Yes, It’s Still Summertime in Haiti!
Can you believe it is still “summer” in Haiti? Okay, so it always feels like summer in Haiti! The schools across the United States have all started by now, but the official start of school year in Haiti is October 1st this year! I’m sure that would make many kids in the States jealous…until they find out that kids in Haiti will be in school through mid-July.
Thanks to everyone to contributed to the back to school fundraiser for books, backpacks, school supplies, and school shoes at the Lekol Marketplace. (“Lekol” means School in Haitian Kreyol.) It was a great success! Here’s a short video update from Will McGinniss and Mark Stuart about Lekol Marketplace. The kids are all prepared for school and lessons to begin. We appreciate all the help provided to prepare for another successful school year.
School Uniforms and Community Support
Our Haitian staff have been very busy coordinating all of the school uniforms for this year. Each school has a different uniform with their unique colors and style, and they change from year to year. So the end of summer is a busy time to purchase all the material needed and working with tailors to have the new uniforms made. There’s a significant increase in the work load of prepping for school because of the additional families that Hands and Feet Project is helping.
Did you hear that Hands and Feet Project has added 25 new families to our community support program called Stronger Together? God is so good! His blessings never end! With the growing challenges faced by families in Haiti, we are increasing the impact we have in the communities around us. Our Haitian staff have done interviews and home visits to determine what families have the greatest need in our community. Please pray that God continues to provide for the means and ability to expand the impact children and families in the communities around us.
McGarveys in Rochester
Denise & Randy will be in Rochester, New York the end of September and into early October. They will be at LifeTree Fellowship, their home church in downtown Rochester, on Sunday, September 22. The following Sunday, September 29, they will be at New Life Bible Church in Walworth, where Benjamin McGarvey will be speaking.
The Open House gatherings are always great to visit with people when we are in Rochester. We will continue that tradition with a gathering at Tom Wahl’s in Bushnell’s Basin on Friday, September 27th. You are welcome to come visit with us any time between 5 and 7pm. We look forward to see anyone who can visit us there! Come on out, enjoy a meal, and say hello.
Denise McGarvey will be speaking at the Blessed Hope ladies luncheon at LeTourneau Christian Center (LeTCC) on Friday, October 4th. Mark your calendar and join the ladies at the Friday luncheon program. It is held each month at LeTCC . They have enriching talks from featured speakers about the impact Jesus makes in our lives. Follow this link to make your reservations! Reservations should be made at least a week in advance.
Summer Activities RE-CAP
The summer Vacation Bible School (VBS) was another great success. The theme this year was the Fruit of the Spirit. Can you name them all? VBS was held separately on the Grand Goave and Jacmel campuses, with assistance from many of the older kids in the Hands and Feet Project (HAFP) program. Here are some VBS pictures and a post about VBS on the HAFP web site. Thanks to our great staff and volunteers for putting this program together. We praise God for the ongoing positive impact of the children who attended VBS!
Summer vacation time also included the usual activities like a weekend to celebrate the Village Values that are promoted on all of campus life: Love, Obedience, Honesty and Responsibility. The summer camp program at Camp Bossier that the kids love so much was also held this summer. That’s always a highlight of the summer for the kids.
Hands and Feet Project took some precautions with the kids in the Residential Program in Grand Goave. It was decided to move them, at least temporarily, to the Jacmel campus. Gang activity moved closer to the Grand Goave community, and out of an abundance of caution, the kids were relocated to Jacmel last month. This is also a great way to have more interaction between the kids in different locations. Here’s the note that was posted about the decision. Thankfully, there have not been any issues closer to the Grand Goave campus.
Please continue to pray for Haiti and the work that He is doing there. Pray that the hearts and minds of the people are open to hearing the Word and growing in their faith in Jesus Christ.
One Last Word
We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is only fitting, because your faith is increasing abundantly, and the love of each and every one of you toward one another grows ever greater.
2 Thessalonians 1:3