Heavy Rains Devastate the Village of Thanks

Espérance et Vie's Immediate Response

The Village of Thanks is located at the entrance of Terrier Rouge and houses more than 100 people including four teachers and many students from St. Barthélémy school. Saturday night, heavy rains devastated the village and other areas of Terrier Rouge as the water rose and filled the homes of our brothers and sisters.

As soon as Father Bruno heard the news, he organized a team to provide food and water for those affected by the flood. Some cooks from St. Barthélémy responded immediately and prepared dinner that was later delivered by students and other volunteers. Displaced families found shelter and safety in the Episcopal church nearby.

The rain stopped temporarily this morning which allowed most of the water to recede, but it resumed early this afternoon making it possible for the area to flood again. Espérance et Vie's response team cooked and delivered breakfast and lunch today, and the next step is to give the affected families rice, beans, and oil so they can cook their own meals.

Our partners in Haiti are quick to respond to crises like this one with grace and compassion, and they continue to make an enormous impact on the people we serve. Local and national officials have failed to address the needs of the community, but Espérance et Vie is always there to provide hope and life in seemingly hopeless situations.None of this would be possible without your support, and for that we are eternally grateful.

A New Day

A rooster crows, piercing the silence of the still, cool morning. Call and response across the lanes as others join. Rays of first light creep above the horizon, above the canopy of the coastal plain. Slowly, organically voices start to rise, just a few at first but growing into a low chatter as the morning light spreads. Sprinkles of laughter follow, a crescendo of life awakening. A goat herder rousts his charges from their overnight pen and starts through the lanes to the paths out of town for the day’s grazing. From our perch on the roof of St. Barthélémy school we look out and greet a new day dawning in Terrier Rouge.

Soon the school yard is be bustling with life as children arrive, some on foot in small groups, many delivered by their fathers on bikes, motos. Hundreds of children! Their red polos and gray shorts clean and fresh. Conversation, laughter, and spontaneous soccer play erupting. Order emerges from disorder as the crowd sorts itself into classrooms. Then ranks of students led by their teachers emerge from the classrooms to stand at attention, filling the courtyard and the balconies for morning assembly: a prayer, the 23rd Psalm, raising the flag and singing the national anthem led by the enthusiastic, if not always well-tuned, strains of the marching band. A new day begins at St. Barthélémy.

That was the scene some years ago. Some things have changed: A second building now houses the high school, over a thousand students are enrolled, the neighboring Espérance et Vie (Hope and Life) Clinic provides medical care to the students and community, and Jatrofa Projenou supports vocational training, local enterprise and restoration of agricultural lands. The electrical grid has reached Terrier Rouge on its way to the nearby industrial park at Caracol; TVs, fans and cell phones followed. A National University campus was built just a few miles west of town. St. Barthélémy students are graduating, some continuing their education to become teachers, nurses, accountants, leaders. A new day is dawning in northeast Haiti.

The legacy of the leadership of Pere Bruno, Berry Rice, and Rob Fisher and the work of countless Haitians who have put legs on their dreams has been a force for transformation, of opportunity, of hope and life for the people of northeast Haiti. It has been a privilege to be a witness to and a small part of Bethlehem Ministry’s support of Espérance et Vie and Jatrofa Projenou. May the next new day be just a bit brighter than the last.

Rich Wheeler

Board of Directors, 2014-2020

"The people made me fall in love with Haiti."

My family first became aware of Bethlehem ministry through our church’s alternative giving fair (Navidad Market) and moments for Mission in church service, and we began supporting a child at St. Barthélémy school in Terrier Rouge around the same time as our oldest child began kindergarten. We still have pictures of our recent students on our bulletin board in the kitchen and just placed an ornament with a past student on our Christmas tree. Rich Wheeler and I worked together on our church’s Missions Committee. Rich and Janet Wheeler were passionate supporters of the ministry and encouraged me to become more involved.

My first trip to Terrier Rouge was around Thanksgiving in 2014 with several others from our church (St. Andrew’s Presbyterian in Houston). We arrived in another world with different schedules, sounds and concerns. The people made me fall in love with Haiti. It was such an eye-opening experience to see how Espérance et Vie was able to convert our small annual donation, combined with others, into real educational opportunities for the children of Terrier Rouge.

Rich Wheeler encouraged me to join the Bethlehem Ministry Board of Directors and participate on a different level. I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with many fine people all working towards creating a sustainable organization that connects hundreds of people in the US with the ministry in Terrier Rouge. Bethlehem Ministry is very different today than it was eight years ago when I first joined, but the common thread is the way that God is using the volunteers, informed by the steady guidance of the Bruno family and the Haitian people to create opportunities and serve. Today we have youthful energy on the board, committed board members, and dedicated sustaining donors all over the country working to partner with our brothers and sisters in Haiti to create educational opportunities for enthusiastic children, economic opportunities for members of their community and health services to improve quality of life. I have truly enjoyed getting to know everyone involved in the ministry!

Richard Estimable, Kelli Mayfield, Jaques-Mary Saintus, Eric Lokker, Ryan Lokker

Involving my family with the ministry has been meaningful to me. As my son was working to earn his Eagle scout rank, he was looking for a project that he could organize and lead. Through consultation with Pere Bruno, he decided to collect school supplies for St. Barthélémy school. The Scouts of his troop enthusiastically participated in working on the project, and our neighborhood was very responsive. Ryan raised money to send the supplies to Haiti-an interesting logistical challenge, to be sure! We were then able to bond when he accompanied me on another trip to Haiti in 2018. It was rewarding to see him internalize the lessons of the trip and educate his mother and sister about what he learned. He was also able to share his experience with his theology class at school.

I am so blessed to have been led to this ministry at church many years ago for it has changed me as a Christian, volunteer, and family member.

Eric Lokker

Board of Directors, 2014-2020