God's Face Ministry
Our plan, to be a multi-church ministry to the island of La Gonave, Haiti. Presently four churches are involved, North Naples United Methodist, Naples FL (founding church), South Dade Haitian Mission Church, Homestead, FL, First United Methodist Church, Naples, FL and Mattituck Presbyterian Church, Long Island, NY
Our Mission Statement:
To empower Haitians to help Haitians through community development, health and education, and evangelism. We will step out boldly to declare spiritual warfare for the people of Haiti
to bring them to Jesus Christ.
Our mission team of seven traveled to La Gonave June 4th to 12th, 2010. There were four from North Naples UMC, Ed and Sally Ritter, Becky Beckett and Linda Scott, and three from So. Dade UMC, Aunel Bellany (who grew up on La Gonave), Nesly Joseph and Ephraim Floreal. Our main goal was to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the children of La Gonave through games, music, Bible stores and crafts. Every child received a hot nutritious meal as well, as we fed their bodies as well as their souls, and gave them hope. Life is very hard for these children, even in the best of times, and they need to hear of Jesus' love for them.
The group put on five children's programs in five different locations (over 1500 children total) starting with Gran Souce on Saturday (600 kids), then Terra Sech on Monday (300 kids), and then on to Ti Palmiste and our sister church, the Church of the New Jerusalem (300 kids) on Tuesday.
Leaving the mountains on Wednesday, we headed back to Ansagale to stay at the Wesleyan Compound, meeting Pastor Lowell Adams and his family, full time missionaries on La Gonave for four years. On Wednesday we put on a program at Pastor Agones school in Baie de Tortue. On Thursday we took our "show" to the orphanage where we hosted 60 precious children who sang us Bible songs in English!
At TiPalmiste, volunteers were working night and day to lay the concrete floor and stucco the outside wall of New Jerusalem Church. Heavy rains hampered their progress, but it was substantially complete when we arrived. Pastor Ambroise informed us that we are winning here as the devil has been forced to flee this area. Many people are coming to Christ, and many small area church groups are joining New Jerusalem. Praise God!
One of our major goals here has been to create a community with strong leadership from the church. The church can be involved in health and sanitation issues, as well as evangelism. The church leaders would like to start a school this year in the church. It is certainly large enough! We lift up as a joy the fact that all of the work done on the church building was by church member volunteers. Church members also cooked for us at the Guest House. We had a very productive meeting with their church council, identifying some future leaders and planning some leadership training for them.
Money alone will not rebuild Haiti. True change CAN be affected by the fellowship, support and encouragement of fellow Christians. True change CAN start with the children. Just read 2 Chronicles 7:14; "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 I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and heal their land."
