“Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory.”
Proverbs 11:14
The Bien-Aimé Family
Reflecting on 10 years
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 our Ministry at CERMICOL Matters
The Depth of the Riches
In just 5 short months, Idelmy, Antonide, Cesnel, and Lorvens will transition out of our care and into their next phase of life. We look forward to this day with hopeful anticipation, acknowledging the challenges they will face but fully trusting that God has a perfect plan for each of their lives.
When we first met in July of 2013, we could never have anticipated the journey we would walk together, the way God would orchestrate events.
As we approach June 30, 2022, we ask that you pray very specifically for each of the children. Cesnel has a firm plan in place that includes where he will live and where he will be employed after he leaves. Lorvens, Antonide, and Idelmy are in various stages of making their plans, and by March they understand that they should have their plans in place. If you sponsor one of these children and want to know specifics of where they are in planning, contact our child sponsorship coordinator, Kynda Colson, at sponsorship@haitiawake.org
Saturday’s meeting to discuss the future
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”
Flourish - Our Focus for 2022
Flourish
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” - Psalm 92:12-15
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.
Happy birthday, Handy
Happy 12th birthday to the one who brought us all together. God used Handy to plant a seed in 2013 that grew into Haiti Awake.
Glwa pou Bondye. 🇭🇹
The Work That Is Ours
What do you wish Americans understood about Haiti?
5 Things on a Thursday
It’s hard to believe it’s been an entire month since I wrote that last update, so I wanted to give a quick summary of what’s going on at Haiti Awake right now.
Back to school is in full swing. Some of the children have gone back already. Some will return in October. As we plan toward the transition out of care for the older children at Kay Timoun, their educational plans have changed and include vocational training and night school for several of them. Sponsors, Kynda Colson, our child sponsorship coordinator, has sent out updates to keep you informed.
Kynda Colson is doing a great job as child sponsorship coordinator. She has been a blessing to me personally, and I encourage all sponsors to reach out to her with your questions and comments. She will do a much better job than I will do in answering questions, as child sponsorship is her focus. She has helped all of us at Haiti Awake become better organized and productive, and for that we are so grateful. Her email is sponsorship@haitiawake.org
Rebuilding continues in Camp Perrin post-earthquake. Vorb and I are hopeful to be in Camp Perrin in October and be able to give a first-hand report of how work is progressing. We are thankful for community participation in the construction efforts and for the faithful supervision of Frè Jacques, our trusted friend.
We are one step closer to our dream of having a computer lab at the community center. Through partnership with Aprann.org, ten laptops have been secured, and we are now gathering other needed items like software licenses and accessories, as we make plans for classes to begin in 2022.
Next week Pastor Steeve and I will be in Missouri for training with a Gospel-focused ministry called Concilium. We will be learn basic security principles, hostage survival, and first aid, and be trained in how to respond in a variety of situations, including active shooter, through extended immersion experiences. We are thankful for this opportunity, and Pastor Steeve is looking forward to taking the things he will learn in Missouri back to Haiti to teach others. The lack of security in Haiti has created a desperate situation, and we want to be proactive in stewarding our opportunities well.
It is hard to describe the difficulties facing our Haitian friends day-by-day. Fuel shortages, kidnappings, gang violence, inflation, dwindling resources, the assassination, the earthquake…
There are days I don’t even know how to pray for our friends, but the events of recent years have given me a deeper understanding of what true Hope is - and how to rest in it. This is my constant prayer for Haitian believers - that they will rest in Hope despite all of the uncertainty around them.
Hebrews 6:18-19 says: “It is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.”
The hope that lies before us. Amen.
