Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Ephesians 3:20
Our 2022 in Review
Our 2021 Year in Review
Life in Haiti has never been easy, but this year life reached a new level of difficult.
As one friend put it: “It’s like you’re in the middle of an ocean, and while you’re trying to swim and keep your head out of the water, others count on you to take them out of the water - to rescue them. Some are even pulling you down the water because of their own panic. It’s just the sad reality that we are facing.”
People from our community were kidnapped. We faced day after day of no electric power. Finding what we needed to just function day-by-day became almost impossible at times. This was our reality.
And yet, by God’s grace, we continued to walk on. And in walking, we found another reality - what a beautiful year we had at Haiti Awake.
We wish we could tell you everything, but that would be impossible. So we have chosen to work together to give you one bright spot we experienced each month.
January
In January our friends Michelle Carr and Lauren Risedorf came to visit.
February
In February we started having monthly meals together as part of English class.
March
In March we celebrated Becky’s birthday together and the anniversary of the Graves’ family’s first trip to Haiti in 2012. (We won’t tell you how old Becky is, but let’s just say it was a significant birthday. Oh, wait! Does Hudson’s photo give away the answer?)
April
In April we celebrated Caleb’s 6th birthday, remembering all that God did during that special week in 2015.
May
In May we celebrated Haitian Flag Day by taking the CCS children out to a local restaurant.
June
In June Michelle, Alexandria, and Ethan came to visit.
July
In July we had our first fully Haitian-run summer camp. The children had so much fun every day. Snacks, games, stories, songs, instruction . . . and so much more!
August
In August Steeve went to the US for a visit, and while he was traveling home, an earthquake shook the southern peninsula of Haiti. We had the opportunity to do outreach in Les Cayes, Camp Perrin, Pestel, and Jeremie in the weeks that followed.
September
In September, we began rebuilding in Camp Perrin.
October
In October our friend Keverly came to visit. It’s not easy for people to come to visit any more, so it meant so much to have her here. She encouraged us so much.
November
In November, the extreme fuel shortages nearly closed down Port-au-Prince, but by God's grace, we pressed on and did what we needed to do day-by-day.
December
December was a month of celebration - celebrating being together, celebrating the birthdays of Handy and Wesly, celebrating the birth of Vorb’s new daughter, celebrating Christmas.
What a week!
Because He First Loved Us
Back in October, we first told you about our Christmas for our Community - Doko project. This evening, our staff and children who participated returned safely to Port au Prince.
“There will always be a reason why you meet people. Either you need them to change your life or you’re the one who helps to change theirs. And everywhere you go you will learn something different. For me going to Doko helped me see a lot of things in a different way. It was so good to see so much joy in people face and how they welcomed us. They were so thankful.”
Thank you to all who participated this year, and we look forward to more opportunities to show love in action in the future.
“Thanks to everyone who helped to make this happen. Thanks for speaking life this way to fill people’s hearts with joy.”
“I was happy to know Doko and people in Doko. I was glad also to spend some of my time there for Christmas this year.”
“Doko is one of the greatest place in Haiti, and people there are awesome . After receiving their Christmas gifts yesterday for the first time in their community, they were so happy.”
“People were so happy to receive their Christmas gifts. They didn’t expect that, but God who knows everything sent our team on time to share hope, love, joy to people in that community which I am from and where my parents are living. They are very grateful for that and so are we!”
We love because He first loved us.
I John 4:19
"Remember the things I have done in the past . . . "
Doko through Hudson's Lens
When I got to Doko, I met strong people who are struggling with life so that they can bring bread to their family every day. Occupations include cultivators, farmers, vendors, and fishermen. They can’t provide all the necessaries things to get all of the kids in school on time, but they are making all of their best to make them go to school even at the age of 13 years old. -Hudson
2017 in Review
It's been another year. We have another opportunity to look back and see God's providence, His faithful hand, His leading...and to see that once again, we never walked alone.
The first four months of the year were marked by change as the children came under our care. We also began to discuss the idea of expanding Haiti Awake outside of Port au Prince, hosted teams in the new upstairs guesthouse, launched our child sponsorship program, and added stateside coordinators - Hannah Telman, Liz Kyle, and Alicia Mercer.
Glwa pou Bondye.
The middle four months were characterized by teams - five of them to be exact . . . in addition to the four we had already hosted in the first four months of 2017. Fun times. Busy times. Times of growth. Many of this summer's team members became sponsors to our children, and for that we are grateful.
Relationships.
Gospel.
Hope.
The latter part of 2017 brought great joy, as well as some hard times. The children returned to school for their 3rd year of schooling since Haiti Awake began providing for their tuition, and we rejoiced. Haiti Awake was also able to open the copy center and begin its first chicken project during this same period. We are thankful that God continues to expand our resonsibilities. We also were forced to think about the brevity of life when Wesly and Idelmy were involved in a serious accident. And we finished out the year with a wonderful Christmas celebration provided by friends and sponsors.
We look forward with great anticipation to where God will providentially lead in 2018. We anticipate growth through new business opportunities as well as outreach and expansion of responsibility outside of Port au Prince. But we recognize and affirm the truth found in Proverbs 16:9:
“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.”
Tout glwa pou Bondye. Toutan.
Celebrating Christmas on a Sunday afternoon in Haiti
Thanks to the generous donations of so many of you, Christmas for our Community was a blessed time on Sunday afternoon, December 17th. All of the families and individuals we had featured were sponsored, and God multiplied your gifts in such a way that we were able to not only provide the items listed in the original announcement, but each family got two bags of beans and $150 in Haitian money, as well.
Steeve prayed with everyone and shared the truth of I John 3:16 - "This is how we know what love is. Jesus Christ laid down His life for us." God loved us so much that He sent His son, Jesus Christ, in the flesh, as a baby, to be our Redeemer.
Steeve shared that we at Haiti Awake and those of you who support our ministry are motivated by love, true love, love found only in Jesus Christ. He explained that the gifts were not from the staff but from others - most of whom have never been to Haiti and have never met anyone in our community.
Steeve went on to explain that our community is important to Haiti Awake, and how the gifts being distributed were not benefiting anyone associated with Haiti Awake. Instead, we are looking outward, to care for people in our community. We want our community to know that they matter to Jesus; and because they matter to Jesus, they matter to us.
“I have community with others and will continue to have it only through Jesus Christ. The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more everything else between us will recede, and the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the one and only thing that is alive between us. ”
Thank you to all who showed love by financially giving to this initiative. We pray that it will be an annual event that God will continue to grow for His glory.
Glwa pou Bondye.
“Where there is hope, there is a life.”
“For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.”