Hand to Hand for Haiti Welcomes a New President!

Hand to Hand for Haiti is happy to introduce our new president! For some of you, she will need no introduction. Elisabeth Michel has grown up as part of Hand to Hand for Haiti. Her parents, Joseph and Micheline Michel, co-founded Hand to Hand for Haiti with another couple in 1987. Elisabeth grew up in a bilingual, bi-cultural household founded on love and faith. She graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy, and holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan. With a background in health equity and health administration, Elisabeth currently works as an Equity System Transformation Manager at Hartford HealthCare. 

Elisabeth’s international experience includes several visits to Haiti. Her upbringing combined with her expertise in communication and problem-solving to make her an ideal candidate. The executive board has been pleased with her transition to volunteer leadership of this organization. Joseph and Micheline remain with Hand to Hand for Haiti as operational leaders. They are happy to continue guiding the next generation of missions to Haiti. Elisabeth says, “It is both a blessing and honor to go from watching Hand to Hand develop before my eyes, to now participating in advancing the mission of the organization. What I love about Hand to Hand is our commitment to honoring God’s heart, and doing so through collaboration. The legacy of Hand to Hand is strong, and I look forward to the journey ahead.”

Mission 2023: VBS, Evangelism and God's Grace Amid Turmoil

1071 children reached at VBS

    272 children committed to Christ

14 couples married

Many people reached at evangelistic meetings

Conferences for youth and women

These are some of the highlights of the 2023 summer mission. The team went into Haiti knowing the risks would be higher than usual this year. Gangs rule many areas, terrorizing people, extorting money and taking people for ransom. But Joseph and Micheline went, believing God had work for them to do and that He would make a way. And He did. Children received Good News and meals at Vacation Bible School (VBS). Pastors, youth and women each had conferences where they learned Scriptural teachings on leadership. They left better equipped to change their world.

Micheline leads girls in a craft lesson in Ganthier.

Another Successful VBS: Notes from A HHH Volunteer

My name is Martine Bristhole. My husband and I are blessed with three beautiful children. Currently I attend the Haitian Baptist Church in Danbury. Rev. Michel [president and co-founder of HHH] assisted as needed after the sudden  passing of Rev J. Cailleau 2 yrs ago.

I was blessed and honored to be called by God to go in the mission to Haiti this year with Hand to Hand members and La Grand Chorale De EWSCC. I was so impacted and blessed by this mission experience, it’s taking me a while to absorb everything.I went with the mindset of being a blessing in the mission, the wheel turned towards me. I was blessed by every child, youth, elderly and leaders. I was blessed to the point where  they poured their anointing unto me.

When I arrived at the facility in Cap Haitien, I was impressed by the warm welcome. Right away, you feel the flow of love and the Holy Spirit's presence in the place.

Before we went straight to work, Sister Michel had a training session with the VBS staff. The following morning the entire staff were present in the sanctuary to fast and pray together till noon. That was wonderful. We all were getting spiritually ready,and praying for each child we would encounter.

I had the pleasure to help with VBS. I pray everything that was done in VBS ministered to each and every young soul, and penetrated their homes. The children were happy to learn about the bible story of Daniel standing strong for Jesus. They also enjoyed the songs, and crafts.

 The team was great. Their love for God and the children reflected in every aspect of the 7 days of VBS and beyond.  The team was very creative and adapted to any situation and changes.  

There is lots of room for growth to better serve the children, which will make learning easier and everlasting for both the staff and the children. We all felt the importance for follow up with the children, especially those who accepted Christ as their personal Savior. We were lacking visual teaching tools and supplies for the younger group. With the heat, it was a little difficult to keep their focus from 10-4pm. The children were frequently asking for water. Some children traveled some distance to come to VBS. I pray we can budget for the above needs. I believe the Lord will inspire the team of ways to improve.

One of the youth pastors and I had a chance to worship and work with the youth from 10-3pm on Friday. It was an amazing moment. We had a total of 28 youths. Among them we had some youth leaders coming from different zones to attend the session. They were very receptive to our presentations. One young lady accepted Christ as her Savior, and others rededicated their lives to Christ.

One experience I never had before was “COHORT DU MATIN” that was early morning evangelization. Many missionaries woke up at 4am, we gathered to pray together, and at 5am or before 5am. We went around town with a Megaphone Bullhorn, singing,praying and preaching. That was an unforgettable moment. My soul was blessed!

The Lord gave me a chance to care for some individuals among us who felt ilI. I didn’t get to attend the medical clinic. I attended a funeral instead.A family member of One of the missionaries/ church member passed.

I enjoyed the crusades, the worship times, the prayers and the sermons. The best gift was the  people of all ages who  surrendered  their lives to Christ.

In conclusion, the need for the gospel, physical, mental and financial was great in the areas we targeted. Even our missionaries had baggage of needs.But, they were serving with joy, with their heart and soul. Offering all they have to the Lord. My heart was saddened because I couldn’t lend a hand. I pray the Lord will open our eyes to see and to reach out to those in desperate need.I learned so much from their sacrifice of praise. 

Over all, I pray we were able to fulfill the call and make the Lord smile. All for His Glory!

Blessings,

Martine Bristhole

"Mesi anpil": Homeowner thanks Hand to Hand for Haiti

Rose Marie and her family (7 in all) were sleeping under tarps after an August earthquake severely damaged her home. Here she thanks Hand to Hand for Haiti for the dramatic restoration, which has made her home better able to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes. Below, before and after photos from the project.

4 More Earthquake-Damaged Houses Restored!

Recap: When an earthquake hit the southwest coast of Haiti, we considered carefully how best to help those affected. We are a small organization. Our best asset is our lines of communication with community leaders. So we talked to our partners at ACAD in Cap Haitien, and they suggested sending one of their contacts, a pastor with years of experience doing missions work in that region, to find out what the people need. Meanwhile, we heard about an organization building houses with a design that can withstand earthquake-level damage. This design uses locally-sourced materials - lumber, stones, sand and cement - to strengthen building panels. This is a design that some Haitians have used for decades. 

The second house restored is special: It is the house of the family that housed and fed the pastor when he was a missionary to the area for 6 years. It is a larger house. The pastor said (Pastor Michel translated): “This is the house I have been telling you, where I have been living for years without paying anything. This is the place also I stored all the materials I bought for the project. Not only I used the money, $1000 from Hand to Hand for Haiti, I used also all their leftover materials, but also the owners of the house, they strongly participated to buy materials and also one of them worked, and we didn’t pay anybody to work on this house.”

Here are pictures of the third house:

Luisida, the owner of the 3rd house, says, [Pr. Michel translated] “I thank you very, very, very much. My house was in bad condition. I had to take refuge with my family without knowing when I was going to be able to even start to restore the house. Because my husband died... I was not even thinking about restoring the house, because I had to get money to bury my husband. I was very hopeless. And people around me helped me a lot for the funeral of my husband. I thank God for this miracle. I am so happy. My name is Luisida. I greet you a lot. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I am very happy. I won't ever finish to thank you, because I won't see you face to face and I won't be able to go where you are. I thank you again.”

A pastor who served this area for six years is managing this project. The cost to restore a house is $1500.

Mission, Assassination, Earthquake - an update

We thank God for a successful mission trip in June-July, which included a Family conference, conference for young people, men’s and women’s conferences, separate seminars for Deacons, Sunday school teachers, worship leaders, church leaders. There was a Vacation Bible School that many children attended. We were able to provide tools to a remote mountain village called Fort Rivière, which has a large population of children, a struggling school and a need for a water system. We hope to do more for them.

Our mission team had to leave early after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Still, we are thankful to the mission of L’Église Wesleyenne Choir, which has organized evangelistic events in different towns for several years, and grateful to God for what we were able to do.

And then, on Saturday, we heard the terrible news of a 7.2 earthquake that struck around the area of Les Cayes, near Île-à-Vache. Hand to Hand for Haiti is working with our partners in Haiti, who will meet with local leaders and organize a relief effort around local priorities. We will update you when a plan is in place.

Your prayers and financial donations are always appreciated. Please click Donate to send a contribution with a credit card or Paypal. Checks may be sent to Hand to Hand for Haiti, 64 Dixon St., Waterbury, CT 06704.

Hand to Hand for Haiti donated a generator, shovels and other tools to MEDSHA, a Saint Raphael church organization working to improve conditions in the isolated mountain town of Fort Rivière.

VBS Serves 2000 Children

I would like to thank the Lord for the way He is making things happened for VBS. As I had already said, since last year, I had the privilege to meet with Mrs. Elcie Salvant, one of the teachers because Mrs. Pérard had suggested that I would invite her to lead the department in Haiti. Mrs. Salvant had accepted with certain restrictions because she was new even though that was her second year of teaching at VBS. After a while, she realized that the calling was from the Lord and she accepted joyfully to be the Director of the department. Mrs. Elcie Salvant is the founder and director of two schools in the city of Cap Haitian. She had put all her energy in working with the department. I had emailed her the VBS lessons and a month before the trip she had two seminars with the teachers and had prepared the lessons with them. That had taken a great load of my shoulders, when I got to Cap-Haitian on Thursday July 4th, we only worked on the schedule and the next day we had our first VBS.

As I said before, the Lord is showing us marvelous things in the department. This year, we had 27 staff members between teachers, both for lessons and craft, some are there to lead the kids and for discipline, some were there to supervise the kitchen and serve the food. Everyone was there because they love working with children and wanted to help.

          Our  program:

                4 VBS in four different places

            1 Youth Conference, taught by Kimberly Maximin with two other pastors

                A Women’s Conference taught by Micheline

            Jocelyne Williams led some services and taught special crafts.

1-      First VBS:

Place:  Institution Shalom, Cap-Haitian

Date:  Friday July 5th  

Time: 9 am- 4pm

Age:  from 5 to 15 years old

Number of Students: 179

1-      Second VBS:

Place: Collège Maranatha, Cap-Haitian, Cite Chauvel

            Date: Monday July 8th

            Time: 9 am- 4 pm

            Age: from 3- 17

            Number of students: 680

2-      Third VBS

Place: Eglise de Dieu Elim, Saint- Marc

Date: Wednesday July 10th Time: 9 am- 4 pm

Age: from 6-17 years old

Number of students: 780

3-      Fourth VBS

Place: Eglise Baptiste White Rock, Saint-Marc

Date: Thursday July 11th Time: 9 am- 4 pm

Age: 5- 17 (mostly the same students served on July 10th)

Number of kids served all together: 2,162

Number of students who accepted Christ all together: 126

Every kid was served a snack and a hot meal every day.

On Friday July 12th

Conference for the ladies of difference churches in Saint-Marc at White Rock Baptist Church. We met from 9:30 am to 4 pm.

108 women were present.

They were served a hot meal like the kids.

 We had a great experience with the kids. They were so willing to learn. Most of them came with their notebooks and pens to take notes. It was very hard for them to keep up with the notes since we could not use PowerPoint. We used a blackboard and chalk as much as we could. I was very impressed by their hunger for the word of God.

We also had with us a Haitian evangelist whom we invited to pray for the students. He went to each class on Thursday and prayed over them class by class. Because we had a large number of teachers and two group leaders for each group that the churches in Saint-Marc sent to the VBS, it was easier to control so large a number of kids in one place.

I am grateful to the Lord and to everyone who helped to make it happen. The food sent in the container was used for the kids and other purposes in the mission field. I thank everyone who worked so hard to load the container. The Lord rewarded your effort. I would like to particularly thank all the young people who worked so hard to fill the container. The Lord had seen it and He will greatly bless you. Thanks to Roseanne, John DeConti and the Hand to Hand for Haiti team who worked so hard all these years to keep Hand to Hand working until now.

God bless you all.

Micheline

Hands Needed: Good Friday, April 19 to send tools etc. to new training school

UPDATE APRIL 11, 2019 - We are in great need of helpers to pack the shipping container at the Bible Church the morning of Good Friday, April 19. Please email handtohandforhaiti@gmail.com if you can help.

Certificates for community service will be available upon request.

Time: 8:30-1:30 p.m. , possibly later.

Location: the Bible Church, 240 Dwight St., Waterbury, off Chase Ave. We will provide snacks and pizza.

If you ask our missionaries and community leaders, the factors that could turn Haiti around are faith, health care, education and jobs. Jobs and entrepreneurship can come with job training. Hand to Hand for Haiti has been collecting equipment for a new vocational school being founded by a Haitian organization. There are many tools ready to go. We are still collecting supplies and equipment. Our most pressing need will be the money to ship it. A shipping container will cost over $5000 to send, and we also need to meet our financial commitment to the summer mission events.

Second most urgent is the need for people to load the 40-foot shipping container. We have two hours to load it, and we will pay $75 per hour over that, so our goal is 4 hours. Please help if you can! See above for details. Please contact us if you plan to help.

The third most pressing need is for 25 new computers. This is an instance where up-to-date equipment is important.

Clinic report August 2018

Health care is one of the greatest needs in Haiti. Haiti has 25 doctors per 100,000 people. Many people die of treatable diseases. Hand to Hand for Haiti founded the Providence clinic in Carrefour des Peres in the north of Haiti. 

Celie St. Surin, a retired nurse, has been running the clinic since 2011.

Dr. Daniel Albert, a highly regarded physician who works in a hospital emergency department in Cap Haitien, sees patients at the clinic once a week. He is the only person HHH pays regularly for services. He is given a stipend of $300 a month, a bargain we negotiated with this prominent doctor. Nurse Celie now receives a small stipend, and clinic costs also include medication and supplies.

In the month of August 2018, the clinic saw 187 patients: 102 adults and 85 children.

There were 92 cases of anemia, 60 cases of hypertension, 15 patients with diabetes and 12 patients given prenatal care.

Join us for a Fun Run (or Walk...)!

“FUN RUN FOR HAITI” 10/7/17 - 9 AM

Bristol’s Grace Baptist Church, in association with Hand to Hand for Haiti, will host a “Fun Run” approximately 3 miles, starting and ending at Grace Baptist Church, on the corner of King St (RT 229) and Louisiana Ave, Bristol, CT.

Join us for a morning-through-lunchtime event, prizes, food, bounce house and more. A vegetarian lunch will be served.

All proceeds will go towards Hand to Hand for Haiti, supporting missionary events, continuing relief efforts, a medical clinic and more.

For more information regarding Hand to Hand for Haiti, visit our website at www.handtohandforhaiti.org or on Facebook,

 https://www.facebook.com/handtohandforhaiti

and Grace Baptist Church - http://www.grace-baptist.net/

$20 registration fee to participate

Register: funrunforhaiti@gmail.com or text/call call 860-940-4728 or text.

Ouanaminthe Mission Reaches 1,000+

More than 10 organizations gathered in Ouanaminthe, near the Dominican Republic border, to present two weeks of events for what has become an annual mission led by La Chorale Misionaire de L’Eglise Wesleyenne de Cité Chauvel du Cap-Haïtien and Sister Perard Valbrun.  Over 1,000 children received meals and teaching about God's love in two Vacation Bible Schools led by our Micheline Michel and Jocelyne Williams. 62 couples were married in a big party, with brides in lovely donated dresses and grooms in suits. There was a youth conference for the first time, led by HHH volunteers Kim Desremeaux and Elisabeth Michel. Micheline also led the women's conference. Apostle Haynes, a Hartford-area preacher and a great friend to HHH, joined Joseph Michel in preaching at evangelistic events. It was a big mission made possible by hundreds of volunteers from multiple organizations. HHH provided funding, supplies and leaders. Over 700 people committed their lives to Christ. Praise God for this time of abundant blessing!

Lunch served at Vacation Bible School.

A couple after the big wedding

Container Delivered

The container was delayed in port, but arrived in Mirebelais at the end of June. Orphans at the Global Vision Citadelle Ministries complex there helped unload the container for distribution to other missions for hurricane relief. (Some goods, though, were intended for the Ouanaminthe mission.) See more photos at our Facebook page. Thank you to all who donated goods, time, muscle and money to make this possible!

Container is on its way

The 40-foot shipping container left Waterbury on Friday, Feb. 24. We are waiting to hear of its arrival in Haiti and we will let you know. Thanks to all who donated and to those who helped with the packing and loading!

Packing Time for Hurricane Recovery Supplies

Thank you to all who have generously donated supplies to help people in the Les Cayes area of Haiti recover from Hurricane Matthew. We have a room stuffed with food, clothes and other items. We are still collecting building supplies, rice and beans. Our greatest need is for volunteers Monday, Feb. 6 to Thursday, Feb. 9. The container will arrive at 64 Dixon St., Waterbury, sometime Tuesday. Before it comes, we need help boxing and labeling supplies. From Tuesday to Thursday, we need people to move the boxes and bulky items onto the container. If you are available, even for an hour, email handtohandforhaiti@gmail.com.

Supplies Needed for Hurricane Recovery

We are currently collecting supplies to fill a shipping container that will be sent in late January or early February. We are working with Global Vision Citadelle Ministries, which runs an orphanage in Mirebelais but has been bringing relief to its neighbors to the south since the hurricane happened.

Hand to Hand for Haiti is collecting the following items in usable condition:

Medical supplies (some will be sent to Hand to Hand for Haiti’s clinic in Carrefour-des-pères for ongoing needs); furniture, clothes (for hot weather), shoes, hygiene items, eye drops, toothpaste & toothbrushes, roofing steel (corrugated galvanized steel), paint, nails, screws, tarps, shovels, hand tools, other hardware; school supplies; craft supplies; nonperishable food; bottled water; tires.  If you have any of these items to donate, please contact us by January 20 at handtohandforhaiti@gmail.com .  Monetary donations are also appreciated to help with shipping. Click on "Donate securely" above to make a contribution.

Google Maps image showing Les Cayes and Ile a Vache.

Hurricane Matthew Relief, Recovery, Rebuild Plan

Pastor Yves Prophete on his visit to Ile-a-Vache.

Hand to Hand for Haiti has always worked with community groups in Haiti and organizations with strong roots there. Sr. Roselene Perard Valbrun directs the choir mission La Grande Chorale de l’Eglise Wesleyenne Smyrne de Cite Chauvel, which conducts a major mission effort in a different location each summer.  In July 2016 they led a mission in Mirebelais, working with 350 volunteers to run a VBS, evangelistic meetings, leadership training and a wedding for about 25 couples. Pastor Yves Prophète (shown in a Facebook photo) was part of the effort. He directs the Mirebelais location of the Global Vision Citadelle Ministries, headquartered in Boston. He runs an orphanage and a church in Mirebelais. Pastor Joseph Michel met him when they worked together in the Mirebelais mission this summer. The orphanage was spared the high winds of the hurricane and the children are safe so far.  He is deeply troubled, though, with conditions to the south. The hurricane has devastated the area around Les Cayes, a port city. The area our organizations are joining forces to help includes Les Cayes, Cavaillon and Port Salud. There is also an island, Île-à-Vache, that is very vulnerable. Pastor Yves took a medical team to the area after the hurricane. They were overwhelmed by the need and the effects of the storm.

Along with their homes, people have lost protection from mosquitoes. They are now vulnerable to Zika, malaria and dengue fever. They have lost their crops. Many people have no food. Floodwaters scatter all kinds of germy material and recede to leave muck where cholera can proliferate. Pastor Yves took a medical team and some food, but it wasn’t enough. The team could not see all the people who needed medical care.

In response to this disaster, Hand to Hand for Haiti and our partners are planning relief for the short-term, mid-term and long-term in the area around Les Cayes. We are building upon what Global Vision Citadelle has started in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane. They cannot do it alone.

For the mid-term and long-term needs of people devastated by Hurricane Matthew, we are planning to help in several ways. The effort will include raising money to buy essential supplies for the people affected by the hurricane in the Les Cayes area. It will also include sending dry goods.  We hope to fill a 40-foot container, which will cost about $4-5,000 to ship. If you would like to be part of this effort, leave a message on our page and we will let you know where to drop off the goods. Monetary donations are always welcome and will help with the shipping as well as goods we can purchase in-country. We are collecting the following goods and supplies to send to Haiti. Some of the supplies we are requesting for La Providence Clinic in the north, which was spared the effects of the hurricane but has ongoing needs.

                      Generators-- helpful in many situations, especially the local hospital

                   Any medical supplies

                   Furniture

                   Clothes (for hot weather)

                   Shoes

                    Water

                   Hygiene items

                   eye drops

                   Toothpaste & toothbrushes

                   Roofing steel – corrugated galvanized steel

                   Paint

                   Nails, screws, tarps, shovels, hand tools, other hardware

                   School supplies

                   Craft supplies

                   Nonperishable food

                   Bottled water

Other ways you can help:
Share this message

Hold a bake sale or other fundraiser at your church, school or club

Click on our “donate securely” link. We also have a Donate button on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/handtohandforhaiti

For the long-term, we will be planning how to help Haitians rebuild not only their homes, but their infrastructure and their economy. A community center will be a hub of the project. It will be a center for meeting multiple needs. We will post more information as it becomes available.

Contact us at handtohandforhaiti@gmail.com if you would like to donate goods. The most urgent need is for financial help. You can donate by clicking "Donate securely" on the menu or sending a check for Hand to Hand for Haiti to 64 Dixon Street, Waterbury, CT 06704.