A few weeks ago I shared the following message and photos with a few friends:
Good morning. I wanted to share something with you so that you can pray today.
In July 2013, the same week I met Handy and our kids, I met this little boy in Cabaret (a town about 1 hour from Port-au-Prince). His name is Bernard Fito, Now he is 11 years old.
I held him for about an hour that afternoon while he slept. Everyone else went outside to play games. We stayed inside. I prayed over him. I prayed over Haiti. I prayed over my future in Haiti. That was part of the hardest week I've ever spent in Haiti - but the week when God began to give both Steeve and me a vision for what ministry could look like, and a week that opened my eyes to many of the realities I had been shielded from while working for another organization.
I have thought of Bernard often through the years, but Cabaret is so far away and we had no real connection to that area . . . He has been a memory. But, each time we have passed through Cabaret, I've tried to find the place where I met him, and I have wondered how he was doing.
A week or so ago, I came across a note with his name, a Haitian pastor's name, and a phone number on it. I was going to throw it away with some other old papers, but instead I asked Steeve to reach out and 1) see if this was still a working number and 2) see if the person who answered knew Bernard Fito today.
Amazingly the pastor has the same phone number after all these years. (This is a little unusual for Haiti!) And, Bernard Fito is still right there in Cabaret.
Steeve is going to meet him today. We both feel like perhaps there is a ministry opportunity in Cabaret, but we have no idea what that is. We just feel called.
So please pray for Steeve today to have discernment/wisdom. The people in Cabaret do not know anything about me or Haiti Awake. We chose to keep everything very anonymous until Steeve can assess the situation. Anytime you bring a foreigner into things, it changes the mix.
This morning I listened to one of my favorite songs "He Knows My Name" and prayed over Bernard. If nothing else, today we want Bernard to know that Jesus knows his name - and even in a very hard world without a lot of opportunity - and there is hope.
Steeve and other staff members from Haiti Awake went to Cabaret that Friday, February 19. They had the opportunity to meet the pastor and Bernard, as well. They also met the many other children that live at the same orphanage.
Then the sweetest thing happened. Some friends who regularly partner with our ministry reached out with a special offering . . . and designated part of that offering for the children at Cabaret. So on March 6, the staff when back to Cabaret . . . with care packages for all 46 children there.
Steeve and Vorb also spent time with the pastor, sharing some of the things God is doing through Haiti Awake and talking about what plans the pastor might have for the children for the future. They talked about the importance of forward-thinking, not just meeting immediate needs.
Though no firm plans were made that day, the idea of weekly English class and/or Bible study conducted by the Haiti Awake staff was discussed.
On Saturday, March 21, Haiti Awake held its first English class for the children in Cabaret. We have made a three month commitment to this project, taking into account the current insecurity surrounding Port-au-Prince could hamper our ability to get out to Cabaret some weeks.
As you can see from the photos below, there was no shortage of smiles yesterday!
