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40 Days of Prayer update

40 Days of Prayer for Hospital Bienfaisance of Pignon

From December 9, 2009, to January 18, 2010, we would like to focus on praying for the hospital in Pignon. The hospital is vital to the northern plateau region of Haiti serving several communities and roughly 140,000 people. The last year has been a hard year for the hospital. The Comite de Bienfaisance, the Promise for Haiti Board, the administration, staff and Dr. Guy have many difficult decisions to make in the coming year. On January 15, 2010 there is a combined board meeting with both the Haitian and American board members. We need to ask God to be near us and guide us and to return to us and to restore the Hospital de Bienfaisance to what it once was in the name of Jesus Christ, our only hope.

We would like to invite anyone who is willing, to participate in focused prayer for the hospital, the region and the people of Haiti for these 40 days. Local pastors and Christians around the area have also been invited to pray with us at the hospital each morning and we are anticipating a positive response from the community.

We are asking that you pray for:

· The administration and leadership of the hospital and all personnel
· That the power and presence of the Holy Spirit would come upon the hospital in new and amazing ways
· The healing of patients
· Dr Guy-protection and health during his political campaign
· The hospital board both locally in Pignon and stateside for wisdom, discernment, and guidance
· For all the students in the area, particularly those sponsored through the HELP scholarship program
· The organizations that partner with the hospital through short-term missions including medical missions, work projects and financial assistance
· Release from the oppression of the enemy and the influences of Voodoo
· That staff, patients and families of patients know fully the love of Christ
· The future of the hospital and the country of Haiti

Days 21-30
Isaiah 55:6
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;call on him while he is near.
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica


Jeremiah 29:11-14
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. [a] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica

Ephesians 1:16-21
16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica

Psalm 113:7
7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica

Proverbs 31:8-9
8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;defend the rights of the poor and needy."

New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica

Thank you for your prayers for the Nikkels and the hospital. God bless you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND BLESSINGS TO ALL

40 Days of Prayer updated

Update: Days 11-20 of 40 Days of Prayer for Hospital Bienfaisance of Pignon

Please continue to pray for the hospital, the region and the people of Haiti for 40 days.

What is happening?(some comments from the Nikkels)
We had our third meeting this morning and it's going well. We have had 10-14 people each day so far and I anticipate more. Stacey did a great job on the scriptures and people really like them. I asked for help in leading and have had volunteers each day basically lead and come up with the program for the day. We sing, then pray and sing and pray and then someone gives a short meditation on the scripture and we pray and sing and we're done. The handout Stacey put together is great and people are really praying earnestly for the hospital. The only downside so far is getting up at 5:30 every day!

The people here are excited to have a prayer outlet...they want to extend the prayer time from 30 to 50 minutes. They say it isn't enough!

One of the men there runs a store on the market and we have known him for quite awhile. He is not someone I would ever have expected to come to the prayer meetings, but he is good at praying and leads some days. He told a story this morning about how he had no intention of coming to pray at the hospital. The night before we started he had a dream that a rush of clean water shot out of a well at the hospital and washed through the hospital and all of Pignon cleansing it. People were laughing and bathing in it and praising God. So he decided he needed to come! I pray he is right!

From Dec. 9-18 pray for:
· Dr Guy- (founder of the hospital mission is running for President of Haiti) protection and
health for his political campaign / wisdom and direction from God
· The hospital mission board both locally in Pignon (Committee de Bienfaicanse)and stateside (Promise for Haiti) for wisdom, discernment, and guidance
· For the students/teachers that are sponsored through the HELP (Haitian Education and Literacy Program) scholarship program in the Christian Schools. Pray for release from poverty
· Pray for protection for Jared and Stacey Nikkel and family as they lead this effort

A few scriptures are provided for each 10 period and of course we want you to pray as the Spirit leads, these are just some of the things on our hearts.

Days 11-20 (December 18-27)
Matthew 6:33-3433 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Psalm 105:3-5 3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 4 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. 5 Remember the wonders he has done,

Proverbs 8:17 17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.
Luke 18:7-87 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" New International Version (NIVCopyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica

Third Church Pella/HELP Team Members

Third Church Pella and HELP

Promise for Haiti Survey

Sumitted by BeV Brand

1. Please give a narrative description of your trip include in it how many members accompanied you on this trip; what was the purpose/ goals of your trip? What was accomplished, what may need to be done ?
Our team was made up of 14 people from several areas of the country as a combined group from Third Church Pella and HELP (Haitian Education and Literacy Program) We had people from Minnesota (via Texas), Nebraska, and three cities in Iowa. Our major purpose and goals for the mission included helping finish the house donated to the hospital by Many Hands for Haiti for the Nikkel family (the young missionary couple from Iowa) to live in, to work on the OPC dorm area, and to update records and photos for the HELP program. All three goals were accomplished! We finished tiling, cleaning floors, painting rooms and grates for windows and doors for the Nikkel family and joyfully saw them move in on the Tuesday before we left! Two of Jared Nikkel’s sisters and a brother-in –law were part of the team so they got to celebrate an early Christmas giving Will and Natalie (their children) Christmas gifts and making Jared’s favorite caramel rolls in Stacey’s new oven. Storage units were put together, furniture purchased in Cap, an inverter system installed, as the Haitian workers constructed a stone wall and cement pad in front of the house. It looks great and they are so blessed to be into a permanent space after living 5 months from totes in the upper level of the Iowa house. Many thanks to the team from Crossroads in DesMoines who also worked hard to help them be ready for the move.

The group also almost completed tiling the OPC dorm ( but ran out of grout) and the dining room area was painted with two coats of paint, as well as the main hall and kitchen. Adele picked the colors and it looks quite nice – very tropical and cool! Some of our group also sorted through 1,000 pairs of shoes donated to the hospital and reboxed and labeled them. We had a lot of extra “help” from Haitians wanting shoes but decided to let Jared and Stacey work on how to distribute the shoes. We also distributed receiving blankets that had been donated to babies in the hospital.

Three full days were spent going to Bears Christian, Meredith Christian, and Salt and Light Christian School to update information and take new photos of the sponsored students. Teams of six went to each school and found the scholarshipped students, updated information and took pictures of each student. While there, we checked on absent students, students who had moved, and also checked on the wells and feeding programs. Evenel and Joseph (who is assisting with the schools) were extremely helpful and valuable. We also stopped at College de la Grace, CCE, Hope, Frederic Marcelis, Frobel and students came into the hospital compound from other schools, as well. The group from Crossroads (Des Moines) took pictures at Sonshine and Rocky Mt. Christian the week before. So all in all we updated and took over 500 photos!!!! It was a delightful time and many of our team met their sponsored students. What a blessing and joy! Evenel and Joseph were a tremendous help and we greatly appreciate their efforts.

Some of the team also helped with the feeding program at Haiti Home of Hope on Wednesday morning and we all attended church in Bohoc on Sunday. The early Saturday morning walk to the river was eye opening for many as well as the trip to the market and singing and praying with patients at the hospital. We also visited the farm and bought some rice and beans to two needy families.


2.How did you travel to Pignon? Were there any problems with your flight and or arrangement? Do you have any suggestions to make this an easier process?

We traveled to Ft. Pierce through West Palm Beach. Arcadiana Shuttle transported us to the Sleep Inn in Ft. Pierce and then to the MFI terminal. All fights were on time and accommodations were great. We stayed at the La Quinta in West Palm Beach on the return flight. I would highly recommend this hotel as rates were $49 (remember this is November), the hotel was beautiful, shuttle service to the airport, and a nice selection of restaurants nearby.

The biggest problem was getting out of Pignon, as a big shipment of cargo came in on our plane (no passengers) so the customs agent went through everything! (including wrapped presents for kids at the orphanage and the Mompremiers) She was not in a good mood so negotiations helped some but most groups got hit pretty hard. We waited “under the wings” from 11:30 to take off at 2:30. When we departed from Cap Haitien the guys were pulled off the plane to push the airplane away from another plane as we didn’t have room to clear for the turn. Interesting! Yes, they actually did push the plane away far enough to turn it! Way to go, guys! By the way, Cap Haitian was out of visas so we have no record of being in the country! (really tight security in Haiti!)


3. What were your lodging arrangements while in Pignon? MN dorm? Iowa dorm? Other?? Any suggestions? Recommendations? Did you have any problems? Do you have any hints or notes you want to pass on to other teams?

We stayed in the Minnesota dorm and in the Iowa dorm (lower level). Ron Vitales (Indiana) and his group of 4 were also in Pignon on an exploratory trip so they shared the Minnesota house with us for the first four days. It was a great time getting to know them and processing our experiences with their group. Five of the men from our team staying in the Iowa dorm decided to stay put for the duration – it gave us two extra showers (and I hear the Iowa House showers were much better than the Minnesota house!) The food was delicious and accommodations were very adequate at both dorms.

4. Is there information you would like passed on to the next team that is scheduled?

The hospital staff set up a meeting with us the first afternoon to find out our plan, work projects, and needs for the week and very graciously lined up vehicles for our trips to the schools. Evenel was on vacation but really bent over backwards to accommodate us for the week. He went to each school with us and lined up students to come in for photos, as well. Three of our nurses got to observe surgery one afternoon and found this very interesting and helpful. The whole staff was very helpful. Jared Nikkel had supplies, paint, grout, and tiles ready for the group to work on the OPC/dorm area so much was accomplished! Jared and Stacey also took us to the river, to church, and to the market, as well as a visit to the orphanage to help with the milk program.


5. Did you have any problems issues, occurrences that need to be addressed by the hospital or the Board?

Everything went very smoothly – we had a great mission trip. (If someone could get the roosters to quit crowing at 3:40 am that would be nice!)

6. Anything else you would like to share about your trip?

As we visited Salt and Light School the principal informed us that most of the classrooms do not yet have benches. Students are currently bringing their own chairs and some are sitting on cement blocks. If groups would like to make benches for one of their projects, it costs approximately $25 per bench and they can work on them at the hospital workshop. I was told Boukeroone also needs benches. Some of the schools really need new coats of paint – Meredith could use paint inside and outside on the older building.

If any groups are interested in doing Bible School type lessons in the schools, library, or compound, there are supplies for crafts in the Iowa House including kits to make “salvation bracelets”. (check with Stacey Nikkel ) If you are interested in the Bible Lessons that are written you can contact Bev Brand - bbrand@trcpella.com and I will send them for you to use.

The mission of the hospital is vital to this whole area, so please encourage your groups to support not only their various projects and passions but also the hospital in general, so that the health care needs of charity patients can be provided. We would also like to invite anyone to join Jared and Stacey Nikkel who have initiated and organized 40 Days of Prayer for Haiti with local pastors, hospital staff, and hundreds of supporters around the US from Dec. 9- Jan. 18. Information can be found at www.mh4h.blogspot.com

Nov 5-12 Crossroad Church

Submitted by Denny Brand

On November 4, 11 folks from Crossroads Church in Des Moines plus me left Des Moines for our trip to Haiti. The ground work for this trip had been in the making for about a year and it was a joy to be a part of this group in their first venture of doing short term missions. The entire group was from Des Moines except for one and he was from Pella Iowa, the father of one of the females, who was also making the trip.

The make-up of the group was very young (funny how that works anymore) This was very exciting for me because the future of the mission depend on the next generation to continue the work, in the near future. It was also good that there were two husband/wife teams who got to experience this trip together, a daughter that experienced it with her parents, and a 1st cousin to Jared.

This group also had the pleasure of joining forces with a group of 6 men that came down with Larry Madole. Between the two groups, a lot of work was completed. The two groups really complimented each other with talents and skills to get much accomplished. In addition to the work, the groups really connected with devotions, after meal talks, singing at the hospital. It was a very rich time for everyone.

The goal of the group was three fold: 1). Work on the Outpatient Clinic and Dorm, 2). Work on the home for Jared and Stacy to get them moved in, 3). Take pictures of students at 2 of the schools for the HELP Scholarship program.

We had great success in all three areas. The work that was done at the Outpatient Clinic and Dorm was hard work because much leveling and chipping had to be done before any tile could be laid. The teams really worked hard and the big dining hall and a large part of the hallway now have tile.

The work that was done on Jared and Stacey’s house included painting, both inside and outside, window grills to be painted (3 coats), screens built for all the windows, shelves, cabinets, and a table were made, tile was laid on the floor – many hours put in to get it almost ready for the Nikkels to move in. The move did happen the following week.

The last thing project was the taking of pictures of the students at the 2 schools for the HELP program. This was also accomplished and not only did it provide a service for Bev Brand and Joann Schafer, but it also allowed us to travel to the schools and experience what a great thing the education program is and the opportunities that are being provided for the students in Haiti. One of the things that was really impressive for me was that in one of the schools, Sonshine, there was 100% of the students in school. We also got to witness the feeding program which again is wonderful to for the students.

We flew commercially to West Palm and took a shuttle to Fort Pierce to spend the night so that we could be at the MFI terminal by 6 AM the next morning. Everything went like clockwork – I don’t know how anything could have gone any better – every connection was right on time.

While in Pignon, we stayed at the MN dorm and the IA dorm. I think all would say that the accommodations and food was all better then the team was expecting.

We also really enjoyed singing and praying a couple of night at the hospital with the patients. A great time was also enjoyed as we worshipped in Bo Hoc on Sunday morning.

This was truly a special group of people and are great examples of what can be accomplished when everybody goes with a servant heart and everybody works together for a common good. Everybody worked hard, pitched in and did what they could to get the job done. This group really understood what a trip like this is about and why they were there.

I think every group that I have ever gone to Haiti with all enjoy the roof of the MN house – especially in the evening and into the night. This group was no exception and took it to another level. In fact one night I thought the rapture had occurred because every room was empty except for a couple of us old guys. As I looked around a little more, I realized that the group spent the entire night on the roof.

It was a great trip. We did do a great deal of work for the mission and there were measurable accomplishments. Funny how it works though – I would guess that every person would probably testify that they received a lot more than they gave.roos

40 Days of Prayer with the Nikkels

By Tim Brand ~

Jared and Stacey Nikkel, the young family from Iowa who are serving the hospital mission in Pignon, have asked permission and were graciously approved by the hospital administration and Dr. Guy, to initiate 40 days of prayer at the hospital, starting Dec. 9 and ending on Jan. 18 after the Promise For Haiti board meeting. They are inviting churches and organizations all around the United States to join this effort and intercede for the nation of Haiti, for the mission, leadership of the hospital, and both the PFH (stateside) and CBP(hospital) board of directors. This is a crucial time for Dr. Guy and the political future of Haiti, for the mission and outreach of the hospital, and for the people of Haiti who are living in extreme poverty. Jared and Stacey have asked local pastors to join them in praying with the staff, doctors and nurses of the hospital each morning, for praying for the sick and dying in the hospital, and for praying for Dr. Guy and the administrative team of the hospital.

We would like to encourage each of you to forward this invitation to your local church congregations, others individuals and organizations who support the mission in Haiti, and to personally commit to joining this effort. As part of the initiative, there will be a prayer prompts and some scripture passages to guide prayer every ten days during the 40 days of prayer sent via e-mail. Jared and Stacey would like to know the extent of this prayer coverage, so if you and other organizations will be joining this effort, please let me know and I will forward to the Nikkels.

We are excited about the power, guidance and direction that could be unleashed for Hospital de Bienfaissance and its mission in Pignon if we pray. Please join the Nikkels and other supporters as we begin 40 days of prayer this Wednesday.

40 Days of Prayer for Hospital Bienfaisance of Pignon

From December 9, 2009, to January 18, 2010, we would like to focus on praying for the hospital in Pignon. The hospital is vital to the northern plateau region of Haiti serving several communities and roughly 140,000 people. The last year has been a hard year for the hospital. The Comite de Bienfaisance, the Promise for Haiti Board, the administration, staff and Dr. Guy have many difficult decisions to make in the coming year. On January 15, 2010 there is a combined board meeting with both the Haitian and American board members. We need to ask God to be near us and guide us and to return to us and to restore the Hospital de Bienfaisance to what it once was in the name of Jesus Christ, our only hope.

We would like to invite anyone who is willing, to participate in focused prayer for the hospital, the region and the people of Haiti for these 40 days. Local pastors and Christians around the area have also been invited to pray with us at the hospital each morning and we are anticipating a positive response from the community.

We are asking that you pray for:

· The administration and leadership of the hospital and all personnel

· That the power and presence of the Holy Spirit would come upon the hospital in new and amazing ways

· The healing of patients

· Dr Guy-protection and health during his political campaign

· The hospital board both locally in Pignon and stateside for wisdom, discernment, and guidance

· For all the students in the area, particularly those sponsored through the HELP scholarship program

· The organizations that partner with the hospital through short-term missions including medical missions, work projects and financial assistance

· Release from the oppression of the enemy and the influences of Voodoo

· That staff, patients and families of patients know fully the love of Christ

· The future of the hospital and the country of Haiti

A few scriptures are provided for each 10 day period and of course we want you to pray as the Spirit leads, these are just some of the things on our hearts.

Days 1-10
Zechariah 1:3
Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty.

Psalm 50:15
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

2 Chronicles 7:14
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

James 4:7-8
7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Psalm 33:18
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,on those whose hope is in his unfailing loveDays 11-20


Day 11-20

Matthew 6:33-34
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these thingswill be given to you as well.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Psalm 105:3-5

3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Look to the LORD and his strength; eek his face always.
5 Remember the wonders he has done,

Proverbs 8:17

17 I love those who love me,and those who seek me find me.Luke
18:7-8 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones,
who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.
However, when the Son ofMan comes, will he find faith on the earth?"


Days 21-30

Isaiah 55:6
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;call on him while he is near.

Jeremiah 29:11-14
11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to
you.
13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your
heart.
14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring
you back from captivity I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

Ephesians 1:16-21
16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my
prayers.
17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
glorious Father, may give you the Spiritof wisdom and revelation,
so that you may know him better.
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be
enlightened in order that you may know the hope to
which he has called you,
the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
20 which he exerted in Christ when he
raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the
heavenly realms,
21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion,
and every title that can be given, not only in the present
age but also in the one to come.

Psalm 113:7

7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

Proverbs 31:8-9

8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy."

Days 31-40

Ephesians 6:7-8

7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,
8because you know that the Lord will reward everyone
for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

1 Peter 4:7-10
7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and
self-controlled so that you can pray.
8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love
covers over a multitude of sins.
9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in
its various forms.

James 2:5
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the
eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he
promised those who love him?
1 Thessalonians 2:19

19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in
the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?

James 1:2-6
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many
kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops
perseverance.
4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be
mature and complete, not lacking anything.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom,he should ask God,
who gives generously to all without finding fault,
and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks,
he must believe and not doubt, because he who
doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed
by the wind.

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica

Nov 5-12

Larry Madole and 5 team members along with a team from Crossroads Church in Des Moines were in Pignon Nov 5-12 and accomplished a great deal of work. The following is Larry's report about the trip.


We has six people in our ( Larry's) group and teamed up with a group from Crossroads Church in the Des Moines area. The two teams met up in West Palm Beach and took the shuttle to Fort Pierce. All flights went very well and all were on time.

The members on Larry's team came from different places in Iowa, Colorado and Missouri.

The goals of the team included working on the outpatient clinic and to do whatever was needed to help finish the house for Jared and Stacey Nikkels.

The work that was done on the outpatient clinic was hard manual labor. It include chiping and leveling the dining room floor to get it ready for tile , then we finished tiling the floor in the big dining area and one hall.

We also worked on the Nikkel's house which included tilling two floors, painting both inside and outside, making screens for all windows, making one table and four book shelves. We also worked on the plumbing which included, hooking up kitchen sink, setting the vanity and hooking up plumbing in bathroom as well as setting both stools and hanging kitchen cabinets.

The team also made some shelves for the bathrooms in the Iowa house.

Two of the evenings were spent singing to the hospital patients.

We also went to Bohoc to attend Church services and toured UCI's new worship center. We also toured the hospital compound, operating rooms at the hospital, the farm and went to one of our schools (Rocky).

There is much work that still needs to be accomplished including the hall, kitchen and stairs at the dorm. Kitchen cabinet doors and counter tops need to be made and installed. Beds, tables, some screens and shutters need to be installed at the outpatient clinic.

The next project will be to finish the downstairs at the outpatient clinic. We need to tile floors, paint all walls and ceilings and finish wiring and plumbing.

We need to paint the downstairs at the hospital and work on the wiring.

We also have to finish the addition on Three Bears School and to begin on at Rocky School.

Haunted Eyes by Michelle McBride

Michelle McBride was on a CCH Mission Trip to Pignon in October this was a letter she wrote for the CCH new letter..
Lorrie~~~


Haunted Eyes
Shouldn’t little girls be giggling, playful and bubbling with excitement? Shouldn’t they be carefree, adventurous and joyful? In a perfect world, the answer to this question is a resounding yes. In that world, children spend their days surrounded by parents who love and care for them, providing security and peace to their little hearts.

Michelda has not lived in that perfect world. Recently abandoned by her mother and left with a father who could not care for her and hold down a job, she now lives in Pastor Francois’ orphanage with 32 other children, including one of her older sisters. How can such a young child have eyes full of so much sorrow, fear and pain? She doesn’t smile. Her thin hair provides evidence of her malnourished state. She clings to her caregivers at the orphanage, her life raft in the storm that is her childhood. Praise God that Michelda landed in loving arms that will care for her, providing medication to treat her for intestinal parasites and food and clean water to help her thrive. Praise God for Hospital Bienfaisance for Pignon, the hospital founded by Dr. Guy Theodore and the only Haitian-run hospital where she has received her treatment. Most importantly, as she receives tender loving care from those in the orphanage and the hospital, she’ll also hear the Good News of Jesus Christ that will minister to her broken heart.

Children in Pignon like Michelda need advocates like you to help them claim their little piece of our not-so-perfect world. CCH supports two orphanages, a feeding program and the Boukeronne School that we built in 2008. Your gift of $100 will feed a starving child for an entire year. You can bring the light back into the eyes of children like Michelda who have lost all hope. Please help CCH be part of the solution!

Michelle McBride
Project Coordinator
Community Coalition for Haiti

Trinity Reformed Church Aug 2-7

Summited by Denny Brand~

#1. I was privileged to lead a group from Trinity Reformed Church located in Orange City, Iowa to Haiti from July 30 – August 7. There were 8 folks who went from Orange City, one being was my son-in-law who is an associate pastor at the church. The make up of the group was very young as 5 of those going had just graduated from college in 2006. They were all 1st timers to Haiti and 6 of them had never done anything like this before. There were also 3 couples which made it good for them as they were sharing this experience together and able to process what they saw and thought together. Obviously it was quite hot while we were there, but when one goes to Haiti in July/August, what else could one expect. Due to a scheduling conflict, we spent from Thursday to Sunday with Chrissie and Jon Jon and then came to Pignon on Sunday and spent the rest of our stay in Pignon. On Monday, we cleaned out two depots at the hospital so that there will be room for supplies as they come in and also identify what they already have. Wednesday was a paint day and the area that was painted was the front entry to the hospital. We first cleaned it real good and scraped away the old paint and then put on two coats of fresh white paint. It really brightened up the area and it was a job well done. Thursday was a sight seeing day as I wanted the group to get a good feel for what was going on – we went to the farm, visited the water project, went to the river to observe the activities there, talked about the schools and the agricultural plots and then the day was finished off with a great presentation from the all the folks at the hospital to explain the mission – where it has been and where it is going – all the great statistics that back up all the good things that are going on in the North and Central plateau and then sharing with us the needs and what still needs to be accomplished. We only got to sing one night at the hospital as it rained every evening we were in Pignon. The one night we did go sing was a special time for the group.
The day that I haven’t talked about yet is Tuesday. This day was probably the highlight of the trip for most of us. We went to Bouqueronne and did a Bible school for the kids. Jared and Stacy had lined it up with the principal and we were expecting about 100 kids. When we got there, there were about 150 kids there and the number grew as we started the Bible school. Wilken and Gevy acted as our interpreters and one of our group, who is teacher, led the activities. We thought we would spread out into two rooms, but the principal had them already sitting in one room, so that is what we went with. We had kids everywhere including cement blocks as we ran out of benches for everybody. In spite of what we would have considered impossible conditions, the Lord turned this into a great time. The singing was fantastic as Wilken did a great job leading this. They learned a memory verse and a lesson was presented. We also did a craft which was the making of salvation bracelets. The entire group was able to participate in this and it was a blessed time. Then we went outside and played games. It was hot, but that did not seem to bother anybody but us. I might add that most of the kids were dressed in their Sunday best – beautiful! The morning was made complete by feeding all of them. Again Jared and Stacy had arranged to get the food there and had hired the cooks. We had 200 plates and they were all used up – I think we fed generous portions to most of Bouqueronne. The amazing thing is that all the kids sat and waited patiently while we served them. Our team was overwhelmed with emotion as this was going on – this was something that most of them had never encountered or ever thought about. We then made a mistake of trying to get them to form lines to get a drink that we prepared for them and that did not work – chaos would describe what went on. Live and learn – serve them and don’t try to form lines. This was a great day – one that we will all remember.

#2. We traveled to Pignon commercially to Port a Prince and then took MAF to Pignon. We stayed overnight in Fort Lauderdale on the way down and then we took “Spirit” to Port au Prince. We had never flown Spirit before but found them to be very good. On the return trip, we made the entire trip in one day. It started at 7:15 in Pignon and ended 11:15 in Omaha. Every flight was on time and we did not experience any difficulties at all. Getting through customs went smoothly – getting to the MAF terminal went very well as Nadier was right there to pick us up – this was as smooth a trip as I have ever taken.

#3. We stayed in the MN house while in Pignon and as usual, the accomadations were great. The food was excellent.

#4. Overall, this was a fantastic and successful trip. No one got sick, everybody was co-operative with what we were doing, and we had some great discussions and devotions in the evening. It was great to have Jared and Stacy there to take care of all the details. All the projects went smoothly and they did a great job of arranging everything. I know that I as their leader, was so thankful that they were there. I am certainly not handy and being able to defer the questions to Jared was great. I would encourage any group that goes in the summer to think about doing a Bible school. It is a great time and very rewarding for the group and very beneficial for those that we are serving. I have never gone to Haiti yet and not had a blessed time. I think the feeling is always there for a group that they are going to go to Haiti and help the people there. That did happen, but I would guess that if you quizzed each person, they would tell you that they got more back than they gave. All praise be given to our Lord for a safe and great trip.

Denny Brand
Pastoral Care Leader

Blog for the Nikkles

Jared and Stacey Nikkles have a blog about their experiences living in Haiti. It can be found at http://mh4h.blogspot.com/. I have also made it a link on the Haiti teams on the side bar of this blog.

~Lorrie

Third Reformed Church group at Airport in Pignon

Third Reform Church Trip to Pignon

Sumitted by Tim Brand

1) Please give a narrative description of your trip include in it how many members accompanied you on this trip; what was the purpose/ goals of your trip? What was accomplished, what may need to be done?
Our group of 11 was made up of mostly Third Reformed Church members from Pella, led by Tim and Catie Brand. We had two members that had been on the 2007 trip, Doug Nikkel and Ken Ruefer, and four first-timers: Jay Sunderman, Austin Steenhoek, Jordyn VandeLune, and Addie Smith. Also joining us was Sarah Keller from Olivet Baptist in Des Moines. Our last two members were Bob and Rosemary Nikkel. Their main purpose of the trip was to visit their son and daughter-in-law, Jared and Stacey Nikkel, and grandchildren Will and Natalie. The Nikkels recently moved to Pignon to serve as missionaries, currently living out of the upstairs of the Iowa house.
While in Pignon, we worked on numerous projects. One was working on the Nikkels' home which began construction the day of our arrival. Their house is located north of the Minnesota House within the compound on Dr. Guy's ground. There is much work yet to be done but the group helped clear the area of garbage and cement blocks, removed tree stumps, stubbed the drain lines, started the septic system, and leveled the floors inside the house for cement to be laid. While we were there, the Haitian construction crew dug trenches, laid footings, made cement blocks, and started the walls. It was great to see that progress!
Other work done around the hospital included cleaning air conditioners in a few buildings, including the internet cafe, running electrical service wire to the panel in the new dorm, and doing misc small projects in the Iowa and Minnesota houses. Also, we intended to paint the new three room addition at Three Bears and Me (Fontaine) School. However, upon arriving at the school, we saw that the addition has hardly been started, just trenches and some footings. Upon surveying the other 5 rooms, we saw they were definitely in need of some paint. So we painted the interior of the existing school rooms with two coats in each room. The other main project for our team was a three-day Vacation Bible School at the hospital. We invited 50 kids from our various schools [20 from Meredith, 20 from Three Bears and Me, and 10 from Boukewone (sp)], but in typical Haitian style, we usually had between 130-150 kids each day crammed into the conference room on the first floor of the administration building. For crowd control purposes, we eventually had to close the doors so many listened in through the windows. We now understand the Bible story about Jesus teaching in the house and people cutting holes in the roof so their friend could see Jesus - we had people everywhere! The VBS included songs, a Bible story, a craft, a memory verse, and playing games. Bev Brand prepared the curriculum, with much of it already translated into Creole. Wilkin was our translator (and did a fantastic job and would not accept pay), and Gevy helped with much of the organization. They were both wonderful!
We had VBS from 9:00-11:00 after which we fed a plate full of rice and beans to the 50 that were invited, and then managed to feed an additional 75 to 100 kids besides that on each day. There were a few chaotic moments but overall the VBS was a great success. We'd love to have another group keep the school going next summer or perhaps do the same lessons in another area and we left the material behind with Stacey and Jared. If intersted, please contact me and I can get you in contact with them to plan.
Other highlights of our trip included visiting Haiti Home of Hope and delivering formula and baby blankets. We got a tour of the farm where it was great to see so much progress being done with the goat program and other agriculture.We are happy to report that we saw 58 goats (a whole herd!) and were told that they have handed out over 300 this year. We also sang and prayed for the patients at the hospital multiple nights. Some of our group attended an early morning mass at St. Joseph's and we all headed out to Jean Jean's church service and then their house for lunch. Their new worship center is beautiful and we were excited to hear what UCI is doing for that area.
On July 4, we had an Independence Day party complete with sparklers and singing the "Star Spangled Banner". Our last evening included a presentation on the hospital by Adele and Evanel and a party on the roof of the Minnesota House. We concluded the night by praying together for the hospital, the surrounding areas, and the country of Haiti. It was truly a blessed trip.

2. How did you travel to Pignon? Were there any problems with your flight and or arrangement? Do you have any suggestions to make this an easier process?

We flew down to Ft. Lauderdale and took Acadiana Shuttle services to Ft. Pierce to stay the night. We flew MFI into Cap Haitien (with a quick stop in the Bahammas). They were out of visas in Haiti but we did have to fill out a medical form that asked questions about Swine Flu. The flight into Pignon was smooth, and we were greeted by a team from Trinity Reformed in Orange City that had been at UCI. The flight home was similar except we stopped in Turks and Caicos, where we again had to fill out a Swine Flu form. We had no issues with customs or flights, so we are thankful!

3. What were your lodging arrangements while in Pignon? MN dorm? Iowa dorm? Other?? Any suggestions? Recommendations? Did you have any problems? Do you have any hints or notes you want to pass on to other teams?
We stayed at the MN dorm. We had a few issues with water on the second floor, but luckily Jared was able to figure it out so we were not without water. We also purchased some water filters from Neil Van Dein because we were going through the bottled water so quickly. We left those two water filters with Jared and Stacey for other groups to use if they would like. They filter slowly, but if you keep water going into the filters, you can usually get ahead of it and get cold in the fridge. Our first four days were in the mid 90s with few rain showers coming through. It was HOT.

4. Is there information you would like passed on to the next team that is scheduled ?
This isn't necessarily for the next group, but something that was passed on to me that I think would be helpful for the group. Through the building of their house and seeing some of the projects going on, Jared and Stacey Nikkel have learned that for building projects, if you can get it in writing AND have the money in cash available for the project, things move pretty swiftly. The problems occur when the cash isn't readily available (has to come from the States) or the project isn't being checked on. For example, for the library, Gevy had block made for the wall, but money that was left ran out and worked stopped. At that point, people started stealing the blocks. Money was wired down so materials could be bought to finish the work before more block was stolen (driving up the price for the project even more). Also, construction projects seem to work where labor is negotiated, but all materials are purchased by the personpaying for the job. If someone isn't checking on the project, either too much material is purchased(causing waste) or nothing is purchased (stopping the project). I think we will get smarter as we continue doing construction projects.

5. Did you have any problems issues, occurrences that need to be addressed by the hospital or the Board?
Unfortunately, we had another theft incident where we lost 10 gallons of paint, amounting to about $175. We're not sure when the paint was stolen, but we believe it was taken from the depot when we had someone inside (they were working in the back). We've talked with Evenel about it and it seems the only solution is to keep everyone out of the gated area, as there is a constant flow of people in and out of the compound. We've recommended putting tighter restrictions (and keeping track of) who is coming in and out of the "secure" area. We also will explore adding more security to the depot area.

6. Anything else you would like to share about your trip?
Overall, we had a great trip. We saw some real progress being made at the farm and some of the hospital projects. Also, the hospital staff was the most supportive and available that I've seen them since I started going in 1998. We really appreciated their efforts and sharing with us the current hospital situation. Lives were changed during our trip, no doubt.

Work Team June

Summited by Larry Madole

Our trip was June 8-15 Larry Farrell, John Hocker, Larry Madole from Iowa and Herb Sikkink from Minnesota went to Haiti.

We had to stay over in Port so we used our time there to visit two places. One was Food for the Poor. This was a great opportunity to see this organization first hand and how they are feeding thousands of people in Haiti. We also visited Haytrack, a John Deere dealer that Larry Farrell had worked with in the U.S. We had a wonderful visit and made great contact for future equipment that we may want to purchase for the mission.
When we arrive in Pignon early the next morning, Gevy and a driver were at the airport to meet us. For all of us, it was like we were back home. We immediately got to work on the project at hand, which was to build a septic system for the new library.
We hired Haitians to dig and lay black for the tank. We also were able to set the stools and sinks and complete the water pipes to the bath rooms. We also put up lights.
On Saturday we went to the market to see the market and meet people. We had two days of heavy rain. The water was running two feet deep in front of the library. We were able to complete the tank and do some smaller things at the Iowa house to get ready for the new missionary family that arrived two days after we left. It was a good trip.

May all the praise be to our Lord.
In His Name,Larry Madole

Dental Team May 16-22

May 16-22

summited by James Birong

Pignon May 16-22.
1) Our trip to Pignon in May was successful. Five of us traveled:

Don Montgomery and Jim Birong were doing porcelain bridge work. Our trip went from Friday to Friday so we were able to work on Saturday and then Monday through Thursday. We completed twenty two units (teeth) of bridgework. Also, we did several cases in composite (white fillings).

Don’s brother, Bob Montgomery and Leroy VanHorne worked putting up conduit in the new Outpatient Clinic and Dorm. They were able to work with Randy Friga for three of their days and completed the conduit after Randy left.

Greg Miller worked on the farm and did experiments with drying mangoes and keeping them orange. He was very impressed with Odiel, the mango project manager. He (Odiel) was very efficient, meticulous and clean and very knowledgeable about drying mangoes and everything else on the farm. Greg saw him as a great asset to the farm and hopefully eventually the farm manager.

2) We flew American Airlines into Port-au-Prince and stayed overnight at the Methodist Guest House (good accommodation in which the Guest House personnel picked us up and returned us the next morning to the airport). Then we flew up in two chartered airplanes with MAF to Pignon (the cost increased from $800 to $1100). We may rent a car next year and then we would have it for transportation around Pignon and I’m sure it won’t cost us more than $1100.

3) We stayed in the Minnesota dorm. It was a pleasant stay with good food.

4) We did have a drill stolen from the outpatient clinic which we have been addressing with other emails. We will all need to keep the tools nearby when using them and other safety measures.

5) The trip was rewarding for all and hopefully pleasing to the One we ultimately serve.

Security

PLEASE For the sake of security for yourself and your belongings

1) Do not let unknown kids or persons on the Compound
2 ) Get the advice of Evenel and Gevy before hiring anyone to assist you
3) Secure your belongings/ Close your shop when leaving an area for lunch or to go to another area . DO NOT leave your tools, supplies or belongings unattended ; or have one of your worker be accountable for your tools and belongings when you move out of your field of work.

We appreciate your help and sacrifices but the rules Those who abide by our safety advices are usually exempt of the bad consequences

God Bless Dr Guy

Haiti Trip Amy's Story

Note by Amy MacNeil.~~~

I have just returned from a trip to Pignon, Haiti with CCH. Every aspect of the trip was a blessing. When we went around the group and talked about our favorite moments of the trip one evening after dinner, almost everyone mentioned how amazing it was to be able to participate in surgery. Although I did not participate in the surgery itself, I did get a chance to interact with some of the patients after they returned to the wards. One story in particular will stay with me a long time.

Dr. Greg Bennett was tasked with getting a 60+ year old male patient up following his operation – only the 2nd total hip surgery ever done in Pignon! I tagged along to help translate. After checking that he was not feeling dizzy or nauseous, Greg and I helped get the patient up onto his feet to walk with crutches. Greg showed him how to use the crutches and we were soon out in the hallway with the gentleman cruising along well. We asked him to turn around and return to the room. Right after turning, we noticed him slump forward and we feared he was either going to faint or vomit from the effort. We asked if he was OK and he could only answer, “Emotion.” He was literally weeping with joy to be up on his feet walking again. When we wonder whether it’s worth the effort to fly down to Pignon with medical professionals and cases and cases of heavy medical equipment, after seeing this man’s life changed, I’d say a hearty “YES!”

I also got to help translate as the physical therapists worked with various patients who were not candidates for surgery. We worked everyday with a young woman named Angeline who had been bedridden for 10 months during which she underwent 3 surgeries for appendicitis. Her legs were badly atrophied and she was unable to fully straighten them due to lack of use. In just a few days of somewhat painful stretching and exercise, there was improvement in her ability to move her legs and she even got up and walked to the door of the room and back with our assistance. I enjoyed visiting with her and holding her hand while the PTs stretched out her tight and sore limbs.

I could go on and on about the lives these dedicated medical team members were able to touch: the 11 year old boy who fell out of a tree and had his leg fracture repaired allowing him to walk in the future without a limp, a woman with a painful back condition who with the help of a brace was able to smile again instead of wincing in pain, a young girl with high arches in her feet who now will have proper shoes and inserts to support her once painful feet, a dynamic former athlete who received exercises to improve his function in spite of a painful disc problem, a woman with an elbow full of buckshot following an attack on her life who was given exercises to regain use of her hand and shoulder, a young man who had badly broken his hand and forearm several months ago in a car accident who was given exercises to help him move his fingers and possibly regain some use of the hand.

We also had the opportunity to see the fruit of CCH’s work outside the hospital: at the school in Boukeronne where one year ago there was nothing and now there is a well and a functioning school for 75 kids, at the Campbell’s orphanage where many malnourished children are being fed and restored to health at weekly baby feedings, at Pastor Francois’ orphanage where a second floor and a kitchen area was added to the existing dormitory to allow the boys and girls to have separate and adequate space for sleeping, eating and living, and at the farm where we distributed 11 goats to families who will not have a good source of income for future needs.

It is an inspiration and a blessing to have the opportunity to serve in this way. If you feel called to join us on an upcoming trip, please contact Michelle McBride at michelle@cchaiti.org.

CCH Trip April 25-May 2 Ortho

Note by Amy MacNeil~~

Please give a narrative description of your trip include in it how many members accompanied you on this trip; what was the purpose/ goals of your trip? What was accomplished, what may need to be done ?

Our team was composed of one orthopedic surgeon, three physical therapists, one med student and one HS student who will be studying pre-med next year at college and myself, a CCH staff member. The goal of the trip was to treat the orthopedic cases which HBP had prescreened as well as any other cases that came in during our visit.

We brought equipment and supplies for orthopedic surgery including a total hip.

A total hip replacement was done, as well as surgery to repair fractured leg on an 11 year old boy, a "floating knee" (break above and below the knee) on a young woman and one other orthopedic surgery case.

The Physical therapists treated several patients with exercises to improve movement of joints with longstanding injuries and conditions and taught the patients how to do the exercises at home and/or to use orthopedic devices to improve their conditions.

2. How did you travel to Pignon? Were there any problems with your flight and or arrangement? Do you have any suggestions to make this an easier process?

The team travel to Pignon was by American to Miami and then on to PAP the next day. We took MAF from PAP to Pignon and back. The trip was completely uneventful and without difficulty in both directions. We carried in 11 bags mostly with orthopedic trays for surgery and brought back 8. All were cleared through customs easily and without duty.

3. What were your lodging arrangements while in Pignon?  Any suggestions? Recommendations? Did you have any problems? Do you have any hints or notes you want to pass on to other teams?

We stayed in the MN dorm. Everything went well. I would suggest at the next meeting of the partners that we all agree on a standard tip for the cooks. It is my understanding that various amounts are given which may create hard feelings or unmet expectations.

June 2009 Summit/Board Meeting Agenda

AGENDA
Promise for Haiti Board Meeting
Partners’ Summit Meeting
Minneapolis MN
June 26 – 28, 2009

Friday evening – Board Members
7:00 pm (location to be announced)

Review the agenda, priorities

SATURDAY - Board Members, Partners
8:00 am – 12:00
Opening prayer
Introductions
Field Director report – Dr. Guy Theodore
CBP Executive director report – Marie-Adele Romulus
Financial report – Sue Ishee
Fundraising – Denny Brand
Presentation from CGR (Charitable Giving Resources) - Stacy Rungaitis
Endowment fund management committee – Dr. Paul Severson
Grant writing – Dr. Siri Fiebiger
Hospital support from teams: medical (cost of care), others (fixed amount)
Succession plans for the Field Director – Dr. Theodore
12:00 – 1:00 pm Lunch (provided in the meeting room)

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Projects coordinator report – Larry Madole
Priorities
Opportunities
Challenges
Scholarship/HELP report – Joann Schafer, Bev Brand
Volunteer coordinator report – Lorrie Beauchamp Berg
Team scheduling
Communication: Blog, website, newsletters, email
Application forms
Insurance
Travel arrangements within Haiti (update)
New Issues:
Shipping- revolving escrow fund for customs charges – Ron Nomeland
Limits of team numbers
Partners’ reports
Project Haiti – Dr. Paul Severson
CCH - Karen Carr
Outpatient Clinic
Iowa Coalition
Fargo – Dr. Siri Fiebiger
Ohio/Dental Clinic – Dr. Jim Birong
Maternity House (New York) – Dr. Liz Babu
5:30 pm
Dinner – site to be announced


SUNDAY - Board Members
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Fundraising
Audit
CBP Board concerns/directives
Project prioritization
Succession plan implementation
Team Issues
Escrow for shipping
Water management
Well management/maintenance
Pignon spring diversion
Common dining facility – planning for larger teams
Web page renovation
Other new business
Next Board/Summit meeting

Ohio Group

Please keep the Ohio Dental Team lead by Dr. Jim Birong in your thoughts and prayers as they travel and care for the people in Pignon~~

Lorrie~

CCH April Trip

Note from Knox Singleton

April 2009

One of my father’s favorite hymns was “Come Thou Fount,” which I can still sing from memory. It never fails to bring back fond memories of my father working away, building something and often my helping him as his unskilled “gofer”. That memory was made fresh again as I returned from my recent trip to Pignon, Haiti, and saw the tremendous progress being made in living the Gospel through service to our brothers and sisters there.
There is a line in the hymn which goes “here I raise my Ebenezer; here by thy great help I’ve come” and it seems so appropriate to pause and give praise to our Lord for all of the progress that we are seeing in Haiti. An “Ebenezer” (for those of you who like me may not know the word) is a stone that was set up by Samuel to mark the progress that the Lord had given to the people of Israel to explicitly acknowledge that He was the source of that progress. I think all of us, who were in Pignon recently, whether working in the hospital, on well repair, with the town water project, the Bouqueronne School, the outpatient clinic building, school gardens or one of the other CCH projects, would say we need to pause and mark the blessing that the Lord has given to our efforts. We need to sing songs of loudest praise for what He is doing.
Allow me to touch on some of the things which our team did while in Pignon:

We participated in a “pig giveaway”. Our program to return the Haitian pig into active cultivation by peasants in the Pignon area has gotten off to a good start. Pigs are the “savings account” for poor families and are one of the ways that they survive the dry season when food is hard to grow and children often go hungry. Pregnant pigs are given to a group of approximately 10 peasant families and when the first litter of piglets arrives, each family gets a pig to raise and start a small business raising and selling pigs in the local market.

We are working to complete a school in a rural area called Bouqueronne and have named the school for the community in which it sits. The school serves about 200 children, most of whom did not attend any school before our school opened last fall. The nearest school used to be several miles away. CCH also drilled a well to give the school and local community clean water. Drinking from polluted river water can cause up to 20% of children to be out of school at any one time with waterborne diseases. Children in the Bouqueronne School receive a nutritious meal each day, the only food many of the children receive all day.

Part of the CCH team worked to install electrical wiring and conduit in the new outpatient clinic which is being built by CCH. The clinic is an addition to the CBP Hospital in Pignon and will serve a dual purpose. It will house medical clinics, including a growing HIV/AIDS clinic, a pharmacy, medical records and other outpatient services. It will also serve as a dormitory for visiting medical teams, who come to work at the hospital and treat patients in the clinics. Many of the young men in the town work along side CCH volunteers to complete the clinic building and we are hopeful that if resources become available that we can bring the new building into service before the end of the year. There is still considerable work to be done and we are trusting God to provide the funds to complete the work.

The first three CCH school gardens are “growing” nicely at the CBP schools; Sonshine School, Meredith School and Rocky Mountain. The purpose of school gardens is three fold: first, the food grown in the gardens goes to feed the children attending the school each day. Most children in the rural areas of Pignon eat once every two or three days not counting the food they receive in school (if they are one of the lucky 60% of children who get to attend school). Second, the excess food is sent home with the children to feed their families; and perhaps most important, the children and their families are taught how to use the modern farming techniques demonstrated in the schools to increase their own ability to grow food for their families. Simple techniques, like drip irrigation if implemented by a peasant family, can double or triple the amount of food grown during the dry season when many children and adults go for days with nothing to eat.

Members of the CCH team met with the Pignon Water Committee to discuss the progress on repairing and expanding the water system serving the town of Pignon. Through funding provided by CCH and participating Rotary Clubs in the US, repairs are being made to the existing pipes and new pumps are being installed to increase the amount of water being pumped into the system. Working with the local community, a plan is being implemented to provide water to as many as 200 homes as well as 13 public water outlets and to establish a water authority to maintain and manage the water system. Community organization is an important part of helping the local community learn to work together to maintain vital local services such as the water system or schools.

The team visited the site of a new church being built with the assistance of CCH and an orphanage where young babies who are malnourished are being nursed back to health. Many churches in Haiti provide both schools and feeding programs for their children and often are the only source of education or food that desperately poor children receive.

Two teams of physicians, nurses and other health workers worked in the hospital. It takes hours by terrible roads to get to the nearest hospital and the CBP hospital cares for the sick and injured in large numbers each day. CCH team members fix equipment, train hospital staff in critical skills, perform surgery, set fractures and in general seek to develop the Haitian staff’s ability to care for the poor who come to the hospital, often because they have no other alternative source of lifesaving healthcare.

I hope these examples show what a difference your efforts are making through the partnership between our local Haitian churches, Community Coalition for Haiti and Comite Bienfaisance de Pignon. Working together with the leading of the Lord, it is clear that He is blessing our efforts and multiplying our seeds into mighty harvests in Haiti. All of our work is done in the name of Jesus Christ and we seek to magnify His name in all our efforts. Certainly, nothing would be accomplished without His blessing and His guidance.

Thank you for your faithful support of CCH and our efforts to reach and serve the poor in the name of Jesus. As that old hymn says, we have raised an Ebenezer of what God has done and we give Him thanks for his Spirit having been present during our recent trips. “Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise!!”

God bless you for what you do for the neediest of God’s children,
Knox Singleton
President

PROJECT HAITI

Following Submitted by Adele

We did Laparoscopy surgery this week in Pignon with the Project Haiti team ( March 30-April 2, 2009). We performed 21 cases.

We also held a Laparoscopy Course with 12 Doctors from Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitian that recieved training. Everything went very well except for the Airline transportation from Port-au-Prince to Pignon.

For this period Tropical Air and Caribintair does not have airplane available and the other Airline, Tortug'Air is very very expensive. The group used the services of MAF and of Mr. Frantz, who has a small plane . Project Haiti team left Pignon to Cap-Haitien (April 4, 2009)

April 3nd, we had a meeting with Paul Severson, Knox Singleton, Patty Nelson, Mike Evans and Pignon staff (Adele, Evenel, Gyrlene, Dr. Batsch) about shipping and maintenance. 

Project Haiti do not ship any boxes to Pignon this year (2009) because the customs charges in Haiti is very expenses. Per Dr. Paul suggestions that we prepare a list of Medicines and medical material that we use daily at the Hospital and material that we do not need or do not use. That we also include a list and price of all products that we can we find in Haiti and what we cannot find. So team do not ship unused or unneeded materials and loose money on customs. This is a point that will discuss at the PFH Board meeting in June 2009.

Submitted submitted By DR Paul Severson, Project Haiti.

Adele, Thank you for excellent communication and representing the hospital in Dr. Guy's absence.

To further supplement your report, we have suggested that:
1) The administrative staff of HBP take a very active and vigilant role in the air transport crisis we currently have in Haiti. This will be particularly important for large teams attempting to fly together and teams that do not have experienced team members.

2) Several team members (Dr. Liz Babu and Ron Vitales) were victims of Caribbintair charters and missed their flights. We do not recommend using them at this time, because they are totally unreliable. Their credit is no longer extended in Port so they have to fly to Cap to buy gas, but only with cash - they are routinely several hours late for chartered flights. Tropical currently is not flying at all - they could no longer afford to lease their planes from the DR and hope to buy 3 planes in the future to once again serve our needs. But we have no idea if and when that might happen. That leaves us with MAF and Frantz Gabriel (5 seat and 3 seat capacity respectively). Bernard Celestin is a pilot and a good friend of the mission, but is currently not flying because his license has lapsed -we hope that will change in the near future.

3)Bernard Celestin was able to get the air-conditioner going again - the problem was a lack of maintenance as they had not been cleaned and were completely clogged with dirt and debris, causing the high limit switch to shut down the unit. As a result of the expenses incurred to diagnose and correct the problem on an emergency basis, Project Haiti paid a discounted amount of $1000, and Bernard has agreed to donate the rest to HBP. We have recommended a regular cleaning schedule every 3 months, and an annual professional maintenance - if done properly, these units should function for many, many years.

4) Project Haiti will no longer ship supplies to Pignon once a year in large volumes in a designated cargo plane. In these difficult economic times, it no longer makes sense. None of us really have a clue as to what percentage of the shipped items are actually critically needed. Assuming we were lucky and we happened to guess right, and 50% were actually needed, we all need to think about the donations we are wasting writing checks to MFI, customs and shipping organizations in the US. For example, assume we ship 10,000 lbs. We would pay $15,000 to MAF, $7000 to customs (!!!), and maybe $3000 to truckers in the US (if that is not donated) - that means that it potentially costs the hospital $25,000 to get those supplies. This is why we need to re-think our approach. For our part, we will only ship critically needed items that the hospital requests whenever the inventory runs low. This means we will finally need to put in place an inventory management system. According to Sue Ishee, we are much less likely to get taken advantage of by customs by shipping boxes in small quantities. We also need to consider recovering all monies spent on customs by actually utilizing the franchise recovery process that is utilized by other missions in Haiti.

5) Finally, Gyrlene reported to us at the closing celebration at Dr. Guy's house that the hospital received $20,000 for operations performed during the week of the MIS training course. That results in a net gain of $36,000 to the hospital for Project Haiti's two weeks in Pignon. Additional monies were provided to the hospital to purchase needed supplies in lieu of only a small shipment (7 extra bags (350 lbs.) at no cost brought in by the team).
Thanks for a great week!

Paul Severson, MD, FACSPresident, Project Haiti, Inc.

A Blessed and Happy Easter to Everyone 

Orchard Hill Church

Please Keep the Orchard Church Team in your prayers as they travel and work in Pignon 

April 16-23

Lorrie~

MDRC School Projects

This is a list of Schools that the MDRC is actively working with in Pignon and the local area.

• Rocky Mountain at Malairette -The school has water, garden, latrine, food program and a 54.4 % pass rate
  
• Morningside at Guimby -The school has a kitchen, water, latrine, food program and passing rate of 33.%
  
• Meredith at Terre Blanche- The school has a kitchen, water, garden, Latrine,  food program and a passing rate of 92% .
  
• SONshine at Savanette- This school has a garden is on the food program and a 92.5% passing rate.
  
• 3 Bears at Fontaine -This school has 5 rooms with three to be completed in the near future. It has a food program and has a passing rate of 45.5% 
• Salt and Light at La Bel Mer
• The Bridge at Boukeronne - This school has water and has the food program.

The schools that have a food program is a program where mom's cook Monday,  Wed and Friday a noon lunch and the children bring their own bowls.  

MDRC March Team Trips

The MDRC sent two teams to Pignon one team March 12-19 and a second team March 19-27 .

Both teams traveled by MFI and had no problems with flights.
"We has two wonderful weeks in Pignon. We had people from Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska." The trip team leaders were Dorothy and Virgil Dykstra

The first week had many high school and college people on the trip. We visited schools, the farm and many homes in the area. We also visited orphanage and churches. Both teams spent their time doing many many projects around the hospital and schools in and around Pignon.

The projects were:

• Painted exterior Salt and Light School at  La Bel Mer (l coat, needs 2nd coat) 
• Painted interior Salt and Light School at La Bel Mer all class rooms, 2 coats
  
• Iowa House-sanded beds and made ready to use , tiled bath/shower, cleaned lst floor and set up to use,
  
• Worked on roof to get ready to paint/seal,
  
• Painted interior dining area.
  
• Visited Morningside school at Guimbi and repaired water line
  
• Visited SONshine school at Savanette, looked over garden and latrine, prayed w/headmaster.
  
• Visited Meredith School at Terre Blanche, made and handed out bags to all kids and teachers, feeding program.
  
• Lined room for generator on Iowa House.
  
• Trenched 2 water lines-l to duples, l to Minnesota House
  
• Installed pressure tank at well and built protectives house over it.
  
• Installed floats in water tanks at Guy's House, mission house, Minnesota and Iowa Houses.
  
• Out patient clinic-installed stop sink.
  
• Run water from main to hot water heater.
  
• 2 days work cleaning rubble from floors in outpatient clinic.
  
• Relocated 4 in waste line in bathroom
  
• Hired Boss Makin to work on walls in outpatient clinc.
  
• Cleaned shop at Iowa House.
  
• Cleaned grounds at Iowa House.
  
• Made 295 bags to hand out at 3 Bears School.
  
• Cleaned out and painted depot across from Admin. Bldg.
  
• Got new mattress for guard w/new sheets, blanket and pillow.
  
• Made shelf and key ; rack and new screens for all windows.
  
• Built shelf in break room at Iowa House, and shelving unit for bedrooms.
  
• Painted ceiling of Pharmacy depot
• Visited the Bridge School at Boukeronne
• Brought rice for the Hospital feeding Program
• visited the Farm
• Visited UCI
• helped with the milk program
• Made Shelves for the Iowa house
• washed windows

Please Keep the team from CCH that are traveling to Pignon March 2-9 and March 9-11 in your thoughts and prayers as they travel and work. 

Lorrie~

Priority Projects from the Board for Promise for Haiti

This is a summary of the priority projects discussed at our January Board Meeting in Pignon.  I wanted to put this list on the web so everyone is aware of what the Board and Administration of Promise for Haiti feel are the priorities.

• Drill an efficiently functioning well at the dorm
  
• Establish the endowment fund
  
• Secure the services of a professional fundraising organization
  
• Improve coordination between teams
  
• Completion of the maternity house
  
• Completion of the renovation of the hospital dorm
  
• Completion of the library
  
• Completion of Bouqueronne School
  
• Continuation of the Microcredit program
  
• Expansion of the reforestation and replanting program
  
• Explore establishing a surgery insurance fund or program to cover the very poor
  
• Provide adequate software for drug management in the pharmacy
  
• Paving and landscaping the hospital grounds to improve sanitary conditions
  
• Renovation of the patient family headquarters
  
• Attempt to provide daily meals for our schools
  
• Provide internet access at all compounds
  
• Expand partnerships with other healthcare facilities and providers in Haiti
  
• Improved housing for the medical director
  
• Sharing of newsletters and trip experiences between various teams
  
• The computer system for the hospital needs to be updated.
  

CCH Travels

Please Keep CCH Teams in your prayers as they travel and work in Pignon April 2-9th this team will be working on construction and has an infection control doctor also working with them in Pignon. 

Safe Travels and Blessings

Lorrie~~~~~~~~

Project Haiti Trip

Please keep The Project Haiti Team in your thoughts and prayers the next two weeks as they travel to Pignon to give medical care to the people of Haiti and share their skills and knowledge with the medical staff of the hospital.


Lorrie~~~

Sunnybrook Team report

Sunnybrook team was in Pignon Feb 26-March 5.

Our team was a combination of 2 churches. There were 13 people representing Hope Church in Spencer, IA and 3 people representing Sunnybrook Community Church in Sioux City, IA. (total of 16 in our group).

Each year our churches do a Rice and Bean fund drive so money is brought along to buy rice and beans to distribute to a nearby village as well as to some of the poorest of the poor in Pignon.

Sunnybrook Church had raised money for additional classrooms to be built at Guimby School. Larry Madole and Gevy had worked together to coordinate the start of that project by hiring a contractor in the local Guimby area. Part of our time was spent at Guimby school helping in minor ways but mainly hoping to be an encouragement to the local workers.

Hope Church organizes gifts to be given to the students at Guimby school each year. Sunnybrook Church shares gifts and takes pictures of students that have sponsors supporting them from the US. An additional day was spent at Guimby school to accomplish these tasks.

Many of the participants on our trip were very interested in spending time with children so visits were made to Bill and Jennifer Campbell’s orphanage and the Ann’s orphanage.

We had also planned to do some painting projects around the hospital compound. However the paint that had been ordered was not there. That was disappointing. We were able to do a few door/hinge repairs that were needed at Meredith School.

Many people in our group know JeanJean and Kristie Mompremier and family. We were able to participate in their worship service with them on Sunday morning.

Continued observation on the Guimby project will be in the hands of Gevy and Larry M. on future trips to Pignon.

How did you travel to Pignon? Were there any problems with your flight and or arrangement? Do you have any suggestions to make this an easier process?

We flew with MFI from Ft Pierce, FL. There were a couple additional passengers on the flight, we flew into Port au Prince to accommodate their travel. Going through customs there was fairly easy. No problems.

What were your lodging arrangements while in Pignon? MN dorm? Iowa dorm? Other?? Any suggestions? Recommendations? Did you have any problems? Do you have any hints or notes you want to pass on to other teams?


Our team stayed in the MN dorm. We were very comfortable there
even with 16 people

The shower on the main floor of the MN dorm needs a new shower curtain and rings for hanging. J We had all bottled water to drink. There wasn’t much hot water throughout the week?? Not sure why. The single shower upstairs was draining VERY slowly. ??
Is there information you would like passed on to the next team that is scheduled.
Gevy was a HUGE help to our team. He took care of anything we needed.

5. Did you have any problems issues, occurrences that need to be addressed by the hospital or the Board?

I am not sure who would have been in charge of getting the paint that we had hoped to have available for our group to use, but that was certainly a disappointment. We would have been lost without Gevy’s help.


Anything else you would like to share about your trip?

I wonder if it would be helpful to have a notebook that would stay at the MN dorm and IA dorm. At the end of the week the outgoing team could jot down any helpful tips or basic info to be communicated to the next group coming in.