Spread The Bread – Haiti – Update from July 2016 Trip
(NOTE: realbreadoutreach.com is undergoing a major facelift and will be ready in the near future with all the pictures for this update)
Our July trip to Haiti was a huge success. There were nine of us that went – Pastor Jamie Powell, Caleb Powell, Debra Strickland, Lydia Strickland, Hailee Devine, Tyler Worsham, Noah Manning, Brad Becker and Sue Becker – all from Morning Star Church in Canton, GA.
Pastor Jamie checked on the garden he had planted in May at the orphanage and school out at the village in Pouille run by Pastor Volner Alexandre, with Together for Christ Ministries (www.tfchaiti.com). Our other team members, Hailee Devine, Noah Manning, Tyler Worsham, Lydia Strickland and Debra Strickland worked sacrificially in Pouille as well doing whatever tasks were needed from Bible School, to dancing and games, to garden and just loving on a lot of precious children. Brad Becker’s task (with the help of Noah Manning and Osner Jeanlouis) for the week was installing 15 windows in the children’s buildings. The children have endured 3 rainy seasons with no windows on their buildings. During these months, each late afternoon brings a torrential, blowing rain that soaks the children’s bedding and clothes. The children were more than grateful when the last window was installed (while it was raining!) and promptly gathered around to give hugs and say thank you. A truly humbling experience.
My week was spent baking bread at Global Citadelle Vision Ministry (www.gvcm.org) with Ricardo, a most amazing young man. As shared in the July update, Ricardo captured my heart on our first trip to Haiti in March. He took an immediate interest in the grain milling and bread baking process. Since then, Ricardo has graduated from a secondary cooking school in May and though I only spent a few hours with him on that first trip, he continued making bread for the 150+ children at GVCM after we left, but only as funds allowed.
My goal this trip was to mentor, Ricardo. I held a short nutrition class on the important health benefits of freshly milled whole grains (why we mill our own flour) and did a cooking demonstration with Ricardo and others that wanted to help and learn. They totally “got it” and are very excited about having healthy bread to eat. Ricardo and I did everything together. We went to the market, baked muffins, pancakes, bread and rolls. We traveled out to Pouille to meet up with Brad and the rest of the team. Ricardo wanted to make bread there, so he did a bread making demonstration and helped make lots of bread for the kids of Pouille. Brad returned with us to GVCM to spend the night before leaving for the area of Gonaives, to visit churches and orphanages run by Pastor Djumy Septembre (www.carha.net). Again, Ricardo travelled with us, to several orphanages, seeing the need for bread everywhere we went. Before saying our goodbyes (which was hard), Ricardo accepted our offer (and challenge) to be the facilitator for the real bread program that has begun in Haiti. He will be our hands and feet in Haiti.
Since our return home, Ricardo has faithfully baked some type of bread, muffins or pancakes every day for the children and staff at GVCM. He has held a baking demonstration for others that want to be a part of the “bread program”. He is looking forward to my return in September when we will devote more time to bread making, coming up with a budget for supplies, and menu planning and hold our first official bread making class for some of the other orphanages.
Ricardo will be 20 years old in September. He still has 2 more years of high school (most kids in Haiti are behind in finishing school). He is a very compassionate and giving young man. He helped start a discipleship group of teens at GVCM where he lives. Their desire is to share the love of Jesus with those around them and to take food and provisions to the poor families of Haiti. Ricardo is a very hard working young man and we would like to support him in his efforts and for the responsibilities for the bread ministry we are giving him. He has proven that he is up for the task. A meager $40/month is the average salary in Haiti (if work can even be found). Most live in poverty and starvation. This would give this bright young man a hope and a future and the means to provide for his basic needs and those of his siblings.
Support is also needed to buy grain mills as others join the program as well as the monthly bread baking supplies.
If you would like to be a part of the Spread the Bread – Haiti outreach, send checks made payable to:
Real Bread Outreach
561 Dogwood Hills Lane
Canton, GA 30115
Or visit us online at www.realbreadoutreach.com
Wheat for Haiti Campaign – Help Us Fill A Container
Our Spread the Bread – Haiti Outreach is growing quickly
We have 3 ministries with multiple orphanages and schools on board already – and more coming on board. Shipping grain a few buckets at a time is cost prohibitive ($100/bucket). A pallet of 48 buckets of grain (45lbs each) left for Haiti on August 8, 2016. It should arrive by the end of August. This brought the shipping down to $15/bucket and is about 1 month’s supply. Shipping a 20 ft container holding 640 buckets of grain is our next goal. This will bring the shipping costs down to $6-8/bucket. We would like to fill the container by the end of September.
Want to help?
A $40 donation to Real Bread Outreach will buy on 45 lb bucket of grain