After five years of effort, we’ve achieved a major milestone in our work in Haiti: a home for Aid For Haiti. Allow me to explain…
Not every ministry needs a physical place to dwell. In fact, we have functioned for the past five years without a true physical home – we’ve been borrowing space from other ministries. Up to this point, many of our activities have been short-term engagements designed to maximize long-term impact. As we’ve continued to fulfill our commitment to the Haitian people, it has become clear to us that we could do more if we had a permanent presence in Haiti.
We have taken a strategic step forward by buying land. We recently purchased 2.25 acres in the southern mountains of Haiti, in an area called the “Grand Valley.” We plan to build in this area because we believe it advances our long-term objectives.
A unique focus of AFH’s ministry has always been to reach out with the Gospel to people who live in places where other aid groups are not going – to meet the Haitians where they live and work, mostly in rural areas. In keeping with that emphasis, the area in which we purchased land is a couple hours from any sizeable city. We have previously worked in this area through our medical outreach and believe it offers further opportunities through our established relationships.
While this purchase represents a big step forward for AFH, our vision itself remains unchanged. Our main priority for AFH’s land in the Grand Valley is to continue our mission: “Sharing the love of Christ with the people of Haiti through compassionate health care, spiritual ministry and training for service.”
Medically, our base will serve as a launching point to reach further into the remote, underserved villages scattered throughout the surrounding mountains. We will also continue to support and encourage a nearby clinic that has been operating in isolation for many years.
Concerning spiritual ministry, this land purchase allows us to develop closer relationships with local church leaders, elders and lay pastors. This is a valuable opportunity since many of these men have received little spiritual training and have few resources to use in shepherding the flock. We expect to host intensive evangelical leader seminars at our new location for these leaders to equip them to shepherd and teach other Haitians. Additionally, this base will also allow us to launch new ministries such as Community Health through Evangelism (CHE), women’s health programs and agricultural projects as the Lord directs.
What needs to be done to make these goals a reality? We have quite a bit of construction to do. We plan to build facilities to meet our immediate needs – storage space for all medical and training supplies, a staging area for teams, garage for vehicles, and a place for staff to live – as well as space for future work as the Lord permits. Since we purchased the land in late January, we have begun to clear zones for a driveway and a perimeter fence. We have plans for an economical multi-purpose building that is secure, sustainable, and serves our multiple needs.
Aid For Haiti (AFH) is growing in exciting and significant ways. We believe God is leading and we are pleased about the doors which stand open for the Gospel. We wanted to make you aware of these updates as well as our ongoing needs. Our foremost need is for your prayers – for our Haitian friends to know and follow Jesus, for wisdom for believers and AFH’s leadership, for energy as we serve Him. We also welcome financial support for this building project, as well as volunteers to help us complete its first phase.
UPDATE:
“It looks like a house on a hill!” This was my exclamation when I saw the pictures of the AFH mission base house after Timothy arrived back in the States and shared his pictures with us. Instead of looking like a basement with a slab of concrete on the side of a Haitian mountain, “the mission house” is actually beginning to look like…well, a house!
Timothy Rudolph (Michael and Virginia’s older brother), and Christen Beiler (a friend from church) went to Haiti last week to help lay the interior and exterior block walls. The result of laying 1800 blocks, in 5 days, and 62 hours of work? That house I was talking about! They worked very, very hard, and were determined to get the block laying job done! And they did.
Needless to say, AFH is excited about the progress, and ever so thankful for the Lord’s blessing upon the work. There have been no major injuries in the sometimes dangerous projects and conditions, and God has been faithful in His leading and provision.
Obviously, there is still more to be done! Upcoming (March-May) major projects include:
- Framing (preparation for a flat, concrete roof)
- Electrical wiring, plumbing
- Pouring concrete for the roof
- Installing windows and doors, etc.
We desire to see the Haitian people grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe this is accomplished best through a long-term, relationship-focused ministry. AFH primarily exists to lead Haitian people into deeper relationships with Christ and our land will provide increased opportunities to proclaim the Gospel. If you would like to financially help with this, volunteer with us, or simply know more please click below:
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