History of Forde Christian Academy (FCA)
When Pastor Michel Jean-Claude Marin returned to the town of Thomassique in the late 1990s, he saw the need for a good school in the area and decided to open a Kindergarten. He named it “L’Univers Des Tout-Petits” (which is French for “The Universe of the Little Ones”). In Haiti, children usually attend three years of kindergarten, which is actually quite similar to the United States, in which you may attend two years of preschool prior to a year of kindergarten.
Over the years, this school grew to include 1st through 6th grade. Each year the parents of the graduating class would ask that their children be allowed to return and continue learning. Pastor Marin worked hard to fulfill this request. His backyard was gradually transformed into a schoolyard, and year after year, he tried to build more of a humble school structure. Little was painted or finished off, and some rooms had a more solid roof structure than others, but it was a work in progress, and it was definitely utilized! By the time of the 2010 earthquakes, this small property was providing space for well over 500 children to attend school.
However, when that earth-shaking disaster hit Haiti in January, the people in Thomassique not only felt the quake but also remembered well what that type of deadly destruction could do to people in tall cement buildings. They decided to learn from what had happened and informed Pastor Marin that although they loved his excellent school, they could no longer feel safe sending their children into the upper floors of a big cement building.
Pastor Marin was already crushed in spirits. His younger brother Forde, his right hand man in helping with the school, had been killed in the earthquakes. Pastor was ready to give up. He did not have the means to relocate or rebuild the school. But God had other plans.
Sometimes the simple act of sharing a story can begin a wonderful journey, one of discovering just how much God will do when He is asked to act on behalf of His people. In October of 2010, over 2,000 miles away in the little town of Seward, Nebraska, a couple of Concordia students with a connection to Haiti were asked to share with an LWML (Lutheran Women’s Missionary League) group about what was going on in that country since the earthquakes had hit earlier that same year. Recovery efforts in Haiti were extremely slow. The couple also mentioned the impact on the people of Thomassique, a place far from the epicenter, but one that had felt the quakes and had a major influx of people who fled the main areas of damage. They talked about Pastor Marin and his response. They noted the distinct possibility that his school would have to close.
And two fellow Concordia students in the audience that evening were compelled to keep that from happening. They encouraged others to step up in prayer and support. They made plans to visit the school and help move things forward. They stepped forward in faith.
God answered prayers and began to provide land, a new safer school design, and eventually, the first new building. In honor of Pastor Marin’s brother Forde, a child of God and true supporter of the school who passed away in the 2010 earthquakes, the school has been renamed Forde Christian Academy. We praise the Lord for His blessings and faithfulness!