Above: Children sing a Creole translation of “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” English lyrics by Pastor Clarence Herbert Woolston, tune by George F. Root.
In February, Hand to Hand for Haiti sponsored a Vacation Bible School led by Haitian volunteers. We received a detailed report from the leaders. This event reached 469 children from toddlers to teenagers. 15 teachers, 5 cooks and 5 leaders made it a special time for the children, who received a hot meal and heard about God’s love.
Vacation Bible School, Sheno, Haiti
The location was a school in Sheno founded by Mrs. Evena Bertilus. Mrs. Bertilus is a graduate of L’Ecole Normal, which is a university in Haiti for teachers. She actively teaches, and she is in her third year of law school. Three years ago, she started the school with 43 students, a number which has now grown to 307 students.
Mrs. Bertilus
HHH donated $1000 to the school for renovations last year. Mrs. Bertilus saw this as a gift from God. She hosted a Vacation Bible School experience at the school in February. Professional teachers and came to lead. Many of them received training, directly or indirectly, from Hand to Hand for Haiti co-founder Micheline Michel. She invested so well in the training that VBS programs can now be run all over Haiti without her presence.
Mrs. Bertilus teaching some of the children at VBS in Sheno.
Mrs. Bertilus wants to follow up this event with regular connections to the local children and their parents. There is a plan to make the school a community center, a place that can host child-focused evangelistic outreaches even while its main mission is to provide a good education for its students. The school needs more renovations to enable its expansion.
Children at the Sheno VBS enjoy a freshly-cooked meal.
The school is already a community center, drawing people together because of the children. Parent-teacher association meetings attract 200+ parents.
It makes sense to use the school as a base of activities that will draw people to God.
On a Sunday afternoon, March 1, they had the first meeting. The children received cookies and drinks. They learned a Bible lesson they are likely to share with their parents. They will do this again monthly, even weekly if there are enough funds for snacks.
It is Mrs. Bertilus’s hope and prayer that God will use these meetings to change the community.
