We discussed how one day there won’t be any more suffering. Business looting and kidnapping will no longer exist. Our God will wipe every tear from our eyes.
Welcome, Rose-Carmel Jean Joseph!
Wife to Wesly and mother to Juzie Marlïah, Rose-Carmel is the newest member of the staff of Haiti Awake.
Having grown up in Tabarre 14, Rose-Carmel knows our community well.
She is a vital part of Église Évangélique de la Grâce de Caradeux as a leader on the worship team, and she is a student at STEP, taking the course for women on Saturdays.
According to Pastor Steeve, Rose-Carmel loves God and she loves people.
Rose-Carmel will have a variety of responsibilities with the CCS program, including teaching the children, and will have the opportunity to grow in areas where she already shows a great deal of potential.
We are so happy to welcome her to our team.
Because the world is bigger than what currently you know
Celebrating a fantastic summer
As the summer of 2022 draws to a close, we look back with thankfulness for all that we were able to experience and enjoy. Here are just a few hightlights.
Glwa pou Bondye.
May
A trip to Les Cayes to see projects Haiti Awake has completed post-earthquake
The Your Pie Pizza Fundraiser
June
Graduation of the oldest four from Kay Timoun
July
Summer camp in Haiti
Kids Week at The Bridge, Wilmington, NC
August
The Sponsor Appreciation Picnic
A food distribution and a meeting to establish future outreach at the Les Cayes Prison
A soccer tournament at the CERMICOL prison in Port au Prince
A parents’ meeting to start the new school year
Thank you for your faithful support of the ministry of Haiti Awake. May we continue to see our Provider do exceeding abundantly above all that we might ask or think. He is able! (Ephesians 3:20-21).
A Letter from Pastor Steeve to The Bridge Church
Glimpses of Haiti - Part 3
Glimpses of Haiti - Part 1
Church Ministry Development
Update from Haiti - May 9, 2022
Propane gas for CERMICOL
We often struggle to explain life in Haiti to our American friends.
How do we explain this first photo - that this is how the CERMICOL prison has been attempting to feed 85 boys day-by-day for the last week? Do you see the wood they chopped from trees in the yard? Do you know why they had to do this? They had no more propane in their tanks.
Today, by God's grace, we were able to provide them with some propane.
This outreach ministry means so much to us, and we're thankful for those of you who support our ability to share Hope with our friends there.
Update from Haiti - May 2, 2022
Lord, to be rooted in place takes commitment to land, to people, to friends and family, to transients in our community, and to the plight of our neighborhoods. Being rooted is no easy task, but you demonstrated such rootedness in your incarnation. Give us courage to take up the hard task of knowing you while standing in place. Amen.
Joy and Sorrow
82 mattresses
Yo bay kouran = There’s electricity
Because of your faithful generosity toward the ministry of Haiti Awake, after a long time without consistent power at the boys’ prison, after a long time their generator had been broken down, Haiti Awake had sent technicians to fix that big generator to make the life of those boys better. What a joy for everyone there! - Pastor Steeve
Why Child Sponsorship Matters at Haiti Awake
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.
A CCS Update
Hi Friends!
We couldn’t wait to give you another CCS update! You may already know most of our regular activities, but we would like for you to see some adjustments.
1- Sports day every Wednesday
Right now, Sports Day on Wednesday has become a rendezvous for all of the children in CCS, Big has started helping each week along with other staff members. He truly loves the children..
What we are doing on Wednesday, it’s more than just doing sports. Every Wednesday, a theme is chosen for the sport day, such as: Patience- Love- Kindness- Wisdom- etc… and we always pray together.
2- Bible study
Every Thursday, some of those children continue to join our Bible study to learn the Word of God, even though it is not an obligation for them. We praise God for that.
3- English class
English class is every Saturday. We can see how the children continue to learn and improve their English. Sponsors, one day, we hope your child will be able to communicate with you in English!
3- Children’s church department
Every Sunday, about 20 children come to children’s church. Most of them are from CCS.
4 - Medical assistance
Beside all of these activities, we were able to provide medical assistance to some of our children who needed a physician’s attention.
5- Big event
On the Haitian Flag Day, May 18, Haiti Awake took all of the CCS children to a restaurant for ice cream. Going to a restaurant nor having ice cream is a regular thing for the CCS children. In fact, I believe most of those children experience this for the first time in their entire lives.
Thank you, Sponsors, for your contribution to that event.
6- School assistance:
We continue to assist some of the children with their school tuition, as well.
7- Thankfulness.
Sponsors, we want to express our gratitude by saying, thank you
Thank you for the change you are making in the lives of our children.
Thank you for helping our children to thrive, not to just survive.
Thank you for your faithful support.
Our Library
My personal dream is to see Haiti Awake have a space dedicated to the library and its components, including a computer lab. I dream of having a yard equipped with appropriate chairs and tables where readers can accommodate to read and have small group discussion (not loudly) around a subject. A place open to the public (people from the community or from other communities). People that have affection for books, especially English ones. - Vorb Charles
An update on Community Child Sponsorship
I am currently reading a book called Visions of Vocation by Steven Garber. In it, Garber says, “Why do we care? Because we see ourselves in relationship, ‘obligated by the very fact of our existence.’ And now knowing what we know, we are responsible, for love’s sake, for the people and places that are ours - if we have eyes that see.”
Sponsors, thank you again for joining us to raise a new generation for God’s kingdom in this beautiful community. We have no doubt about which people and which place God has called us to serve, and this clarity of vision allows us to invest our time, our resources - and yes, even our hearts - in Tabarre.
Six years ago today
Six years ago today.
Six years passed in the blink of an eye.
Six years ago today we took the first step toward a purposeful relationship with the children of Kay Timoun. Six years ago today we moved them into a house close to Steeve’s house.
Little did we know six years ago today what God would do. We didn't have much money (the kids had one sponsor total!), we didn't have big plans (we were simply taking the next step), but our God who is faithful and true knew it all.
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