For questions about the contents of this newsletter or Seeds of Support’s work in general, contact Linnae Stole.
FALL 2023: MISSION IN TWO COUNTRIES
Hello everyone, and God's blessings to you all.
Seeds of Support has been busy over the last several months! This August, we participated in our first international mission trip since before the pandemic, this time to Belize. We had a great time seeing a new country, eating great food, and building relationships with local church communities in the villages of San Antonio and Sarteneja. The next mission trip to Belize is on the books for March 16th-23rd, 2024, and the registration deadline is November 3rd. Visit the Seeds of Support Missions page on St. Andrew’s website for more information and to register!
Our Haitian partners have also been actively looking for opportunities to live out their faith in daily life, even amidst the unrest in the country. Kerlange continues to visit an area hospital to deliver supplies, and Joseph came up with a new venture to bring light to the youth in his community. While we can’t safely travel to Haiti right now, we’re truly grateful for how they have found creative ways to do mission work and engaged friends and family in their outreach. Through our friends, we can see how God's mission never ends!
BELIZE MISSION TRIP: A RETROSPECTIVE
This August, 17 St. Andrew members, friends and leaders traveled to Belize for our first mission trip to the country. We received a warm welcome from the Belizean people and saw how God is moving throughout the world! The trip combined service projects like food distribution and construction with opportunities to learn about the culture of Belize. We visited Mayan temple ruins, ate traditional local cuisine (some of it even cooked by our own hands!) and made great friends who we look forward to seeing again.
TRAVEL WITH US IN MARCH, 2024!
Plans are in place for a return trip to Belize next spring, and YOU are invited! The trip, which will run from March 16th-23rd, 2024, will include many of the same opportunities for service and learning, along with new experiences like snorkeling the beautiful Cay Caulker in northern Belize. We’d love for you to join us and experience firsthand God’s global church. Please contact Pastor Peter with any questions about the trip. Register online at St. Andrew’s website by November 3rd.
We’re excited that one of our Belizean trip leaders, Frank Tzib, will be visiting St. Andrew in just a few weeks to share more about the mission opportunity in Belize. He’ll be in attendance at worship on Sunday, October 22nd and will give a presentation on Wednesday, October 25th at 6:30 PM. Everyone is invited to come meet Frank and welcome him to St. Andrew!
UPDATES ON OUR HAITIAN PARTNERS
The political instability, economic hardship, and gang violence in Haiti continue to be dire. Our brothers and sisters there see little hope from leaders on the ground, but they know that God is the way forward. They all remain in our hearts and prayers.
We can report that Jorel is safe in the USA, working in Miami. His family is also safe, with Guerline in Port-au-Prince and Wolfe and Mitgaele studying in Turkey. Joseph and Kerlange have each found ways to continue serving on our behalf however they can from Haiti. Here’s a bit about what the two of them have been up to:
Kerlange continues to visit a local hospital to donate supplies, visit with, and pray for patients. Seeds of Support funds the project, and then Kerlange organizes, shops, and carries out each visit with a team of volunteers. This time, they made packages for 115 people, which included items like soap, shaving cream, laundry detergent, and other necessary personal items.
Additionally, Kerlange, Armstrong, Zeke, and Hannah have moved into their own house! In light of the current unrest across the country, they are grateful to have a secure dwelling, and in close proximity to water with a cistern on the property. The family is hoping eventually to come to the United States under a humanitarian parole program, which allows a limited number of citizens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to take up residence here for a pre-determined amount of time due to unrest in their home countries. Led by Janet Jacobson, United Lutheran Church in Langdon has applied to serve as the family’s sponsor, and requests your prayers that the sponsorship application will be approved.
Joseph has started a kids club in Port-au-Prince, funded by Seeds of Support. The club meets on Saturdays, and in the first few sessions has welcomed between 125 and 150 people each time! Joseph shares that each session includes prayers, songs, games, food, and a message about Jesus. As he’s started this project, he says he is thankful to God for the “beautiful work” God is doing in the world.
CONTINUED PRAYERS FOR OUR FRIENDS
As always, keep the people of Haiti in your prayers. With rapid inflation, food shortages, and gang violence, daily life is a struggle. Pray for Jorel, Kerlange, Joseph, and their families, as well as the community of Pasquette. And pray for constructive interventions in Haiti that bring new hope to those living there.
We pray also for our new friends in Belize, who showed us such warmth and hospitality on our first mission trip there. Pray for a growing relationship and the possibility of many opportunities to meet in the future.
Blessings,
Pastor Peter, Linnae Stole, and the Seeds of Support Board