For questions about the contents of this newsletter or Seeds of Support’s work in general, contact Linnae Stole.
WINTER UPDATES: MAINTAINING CONNECTIONS
Happy New Year, and God's blessings to you all.
Connection is at the heart of Seeds of Support. Our desire has always been to accompany our Haitian partners to help them achieve their goals, and through the years of that accompaniment work, strong connections are bearing fruit. Even in this time of social distancing with no travel opportunities to connect face-to-face, we are figuring out ways to connect virtually and help implement projects that have the potential for lasting change both within and beyond Redemption Lutheran Church of Pasquette. This quarter, we look forward to a virtual visit from Jorel, hear about multiple educational opportunities in process and planned for the village, and continue to pray for our friends in the daily challenges they face due to Haiti’s health and economic situations.
VIRTUAL ZOOM EVENING WITH JOREL CARTE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH, 7:00 P.M.
Our Haitian support staff person, Jorel Carte, will be traveling to Florida in the month of February, and we are taking advantage of the proximity and reliable Wi-Fi connection to connect with him virtually! Seeds of Support will be hosting a Zoom forum with him on
Friday, February 12th at 7:00 P.M., where he will talk about the impact our partnership has had on Pasquette and Haiti as a whole. The evening will also include an audience Q&A session moderated by Pastor Peter.
BENCH BUILDING CLASS UPDATE
In the month of January, Jorel led two sessions of the bench building class in Pasquette, with nine students in attendance. They are willing and eager participants, and one student even asked if the class could be conducted at his church for members of his congregation! The class will continue after Jorel returns from Florida at the end of February.
The primary output will be benches for the church building/community center in Pasquette. In the first two sessions the students completed two benches, and they cut and prepared the materials to assemble an additional six benches.
Once completed, these benches will be used in the church or Ideas Technology School sessions. Additionally, learning to build the benches is a transferable skill to other wood working projects. To further support potential employment opportunities, Seeds of Support Missions is gifting each student with tools of the trade (saw, hammer, square, etc.).
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE IN PASQUETTE
Just like among churches in the U.S., churches in Haiti are exploring ways to encourage leadership development among their pastors and lay people. Our partners in Haiti asked for assistance from Seeds of Support in this work, proposing a multi-session leadership conference to be held this spring at Redemption Lutheran Church in Pasquette.
The initial sessions will include Pastor Peter, Pastor Matthew and Pastor Karl sharing messages on leadership via pre-recorded video, with discussion to follow among participants. Topics will include: “Define Leadership,” “Identify a Good Leader,” and “Why Do You Trust a Good Leader?”. Jorel Carte will serve as the interpreter for these sessions.
Future seminars will cover the topic of developing personal leadership skills and how to lead others. They may also include other leaders/staff/lay people from St. Andrew sharing their thoughts on leadership both within and outside the church walls.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- For Kerlange, Pastor Holande, and Jorel’s mother, navigating health challenges
- For the people of Haiti for safety and protection from COVID-19
- For peace and calm during political uncertainty in Haiti
HAITI STAFF UPDATE: JOSEPH
Our translator/mission support staff member Joseph shares that he has started a small business selling refurbished cell phones. Especially with the uncertainties around COVID-19 and the challenges of life in Haiti right now, he is grateful for the continued support and partnership from Seeds of Support. He shares a few words about his current situation and future hopes below:
What are you doing these days?
I always thinking and to make a new stuff. Like a different kind of jewelry. I also do like football and I go to play some time.
Where do you see God present in your life?
I see God present in prayer and sometimes you can feel it when you are singing too!
What are your hopes for the future?
I am just thinking to working more harder and to get my own place. God knows everything!
COMING SOON: TRAVEL (HOPEFULLY!) RESUMING
As the COVID-19 vaccination rollout accelerates in the U.S. and around the world, we as a Seeds of Support board dream of the day when we can visit our Haitian friends once again. We look forward to singing and dancing together, sharing hugs and renewing friendships! Based on careful monitoring of the health, safety, and economic situations in the country, we are hopeful that a full mission trip with participants from St. Andrew and United Lutheran will be possible in the first half of 2022. The Seeds of Support board would like to start gathering names of people who would potentially be interested in traveling to Haiti on an upcoming trip. Please click the link below to take a brief survey on your interest. Completing the survey in no way commits you to participating, but it will help in our planning process.
Thank you for your continued support of St. Andrew and United’s work in Haiti. We are excited about the energy around our mission both among our board and our Haitian partners. God is present in, with and through us, and we wait in hope to see God’s plans for the future.
Blessings,
Pastor Peter, Linnae Stole, and the Seeds of Support Board