Dear friends,

David Young, Executive Director Heart of God Haiti

We have so much for which to be thankful! For Haiti, Tropical Storm Isaac is now history; it could have been so much worse. If perhaps you have been following the blog updates on our website, you already know some of the challenges we are facing in Isaac’s aftermath. But, let me share some of the good news with you first.

We recently returned from a trip to Haiti in which we had the opportunity to spend time with Pastor Justin and the children at the Orphanage. We are so encouraged by what we’ve seen. The children are happy, well-behaved, and are visibly healthier than when we last saw them in May 2012. This means your prayers and help to support this work are making an impact. Take a moment to view the short video which shows the children, the landscape, and the buildings in the video below:

Heart of God Haiti Mission Trip August 2012

Traveling with me were Pastor Paul Burress the Senior Pastor at Victory Church in Rochester, Mike Sullivan a church leader from Victory Church , Erin Corbett our next missionary, and Jan Ross President of Heart of God International. Each team member came away with the same reaction: we’re thrilled to be partnering with Pastor Justin who has proven himself to be a good man, one of strong faith and integrity. He is sincerely humble and eager to do God’s will, taking care to approach things prayerfully and with complete transparency. Again, we couldn’t be happier!

Scott Ingram, HGIM’s missionary currently working in Haiti, has been a vital asset to this ministry. Without Scott on the ground working with our Haitian team, the children, and Scott’s many contacts, we may have lost our mission in Haiti. Our success through these difficult times has come through the daily hard work that Scott has put forth.

The Orphan House Is Broke

Post Isaac Tour of Orphanage Just After Tropical Storm Isaac

Immediately after the worst of Isaac moved out of Haiti, Scott traveled to the orphanage to assess the damage after briefly talking with Pastor Justin who, in his broken English explained, “The orphan house is broke.” What he found at the orphanage was devastating although it could have been much worse. The roof of the orphanage had blown off and rain was pouring in. The children and staff were safe (praise the Lord!), but there is considerable damage to the building and the grounds.

Scott quickly worked with locals to submit an estimate for necessary repairs which are not an option. The repairs will be done in three stages:

The total estimated cost including 18 days of labor is $4,696.88.

Because this is a lot higher than we had initially hoped it would be, we have broken the project down into three phases to allow work to begin on the ground on one phase, while funds are being raised for the next. Here is the cost breakdown:

• PHASE 1: Adding two rows of block to the walls and cementing new rebar in to attach the planks onto the building. With the existing wall having been filled and finished, rebar cannot be added without adding more blocks. Estimated material cost for Phase 1 is $769.38. **This phase is fully funded and has been completed.**
• PHASE 2: Building the Wooden Frame and Rafters. Estimated material cost for Phase 2 is $1842.50. **We are waiting for funds to begin phase 2.**
• PHASE 3: Put on the tin sheeting and finish the build. Estimated material costs for Phase 3 are $825.
• WORKERS: We will be paying 4 workers daily with an estimate of 18 working days. This will cost $1,260.

You can follow updates on the repairs on the blog; click here to read about our progress to date.

While the children are sleeping in the church adjacent to the orphanage, their mattresses, pillows, and blankets were soaked, destroyed, and in some cases lost. Thanks to many folks at Victory Church, we have the funding to replace the lost bedding material.

The storm damage will set us back in both timing and funding to complete the critical building project which had begun immediately after we left on August 17th.

Back to Work

Once the roof is finished, the work will resume to build secure housing for Erin who will be arriving in January 2013. This will give her 24/7 access to the children and open up the opportunity for more community interaction. Even though it is a higher expense up front, this project will save a tremendous amount of money over the long term as we will not have to pay for housing for our missionaries. We estimate the cost for this addition to be about $7,500.

We are so grateful to all those who have already contributed toward the needed repairs. If you are able to help us with repairing the storm damage and/or the critical building program for missionary housing on the grounds, please use the donation button at the right.

Child Sponsorship Program

One of our goals at Heart of God Haiti is to provide loving care in a Christian environment for extremely impoverished and/or orphaned children. In so doing, we provide them with emotional, physical, educational, spiritual, and nutritional support. We are fortunate to have a staff on site and access to medical personnel partnering with us to achieve these goals. Because we focus on the entire needs of the children, we have adopted a 4:1 child sponsorship plan to ensure that all expenses associated with each child’s well-being and care-taking are covered without putting a hardship on anyone wishing to be personally involved in a child’s life.

Beginning in January, each child will be provided with English instruction and interactive development so children are better prepared to transition to adulthood in their environment. This kind of environment is costly to maintain, even in Haiti. When you sponsor one of these children, you will receive profile information on your sponsored child, frequent correspondence, and we will even send you video segments that we are able to capture from our onsite missionary and during our mission trips.

The cost of sponsoring a child is $30/month. By partnering with others who feel the same compassion and willingness to help, your child will reap the benefits that far surpass most other sponsorship programs provided by orphanages and institutions in Haiti.

To become a sponsor, please use click the picture at the right.

We are blessed with some special children at the Orphanage such as little Jude who has already captured the hearts of missionaries and visitors alike. While we were visiting in August, Jude and his brother sang a song for us. View the video below.

Jude & His Brother Rapping

Take a moment to read Scott’s blog sharing a glimpse of what life is like for the helpless innocents who, without sponsors and missionaries, have no hope for a future. Click here.

Please consider taking action to help these precious children. They are the future of Haiti and they need your help now. Even a small donation will make a big difference.

The Kids Singing Spontaneously for Scott