Areas of Service
There are four main areas in which JUST MERCY is seeking to serve:
1. Spiritual:
In the mountains of Pays-Pourri, on Ile a Vache, and on surrounding islands, our ultimate goal is to help bring people to know the living God. We acquired a projector and show the Jesus film and the Jesus film for children whenever we have the opportunity. In cooperation with Samaritan’s purse, we distribute Operation Christmas Child gifts to hundreds of children and then have them go through The Greatest Journey course, teaching them about Jesus. While living in the village with the people on Ile a Vache, numerous opportunities present themselves to get to know the people and share life on a daily basis with them, developing relationships, with hope to bring them into a relationship with the Lord. Bible studies using Proclaimers, audio Creole Bibles, are being set up in people’s homes.
In the mountain village of Janou and the coastal fishing villages Baiu de Mesle, JUST MERCY has been instrumental in helping them construct church buildings. The one in Janou was destroyed during hurricane Matthew in 2016. Construction is ongoing. In Baiu de Mesle, the roof is on and doors are in! Janou has the walls up and a cistern dug that will collect water when it rains. The next step is the roof. The building in Janou will also serve as a school for the village children.
2. Educational:
We continue to operate a school in Chapelle in the mountains of Pays-Pourri where the adult illiteracy rate pushes 95%. Nearly 300 children are enrolled, learning to read and write and Christian character classes are taught. The children receive a meal each day.
3. The Reef Project
The people mostly live from the sea and the land, both of which are being used up. They use huge nets (up to a half a mile long) with very small holes and they seine EVERYTHING out of the sea, keeping even the smallest fish to eat.
We have designed a marine habitat specific to this challenging environment with hopes of intervening in the decimation of the sea life here and one of the only food sources for the population of the island.
Three artificial reefs have been built and put in the sea. The reefs are letting fish grow bigger and providing a base for coral and protections for sea life. We hope to continue building these reefs.
4. Medical:
Six times we have been able to take visiting physicians to the mountains. On the island, people come on a daily basis seeking simple first aid which we are grateful to be able to give. We take trips to some of the surrounding small islands and isolated villages to give medical help when possible.
5. Developing Life Skills and Practices:
JUST MERCY shipped in a portable sawmill to the island of Ile a Vache in January, 2014, to help supply local tradesmen with boards to build tables, doors, latrines, and even fishing boats. Men are making beautiful hand made wooden spoons out of exotic hardwoods. They are excited about this opportunity to support their families. You can help by ordering a wooden spoon on the Spoons/Woodworking webpage accessed from the menu above.
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