A message from Pastor Steeve

A message from Pastor Steeve:

For the past two Saturdays, a group of children came to one of the Haiti Awake centers and asked me how they could join our English class.

When I asked them how they knew we have an English class, one of them replied: “Because we saw some of our friends speaking English, and we want to speak English, too.”

I explained to them that the process is slow right now, but I will reach out to them when we can get more children in the program.

I can tell they left feeling sad, but with hope that one day they will be accepted to our program.

A big thank you to our sponsors for continuing to support Haiti Awake. If you know someone who wants to invest in expanding a child's world, please e-mail Kynda at sponsorship@haitiawake.org or visit haitiawake.org. We would love to welcome these children into our program, but first they need a sponsor.

I am deeply grateful

January 21 marked the beginning of the spring 2025 semester, a significant milestone in my third year at STEP. While this journey is incredibly rewarding, it has also presented numerous challenges. The ongoing instability in Haiti has necessitated online classes at times, disrupting the normal rhythm of the Seminary's schedule.

Last year was particularly difficult, with many students facing immense difficulties and some, unfortunately, being forced to withdraw from their studies. I pray that this semester will be marked by peace and stability, allowing us to return to in-person classes on campus. I long for a semester filled with meaningful learning, fellowship with my peers, and the opportunity to deepen my understanding of God's Word.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to pursue my education while serving as an employee of Haiti Awake. This organization aligns perfectly with my passion, as its mission focuses on empowering Haitian Christian leaders to effectively minister within their communities. I pray for continued blessings upon our partners and every individual who contributes to this vital work.

- Vorb Charles, Assistant Ground Director

May I please tell you about that piece of art?

"May I please tell you about that piece of art?" I asked a lady who was browsing the Mission Made Jewelry table.

Before she could say anything, I continued. "My friend, Vladimir, made that. Isn't it lovely?"

The lady stopped and looked at me.

"Well, thank you. I was afraid you were about to tell me about poor people. I'm not interested in a pity story. Now I'm listening. Tell me more."

So for the next 20 minutes, we talked about the beauty of Haitian products as she browsed the table, choosing 10 different items - including this one - as Christmas gifts for family and friends.

She took Vladimir's cards, one for each gift, because she wants her friends and family to know who made their gift.

"I'm glad I stopped by," she said as she walked away.

Ma'am, I'm glad, too. Thanks for letting you tell you about all of the good things to be found in Haiti. Thanks for focusing on that part of the narrative. 🇭🇹❤️

Look at God! Glwa pou Bondye toutan!

A number of weeks ago, we stepped out in faith and opened a 2nd community location - CCS Caradeux. We knew that in doing so we would need to hire additional staff. We did not have funding for this, nor did we have sponsors for the 10 children we invited to be part of the program's beginning, but we believed God was calling us to grow our operations.

Today we would like to share that six of the 10 children are now sponsored, and this week we have received unexpected contributions that will fully fund the new location through the end of the year.

Some of these children came to church on Sunday for the first time. Church attendance is not required, but weekly the children at both programs are reminded that they are welcome. How wonderful it was to welcome them at EEGC!

Look at God! Glwa pou Bondye toutan!

How thankful we are for those who continue to bless our ministry through your generosity. You make it possible for us to invest in our community - our communities - as we share the hope of the Gospel through Christ-honoring relationships.

"In every prayer for all of you, I always pray with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" Philippians 1:4-6

VBS at CERMICOL in 2024

This year, our summer activities, including both the Summer Camp and the Soccer Championship, are taking place in an exceptional context. Due to the instability and gang activities in recent months, the government was forced to make the difficult decision to house women and men from the main penitentiary in the same space—the boys’ prison. This has resulted in an overcrowded and more polluted environment, making it a constant challenge for the institution's staff to maintain cleanliness.

Last year, we had more space and more participants in the summer camp. This year, we have only 20 participants in the camp and fewer soccer games because of the need for extra security. (The number of boys at CERMICOL has not decreased.) We gather in the library space, which we manage to arrange and rearrange for different activities during each session.

Despite these challenges, the boys' enthusiasm for participating in the activities remains high. They are very happy to engage in activities that take their minds off the big walls and metal bars. They enjoy the challenges and games we offer. Unfortunately, others would like to participate, but space constraints prevent us from accommodating them.

Even though access is limited and more restrictions are in place due to the country’s situation and recent events at other prisons, the needs remain real and have increased. We are deeply grateful to each of our sponsors who have joined hands with us to help in so many ways. You may not be able to go, but we would not be able to do anything without the resources you provide. As always, it’s teamwork—sponsors and Haiti Awake—making the dream work.

Thank you!

We, at Église de Dieu en Christ de la Nouvelle Alliance, want to thank each one of you who responded to God’s call to help us realize the VBS for our children this year. At the beginning of the year, we could never have imagined facing a situation that led to the loss of our building and the dispersion of almost all the members of our church, as they lost their homes. Many have lost their source of income, and others are still waiting for government compensation for their destroyed houses.

The VBS provided an opportunity to rekindle hope and bring a little joy amidst the sorrow and loss. With your donations, we were able to organize many activities for the children of the church and the community, as well as provide them with meals. We continue to pray as we plan activities to keep our church members, especially the children, active in their faith.

May God be with each of you. Thank you!

Quick update

Hello, Friends!

We realize it’s been weeks since I gave the last update about the situation in the country of Haiti.

Today, I want to give another quick update.

The situation in Haiti remains very uncertain. As insecurity continues to rise, it seems life expectancy in Haiti is becoming shorter and shorter based on what we are seeing, hearing and living day-by-day. But we can testify and shout out loud on how God remains faithful and good through all of these circumstances.

By God’s grace, despite the challenges, some schools in the community have re-opened their doors, and Haiti Awake’s Center continues to welcome the children from the community, as well.

Even though progress is slow, we are grateful that our activities at Haiti Awake such as English class, homework help, computer class, and library are gradually resuming, allowing us to continue serving and supporting the children from our beloved community.

Also, our church is able to meet again on Sundays, and we are so grateful for the privilege of having church at the juvenile facility (CERMICOL) again on Sunday afternoon. We missed moments like these. What a blessing!

Friends, thank you for your prayers and your continued support! You are a valuable part of our team.

Until next time!

Pastor Steeve Derard

Thank you for your prayers.

Friends,

Thank you for your prayers. We appreciate you.

We are continuing to navigate an incredibly difficult time. As such, we must prioritize our time and focus our attention on what is most important - the people of Haiti and Haiti Awake.

Therefore, I am going to ask you to continue to check our Facebook and our Instagram for near-daily updates on both feeds and stories. Louis Hudson is doing an exceptional job day-by-day.

There is also an email list for financial partners. If you are a financial partner and not receiving emails, please let Hudson know by writing him at haitiawake@gmail.com

We also have two websites where people can learn more about the ministry and what is happening.

This is the Haiti Awake website: haitiawake.org

This is my personal blog: fearisnotmyfuture.com

Hudson has also shared a number of wonderful videos through the years on the Haiti Awake YouTube channel.

It is impossible to answer everyone's specific questions right now. As I shared on my personal Facebook page recently:

"Thank you to those have reached out in concern. I apologize for not having the emotional bandwidth or time capacity to be able to answer you each personally. Please do not be offended when I can't respond to all of your kind messages."

We continue to hope and pray for better days ahead. Thank you all for caring.

Becky Graves, Executive Director

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Friends, the political situation in Haiti remains complex, with ongoing challenges and tensions persisting day after day.

As you know, President Jovenel Moise was assassinated on July 7, 2021, at his residence in Port-au-Prince. Today we still have a de facto prime minister who insists on remaining in power at all costs. This creates a serious problem for the country as a whole.

Additionally, gang activities continue to pose a significant problem, impacting the safety and the well-being of people in my community.

As a result, schools have been forced to close for about three weeks, not knowing when our kids will be able to get back again. Our children have to stay home without being able to go out. It’s like we are all in prison.

Public transportation has been paralyzed due to some serious roadblocks, violence, panic, and fear. Even our program at Haiti Awake had to cease operations for a time.

Friends, the challenges are enormous, but despite these challenges, for the last three days, by God’s grace, our programs at Haiti Awake have restarted to provide hope and support to the children in the community. We are incredibly thankful that the community center at Haiti Awake remains open to welcome the kids and let them know that they have a friend in us and that they are loved.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Blessings!

Happy Birthday, Haiti Awake!

October 19 was a special day for Haiti Awake in two ways.

First, it was a special day because it was our anniversary and second, we had the privilege to meet with some of the parents and allow them to experience even for a couple of hours the life of their children at the center.

They were so proud and happy when they could see their children practicing English. The parents also learned a few words with Vorb. It was so awesome when we could see the happiness on the parents' and the children's faces while they played different kinds of games together.

One of the best parts also was when the children taught their parents how easy it is to turn on a computer, and they showed off how they shut it down.

It was an excellent day when the staff, the children, and the parents could work together to have the best experience.

Happy Birthday, Haiti Awake!

When Happiness must be found in the Midst of Chaos

Saturday, Widecherline was celebrating her birthday, and we all were happy to celebrate with her even though we couldn’t celebrate her birthday the way we expected.

Why? Because Saturday morning around 3 or 4 a.m , I heard a lot of gunshots.

I woke up and went out to see what happened, and I saw that the main roads were completely barricaded in different places, including the street in our community.

People were in panic and had no access to vehicles of any kind.

Around 2 p.m., I saw Widecherline sitting on the balcony by herself, and I said to myself: "It’s her birthday, and I must do something for her."

I went out again. I started walking in the streets, and a motorcycle stopped by my side and said : "Pastor, where you going?"

I said, "I want to find a cake wherever I can." Then the man said to me: "Let’s go, I will take you."

Long story short, the guy could take me through all the barricades because he knows people that I don’t know.

We found the cake, and we celebrated Widecherline’s birthday.

She was so happy even though the country is upside down.