Have you ever been to a Matthew West concert? We were invited to go to see him several months ago. He puts on a great show and has some great songs. We had the chance to hear one of Matthew’s recent releases live, called “Don’t Stop Praying.” What an amazing song. Here are the lyrics of the chorus:
Don't stop praying Don't stop calling on Jesus' name Keep on pounding on heaven's door Let your knees wear out the floor Don't stop believing 'Cause mountains move with just a little faith And your Father's heard every single word you're saying So, don't stop praying
It’s another hot, humid summer in Haiti, and in Florida! Here’s an update about what is going on in Haiti, our activities with the Hands and Feet Project (HAFP), and what is happening with Denise and Randy McGarvey.
We continue to thank God for providing the means and methods to care for the kids and the communities that Hands and Feet Project supports in various parts of Haiti. Despite all the daunting circumstances people face, schools have finished for the year, graduations have been held, and summer has begun!
Denise and Randy are back in Florida after driving Randy’s parents back to Rochester, New York and visiting with friends and family there. We had some great time visiting with people while we were there, but there’s never enough time to see everyone!
We are constantly watching for opportunities to head back to Haiti, even if it’s for a short term trip to tackle some projects or address some issues. Here are the types of warnings we are seeing from the State Department. This one has been expanded to account for the current conditions.
The travel ban has been lifted! We’re Heading Back to Haiti!
As we’ve shared in recent posts, the Hands and Feet Project (HAFP) board of directors put a travel ban in place in December to be revisited in March. We’re excited to share that the board has met and they have lifted the travel ban. Their additional requirement going forward is that we must acknowledge the risks associated with travel to Haiti and that there are limited services available within the country as well as to assist with travel out of the country.
We don’t see the risks of being in Jacmel as being much higher than they’ve been in recent years. We’ve recognized that this is likely the new normal for Haiti. That being said…we will continue to be prayerful, diligent in assessing the country, and discerning each time we come and go as well as while we are in country. HAFP is also doing the same. There are still ongoing issues with a lack of formal government, the gangs controlling many of the streets in and around the capital of Port au Prince, the inability or unwillingness of the police to control the streets, intermittent fuel shortages, widespread and ongoing power issues, and safety concerns traveling in and out of Port au Prince.
It’s a rare thing that we get to experience Spring! We’re still in Florida and the azaleas are already blooming and the trees are already producing leaves. We are awaiting the Hands and Feet Project leadership to determine our next steps regarding returning to Haiti.
Denise & Randy Elephant Ear in Florida
In December, the HAFP board put a Haiti travel ban in place until mid-March when they would meet again to discuss the safety issues of missionaries being in Haiti.
We left Haiti at the end of October because of unrest, the publicized kidnapping of missionaries from the US and Canada, and talk of paying ransoms. Kidnappings have increased recently, and include people of all nationalities. In the recent case, the kidnapping of a large group of missionaries has drawn a great deal of attention and publicity to the issue.
We continue to work from Florida to help keep things moving forward in Haiti. We are happy to report that things are going well with the kids and staff on our campuses. God continues to bless the ministry with great staff that are doing a good job on the ground in Haiti.
Please pray for wisdom for us, our leadership team and the board of directors as we all navigate through this latest challenge.
Spring is a time for new life and new growth after surviving the winter season. Every year we see the pictures of snowdrops and crocuses poking through the snow on warm days. We had many of those flowers at our house in upstate New York and looked forward to seeing them mark the beginning of the Spring season every year. This Spring is a new season for us as well.
The challenges of a pandemic and politics continue to be a burden on Haiti. They also impact the ministries and other organizations that work there. The instability continues to affect the tourism industry and short term mission trips in a big way, resulting in countless jobs lost and a significant reduction in income for many people and businesses. Here’s a recent newsletter from Hands and Feet Project that provides an overview of the current issues and the impact on each area of our Circle of Care. This covers a lot of key areas of our work and how we’re accommodating the challenging times.
If you aren’t already a subscriber to the Hands and Feet Project newsletter but would like to sign up, you can do that here. They share details and information about the programs and kids that affect all of our campuses and offer a wider perspective than our work that focuses primarily on caring for kids in Jacmel.
We returned to Haiti on January 10 after a restful furlough. We had a great time visiting with many family, friends and supporters during our time in upstate New York and on both coasts of Florida, and wish we could have visited with many more of you! We also intentionally built in a good time of rest for us. Self-care. We have learned the value of that, big time! We are so glad we did!
It was over 1.5 years ago that we moved to Haiti to serve with The Hands and Feet Project (HAFP). This year, HAFP is celebrating 15 years of serving in Haiti! In the short time we’ve been there, we’ve seen positive change and so much potential. We can’t even imagine what those who have been part of the organization for 15 years have seen! Here’s a video Continue reading “15 Year Anniversary”
Nine months. That’s hard to grasp. Where does the time go? Can you believe that it’s been 9 months since we moved to Haiti? Nine months of waking up to the joyful sounds of kids waiting to be taken to school (and the occasional rooster). Nine months of learning about each of the nearly 75 kids on our campus and in community care, forming a relationship with each one of them and helping to determine their areas of strength. Nine months of getting to know each of our Haitian staff who each Continue reading “Nine Months”
