Winter 2019 Update

As I write this in mid February, Haiti is experiencing dramatic demonstrations. Everyone in Haiti is frustrated by the lack of electricity, inflation (which drives up the cost of food, etc), a gasoline shortage (long story), and rampant government corruption.   

We have been forced to cancel several trips to Haiti because of demonstrations.  However, the Haitian people deserve better leadership, so the demonstrations are understandable. 

Living Hope Haiti had a good Summer and Fall in 2018.  Here are the highlights:

Our five schools have continued to do well.  We are developing a tradition of keeping our schools open while other schools close due to demonstrations.  In our high school, we have started a new computer lab.

We are getting ready to launch several adult literacy programs, in partnership with Alfalit.  These programs allow people to learn to read, and experience dramatic increases in self worth.

Surgical Trips:

We sponsored a small surgical trip in November that performed cervical cancer surgery for several patients.  However, we were forced to cancel surgical trips in October 2018 and February 2019.  This is very disappointing, as these trips represent the only opportunity that our patients get for life changing surgery.

In November, our work with patients in Haiti was mentioned in an article in the Miami Herald.  

In December we distributed 1600 backpacks to our students, and Christmas gifts to our 100 staff members.  This year the backpacks included a soccer ball, which sent positive shockwaves through the community.  Very few kids in St Michel have ever played with a new soccer ball, much less have the opportunity to own one!     

On the December trip we also conducted a medical clinic, seeing over 300 patients.  We continue to followup on their care with our Chief Nurse Michel. 

We are starting several businesses in an effort to generate jobs:  we are opening a Propane Gas retail location to provide the community with an alternative to charcoal, which is depleting the trees on the island.  We are opening a small gym for people to workout in, for a small monthly fee.  We are also building a water well repair team - we have a backhoe in Haiti that the team can use to repair wells.

The propane gas business and the gym are private efforts, so that Living Hope doesn't get stuck with any losses.  

As always - thank you for your prayers, and your support!  We are blessed to be able to work in Haiti, and your support makes it all possible.  

Spring 2018 Update

Living Hope Haiti hosted another fantastic surgical trip to Haiti on May 31 through June 3. Over 50 surgeries were performed by the talented doctors and staff from Baptist Health South Florida.

Several of the surgeries were life-saving, and all of them were life-changing. One of the surgeries shown in the attached photos is a man with a huge fatty mass (a lipoma) on the back of his neck. He said he had suffered with this condition for 50 years. The doctors were able to remove it, and the gentleman was delighted, to say the least! Although there was a language barrier between him and some of the staff, his smile was worth a thousand words.

The medical staff, along with the support staff, worked tirelessly in order to complete their mission of making a profound impact on the Haitian people. The unity between the surgical team, recovery team and support staff provided optimal efficiency to treat as many patients as possible.

With every trip, the service to the Haitian people becomes more impactful, and this is possible due to the generosity of the Living Hope Haiti community!

Thank you for your support of this ministry. We continue to function with zero overhead, so any donations you make go straight to work in Haiti. Your support makes all of this possible.

Winter 2018 Update

Living Hope Haiti Christian Mission had a great 2017!

We started and finished the construction of a concrete bridge in St Michel de L'Attalaye, and another suspension bridge for pedestrians and motorcycles. This was our second suspension bridge. The concrete bridge allows the road to St Michel to remain open to traffic during the rainy season. While we were there in March building the bridge, a rainstorm one evening made the river rise, showing us how high the river can get- even during the dry season. St Michel is often times cut off from the rest of Haiti by a simple rainstorm.   

The concrete bridge represents the largest infrastructure project in the city's history. The full time missionary with Living Hope Haiti, Brennon Garrett, did a magnificent job of planning the bridge, and managing the work teams. We also thank the folks from the States who traveled to Haiti for a week to get the main structure finished. And the President of Living Hope, Mayor Gueillant Dorcinvil, helped tremendously to organize the construction and motivate the work crew on both bridges.

Allison Garrett continued her ministry of helping the citizens of St Michel with a variety of health issues. In several instances, her assistance was the difference between life and death.  

We hosted surgical teams from Baptist Health South Florida in March, July and October, and we were able to double our usual surgical capacity by partnering with IHI and St. Luke's hospital in Port au Prince. By doing so we were able to perform surgeries at the two Operating Rooms at St Lukes. Many patients received life-changing surgery.

In addition to the surgeries that we perform, we took a number of people for CAT scans and other diagnostic tests, and are working on getting them surgery in Haiti at other facilities, at a fraction of the cost in the United States.

If you would like to support our efforts to orchestrate life saving surgeries for Haitian patients in Haiti, you can support the cost of tests and surgeries that we organize for patients that we can't operate on with our teams. You can do so by visiting our website: LivingHopeHaiti.com and click on the donate button. It will take you to the page where the medical support project is listed.

Allison and Brennon Garrett enlisted the help of an intern, Jessanne, to tutor their daughter Brianna daily. In her off hours, Jessanne taught English lessons to the High School English Teachers each week. We thank Jessanne for her service in Haiti.

We focused on English lessons this summer in St Michel at VBS- look for us to make progress on this topic in the years to come.   

We launched a Christmas Backpack program in partnership with Church @ the Springs in Ocala. This program had us deliver roughly 1400 backpacks loaded with supplies, toys, and hygiene items to the children in our elementary schools. The distribution took place the week before Christmas and was a whole lot of fun.

The backpacks also contained A Story of Jesus in Creole, some food for a Christmas meal, and a pair of sunglasses!

As always, thank you for your prayers and support!

Thanks,

Calvin