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I love looking out over our balcony. It just makes me want to give the Lord a big handclap because His creation is so beautiful. I am looking out over the ocean just a short distance away, from my home here in Haiti, with the flowering trees and bushes. I then can around and see the high quiet mountains bathed in the first colors of the day.
I say, to the Lord, “What a wonderful way to begin the day” and an awesome time to pray.
Of course I have to include a nice cup of Haitian coffee.
Today was a fun day and even though driving conditions were bad, the people are all back setting up their little businesses along the sides of roads and visiting with each other. We have a saying here in Haiti, “If you want to make a Haitian happy, just give him another Haitian to talk to.” By the time the conversation is finished and all the countries problems are solved (don’t we wish) it is time to get to their businesses.
Today we have visitors from Bellingham, WA who came to Haiti with me.
We drove up the mountain about five miles to our little orphanage called “Rusty’s house.” The children were excited and ran out to greet us, giving us our daily quota of hugs and then singing the new songs that they had learned in school.
We then unloaded the car, our arms full of new little dresses for our girls. These dresses were made by my friend, Jennifer Wips and her new sewing class, great job girls! Jennifer and her husband Jonte, are not only my good friends, but excellent teachers. They are members of the Haven Hutterite Community in Dexter, IL (they have the best food in town.) The girls put on their dresses and were dancing and whirling around as the boys stood wondering about their gifts. I let them pass out the candy I brought with me and told them that on my next trip, I would bring each one of them a T shirt. They were all smiles.
We played with the children and took lots of pictures. When I sat down to rest a little, they decided to braid my hair. My head was full of many little braids. It was hard to leave them when we had to say goodbye, but I know that they are well taken care of when I can’t be there. We do need support for these precious ones!
At the end of the day, sitting on a ledge under a sweet smelling Jasmine tree, I wondered why orphans were so special to me. Suddenly I had a flashback of three little girls and a little boy who had lost their mother in a tragic accident. They were lonely and lost. They stood together at the funeral and wondered what was going to happen to them. One of the little girls asked her aunt if she could live with her, but of course it was too soon and no one knew just what to do and she said “no.” - I was that little girl who was looking for someone to take care of her and love her. When I remember that answer, it is hard for me to say “no” to any child here.
At Glow Ministries that is My Heart — Orphans and Widows
Jesus loves these children and He told us to help them. Rusty’s Kids need sponsoring. We cannot do it alone. Haiti is once again full of visitors. Come to Haiti. Be a sponsor and get your hug.
In His love for Haiti, Bettie
The “ATeam” Kevin Parsons and Chad Snyder
As we struggled up the rutted, torn–up section of mountain people affectionately call a “road” headed for DucoUn, I reflected; “Isn’t this an adventure?” It sure is– driving or riding the back roads in Haiti is indeed an adventure! Actually, driving the “highways” (another misnomer!) with racing busses and their blaring horns, negotiating the potholes– an understatement– is an adventure as well.
Or how about us blancs (foreigners) struggling down and up the trail at Fonde Baptiste to see their water source? Yes, it’s a 1 mile round trip with half of it a goat trail that loses and gains 400’ of elevation. I’m sure the locals get a charge out of us stumbling around in our fancy cross training shoes while a woman puts a forty–pound bucket of water on her head and casually walks up the hill in her flip flops! I just finished reading the book of Acts and Paul certainly was a man who lived an adventure. The last chapters talk about a shipwreck and how God was sovereign during that time. Paul was on a journey to reach the lost as well.
Each village we visited held a different story; some good and some not so good. Frettas was not so good. This is a vibrant village with a very nice church building that had been built almost 75 years ago. In fact, the locals are refurbishing the church for a big celebration. Frettas has water as well. They have channeled aqueducts from an upstream river to provide irrigation for their crops. Phil noticed the first rice being grown in the area! They have the nicest school I’ve seen in Haiti. Actually, it’s more like a campus than a school. It has 3 building (with restrooms okay, outhouses) and a stone walkway up the middle. So why is Frettas “not so good”? There were only 40 children in the school which could provide education for probably 400 kids. This place hasn’t gotten GLOW support in the past, and really needs help.
DucoUn, Fonde Baptiste and Grande Gode are a different story. There are schools full of kids, food being provided faithfully and efficiently, and churches that know how to worship the Lord— all signs of a vibrant, healthy village (relatively speaking, of course). I am always impressed by the students’ behavior. Ever time we come to a classroom the kids stand, showing respect. They stand and don’t fidget the entire time we are there! It’s a simple sign that the teachers impart discipline and respect into the children’s lives. I’ve been to Haiti four or five times, and this is the first time I’ve seen the children fed. Not that they haven’t been, I just haven’t seen it. Again, the meal is provided efficiently in an orderly manner. The teachers are wearing slacks, nice shoes and ties, and children wearing uniforms; they could teach the Americans a thing or two! Perhaps someday Haiti can send some missionaries to America.
Haiti always seems bipolar to me. Driving down the road I see beautiful Caribbean waters with white sandy beaches to my left. Panning right, I see a ruination of a road with potholes and ruts. More to the right is a neighborhood with dust hanging in the air and mud underfoot. Driving further, I see little lottery kiosks and cell phone shops. Meanwhile as we drive by, men pat their stomachs, hold their hands out wide and yell, “Hungry!”
Phillip learned a new phrase from Maestro this week; “Drinking the Clorox.” He hadn’t heard this phrase before, but now it’s even in the news. People in Port au Prince are so hungry their stomachs ache. They say they are “drinking the Clorox”, because that’s how it feels. They take clay, add salt and lard, mix it and cook it. This is what they eat to stave the starvation pains.
I am pleased to report that Phil is doing really well. The last time I went to Haiti was the first trip after his kidnapping. Not so good! But God has been faithful and Phillip is doing quite well. He is engaged and encouraged!
Voodoo is on the wane! There are so fewer witch doctors’ houses than when I first went to Haiti. We drove by one that had been burned. Apparently the locals didn’t like the witch doctor in their area, so they burned his house out. In America we write our Homeowners’ Association. In Haiti they set the house on fire.
A good source for finding out what’s going on in Haiti is www.focushaiti.com. It has the latest news of happenings in Haiti. Just click “Haiti News” a couple of times and you should get there. Lately there is unrest due to escalating food costs. There are quite a few articles that address the situation and are enlightening.
Have you ever sat in your house in the middle of winter in the snow and cold? It seems like the cold is right beyond the walls— it is! And you feel like you’re just keeping it at bay. The thought of a broken window
or door left open or worst of all a power outage makes you realize that freezing weather is right out there, just waiting to get you and your family. You know you have to keep the furnace or wood stove going steadily or there could be problems. That’s the way I perceived Haiti this time. The churches, schools and feeding programs are working great. But a political upheaval, a downturn in the American economy, or indifference of supporting individuals could hurt these villages badly. As long as we support them, they are vibrant. These ten years of GLOW Ministries have been awesome! Thank God for what He has done! Perhaps the next ten years we can train the villages to be self supporting. GLOW does a great job of raising up local pastors, teachers and cooks to enable the villages to survive and even thrive. It’s getting close to time for the next step, getting the villages self sufficient.
America is the wealthiest country in the world, in the history of the human race. We are so blessed! What does the Bible say about that? I Timothy 6;17-19 says, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
Remember to pray for GLOW, Phil and Bettie that God will continue to use them and move mightily throughout Haiti. James 5; 16 says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
I would encourage you— anyone reading this newsletter— to take a Haiti Adventure. All the letters and reports from others can give you a great idea of what Haiti is like. However, there is nothing like going there and seeing, hearing, smelling and feeling what Haiti is really like. It is worth the trip! We had some people that were very hesitant to come for their first time, yet had no regrets when it was over. This time people brought a lot of kids, even little kids with the smallest less than two years old. It can be a great family adventure. It can be a great cultural learning tool. And it can change your life.
Jacob Allen Snyder, age 28, died Saturday April 5, 2008 as a result of an accident in Santa Barbara, CA. Preceded in death by his uncle Jonathan Cupp. He is survived by his loving parents, Peter and Lauren Snyder and Suzanne Cupp Beachy and Timothy A. Beachy; faithful and devoted siblings, Jenna and Jesse Snyder, Natalie and Collin Beachy; grandparents, Bettie Snyder of Haiti and Gene and Anna Lee Cupp of Findlay, Ohio, and; aunts and uncles, Jackson and Phillip Snyder and Caroline, Dale, and Tim Cupp. A 1998 graduate of Whetstone High School and Ft. Hayes Career Center, he focused on and excelled in art and music. Jacob also graduated from The Ohio State University in 2004. He debuted professionally as a bass player at age 17. His works of art earned top awards at the local and state levels. His sparkling creativity, quirky sense of humor, and gentle spirit will be deeply missed by his many friends and family members. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 4th at the Vineyard Church of Columbus, 6000 Cooper Rd. in Westerville.
A Letter to Our Sponsors
Phil Snyder
The world is facing a global food crisis, prices everywhere are soaring, sparking riots and raising concerns that governments could fail. This has become brutally obvious in Haiti. Month after month, visit after visit, I can hardly believe my own words, “I’ve never seen things worse.” And they just keep getting worse! We are just beginning to see the tip of the iceberg.
Farmers worldwide reaped the largest harvest ever last year. The problem, it seems, is an overwhelming increase in demand. There are other factors to consider as well; severe drought in Australia, flooding in Argentina, extreme weather across the globe including Haiti which devastated huge amounts of farmland. It is time to plant in Haiti but many farmers have been forced to eat their seed. Couple this with the increasing demand for biofuels which is diverting large amounts of grain, especially corn, from the food supply and we have a recipe for a decade of worsening conditions. Record oil prices have also boosted the cost of food. But one of the biggest factors, they say, is the dramatic expansion of the middle class in China and India, and other formerly poverty stricken nations.
We need to stay ahead of this potential catastrophe while the “experts” try to figure out the solutions to these problems.
The rising cost of food in Haiti has nearly doubled our expenses for the school feeding programs. This is something we cannot afford to ignore. A GLOW community in Haiti is like an oasis. Our feeding programs are effectively sustaining the health and vitality of close to 2,000 children. The families of these school children are experiencing less food insecurity, lack of food, in their homes as well. In essence, the whole family is strengthened through the GLOW feeding programs. We need your help to continue to provide this level of assistance to these families in Haiti.
May I suggest a voluntary increase in our sponsorship giving?
GLOW has maintained our child sponsorship program at $25 a month for ten years now. As much as I don’t want to raise this cost, I feel I must. So this is what I want to do:
If you are currently sponsoring a child I want to give you the option of maintaining your sponsorship at $25 per month. I realize that some of you are on fixed budgets and cannot afford to increase your giving by $7.00 a month. I also believe that some of you would be more than willing to increase your monthly giving to help us avert this potential crippling of our feeding programs in Haiti. If you are able to increase your giving to $32.00 per month please indicate that on the bottom of this page, the back of your sponsorship coupon, and mail it to us in the enclosed envelope. We will, with grateful hearts, adjust your monthly coupons accordingly. If you are unable to increase your giving, we understand, don’t do anything, we will continue your sponsorship at $25 per month.
All new child sponsorships will be offered to the public at $32 per month.
Thank you for your faithfulness. I wish you could come to Haiti and meet our children. You would see for yourself this beautiful ministry that your gifts have made possible. The children and their families know the blessing that is theirs because of you. Believe me, they pray for you often. The schools and churches are a testimony to Haiti and the world, lights shining on the hills, they are also a testimony to you, thank you!
This is Odinel’s third banjo I’ve brought him. He wears them out playing in the churches to the glory of God
Asked why they were planting the flowers these kids responded, “Because we want to make our yard beautiful!”
The Frettas River was refreshing and fast!
We almost made Vicky stay in Haiti with us. Let’s pray she comes back!
“I’m Hungry!”