LIVING HOPE MINISTRIES IN HAITI
Mission Trip_October 28, 2016
Just a few short weeks after Hurricane Matthew struck the western coast of Haiti, church members from Zion Lutheran Church (Ann Arbor, MI), and Northwest Chapel (Dublin, OH), embarked on an 8 day visit to Living Hope Ministries. With thanks to God, the Mission at Living Hope was spared the damage and destruction experience on other parts of the island. For more than a week, the missions group taught, played, ate, sang, worshipped, and loved the kids, and adults, at Living Hope Ministries. What an amazing experience to share the Gospel with a group so hungry to learn more about and love the Lord. The photos throughout this website were taken on that October visit. Clearly the kids loved the camera, and the camera loved them back.
Update on kids & staff
LHM lovingly operates a primary school from pre-school through sixth grade in the community. Over 550 children are enrolled for the 2016-2017 school year which offers nine pre-school classes and eleven elementary classes. All of the classes are once again inside buildings; as we had to move many classes to temporary tent structures after the 2010 earthquake.
The mission offers the chance for Haitian students and adults to learn a trade by offering sewing/tailoring, business, welding and cooking classes that can lead to government-approved licensure. Ten LHM graduates are teaching in the trade school.
Update on Mission & Construction
LHM has been very busy reinforcing existing buildings (after the earthquake) and constructing new buildings. After completing renovations and an extension to the guesthouse in 2015, the wall surrounding the mission was in dire need of reinforcement due to large volumes of water that ran behind the property and (sometimes) through the wall. Those repairs were completed in 2015, and we next turned to reinforcement of the professional building which is the largest building on campus.
Update on school, ministry & community service
Like nearly all Haitian towns, our community is poor and experiences the whole gamut of problems and issues that any other town experiences. We want to be a light in a dark world and want to support our community. We dug a community water well, and have repaired it many times. We were the point organization in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake and we continue to send assistance to those in need after hurricanes have ravaged the area. We want to construct a library in the community and hope to do so when funds become available.
Every year, we turn dozens of children away who want to enroll in the primary school. Our teachers are some of the best in the area and our pass-rate on the government examinations is stellar paid. We employ dozens of primary school teachers, teachers’ aides, trade school teachers, administrators and other workers. The church is a bible-based church that offers many opportunities for learning the bible and living your faith. A typical church service has 300 in attendance with ten Sunday School classes, baptism classes and a youth group. Spreading the good news of Jesus and the salvation he offers is who we are.