Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Pestel Relief Fund: Putting faces to the needs

We received photos from Sister Fidelis that represent some of the families near her house that continue to be affected by hurricane Sandy.  This is the final email that will highlight some of the individuals and their families affected.  

Notes from Sister Fidelis:

Erzili's house. Notice that the whole back wall of her house caved in. Neighbors helped her rebuild the wall and we replaced the part of her roof that was damaged.

Enorme Jean Pierre with a couple of sacks of food we gave him for his family.


KPA (CHRISTIANS PROGRESS TOGETHER) HAITIAN LEADERS IN EACH OF OUR 16 VILLAGES HAVE IDENTIFIED THE MOST-NEEDY FAMILIES. OF THE HUNDREDS OF REQUESTS WE HAVE RECEIVED WE WANT TO ADDRESS AT LEAST 50 OF THEM.

WE NEED TO RAISE $12,500 TO SERVE JUST THE NEEDIEST.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can either donate online at:
Then please email Gail (gsands@versatile.com) to notify her that you would like these funds designated for "Relief Fund"


To write a check, make it out to
Thriving Villages International
Memo:  Relief Fund

Mail to 
Thriving Villages International
1601 Susan Lane
Mechanicsburg, PA  17055




On behalf of the Thriving Villages International Board, thank you to all who have given generously and contributed to the people of Pestel.
Ben
--
President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org
Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

I do not doubt that the modern Western church badly needs a lot of things, one of them being more confidence that God is working powerfully among us and wants us to do more than we have been willing to do in his service.   John G. Stackhouse
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Monday, February 25, 2013

Pestel Relief Fund: Putting faces to the needs

We received photos from Sister Fidelis that represent some of the families near her house that continue to be affected by hurricane Sandy.    


Madame Orielle's house. Notice that she has many children including the teenager at the bottom, Jean Ewol, who has never been able to walk. We sent  him to a special children's hospital for the handicapped but they said he was too old to be helped. His muscles had atrophied.



2nd photo shows a typical dwelling  of a very poor person in our area. Notice that the woman doesn't even have a decent tarp to cover her children against the rains.



You can either donate online at:
Please email Gail (gsands@versatile.com) to notify her that you would like these funds designated for "Relief Fund"



To write a check, make it out to
Thriving Villages International
Memo:  Relief Fund

Mail to 
Thriving Villages International
1601 Susan Lane
Mechanicsburg, PA  17055





--
President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org
Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

I do not doubt that the modern Western church badly needs a lot of things, one of them being more confidence that God is working powerfully among us and wants us to do more than we have been willing to do in his service.   John G. Stackhouse
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Sunday, February 24, 2013

Pestel Relief Fund Updates: Putting faces on the needs

Thriving Villages recently received a email from Sister Fidelis Rubbo, who lives and labors for the poor in Pestel, Haiti. Thriving Villages will be collecting donations for these needs during the month of February to help rebuild homes and rescue families in the Pestel Region. We ask that you also consider giving. 


We received photos from Sister Fidelis that represent some of the families near her house that continue to be affected by the hurricane.  


  • IN FERRIER, OUR VILLAGE, THE WIDOWED WERE ESPECIALLY HARD HIT. MR. SAINT JOHN, A (VERY SWEET) ELDERLY GENTLEMAN FROM OUR CHURCH, HAD SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO BOTH THE WALLS AND ROOF OF HIS HOUSE. HE IS ALONE AND HAS NO ONE TO HELP HIM. A MONTH AGO HE ALMOST FAINTED IN CHURCH. WE FOUND OUT HE WAS SUBSISTING ON BREAD AND SUGAR WATER. WE NOW GIVE HIM FOOD WEEKLY.


  • Michlen and her children smiling because of the news that we would help her.




You can either donate online at:
Then please email Gail (gsands@versatile.com) to notify her that you would like these funds designated for "Relief Fund"



To write a check, make it out to
Thriving Villages International
Memo:  Relief Fund

Mail to 
Thriving Villages International
1601 Susan Lane
Mechanicsburg, PA  17055


--
President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org
Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

I do not doubt that the modern Western church badly needs a lot of things, one of them being more confidence that God is working powerfully among us and wants us to do more than we have been willing to do in his service.   John G. Stackhouse
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Saturday, February 23, 2013

Congratulations to Sisters of St. Francis in Sylvania OH for grant to purchase water purification units for Haiti!

We care greatly about the problem of water deprivation in rural Pestel, Haiti.  Through a household survey in Pestel we learned
  • People walk on average 2 hours to obtain water
  • Most collect water in buckets
  • There are no wells
  • Diarrhea is a huge problem as a result of poor water and sanitation.  Many children are dying needlessly every year for lack of clean water.  
Sisters of St Francis in Sylvania, OH recently received a grant from Rotary International to purchase 100 water purification units for Pestel.  You can read the article here: 

This news comes at a fantastic time, right on the heels of the nice video put together by Renee Plaza's team that I recently sent out.  Furthermore, Water Missions International has identified a well-driller for the work in Pestel and once a special drill bit comes in, the anticipate drilling work will begin early April!!



Sister Vicky to Join Sisters Fidelis & Jo in Pestel.
This week Sister Victoria Della Valle from the Philadelphia Sisters of St. Francis will be flying out to join Sistesr Fidelis & Jo (from Sylvania, OH Sisters of St. Francis) at their residence in the village of Ferrier.  Sister Vicky anticipates 
  • teaching English, 
  • helping with the newly opened visitor's house,
  • helping with a lot of the organization/administrative work.  


March Trip with Variety International
In March Ben will be traveling out to Pestel with a group of 8 individuals from Variety International, The Children's Charity (check out their updated website!).  Variety International has been a faithful supporter of the efforts in Pestel since 2010, when they began their five-year commitment to Pestel.  This trip will be coordinated in conjunction with Water Missions International.  We will be staying at the new guest house in Ferrier!



Thanks in particular to Evens Lanot, Thriving Villages' in-country administrator, who has done an excellent job of ensuring the success of our undertakings in Pestel, and who is doing a lot of the work to make the arrangements for this upcoming trip!  He has a deep heart for the poor in Haiti and has dedicated himself as an advocate on their behalf.  We are privileged to work with him.


We see the hand of God evident in the midst of all these good happenings.  
Ben
-- 
President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org
Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

I do not doubt that the modern Western church badly needs a lot of things, one of them being more confidence that God is working powerfully among us and wants us to do more than we have been willing to do in his service.   John G. Stackhouse
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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Video from Pestel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZQM_8WMHQQ

I received this note and video link from Renee Plaza who has been working to provide gravity fed water filtration systems to the area in Pestel called Macochon.  This work is being done in conjunction with http://impactforjesus.org/ and http://www.newlife4kids.org/ 


Check out the video!

Hi Ben - Hope this finds you well.  Just back from Haiti for a week.  We were there for two weeks this time and one of those weeks was spent with a team of 23 in the mountains of Pestel.  Wanted to give you a quick update.

We were able to deliver the gravity fed water filtration systems to Macochon.  It was quite the experience and the village has really taken responsibility and ownership of the project.  They managed to work on the road so we could drive the bucket systems all the way into the brush arbor in the village.  They also completed the census and marked each home with a family number.  In addition, they put together a leadership team from the village that helped us train the families on assembly, maintenance and care of the units.  We feel, all together a very successful time.  Please see the short video that we put together for this at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZQM_8WMHQQ


We are thrilled for the good report and thankful for Renee and her team's dedication to the people in Pestel.
Ben
--
President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org
Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

I do not doubt that the modern Western church badly needs a lot of things, one of them being more confidence that God is working powerfully among us and wants us to do more than we have been willing to do in his service.   John G. Stackhouse
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Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Friends of Haiti Guest House in Pestel now Open!

Friends of Haiti Guest House now open!!


Sister Fidelis and Sister Jo lives in Pestel, Haiti.  They are supported by the Sisters of St. Francis in Sylvania, Ohio.  You can read a bit more about Sister Fidelis on our website:

Through tremendous generosity of their organization and Sylvania Franciscan Health, they were able to construct a guest house in the village of Ferrier where Sisters Fidelis and Jo live.  The guest house was dedicated in December 2012.   We will be using this on an upcoming trip to Pestel in March when we host a group from Variety International!

Enjoy the write-up and the photos at this link:


A comfortable guest house has been a big priority for our organization and we are thrilled to see the work accomplished!   Congratulations to Sisters Fidelis and Jo for their hard work and persistence, and for their vision!


  Ben

--
President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org
Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

I do not doubt that the modern Western church badly needs a lot of things, one of them being more confidence that God is working powerfully among us and wants us to do more than we have been willing to do in his service.   John G. Stackhouse
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Saturday, February 9, 2013

Westover Air Reserve Base officer James Bishop chronicles trip to Haiti

This article came out today, featured on Masslive.com.  This website has a very big readership (1.2 million)

Enjoy this article and the photos on the site!





--
President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org
Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

I do not doubt that the modern Western church badly needs a lot of things, one of them being more confidence that God is working powerfully among us and wants us to do more than we have been willing to do in his service.   John G. Stackhouse



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Thursday, February 7, 2013

Hurricane Sandy Relief Urgently Needed for Pestel, Haiti Part III


Thriving Villages recently received anl from Sister Fidelis Rubbo, who lives and labors for the poor in Pestel, Haiti. Thriving Villages will be collecting donations for these needs during the month of February to help rebuild homes and rescue families in the Pestel Region. We ask that you also consider giving. 

This week we will be sending out some brief examples of pressing needs provided to us by Sister Fidelis.  Here are the last examples:



IN FERRIER, OUR VILLAGE, THE WIDOWED WERE ESPECIALLY HARD HIT. MR. SAINT JOHN, A (VERY SWEET) ELDERLY GENTLEMAN FROM OUR CHURCH, HAD SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO BOTH THE WALLS AND ROOF OF HIS HOUSE. HE IS ALONE AND HAS NO ONE TO HELP HIM. A MONTH AGO HE ALMOST FAINTED IN CHURCH. WE FOUND OUT HE WAS SUBSISTING ON
BREAD AND SUGAR WATER. WE NOW GIVE HIM FOOD WEEKLY.


THE FOUNDATIONS OF MANY HOUSES HAVE BEEN UNDERMINED. MANY HOUSES ARE TILTING, READY TO FALL OVER.


AN AVERAGE ROOF WILL TAKE ABOUT $250 TO REPLACE. WE NEED TO RAISE $12,500.  


WE HAVE ALSO STARTED A BEAN PLANTING PROJECT WITH FUNDS LEFT IN OUR AGRICULTURE BUDGET. CROPS AND LIVESTOCK WERE DECIMATED AS WELL, AND PEOPLE ARE EATING THE LITTLE THAT IS LEFT WITH NOTHING IN RESERVE FOR REPLANTING. WE WANT TO HELP PROVIDE THE SEEDS AND PLANTS FOR THEM TO START AGAIN. IF THERE IS ANY MONEY LEFT FROM THE HOUSE REBUILDING PROJECT, WE WILL USE IT FOR CROPS. WE FEAR A WIDESPREAD FAMINE.




You can either donate online at:
Then please email Gail (gsands@versatile.com) to notify her that you would like these funds designated for "Relief Fund"



To write a check, make it out to
Thriving Villages International
Memo:  Relief Fund

Mail to 
Thriving Villages International
1601 Susan Lane
Mechanicsburg, PA  17055



--
President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org
Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

I do not doubt that the modern Western church badly needs a lot of things, one of them being more confidence that God is working powerfully among us and wants us to do more than we have been willing to do in his service.   John G. Stackhouse
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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Hurricane Sandy Relief Urgently Needed for Pestel, Haiti

Thriving Villages recently received anl from Sister Fidelis Rubbo, who lives and labors for the poor in Pestel, Haiti. Thriving Villages will be collecting donations for these needs during the month of February to help rebuild homes and rescue families in the Pestel Region. We ask that you also consider giving. 

This week we will be sending out some brief examples of pressing needs provided to us by Sister Fidelis.  Here are some more:



LAZAD IS A YOUNG WOMAN WITH THREE CHILDREN, AGES 6 MO., 2 ½ YEARS, AND 4 YEARS. 
HER ROOF WAS TORN OFF AND LOST. ALL SHE HAS LEFT ARE THE POSTS THAT HELD THE ROOF AND OUTLINED THE WALL PANELS.


KADET, A VILLAGE ON OUR SOUTHERN BORDER, EXPERIENCED A FLOOD OF WATER RUSHING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN WHICH DID A LOT OF DAMAGE, INCLUDING COMPLETELY WASHING AWAY THE HOMES OF TWO FAMILIES.


WHEN IT RAINS, MANY FAMILIES ARE HUDDLING TOGETHER ON WET BEDS AND PILES OF WET CLOTHES. EVERY DOLLAR WILL HELP BRING THEM RELIEF.




You can either donate online at:
Then please email Gail (gsands@versatile.com) to notify her that you would like these funds designated for "Relief Fund"



To write a check, make it out to
Thriving Villages International
Memo:  Relief Fund

Mail to 
Thriving Villages International
1601 Susan Lane
Mechanicsburg, PA  17055





--
President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org
Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

I do not doubt that the modern Western church badly needs a lot of things, one of them being more confidence that God is working powerfully among us and wants us to do more than we have been willing to do in his service.   John G. Stackhouse
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Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Hurricane Sandy Relief Urgently Needed for Pestel

Thriving Villages recently received this appeal from Sister Fidelis Rubbo, who lives and labors for the poor in Pestel, Haiti. Thriving Villages will be collecting donations for these needs during the month of February to help rebuild homes and rescue families in the Pestel Region. We ask that you also consider giving. 

This week we will be sending out some brief examples of pressing needs provided to us by Sister Fidelis.  Here are the first two:  


LISIFI IS A MOTHER WITH TWO CHILDREN, AGES 2 AND 3. 
HER HOUSE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. HER NEIGHBORS HELPED HER ERECT THE WALLS AGAIN, BUT IT IS ONLY COVERED WITH A TARP NOW AND NEEDS A ROOF OF CORREGATED TIN TO PROTECT THE OCCUPANTS AND THE NEW
WORK THAT WAS DONE.


ENORME IS A FATHER OF SIX, AGES 4-18. 
HE HAS TUBERCULOSIS AND HIS WIFE IS ALSO SICK. THE WALLS OF HIS HOUSE WERE ¾ DESTROYED BUT THE ROOF REMAINS. WE WOULD LIKE TO HELP HIM REPAIR THE WALLS AND COVER THE DIRT FLOOR WITH CEMENT.



KPA (CHRISTIANS PROGRESS TOGETHER) HAITIAN LEADERS IN EACH OF OUR 16 VILLAGES HAVE IDENTIFIED THE MOST-NEEDY FAMILIES. OF THE HUNDREDS OF REQUESTS WE HAVE RECEIVED WE WANT TO ADDRESS AT LEAST 50 OF THEM.


WE NEED TO RAISE $12,500 TO SERVE JUST THE NEEDIEST.




You can either donate online at:
Then please email Gail (gsands@versatile.com) to notify her that you would like these funds designated for "Relief Fund"


To write a check, make it out to
Thriving Villages International
Memo:  Relief Fund

Mail to 
Thriving Villages International
1601 Susan Lane
Mechanicsburg, PA  17055




--
President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org
Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

I do not doubt that the modern Western church badly needs a lot of things, one of them being more confidence that God is working powerfully among us and wants us to do more than we have been willing to do in his service.   John G. Stackhouse
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