Board Member Spotlights!

Before we introduce you to our newest board members, we would like to pay tribute to our incredible board members who recently concluded their terms.

We are deeply grateful for the service of Lauren Brown and Tom Wilfong, who concluded their terms as directors in December and served on our Board for the last six years. Both had been outstanding board members, holding leadership positions, taking on a wide array of responsibilities, and working countless hours, all while being enthusiastic, cheerful, and encouraging to everyone involved. In addition, Lauren and Tom have each traveled to Haiti in the past and have a deep love for the programs and our brothers and sisters in Terrier Rouge. Tom's service had been especially meaningful, as he was a founding member of the Board of Directors and has significant knowledge of the organization and its history. Both Lauren and Tom will be greatly missed, leaving very big shoes to fill!

We are proud to introduce Our newest additions to the board!

Desmond Asamoah is a Senior Associate for a US non-profit foundation with a background in development and is looking forward to applying his lived experience and skillset to support our brothers and sisters in Haiti! Desmond shares with us, "Growing up in rural Ghana I drank from the stream, had no electricity and walked miles to access education and healthcare that had many limitations. Fortunately, I have the opportunity to give my children a better experience - they have the best education and healthcare among other needs. I believe every parent should have the same power and ability to provide for their families and children everywhere in the world should have their basic needs met. The world needs to be better and the current narratives should change. As a result, I believe my lived experience and understanding of poverty brings diversity to the Bethlehem Ministry Board. Leveraging my experience and skillset, I am in a good place to contribute to organizational strategies and programs that will sustainably alleviate poverty and suffering for our brothers and sisters. My ultimate goal is to use this privilege of service to bring dignity to the people of Haiti and the world."

Fritz Felchlin started his own business in Haiti over 40 years ago, where he lived with his family for nearly a decade. Having moved back to Athens, GA, he met our co-founders Berry and Peter Rice over 20 years ago and shipped supplies on his containers for Bethlehem Ministry's programs, including for Rob Fisher's JP/Partners for People and Place! As a Bethlehem Ministry supporter, he has also visited St. Barthélémy and the Clinic in Terrier Rouge! Fritz tells us, "I've been involved in Haiti for over 40 years and feel a deep connection to the country. I'm interested in doing anything that I can to help improve conditions there."

Mark Hopkins helped start a non-profit in Haiti, has a professional background in agriculture, is a proud member of First Presbyterian Church of Athens - having served on the Mission and Outreach Committee - and looks forward to contributing his mission and agriculture experience to Bethlehem Ministry! Mark expresses, "I believe my desire to serve Christ in the mission field of Haiti will be a benefit for Bethlehem Ministry. I believe my love for improving agricultural crops and my connections with crop improvement will also benefit Bethlehem Ministry's decisions in this area. I am committed to serving Jesus Christ in any capacity I feel the Spirit calling me and I have been impressed by the work of Bethlehem Ministry."

Steve Norris is a Distinguished Teaching Professor and Vice Chair of the Research Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UTHealth McGovern Medical School and a proud member of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church of Houston, having recently served as the Mission Team’s Chair. He and his wife are long-time sponsors of St. Barthélémy students and supporters of Bethlehem Ministry’s programs. Steve says, “It is my understanding that there is a need to expand the coverage of Clinique Espérance et Vie to other local areas. I hope to be able to help secure U.S. assistance for that endeavor in terms of goods, services, and financial support. I also am very supportive of the educational and agricultural sustainability efforts of Bethlehem Ministry.”

School Is Back in Session!

Thanks to our student sponsors and school supporters, St. Barthélémy students can grow, learn, and play in a safe environment despite what may be occurring in other areas of Haiti. We are incredibly proud of the 2024 student successes, academically and musically, and we look forward to many more achievements in 2025! Photos courtesy of Dominique Bruno!

(Archived post) Nou pap janm bliye: We will never forget

A disastrous earthquake claimed more than 250,000 lives on January 12, 2010. Nearly 3 million people were affected with 1 million of those left completely homeless. The world grieved with Haiti [15] years ago, and today we solemnly remember the devastation the nation endured while giving thanks to our partners in Haiti who immediately responded to the crisis.

Our Founders Remember the Devastation

“Pere Bruno’s daughter Rachel called to tell us there had been an earthquake 38 miles SW of Port au Prince. Two hours later there was a dead silence across the country as all lines of communication collapsed. No one could know where their loved ones were. We spent our night waiting anxiously with the Haitians. We prayed, we held hands with them, we loved on them and they held tight to us. That night was truly about relationship and solidarity.” 

-Berry Rice

“The city where I grew up does not exist any longer. Everywhere in Port-au-Prince, people live in the streets or they use any park or space they can find. They sleep under the stars. Their temporary shelters are made of sheets some of them have recovered from the ruins. Tears came down as I was walking between the bodies of the dead who were still laying on the pedestrian walk way waiting to be picking up by the truck to be buried in a common grave. As I was walking I visited a community of 300 families gathered together on a small property without water, food and so on… They were practically dying.” 

-Father Bruno

Our Response

On January 17th, Pere Bruno traveled to his childhood home of Port au Prince to assess the damage first-hand and to formulate a strategy for our relief efforts. He brought with him 10 volunteers and enough food to feed 250 families. He returned to Terrier Rouge, his truck filled with people looking to create new lives for themselves there. That trip laid the foundation for our disaster relief strategy. Time and again, trucks filled with food, water, charcoal, and flashlights traveled to Port au Prince and returned with refugees. More than 1,000 displaced Haitians moved to Terrier Rouge within months, and Espérance et Vie showed those who lost everything in the earthquake that they still had a chance in life. Clinique Espérance et Vie treated health problems related to the earthquake including PTSD, dehydration, broken bones, malaria, and typhoid. 30 new children were enrolled at St. Barthélémy. Jatrofa Projenou mobilized to provide temporary employment to 25 people. Doctors, nurses, teachers, therapists, students, and others from the United States and Canada quickly answered their call to serve with the NGO. Everyone worked together to care for those in need.

Moving Forward

“I wish all of you could experience the resiliency of the Haitian people, who in spite of great catastrophes, persevere with determination and faith. By the grace of God and the compassion of the human heart, Haitians are moving forward with their lives despite their unbelievable loss. Haiti will be forever changed. The face of Terrier Rouge will be changed as will all of us who lived through this, [but] you can rest assured that Bethlehem Ministry has made, and continues to make, a difference in Haiti. Thanks be to God!"

-Berry Rice, March 2010