Help From Here

We wanted to update you about our situation since it has been so long since you’ve heard from us. You may remember that Bill and Mason left Haiti in the middle of February during serious unrest there. Bill had a ticket to return in March but had to cancel due to continued riots and highways across the country being blocked by rocks and burning tires. The same thing happened in April.

Then in May, Bill was due to fly back to Haiti when two days before the flight, I received a breast cancer diagnosis. It was a shock as such things always are and Bill did not feel like he could leave me to face the surgery and aftermath alone so he cancelled once more.

But though he has not been able to return, we have continued to send help to some of the destitute people of Haiti. The school JUST MERCY supports in the mountains had over 300 children this last year They finished up their year at the end of June. This is in an area where adult illiteracy is probably 90% or more so for these children to be able to go to school is a great blessing to their lives!

Several times in the last few months, funds have been sent to Haiti for folks on Ile a Vache and picked up by Estane, though sometimes that has been difficult due to the unrest. She has bought bulk food in Les Cayes such as rice, beans, oil, etc., and taken it back to Ile a Vache where some ladies helped her separate it into individual food packages and deliver it to about 35 families. Most of these families and old folks have no work and few resources. They have been extremely grateful for the food.

Families are now getting ready for next year’s school. In Haiti, that means the children need backpacks, uniforms, and funds to pay to go to school. It is so difficult for many to come up with those funds and the result is children do not get to go to school.

Last week, along with funds for food, we sent some money to give to the families who work with JUST MERCY and to some of the neighbors who live near us. Estane wrote back and said that many were practically in tears because they had not known how they were going to get their children ready to go to school.

One lady even told her, “God is making Daddy Bill think of us!” Yes, He is! I don’t know if any of you have ever experienced being OUT of money or food but years ago, we did. When a Christian friend showed up on our doorstep with two bags of groceries, I will never forget the feeling of gratitude and thankfulness to Father God that flooded my soul.

Those folks experienced that feeling when they received those gifts. The need and desperation of these folks that they experience on a regular basis just to be able to feed their families is a foreign concept to us here in the US. We are so grateful for faithful donors who continue to make it possible for JUST MERCY to bless impoverished people and bring some light into their lives.

Bill is scheduled to leave for Haiti this week to be there in person once again, sharing the love of God with folks of the village. We would appreciate your prayers as he returns. May God bless you all!