welcome home haiti
Family profiles:
Several new families are being blessed by a partnership with Eastview Christian Church!
Several new families are being blessed by a partnership with Eastview Christian Church!
Sister Charlecia Charles and her family:
Charlecia (center in black tank top) and her four sisters inherited this house when their parents passed away. The five of them live together in the home along with their 13 children. Miaggi, on the far left is Charlecia's nephew and is well loved by all the missionaries who spend time at Pillatre Christian Center.
rear of the house...completely open to the elements
interior wall with leaking roof above
interior hall between the two bedrooms
One of the two bedrooms for 18 people
Marlene Valcourt
Marlene spent 29 years of her life enslaved on a sugar cane plantation in the Dominican Republic. Twelve years ago she escaped with her children. They have been at the Pillatre Church ever since. However, they have never had a home. The church has provided rent for them to live with another family in the community. They have now been evicted and plan to live in a tent until a home can be built for them.
Madame Joesph:
"Man-zo" has her friends call her, is a widow with five children. Their current home is in bad shape. She is a sweet lady, completely dedicated to the Lord, her family and her church.
The roof is leaking badly and the exterior wall of the home are caving in.
Edline is the mother of 8 children and 6 grandchildren. All 16 of them live in a small house originally built for them by Pastor Manno and the Pillatre Christian Church. Even though the house is very small and is in bad shape, it is immaculately cared for as are the grounds on which it is built.
Edline works for Pastor Manno when teams of missionaries come to help. She is one of the devoted women who care for us when we are visiting. Here family is a strong group of believers who are active in the church.
A small group from Eastview Christian Church has adopted her family and is fundraising with the hopes of building them a new home this year!
Edline Edline and her family at their current house
Edline's kitchen
Arianne's Family:
Arianne and her family of five live in a partially finished home on the same property as her mother and siblings. She and her husband do not own the home. There are two rooms that are finished in the home, an eating area and one room for sleeping.
Arianne's children attend Pillatre Christian School and the family worships together at Pillatre Christian Church.
While on a mission trip this past November, members of a small group at Eastview Christian Church had the opportunity to meet Arianne and her children. Their group will partner with this family to provide a home of their own in 2011.
The Branders meet Arianne!
Tom, Maren and Ben Brander had the opportunity to be a part of a short term mission trip with Eastview over spring break. While they were there, they got to meet Arianne. Tom and his wife Rhonda are in the small group that is working to raise funds for a new house for Arianne and her family.
Sister Nati:
Grateful, faithful, commited, enthusiastic...are all words that describe Sister Nati. She currently lives 7-8 miles one way from Pillatre Christian Church. She travels there on foot 2-3 times a week to attend bible study, prayer meeting and worship.
Sister Nati has 10 children, 8 of whom are deceased. The two surviving children live in Port au Prince and therefore are unable to help her. In fact, she cares for several of their children at her home as best as she can.
SIster Nati says that her church family is everything to her. They have taken her in, provided her with food, clothing and anything else she needs. Her one desire is to have a small space in a home where she could rest quietly by herself.
Madame Milor:
Madame Milor has been a pillar of the Pillatre Christian Church ever since it began back in the 1980's. She serves as a deaconness, leading others to the Lord. She currently lives on a piece of property with her children but has no home of her own.
Marceau
Marceau has been a member of the Pillatre church for quite some time. His wife comes to church with him and he is praying that she will become a baptized believer. They have eight grown children, three of which still live with them. Six of the children are believers. Marceau has shared his faith with the other two and they are "coming along" he says. Marceau also shared that he was praising God when the earthquake hit last year as their whole house shook yet did not fall on them.
Marceau One of his sons
Their current home is very unstable
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Jesus said whatever you do to the least of these my brothers you’ve done it to me. And this is what I’ve come to think. That if I want to identify fully with Jesus Christ, who I claim to be my Savior and Lord, the best way that I can do that is to identify with the poor. This I know will go against the teachings of all the popular evangelical preachers. But they’re just wrong. They’re not bad, they’re just wrong. Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken...
