:

• Something for everyone - No matter your situation, you'll come away with valuable insights that will apply to your ministry. Some things in the lineup:
• The Praying Life, led by Bob Allums of seejesus.net
• Church Planting Strategies for the Local Church
• Redemptive Preaching
• Outreach and Ministry in
• Campus Communities
• Urban Contexts
• Small Towns and Rural Communities
• Effective Evangelism in a Postmodern World
• Going the Distance: Thriving in Ministry Over the Long Haul
• Serving the Community Through Ministries of Mercy, Service, and Justice
• There will also be time for worship, sharing stories of God's grace, and casual interaction/free time. Special roundtables over meals for MNA Chairmen, church planters, and women.
• Small numbers - so there's lots of interaction time with presenters and other participants who are in similar ministry positions. The teaching team will be anchored by Church Planting Coordinator/Midwest Regional Coordinator Ted Powers. Some of the content will be filled in as we hear of your questions and needs between now and the registration deadline - so register early and help us resource you!
• Inexpensive - a minimal registration fee covers most meals. You cover two nights in a hotel room, one meal on your own, and all transportation both to Chicago and while in Chicago. There's even an option for complementary housing in a host home if that makes it easier for you. The lower cost and shorter timeframe also allow you to bring additional team members from your church, which we highly encourage.
• Centrally located in a hub city- you can get to Chicago from just about anywhere in ½ a day. Our schedule accommodates same day arrival, saving most participants the cost of another night in a hotel. Our host church, Naperville Presbyterian Church in suburban Naperville, is equally convenient by car from either Chicago airport. (There are no airport shuttles; you will need your own local transportation for the duration of this event.)
• Free time to relax, refresh, and pick each others' brains over a meal or some ice cream by Naperville's scenic River Walk or a jaunt into the city.

Click here for registration at $89 per person.
This covers 3 meals and snacks. Please register everyone in your group using this link. We encourage you to tell us your questions and issues. We will tailor the event to address the needs of registrants. There will be also be time for interaction, Q & A, and consultations with presenters outside of seminar times. You may list your questions and issues when you register at the link above.

Haiti 2011 Mission Trip

Next Haiti Trip: July 22-30. Commitment date will be April 11; information meetings to be held very soon. Watch this space for more info…

Haiti 2011 Mission Update #9

I have to thank you for your love, your strength and your determination to serve our Lord Jesus. You have demonstrated the heart of a genuine servant of Jesus among us. Our heart is overwhelmed by such a miracle. Thank you so much.

Sunday's services was incredible at La Savannes. The church was pact and their was no more room inside so people had to stand outside. Your last trip is a life changing experience in this community. They will never forget you. Pastor Mongerard and his wife are so happy. They cannot wait to see you in July.

Jude is doing well now. He is ok. His life is change for ever. Even thou we did not take the needle out, he can start to feel the changes in his life. He understood the word the Lord placed in your heart for him. He'll live with the thorn in his flesh, but it get no power over him anymore. His Lord is greater. Alleluia! He was at church on sunday worshiping the Lord by lifting up the hand that the devil used to use in the past.

Thank you for the money you'll send for the river at Cherette. It is amazing! We are going to act quickly because we would like to finish it before May. ESMI has no words to express its gratitude toward you and your brothers and sisters for such a blessing. We are so happy to be able to get this blessing to save our ministry in Cherette. With out this work, we would lose the church and eventually the school and the orphanage buildings. The whole community is happy. Not only you are going to save the ministry property, but also you are providing more than 375 new jobs. We are going to need that many people to dig, to place, to cary rocks and fill the gabbions. Cherette will never be the same.

Pastor Mongerard is so happy to know that God has answer the prayer of his congregation about the floor of the church. Now they'll be able to stand properly and worship all together, the whole Body of Christ at La Savannes. As soon we get the money, we'll have it done and we'll send all the pictures to you dear Brother.

Our joy is unspeakable. Please share our best regards with your lovely family and all the team members for their tremendous efforts to share Jesus' love with our nation. May His grace be with you all for ever and ever.

Blessings,
Louis

Living Hope Church Update

February 25, 2011: Good news brightens a cloudy day in Chicago:

1. Last night the purchase of 6414 S Cottage Grove was successful, and it all cost just under $100,000.  On top of it all, we now have conclusive evidence that the basement of the building functioned as a speak-easy during prohibition days, and that the building also is one of the pool halls in the movie "The Color of Money."  I'm not sure that ten years ago anyone in our neighborhood would've imagined that this place as one day a house of Christ-centered worship and service in the community.  Visit our Facebook page "Vision 2020" for more information.

2. We also received news that a sister church, Naperville Presbyterian, has raised $18,000 for us to purchase the new roof which is the repair most needed right now, to begin to protect the building, which is now God's gift to us to steward well.  Thanks to Naperville for their generosity and God for his grace.   Please continue to pray for large and small acts of generosity to continue as we stand humbled and thankful at the Body of Christ helping to make Vision 2020 a reality.

3. Please enjoy the 5 minute video that gives a glimpse of what the building looks like, a bit of the demo work, and a few brief interviews with some of our younger members of Living Hope.  Feel free to share the link with others who may want to partner with us and pray for us.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf3RcELCyS4

4. Please pray for the hope of neighborhood to be renewed by the hope of the gospel of Jesus.  In the past week alone, three young men have been shot within 3 blocks of our home.  Cornell is a 19 year old who played on a summer league basketball ministry team that I helped to coach. Last week he was shot in the knee one block from our home and is recovering in the hospital (in January, another young man who played on our same team was shot and killed).  In the exact same location, a block from our home, another 19 year old was shot and killed just Wednesday.  And three blocks away, another young man shot and killed while sitting in his car.    I've noticed that the news doesn't jolt me like it used to, but we continue to be burdened by the broken lives around us, and as God instructed the prophet Jeremiah to do for God's city of old, we continue to pray for the shalom of this city, for in its peace will be our peace.

Thanks for all your support and prayers, and may you find great joy in our living hope in the living Christ and set your hope fully on the grace of God yet to be revealed in Him,

Brad

Haiti 2011 Mission Update #8

The week in Haiti culminated on an incredibly high note for the Cambry-based team today in Savanes.

It started months ago, when everyone on the team committed to going, began to pray and plan in the US. And it began in Haiti with Pastor MonChera in Savanes praying fervently for this week, as well as Louis, Dony, and everyone at ESMI.  It continued this week as hundreds of people who requested daily updates on the team’s activity prayed.

And today, besides the excellent medical care provided to the residents of the wrong side of a poor town in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, the tangible, pulsating, power of God was on display.

Amidst the non-stop work on people’s bodies, Haitian souls were touched as well. The team was asked questions like “How do I have Jesus in my heart?” and  heard things like “I want to follow your Jesus”.  At every station along the way providing medical care, the team prayed for people before moving them along. Towards the end of the day, a team member went looking for Pastor MonChera to introduce him to yet another person who had just prayed to receive Christ with him. Meeting Louis along the way and explaining why he needed Pastor MonChera, Louis said “ANOTHER one?”.  It was truly a day of healing, answered prayer, and heart revival in this poor, dirty, heartsore corner of the world. The team’s prayer for Savanes is that this week of ministry might indeed turn the tide from darkness to light for this community. What a day for rejoicing!

The team is exhausted and exhilarated, clearly delighted at being used to touch so many lives in so many ways, and doing it with such a true team effort, where everyone had multiple roles to play and supported each other throughout. Praise God, all remained healthy this week, as well.

Tomorrow is a day of travel and “re-entry”. Life back in the US will seem surreal, no doubt, after the experiences of the week. Please pray for safe travel on Saturday; the Cambry based team will leave at 4:00 a.m. for the drive to Port au Prince (which should be a four hour drive), the team in Jeremie will rendezvous with them at the PAP airport. The plane for Miami leaves at 1:00 EST. Also, please pray for  the opportunity to decompress over the next week at home after such an intense time. Lastly, please pray for Pastor MonChera in Savanes, Pastor Nerva in Cherette, and the 150 pastors who attended the workshop earlier in the week, for Dony and Louis St. Germaine and all of the ESMI staff. They are the modern day heroes of the faith in Haiti, the ones who are in it for the long haul against such great obstacles.

This will be the last team update unless a specific need for prayer pops up tomorrow. You’ll be hearing from team members in person very soon!

haiti 2011 Mission Update #7

February 24, 2011: Just a few comments overheard back at the guest house in Cambry this evening…

“It just keeps getting better and better”

“That car ride is a total blast”

“Thanks for the prayers!”

Today was a wonderful day in Cherette with the children. Just a few good things to come out of the day:

• All of the children were checked out by medical staff, washed in scabies wash solution and given new clothes.
• The children worked laboriously on notes to send back to their US sponsors.
• New pictures were taken of all of them for their sponsors.
• ESMI staff has confirmed that several orphans who had been placed at Cherette following the earthquake have been found by their extended families and reunited. This is a good outcome for them!
• A donor has come forward after hearing of the need to do some major construction for a retaining wall there to protect the village from the encroaching river. It is taken care of! ONE DAY after making the need known…God is great!
• The team is tired, but happy. GREAT team chemistry and working together so well! They are laughing a lot together, and having great times of prayer during the team meetings.
• All remain healthy.

About that car ride…the team left Cherette on the late side and had to do the entire trip in the SUV’s, not the bus, as the bus’s headlights weren’t functioning. But that made it even more fun. Watch for the pictures soon – rigged up by tying a camera onto a team member’s head to approximate a tripod. No one could hold a camera because they needed to hold on to their seats…necessity is the mother of invention.

A few pictures…

• For those who are wondering, a picture of a scabies outbreak. Most of children have pretty serious cases. It is a maddening itch!
• A community member mentioned in yesterday’s update with the serious ankle wound. This man has a gut-wrenching story…but more on that in the team reports!
• Pastor Nerva, one of the orphans, and Erin F. This man is a former voodoo priest who converted and literally changed Cherette from a dark place to a place of hope. Let me know if you want more of his story…I can send it to you.

And prayers for tomorrow (Friday)…back in Savanes for most of the team.

• Some will stay in Cambry at the orphanage seeing patients, doing dental training, and doing data input into electronic medical files that are being started on the children in Cherette.
• The others will arrive in Savanes at about 9:30 EST to set up and see patients all day. “Community leaders” will provide crowd control, and Louis will be there overseeing everything. It will be a crazy day. Please pray as you are able throughout the day for calm and peace to reign.
• Pray for the gospel to penetrate the hearts of those who are seeking medical care. Teams will share the good news and pray with each person coming for care.
• Pray that this last day of ministry is enhanced by tremendous team work and unity of purpose by the team – a great end to a fantastic week.
• Don’t forget our “satellite team” in Jeremie. No word on their day today, but prayers for them as they continue seeing patients tomorrow are appreciated.

Haiti 2011 Mission Update #6

So much fun to report today!

First, a ride worthy of any amusement park into some of the most beautiful, lush jungle ever seen by our team members. The ride to Cherette started in a bus, switched to 4WD vehicles, and ended with a 200 yard hike when the trucks could go no further. The trip took two hours, winding through villages and using river beds as roads. The “greenness” and clean air was a welcome change from the setting of the day before.

But the biggest fun was the children of Cherette. When the team arrived in the village (a small hamlet, really) they went into the church. The children were brought classroom by classroom in to meet them until all were there together, and with some trepidation and shyness started to interact with the team. Slowly, smiles started to break out, then hugs, then songs, then joyful faces – then tears as our team reveled in the joy the children displayed and their lively singing together. Our team even did a rendition of “Jesus Loves Me” – first in English, and then in what was described as “pathetic creole” by one team member. But no matter! It was enjoyed by all. Eric P did a children’s message on the theme of the Body of Christ, telling the children they were all one body together with their friends from America as well as other Christians in Haiti and around the world. Katie F then took a few minutes to explain to the children that they each had a “special friend” back in Chicago or Las Vegas in America who was praying for them and helping to provide what they needed (food, clothing, school, etc.) – and that their friends had sent a picture and a note to them! Very soon after, children were seen walking around clutching pictures and notes. See the picture attached of the kids at Cherette.

The medical teams got set up then and started checking the children for overall health and dealing with situations as needed. Scabies is still rampant, so all were given a scabies wash and clean clothes. Overall, the health of the children is improved from the last visit. Tomorrow, the team will train the housemoms and Pastor Nerva in the use of the scabies wash and leave a good supply with them for frequent use as needed. They will also teach the children dental hygiene and give each a toothbrush and toothpaste.  Pictures attached of scabies washing and a happy girl with new clothes J

Some adults from Cherette were seen as well, including one man with an old, unhealed wound on his leg which actually showed exposed ankle bone. Life is hard in many ways in Haiti; this man looked to be about 70, but was actually 41.

A few of the team members also did some planning on improvements that can be done to the village that will remove the threat of flooding from the nearby river. If nothing is done, the church will likely be gone within a year, the school and perhaps the entire village in two. The good news: clean water is now available for the first time ever via a long stretch of pipe from a newly dug well, and bathrooms have been built since the last visit by our team.

The California crew departed earlier today from Cambry for Jeremie. It was hard for the team to split up! They will meet back up at the airport in Port au Prince on Saturday. In Jeremie, the team will focus on seeing children displaced by last year’s earthquake who are now living there, as well as explore options for future joint projects. We hope to be able to hear from them and continue to update you on their work there.

Tomorrow, the remaining team members will go back to Cherette for the day. Medical needs of children not seen today will be attended to.

Please pray for these things:

• For a joyful day of service with the precious children of Cherette tomorrow
• For continued health for the team. There have been a few queasy stomachs, but so far all are doing extremely well
• For good rest when possible. Adrenalin can only take one so far; people are tired!
• Looking ahead to Friday – another day back in Savanes. Pray even now for calm and peace to reign so the team can work effectively for the benefit of the community.

Praise for:

• Wonderful team spirit and smooth teamwork. They are having a great time together!
• The improved conditions in Cherette and the work that has been done which will increase overall health. The well is a huge step forward!
• Safe travels thus far
• Fun had by all today!
• The phenomenal impact the teaching team had on 150 very tired and spiritually hungry pastors over three days of teaching them and praying with them

Haiti 2011 Mission Update #5

First of all, thanks to those of you who were able to pray today for the situation in Savanes, the slums of Cayes. Our team finished a tremendous day of ministry that not only impacted individuals in dire need of care (over 120 adults and children were treated for a wide variety of needs) but it really seems to have shifted the balance in that community. By their presence there “nan nom Jesi” (creole for “in the name of Jesus”) they were witnesses to the truth and power of the gospel. Even the residents with the hardest hearts have had to ask themselves why else the team would come! The press of the crowds threatened to overwhelm, but it was out of desperation and not anger or malice towards our team. Your prayers were much appreciated!

One brief, powerful story from Savanes today: Jude is a gang leader whose wife has been a believer for two years, but he wanted no part of it. Today, he saw Jesus in the work of our team and came forward to proclaim “I want to be a Christian”. With much tears and prayer, he accepted Jesus as his Savior and proceeded to hug the men on the team multiple times saying they were now brothers. His position in the community is such that this change in his life will make powerful ripples through the gangs. Jude’s picture is attached here. Please pray for him!

The teaching team is bearing tremendous fruit as well. It is not only teaching the pastors, but ministering to them as well. They seem exhausted and much time is spent in prayer for their churches, their families, and themselves. The training team says that “the Spirit has really shown up” to guide and empower their time together. They finish up with a half day session tomorrow morning.

The Cambry team was able to do several medical procedures today. Each medical trip there allows for deeper care, tackling more difficult things as doctors are more plentiful, supplies are available, and the general level of baseline care improves with each visit. Growths and abscesses were removed today that were not possible to deal with on prior trips. Also, one of the docs was able to remove sixth fingers on a baby’s hands today. One new element introduced on this trip is dental training – donated toothbrushes and toothpaste will be given to every child in Cambry and Charette, along with instructions on how to use them. We hope this will help, as our last team’s dentist found much tooth decay among the children.

After long and intense days, the team was grateful that the power was on and showers were a possibility! An extra guest showed up at the team meeting to add a little more excitement – a tarantula the size of a hand crawled across the floor. Kudos to Chuck M for being quick enough to dispatch it before it did any harm or caused any heart attacks.

Tomorrow, another three way split:
The teaching team will finish up in Cambry in the morning, and then have a bit of a break back at the guest house.

• The California team (Jon, Rachel, Julie B, and Craig) will go to Jeremie with Dony St. Germain. A last minute change has them flying instead of driving, as the road conditions have deteriorated even further than previously thought. They will spend Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights in Jeremie, working there during the day as a medical team. Dony will escort them back to the Port au Prince airport on Saturday in time to meet the team for the flight home.
• The other 20 team members will climb into the bus, then SUV’s when the roads won’t accommodate the bus, for the trip to Charette orphanage for the first of two daytime visits (on Thursday the teaching team will join them). The team has been practicing “Jesus Loves Me” in creole to sing to the children, and Eric P will give a children’s message. After spending some fun time with the children there, the medical teams will begin their work, including the dental hygiene training.

Some items to pray for:

• For Jude, and for the spirit to move many in Savanes to turn to Jesus
• Continued safety for the team in travel (by bus, plane, and SUV tomorrow!)
• Electricity
• Continued protection from sickness – all are well thus far. A few have had temporary symptoms of dehydration, but bounced back well.
• That they would continue to mesh well as a team. They really have become quite a smooth operation and are truly enjoying each other.
• That the supplies and clothes would stretch to fit the needs. So far everything is holding out well.
• For Friday, when the entire team will once again tackle the huge needs of Savanes. Their last day of ministry in Haiti!