“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” -Galatians 6:9 “Another… Read more “Do Not Be Weary In Doing Good”
Author: haitiannonprofit
The Beauty of Haiti
First impressions are said to be important. Arriving to Haiti by air, hills of deep green rise out of the blue ocean beneath the clouds, a beautiful… Read more “The Beauty of Haiti”
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Sustainability
Sustainability. That has become an important word in the world and in our society. How can we use resources wisely and leave an inheritance… Read more “Sustainability”
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Arriving in Thomassique
Arriving in Thomassique, Haiti for the second time, I was both excited and nervous. I had loved my previous mission trip here and remembered fondly the family who had hosted me and shown me kindness and joy. But I had been with a mission team then, rather than returning individually, and was afraid of feeling lonely and isolated in this nation where I was a foreigner and where my Creole was limited and my hosts’ English skills varied greatly.
My nerves, however, were short lived. Upon arrival at the house, the women greeted me warmly with hugs and an encouraging combination of short Creole phrases I might understand and short English phrases they knew. Not long later, a van arrived, and the teenage girls I had spent time with on my last visit leapt from the door and rushed across the yard with exclamations of “Kara! Kara! Hi, zanmi’m, how are you?” With that greeting, my fear evaporated and I was ‘home’. This Haitian family, whose people I had come to help serve, taught me about love, joy, and strength.
SEEK, Haiti began as a result of several people sharing similar experiences to mine in Thomassique, Haiti. Through trips with various purposes, we each developed a heart for the Haitian people and a desire to help them build stronger futures for themselves and their children, as well as a desire to share Christ’s love with them. However, we believe that some types of ‘help’ are more effective than others. We aim to ‘help’ by empowering. Our goal is to not arrive in Haiti, accomplish a construction project or short children’s camp for a week or two, and then rush back out, allowing everything to return to normal, leaving a memory of a group of Americans who once visited Thomassique. Instead, our goal is to be a witness of our Savior, to show love and compassion, and to offer partnership and education to make a lasting difference. We work to support better education for more children, who will be able to grow into educated adults more capable of making their city and country the best it can be, and who will be able to continue to reach out to others, continuing a cycle of compassion and empowerment. Each project we support is one we feel will serve this mission of educating and empowering the people of Haiti and furthering the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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The Goat Project
Self-sustainability. Our desire is to encourage and build-up the people of Haiti to be able to provide for themselves and their loved ones. The Goat Project is… Read more “The Goat Project”
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History of FCA
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!
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About Sarepta Orphanage
Pastor Michel Jean-Claude Marin is known for many things, but everyone who knows him at all will tell you that he has a soft spot in his heart for little ones.
As a father to three of his own boys, he began bringing children into his household who were in need of care. Some of them were without father or mother, others had no father but their mother was unable to care for all of her children on her own and had to choose who must leave the home. Whatever the case, however he was able to do it, Pastor Marin opened his home to help those in need.
By the year 2010, he had much more than a handful of orphans under his roof. In hope of doing more for them and others, it became obvious that the next step was to legalize the orphanage.
In the book of 1 Kings, chapter 17, the prophet Elijah is told to go and be fed by a widow who lives in Zarephath. She and her son were expecting to eat their last meal and die, but the Lord promised to keep her flour and oil from running out. She trusts what the prophet Elijah tells her, and God blesses her little family with enough oil and flour to provide for them through the hard times. The orphanage was named Sarepta (which is French for Zarephath) in honor of this true story in which the Lord provides as people obey His commands in faith.
Now it is time to find land and gather funds to build spaces for both boys and girls to live, to create a more formal and adequate space to become an orphanage home. Although that dream has not yet become a reality, Pastor Marin continues to house children that are brought to him.
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Fortify the Future
Forde Christian Academy sits on a beautiful 5-acre area of land, which has been a wonderful blessing to the school and community over the last seven years. However, this land borders the main road leading in and out of the town of Thomassique. This leaves the children, starting as young as kindergarteners, playing outside for recess or after school next to a road with heavy traffic and many passers-by. Our project, Fortify the Future, aims to provide safety and security for the school property so that the children can learn, grow, and play with confidence. A concrete-base fence has been chosen as the longest-lasting and most secure design. The fence will surround all sides of the property, with two gates, one at the front and one on the side of the school land.
