Not The Normal Trip to Haiti!

'Those who give to the poor will lack nothing,
    but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses'.

Proverbs 28:27

Greetings family and friends,



Loading up the army truck headed to the northwest

Have you ever made plans that you thought were important and then see those plans go right out the window? Well that's just what happened to a group of us on our recent trip to Haiti. What was supposed to be a three day pastors conference, an eight village food distribution, and nightly preaching at various churches turned out quite differently.

Stuck truck loaded with food

I met up with the group of 6 guys from the St Louis, MO area, in Port au Prince on Monday, Oct 17. The men doing the pastors conference were leaving the next morning, while Jerry and I were going to be in Port to meet two trucks and load them up with food. Global Compassion Ministries has a trailer located on the Global Outreach campus and it was pretty full of donated clothes and shoes which needed to be brought up to the north. They weren't really planning on taking it up on this trip because that would mean someone would have to drive the 5 ton army truck. Not the smoothest of rides. But wouldn't you know, Karl raised his hand to volunteer for the job. Little did we know at the time, we would need that 10 wheel drive vehicle to pull people out with!

Group deciding whether to try driving across or not (we didn't)

On Wednesday the group held their first, and what ended up to be, their last day of the pastors conference. That same day, Jerry and I followed the two trucks filled with food (250,000 meals) north. There had been a lot of rain the night before and the roads were washing out and muddy. We just got past Gonaives and were on the dirt road when we met a couple seasoned missionaries we know that live in Haiti. They were headed to Port while we were headed further north. They told us how bad the roads were and how high the water was. He looked at us and our vehicle (a KIA pickup) and said "Are you going up there in THAT"? That was a bit disheartening to hear, but we had no plan B. 

Impassable roads

We got notice that one of the food trucks got stuck on an embankment with rushing water around it. Not good. By the time we got to it, the water had receded but the truck was hung up and stuck pretty bad. The other food truck was able to unload and return but couldn't pull or push this loaded truck out. So we sat with it and called Karl to see if he and the army truck could come and help us out. He was about 2-3 hours away but came and pulled the loaded food truck out without a problem! We weren't the only vehicle Karl and the army truck pulled out, there were a few!

By the time Jerry and I, along with the last food truck, got to Anse Rouge it was raining heavy. We had the truck with food follow us to the Lemuel campus where we were staying. There was no attempt on the truckers part to head back to Port that evening, the rain was heavy and the roads were terrible.

George (far right) gave the gospel message to a group of
people that were unable to cross the water to get
to market. After the gospel message, we handed out food

The next morning (Thursday)the guys quickly found out that they wouldn't be able to make it to the pastors conference. There was a rushing river where there was only a small stream the day before. No getting across it. So back to the Lemuel campus we went.  By around 4 in the afternoon the water receded enough so that the one remaining food truck decided to try to head back to Port au Prince. We got notice later that night that he made it. We were thinking that we would be back on schedule in the morning. Then the rains came.... and came.... and got heavier.....and heavier.

These are two of the three guys that pulled 6 people out of
a car stuck in the raging river. The car was then washed down
stream. They didn't know where it ended up at. Maybe the ocean.

I received a call from Fred Chalker of Living Water Ministries about 5:30 in the morning informing me that there was sever flash flooding during the night and that the village Gail and I had called home for 9 months had been hit really hard. Four children and two adults had lost their lives with many homes completely destroyed. We jumped in the truck and headed out only to find that we could go nowhere. The flash flooding had destroyed our road. It wasn't just washed out, it was gone! We were again stuck. But this time it really hurt knowing that we couldn't help those that really needed help. All we could do Is pray. All the clothes and shoes that Karl brought up in the army truck had been unloaded at the Ti Lagon campus which is near the village. They were handed out to the people that literally lost everything.

It was now Friday and most of the guys were to fly out of Haiti Saturday afternoon. Karl, Dan, and I took the army truck a few different ways out from Lemuel only to be met with roads that even that truck couldn't pass. Back to Lemuel we went. We were left with only one option. Leave the trucks and try to arrange an airplane to fly us out.

Working on the runway!

With the tireless efforts of Judy Dilus (her and her husband have Lemuel Ministries) she was able to get a MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) plane to pick up 5 people. After checking out the runway, it was noticed that one end was pretty soupy. The people at Lemuel quickly took action to try and get it in shape. Guys were hauling rocks and gravel by wheelbarrow and Karl was packing it down with the army truck. It never really got in good condition, but there was enough room for the planes to land. 

That afternoon most of the guys flew out. Jerry and I along with 3 interpreters waited to see if they could come back for us. They were able to make one more trip that day and we decided the interpreters and our luggage should go. We would hope on getting a flight the next day, which we did.

Flying out and looking down at where the road was.

Once Jerry and I were in the plane, I realized that it really cuts down on the anxiety of flying when you know that both ends of the runway are functional. Something I had never been concerned with in the past, until now. we lifted off just moments before hitting the muck!

So all the plans we made didn't happen. But we know that God is in control. The guys got one day of pastors conference and we were able to get 250,000 meals to the northwest that will be distributed as needed.  We will take that as a good day.

Range Community Bible Church Food Packing

KAH trailer from St Peters, MO.

This group packed approx. 24,000 meals!

This past weekend the Kids Against Hunger group, from St Peters, MO drove up to our church in Hurly, WI for the 2nd annual food packing. Last year we packed 20,000 meals. This year, we wanted to increase it to 25,000 meals. With one week remaining until the packing, I asked our congregation for an additional $1,660 in order to accomplish this goal. We received a few hundred dollars and by Wednesday I figured we would pack whatever we could even if we didn't hit that goal. Then I got a call from Pastor Josh of Life Church of Rome, GA. He was one of the three pastors I recently met up with in Haiti. He started out by saying his church wanted to give us $1,000 for food packing! He had no clue we were going to even be packing food this weekend, let alone that we were, well, about $1,000 short! I was floored. God continues to amaze me. And to God goes the glory.

As I prepare to head back to Haiti this Sunday, please keep the people of Haiti in your prayers. There is so much devastation there. The need for food is real. It's worth repeating the word of God in Proverbs 28:27

'Those who give to the poor will lack nothing,
but those who close their eyes to them  receive many curses'.

As we continue moving forward with the work He has for us in Haiti, please consider joining with us prayerfully and financially. We depend on your support. May God bless you and your families!

In His Service,
Chuck & Gail

Contact Information

Chuck & Gail Guerber

% Grace Hill Ministries

P.O. Box 171

Ironwood, MI  49938

USA: 906.285.2500

Haiti:  509.4753.0270

Haiti: After Hurricane Matthew

'He upholds the cause of the oppressed

and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free'

Psalms 146:7

 

Greetings,

Mud walled house needing much work.
(Photo curtesy of Lemuel Ministries)

We have all heard and seen some of the destruction in the wake of hurricane Matthew. Now is the time to lean on God's Word and to share God's Word! I start my trip back to Haiti tomorrow and will arrive in country Sunday. On Monday, I will meet up with 5 others and we will head up to the northwest. Some of the guys from Global Compassion Ministries will be holding a pastors conference. Yes, even with all that has gone on, and with continued clean-up and rebuilding, the local people still want to have the pastor's conference which was planned months ago. They are hungry for the Word!

What use to be the road leading to Lemuel.
(Photo curtesy of Lemuel Ministries)

The death of their animals is equal to losing their bank account.
(Photo curtesy of Lemuel Ministries)

The other guys, which will include myself, will be loading two trucks with Kids Against Hunger food in Port au Prince and taking them to the northwest to distribute it. It will total approximately 250,000 meals. People may ask why the northwest when the brunt of the storm and all the news coverage shows the southern part of Haiti being hit the worst? Indeed, it was hit the worst, but the effects of the hurricane run through the entire country. The flooding which destroyed gardens, damaged homes, and killed animals, will in a short time prove extremely hard for all areas of Haiti if something isn't done now. We primarily work in the northwest, so that's where we are headed. I hope to have a couple videos showing the storms effects and will post them when I get back.

Within 2 weeks, we hope to be able to send another 25,000 meals (possibly more, depending on whether we have any more to give!) to a ministry located in the south of Haiti called Charis. Depending on schedules and finances, we may go to the south along with the food, but it's not a sure thing yet.

I ask for prayers for this group of men from Global Compassion Ministries, Kids Against Hunger, and Grace Hill Ministries. That the word of God will be taught and walked as we witness for ourselves the effects of hurricane Matthew and how our Lord will use us during this time, along with His direction moving forward.

Thank you for your prayers and support. We rely totally on outside financial support in order to do the work He has laid out for us. Please consider helping us to help those that are truly in need.

In His Service,

Chuck & Gail

Contact Information

Chuck & Gail Guerber
% Grace Hill Ministries
P.O. Box 171
Ironwood, MI  49938
USA: 906.285.2500
Haiti:  509.4753.0270
www.nwhaiti.blogspot.com 

Grace Hill Ministries is a 501(c)3 non profit organization.

Short Haiti Trip!

'The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.'

Proverbs 16:9



Krishelle, Fednel, Pastor Josh, and Pastor Mike at lunch

I was blessed last week to spend part of it traveling with three pastors from Life Church in Rome, GA.  http://lcrome.com/home  They had a desire to see the area in Northwest Haiti where we work, and specifically, the food program.

After realizing that I wasn't able to use the trucks in country, I turned my attention to getting a rental vehicle. After 3 hours spent dealing with various rental car companies, I ended up with a little Suzuki 4 door. Not exactly the best vehicle to take to the northwest, but that was the only option at that time. I was to meet three pastors very early the next morning and needed to get up to the area where they were staying yet that evening. It took nearly 2 hours just to get from the airport to the outskirts of Port au Prince. It was now 8 in the evening, not exactly the best time to be traveling. Plus, once outside of Port, I quickly learned that this remnant of a car didn't run so good. But Fednel (interpreter) and I drove on.


From left to right. Lemuel's Administrator, Pastor Josh, Fednel,
local citizen, Lemuel employee, and Chuck at a village where
they have cleared the thorns from their village and received food

The next morning I met up with the 3 Pastors, Jason, Josh, and Mike. Given the car situation, we discussed whether we would attempt a trip up north or stay closer to Port au Prince. With Jason not feeling well, and not able to travel, the rest of us decided to take the journey north. Josh and Mike wanted to go, so to the northwest we went.

Once we got off the good road and onto the dirt paths, we stopped at an area where we would like to come along side with a work for food program. They dig rocks out of the hillside for a living. They have no gardens due to the desert like conditions. We met with the wife and children of the local pastor. When asked what her greatest needs were, she answered 'food and water'. I pray that we can establish a continued relationship with this area. One prayer request we have is that others will see this need and come along side us and help support this area.


Another project for food is a holding pond fed from this hand
dug trench. It runs from the river (when there is water) to the
pond which they also dug by hand.

We arrived at our destination of Lemuel Ministries where there was a lunch waiting. We then took advantage of some down time before looking at the food program. Around mid afternoon, people from Lemuel gave Josh and I a tour of the area and some of the work for food programs that are ongoing. The need for food and water is very evident. Watching a man dip a bowl into a green, bug invested pond of stagnant water was painful.

That evening, pastors Mike and Josh wanted to rest. It was a long, emotional, and spiritually filled day. I didn't blame them a bit. That evening, Fednel and I headed over to one of our favorite little churches which we call Philadelphia. I realized that with the pastors needing some 'down' time, I would be the one called on to give a message this evening. Oh boy.....  I quickly thought of Mosses and how he told God that God had sent the wrong man to do the job! Rather than arguing with God to send someone else, I asked that he give me the words he wanted spoken.

Man getting drinking water from this pond.

When we arrived, the church was packed with people singing praises to the Lord! It's a beautiful sight to see and listen to. After the singing and a short message from the church's pastor, I was up to bat. The Lord gave me every word. I had nothing to say, but He did! I spoke for about 20 minutes. I thank God for His words!

 The next morning we started our trip back to Port au Prince. We sounded much like a tank seeing as the pipe leading into the muffler broke. It just needed to be welded back in place. And wouldn't you know, we had the joy of getting a flat tire before getting to Gonaives. Oh, and the spare was flat of course! We flagged down a moto and he took the tire and Fednel to get it repaired. We were back on our way within 40 minutes or so! Thank you Lord!

Inside the church at Philadelphia during the service 

We picked up Pastor Jason at the hotel he was staying at and we made it to Port au Prince by about 3:00pm. I dropped the pastors off at the hotel and took the car back to the rental company. I had to pay a little for one broken hubcap and another hubcap that somehow didn't make the trip back with us. I didn't mention the muffler. You could tell where it had been welded before and it broke in the same spot. I'm sure they had no problem with re-welding it. Thank you Lord.

Friday we all flew back to the States. The lines at the airport were incredibly long. People were starting to get out ahead of the hurricane. I was on the American Airlines side while the pastors were on the Delta side. I can't speak for them, but the AA side was a total mess! By the grace of God, I still caught the flight out and made it home by 11:00pm that same day. Thank you Jesus.


The man to my left wanted to thank everyone that has helped
him to be able to have food. Beside him is the church's
pastor and elders.

I want to thank Pastors Jason, Josh, and Mike for their willingness to take this journey. Their desire to 'go' and to 'see' was a great encouragement to me. I pray our paths will cross again in the future! Thank you guys.

I also want to thank those that prayed for our safe trip. Your prayers were heard! And thanks to those that financially support this ministry. Without you, we could do nothing. And please believe me when I say there is a lot to do in Northwest Haiti. We give thanks to the Lord for all of you!

In His Service,

Chuck & Gail

Contact Information
Chuck & Gail Guerber
% Grace Hill Ministries
P.O. Box 171
Ironwood, MI  49938
USA: 906.285.2500
Haiti:  509.4753.0270
www.nwhaiti.blogspot.com 

Grace Hill Ministries is a 501(c)3 non profit organization.

The Need For Food

 

For the needy shall not always be forgotten,

nor the hope of the poor perish forever.

Psalms 9:18

 

Greetings!

 

Here is a short video showing the Kids Against Hunger food distribution and some examples of the new 'work for food' program in Northwest Haiti. I'm blessed to be a part of it!

 

 

 

Thank you for your prayers and support!

 

In His Service,

Chuck & Gail

 

Contact Information

Chuck & Gail Guerber

% Grace Hill Ministries

P.O. Box 171

Ironwood, MI  49938

USA: 906.285.2500

Haiti:  509.4753.0270

 



 

Changes To Food Distribution Program

^'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.'   Malachi 3:10


First Two Nights at New Life Children's Home

Putting trusses up at New Life Children's Home

Typical house on the plateau

After arriving in Port au Prince last week, Jerry Lantz and I stayed at New Life Children's Home located close to the airport (http://www.newlife4kids.org/) for two nights. Jerry and Pastor Etienne left early in the morning the first day to transfer a truck title, which of course, took the full day to accomplish! While Jerry was working on that, I was fortunate to be able to put my construction skills (gopher) to work. I spent the day helping put trusses and bracing on a second story of guest quarters they are building.

That evening at supper I sat down beside a man I didn't think I knew. His name is Malcolm Henderson. We quickly realized that we did know each other and that we first met about one and a half years ago at this same ministry! His wife Joy and a few of his children were with him then. He was there to pick up a mission group that he was taking to where he lives and works at in Southern Haiti. If you get a chance, please check out the work they do. His website http://www.charis4haiti.com/#welcome .  I have quickly gained a lot of respect for him and the ministry the Lord has placed him in. Here is a family that left the comforts of Naperville (nice suburb of Chicago), where he was a practicing medical doctor, and move to work in the remote mountains of Southern Haiti to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. He's sharing the gospel with voodoo priests and people who have never heard of Jesus. Yes, unfortunately, there are still  people who have never heard of Jesus in Haiti. We talked to him about the need for food in the area he works in and he said it was greatly needed. Hopefully, the next time we go to Haiti we can take a drive down (about 3 1/2 hours) to see him and drop off some food. Jerry and I truly enjoyed the few hours we spent with Malcolm that evening and the next morning.

Food distribution at Ti Anse

New Food Distribution Program

The next day Jerry and I, along with Raymond our interpreter, headed for the Northwest. It can be between a 6 and 8 hour drive. Depends on the road conditions (which are ever changing). We feel blessed to be able to take and distribute food. Over 100,000 meals were given to people in real need. We still constantly see the effects of malnutrition in most places we go. The distribution went to 3 villages that came by boat and 3 villages we delivered to. We distributed all the food we had and could have used more. The need is so great that people ask to trade work for food in order to feed their families. With that being said, we are very happy to announce a work for food program which was started by Lemuel Ministries (http://www.lemuelministries.org/) located on the plateau in NW Haiti.

Catching up with old friends!

Work for Food

At first blush, the words 'work for food' sound a bit harsh. So, I'll try to explain how this has proven to be successful. Last April we delivered about 100,000 meals to our storage container located at Lemuel Ministries in the Northwest. They were having people come and asking for food and were willing to work for it. This led to community projects being done in return for food. In the past 4 months there have been approximately 10 projects started by different communities. A request is made in writing to Lemuel outlining a project and the approximate number of people that will work on it. Every week, the person in charge of the project, either a village leader or pastor, sends a written report listing each person's name and the days they worked. On Fridays, food is delivered to those on the list. Each week the leader would try to get others in the village to participate so that most families would receive a box of food for their work. Each box consists of 216 meals, so it really was something beneficial to work for. Also, the work they did was done alongside their normally daily work. They didn't spend the entire day working just for food.

Various projects we went to see:

·         Multiple rain water catch ponds.

·         Hand dug trenches from the river (although there isn't any water in it right now) to garden areas. Some of these trenches were longer than a mile.

·         Clearing of thorn shrubs in an entire village.

·         Cleaning up the grounds of a cemetery. Clearing brush and trash.

Children where we dropped off food.

We saw great progress in these projects and want to continue in this direction regarding food distribution. In the areas we traveled to see these projects, we did not have one person ask us for a handout. This, in and of itself, is a major step forward. The people are proud of what they are accomplishing for their communities along with supplying food for their families. They have dignity when they receive it because of the work they put into it. It's not a handout. Lemuel Ministries has a saying, "We want to give a hand up and not a hand out." I wish more people would abide by that.

After returning home, I realized that I didn't take any pictures of the projects but only video. Oops. I hope to get some video up shortly.

Boukan Patriyo

We continue to have communications with the head of the UEBH regarding a new pastor in Boukan Patriyo. We are very thankful that Judy, from Lemuel Ministries, because she knows the gentleman in charge and is trying to see what we can come up with. Things don't move as fast as we like sometimes, but that is the Lord working in us and telling us it is in His timing, not ours!

The next time in Haiti we will be taking a Haitian contractor up to Boukan Patriyo, from the Lemeul area where he lives, to look at the clinic roof project and to get an estimate on what it will cost to finish it. We really would like to get this project done! We have already spent $4,000 on materials and only have $2,500 left in the budget. Will that be enough? I'm sure it won't be. But we have a Lord that provides. Thank you Jesus!

We thank you for your continued prays and financial support. We can't do it alone, your support makes all this possible! You are a blessing not only to Gail and me, but to the people of Haiti. May God bless you and your families!

In His Service,

Chuck & Gail

Range Bible Church Food Arrives in Haiti!

Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor
    will also cry out and not be answered.

Proverbs 21:13

 

 

Range Bible Church Food Arrives in Haiti!

Two trucks loaded with food

The 'Kids Against Hunger' food that was packed last fall at Range Community Bible Church, Hurley, WI finally arrived in Haiti! Due to a little mix up, the food was delayed in shipping. Eventually, it was combined with other boxes of food to total approx 250,000 meals which the US Air Force shipped over for us.


Doing all I can to help fix the flat!

The food arrived in Port au Prince April 21 and was picked up and stored by an organization called Children's Life Line located about an hour from the airport. Jerry Lantz and I weren't able to get to Haiti to meet the shipment because of a prior commitment which had the two of us going to Lancaster, PA on April 23. An organization called 'Lemuel' www.lemuelministries.org was celebrating their 20th anniversary and invited us to attend.

Rice fields before the desert

A little about Lemuel. Gail and I got to know Judy and Manis Dilus, the directors of Lemuel, while we were living in the northwest. I had heard that there was a couple running a ministry about an hours drive away from us. Not knowing what to expect, I decided to email them and introduce ourselves. They invited us over for lunch which was the start of our ongoing friendship with them.

Broken down truck blocking the road

I would like to share a little about the ministry of Lemeul. They are doing a fantastic work for the Lord in a very remote region of Haiti. It's become our 'go to' place when we are in the northwest. With the help of our Lord, they are changing a village from voodoo to Christianity. The ministry is headed up by a man that was born and raised in that village. He has the respect of the local people and the changes that have taken place are amazing! They believe in giving a 'hand up' and not a 'hand out'. They have many programs in place to help local people help themselves and advance. So it was certainly a privilege to be asked to attend their celebration! Ok, so my plan was to take pictures of the event and put a few up on the blog. Well, wouldn't you know, I forgot my camera back at the hotel in Philadelphia, over an hour's drive away. An attempt was made to use my cell phone camera, but everything I took was blurry at best. So, sorry, no pics.

A village along the way

5 Days, 8 Planes, 7 Which Worked!

Between the Lemuel celebration and getting to Haiti, I spent 5 consecutive days having at least one flight. During those 5 days I was on 8  planes in which 7 actually worked! Ok, so it sounds like I was in a plane crash. I wasn't. On the flight from Miami to Haiti we had just pulled away from the gate and the pilot notice a warning light. They couldn't fix the problem and we ended up switching planes. So we got to experience, yet again, the joy of unloading and reloading a flight to Haiti.

Barefoot children running along side the truck wanting food

Because of the delay, we didn't get to Port au Prince until about 6 in the evening. Knowing that it's not a good idea to drive at night in Haiti, we got lodging in Port au Prince.

Unloading the packaged meals

The next day Jerry and I met up with Simon. He's a Haitian friend of ours that works with Chuck Martindale and 'Truth Ministries' http://truthem.org  in Z'Orange, Haiti. Simon drove us out to get the truck we were going to take to the northwest. But first, we had to purchase two new batteries for it. Once the truck was running, we drove about an hour up the coast to 'Children's Life Line' to meet up with the food shipment. Nothing is easy in Haiti. It took us all day to just purchase batteries, get the truck running, and drive an hour up the road. Due to a bridge collapse, driving in Port au Prince is a nightmare. We thank Simon for his driving abilities!

Dried out fields due to lack of rain

We were up early the next morning for the drive to the northwest. We had two box trucks loaded with food which was driven by Haitian drivers and the 4 door Ford 1 ton which Jerry and I were in. It took us 9 hours just to get to our destination! Only two stops, one for diesel and one for a flat on one of the food trucks. Otherwise, it was just slow going the entire way. This trip can be done in 6 hours, depending on who's driving. But, we were following the food and they drove slow to help save ware and tear on their trucks.

We gave some food to this deaf and mute man along the road

Earlier this year, Jerry Lantz from Global Compassion Ministries, http://globalcompassionministries.com placed a container on the Lemuel campus so we could store food in that area. So on this trip, one truck unloaded there and the other truck went to Ti Lagon where we have 2 food containers. Ti Lagon is where Gail and I lived while in Haiti. The campus was built and is run by Living Water Ministries, http://livingwaterhaiti.org

After the trucks were unloaded, we met up in the village of Ans Rouge just as it was getting dark. As we paid the drivers, we were hit in the back passenger widow with a beer bottle. I guess some guy didn't like where we parked. No damage, but we decided not to hang around and drove a couple blocks away. Things just aren't good after dark!

We dropped off 50 boxes to Ellen's orphange

The next day we visited the area we know as Philadelphia. As in an earlier post, the folks from Global Compassion Ministries did a wonderful job fixing up the church there. We met with people from the village and the pastor who is the leader of that little area. We were blessed to be able to give them food. The villagers will receive some of the food in return for clearing some of the thorny shrubs in the village. The pastor will monitor this.

On Saturday we headed back to Port au Prince. The drive was much faster this time seeing as we weren't following the food trucks. Along the way, we stopped at a Baptist Mission on the coast and met the directors of it. Wonderful facility. We also stopped at Ellen's orphanage to give her 50 boxes of food that was packed by a church specifically for her.

At the bottom of the page is a 29 second video of taking food to Philadelphia. In the future, we hope to be able to provide more and better video shots of our trips. But that will require getting a 'real' video camera!

As we continue to work with and come along side the church and clinic in the village of Boukan Patriyo, we will also be returning to this remote, desert region of Haiti to deliver more food. The area is in a terrible drought and the people living in this region haven't had a good garden for years. I would like to encourage everyone to think about, and pray about, coming along side us in this ministry. We are a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization, so your donations are tax deductible. We are so grateful for your prayers and financial support. Without it, we could not do the work the Lord has called us to do. Thank you and God bless!

In His Service,

Chuck & Gail Guerber

Grace Hill Ministries
P.O. Box 171
Ironwood, MI  49938
USA: 906.285.2500
Haiti: 509.4753.0270

Food Distribution & Clinic Project

“If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.”

Proverbs 21:13  



Ken giving the new storage container some TLC

It was a blessing for Ken Challis and me to come alongside the St Charles, MO based ‘Kids Against Hunger’ organization in distributing food in Haiti this past week. There was never a dull moment!

The group consisted of Karl, Jerry, and George from the St Charles, MO area, and Ken, and myself from the frozen northland of WI & MI where we have had 142.5 inches of snow so far this season!

Distributing food from the truck

By late afternoon the second day, we found ourselves on the compound of 'Lemuel', just outside of the village of Anse Rouge, Northwest Haiti. We immediately started working on a storage container that will hold food. It just needed a little TLC in order to get it ready. In the evening, we were able to catch up with the friends at Lemuel that we have gotten to know.

Food Distribution  

Village of Ti Paradise receives food

The following day we headed over to the campus of Living Water Ministries to load the truck up with food from Kids Against Hunger. Global Compassion Ministries has two 20ft shipping containers located there to store Kids Against Hunger meals. There wasn’t much left in them but we were able to load up our truck 3 times and make distributions to two nearby villages, where we were met with great enthusiasm. The next day, two boats representing 3 villages along the coast came and picked up their allotment. We also delivered food to individuals and homes while traveling about the countryside. At one point, we stopped to have a sandwich for lunch, and was joined by a guy riding a motorcycle. He pulled up behind us and we asked if he would like to join us, which he gladly did! Before handing out food, Karl and George would present the gospel to those waiting.

Clinic In Boukan Patriyo

Ken explaining to the pastor and the nurse where the new roof
line will be

Karl and Jerry agreed to take Ken and myself up to the village of Boukan Patriyo, about an hour’s drive from Lemuel, so we could deliver medical supplies, medicine, and crutches to the clinic there and bring the nurse a ‘Smartphone’ so she can now contact the doctors that work with Grace Hill Ministries here in the States. We also needed to put together the final list of supplies for the new clinic roof. Ken and Karl tackled that project. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised anymore to find out that what I had anticipated to be a small, simple project has morphed into something larger than budgeted for. I pray that God will supply!

With that being said, if anyone has a burning and uncontrollable desire to help put this new roof on the clinic, we would enjoy your company! Ken Challis is in charge of the building project and is thinking that we could do this somewhere between the middle of April and the end of May. Final dates have yet to be determined. It may take up to two weeks, but if you can’t stay that long, we would do our best to accommodate whatever length of time you can be there. Just drop me an email.

Philadelphia Church and School 

Pastor in the doorway of his remodeled church

Church before the work was done

We stopped by the church we have come to know as ‘Philadelphia’ to see all the work the Global Compassion Ministries people put into it earlier this year. WOW! They did a lot of work! The church now has a cement floor and a raised area for the preacher. They took out the ‘sticks’ that held the roof on and put in real trusses. Walls were repaired and window shutters were added. There was a lot of work done, and it shows! The pastor is so excited about his fixed up church. He told me that more people are starting to attend service now that they can actually sit on one of the many new benches that were built and not on the few wood rails they had previously. Come to think of it, there was a few times where we saw people just sitting on the dirt and rock floor. But not anymore! He also mentioned that he can now give a funeral service there, something he said he hadn’t been able to do in the past because there was no seating. He would have to ‘borrow’ a church. He is soooo thankful! He gives thanks to the Lord.

Church after the remodeling. New cement floor, shutters
blackboards, trusses, and a lot of benches!

We spoke with the two teachers at the school which is in the church building. They stated that they have 55 children attending but that most weren't in school because they had to help their families haul water. The nearest water is a few miles away. The pastor told us that his family gets up at 3:00am in order to
make the journey to get water, for not only his family, but for the ladies that make a meal for the school children. They have a cistern beside the church, but it hardly ever rains. I’m in the process of seeing if we can have a truck of water hauled to their cistern at least once every 2 weeks to help alleviate this burden. I’m not exactly sure of the cost, but from what I can recall, the cost for about 3,500 gallons of water was US $80.00. Will that last 2 weeks? Don’t know, but we have to start somewhere. These children should be in school. Which leaves us with yet another question, where will we come up with the $160.00 per month for the water? God knows, He just hasn’t shown us yet!

Blind woman and her house

The Need for Food

The need for food is increasing in all of Haiti, and even more so in the Northwest. The missionaries from Lemuel told us that people are starting to come by their compound who are willing to work an entire day just for a meal. It’s sad to see. Below is an excerpt from an article in the New Yorker stressing the need for food in Haiti.

The New Yorker, Feb 17, 2016

Family that digs sand out of the hillside for a meager living

If only the Presidential election were the end of Haiti’s problems. Last week, the U.N. World Food Program (W.F.P.) warned that 1.5 million Haitians are at risk from severe malnutrition; the number has doubled since September, due to a combination of prolonged drought, the climate phenomenon known as El Niño—and, of course, the conditions of extreme poverty in which the vast majority of the population lives. It is Haiti’s worst food crisis in fifteen years. In some parts of the countryside, farmers have experienced crop failures of as much as seventy percent and in one of the worst affected areas scores of children have starved to death. The W.F.P. has launched an appeal for eighty-four million dollars to help stave off the crisis.

We need to continue to do all we can to help alleviate this horrific condition.

In closing, we ask for prayers for workman that will join us in putting a new roof on the clinic. We trust the Lord will provide the workman, equipment and the financial needs for this project.

 

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do,

 and your plans will succeed.”

Proverbs 16:3

 

Little girl receiving a food packet

 



In His Service,
Chuck & Gail Guerber

Grace Hill Ministries
P.O. Box 171
Ironwood, MI  49938
USA:  906.285.2500
Haiti:  509.4753.0272
guerber11@gmail.com