Christmas Video 2022

 It has been years since I posted here, but I decided to revisit the blog because I find it to be a great place to post updates as they come in, and to keep a record so I can look back over it.  So onward!

On Christmas Day I received this lovely video from Nelson in Pestel.  This was one of the best Christmas presents I experienced because throughout 2022 I heard so often about the struggles with starvation throughout the region.  With global inflation and gang violence, costs in Pestel skyrocketed.  A gallon of fuel cost about $40USD, for example.  TVI sent additional funding to support work that Nelson wanted to do for the people around his village, and this video shows us a group of children receiving a Christmas meal.  Notice the tarps--these were sent out to Pestel soon after the terrible earthquake of 2021.  

The male voice you hear is Nelson!

Haiti updates

Hi all,

Haiti Trip

Please be in prayer for four board members of our Thriving Villages International organization as they prepare to travel to Haiti next Sunday.  The four are:  Jen Fredrick, Jim Bishop, Doug Stauffer, and Evens Lanot.  They will be meeting in Port-au-Prince for several days with the leaders of a development group from Pestel, KPA (Christians Progress Together).  KPA is a Haitian organization that was founded over a decade ago by Sister Fidelis (she is also now a TVI Board member!).  The purpose of the meeting will be to get to know one another and discern how the two organizations (KPA & TVI) might work together best.  

Thanks to Middle School Students!!!

A BIG thanks to the LMS Hershey Middle School students and their principal, Mr. Eri Lee, on their very successful fund-raiser today!  They raised over $2000 for Pestel through a 3-on-3 basketball event (See photos).  The students did a LOT of work to organize and promote this.  It was also great for us (as parents) to see our kids taking on leadership roles in the planning.  We were quite humbled when we learned that the Middle School had designated TVI to receive the funds, which will be used to purchase seeds for replanting crops since the devastation of Hurricane Matthew late last year.   

​

--

Ben Fredrick, M.D.

President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org

Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages

"Pay special attention to these issues:

   love for one another;

   absence of desire to be thought of as someone special;

   and the impeccable performance of mundane tasks."  Teresa of Avila

RE: Pestel Update

Pestel Update

Greetings everyone,

It has been a LONG time since I used this email distribution list to provide updates about Thriving Villages.   There are some very important updates:

Since Hurricane Matthew the situation in Pestel has turned dire.  Pestel was in the direct line of the hurricane.  The destruction of livestock, housing, and the environment (e.g. fruit trees, crops) has been enormous.  The mangroves (think:  fish nurseries) appear to have been destroyed as well.  

Cholera (a deadly vomiting/diarrheal infectious disease) has broken out again in Pestel since the flooding has washed the cholera bacteria all over the place.  Yesterday's devastating report was that there are 125 active cases of cholera with 12 deaths since the hurricane.

We have been reaching out to a lot of organizations that might respond to the disaster in Haiti.  Obviously they are all busy.  But we have heard from some of them, and yesterday we received the most wonderful report that UNICEF (UN's children's fund) arrived in Pestel with cholera response supplies!!!  You can read the article here which mentions Dr. Seneque (misnamed Dr. Cedec).  https://blogs.unicef.org/blog/fighting-cholera-after-hurricane-matthew/ 

This is an incredibly awesome answer to prayer!!!!

Sister Fidelis and Dr. Paat will be flying down with a medical team today to Haiti to try to reach Pestel.  Miriam Frederick and a team is heading out to Pestel today.  Please pray for the safety of all!!!

We are in contact with a couple of Disaster Relief organizations to try to encourage them to engage in Pestel.  Please pray for a positive response soon. 

We will be posting more information our Facebook page, so please follow along there:  https://www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages/   We will plan to use the Facebook page as our primary way of communication.  If you would like periodic updates, please let me know and we can send you them by email in batches.

Through Julia Morley we are hoping to re-engage Variety International and other donors on behalf of Pestel.  There are great immediate needs as well as pending, more slow-growing disasters (starvation, lack of water, lack of housing, worsening cholera epidemic).   While we cannot possibly respond to all of these needs, we will try to faithfully do what we can to shine the light on the people of Pestel in their great time of need, and facilitate involvement of organizations who are willing to respond.

Please pray now for the people of Pestel, those who are trying to respond to their great needs both in Haiti and here.  

With a heavy but hopeful heart,

Ben

--

President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org

Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages

"Pay special attention to these issues:

   love for one another;

   absence of desire to be thought of as someone special;

   and the impeccable performance of mundane tasks."  Teresa of Avila

Update on Pestel, Haiti

Greetings everyone,

It has been a LONG time since I used this email distribution list to provide updates about Thriving Villages.   There are some very important updates:

Since Hurricane Matthew the situation in Pestel has turned dire.  Pestel was in the direct line of the hurricane.  The destruction of livestock, housing, and the environment (e.g. fruit trees, crops) has been enormous.  The mangroves (think:  fish nurseries) appear to have been destroyed as well.  

Cholera (a deadly vomiting/diarrheal infectious disease) has broken out again in Pestel since the flooding has washed the cholera bacteria all over the place.  Yesterday's devastating report was that there are 125 active cases of cholera with 12 deaths since the hurricane.

We have been reaching out to a lot of organizations that might respond to the disaster in Haiti.  Obviously they are all busy.  But we have heard from some of them, and yesterday we received the most wonderful report that UNICEF (UN's children's fund) arrived in Pestel with cholera response supplies!!!  You can read the article here which mentions Dr. Seneque (misnamed Dr. Cedec).  https://blogs.unicef.org/blog/fighting-cholera-after-hurricane-matthew/ 

This is an incredibly awesome answer to prayer!!!!

Sister Fidelis and Dr. Paat will be flying down with a medical team today to Haiti to try to reach Pestel.  Miriam Frederick and a team is heading out to Pestel today.  Please pray for the safety of all!!!

We are in contact with a couple of Disaster Relief organizations to try to encourage them to engage in Pestel.  Please pray for a positive response soon. 

We will be posting more information our Facebook page, so please follow along there:  https://www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages/   We will plan to use the Facebook page as our primary way of communication.  If you would like periodic updates, please let me know and we can send you them by email in batches.

Through Julia Morley we are hoping to re-engage Variety International and other donors on behalf of Pestel.  There are great immediate needs as well as pending, more slow-growing disasters (starvation, lack of water, lack of housing, worsening cholera epidemic).   While we cannot possibly respond to all of these needs, we will try to faithfully do what we can to shine the light on the people of Pestel in their great time of need, and facilitate involvement of organizations who are willing to respond.

Please pray now for the people of Pestel, those who are trying to respond to their great needs both in Haiti and here.  

With a heavy but hopeful heart,

Ben

--

President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org

Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages

"Pay special attention to these issues:

   love for one another;

   absence of desire to be thought of as someone special;

   and the impeccable performance of mundane tasks."  Teresa of Avila

This is amazing

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water conditioner instructions

http://www.ilovemywater.com/uploads/manuals/manual143.pdf 

--

President, Thriving Villages International

Thriving Villages website:  www.thrivingvillages.org

Thriving Villages blog:  http://thrivingvillages.blogspot.com/

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ThrivingVillages

"Pay special attention to these issues:

   love for one another;

   absence of desire to be thought of as someone special;

   and the impeccable performance of mundane tasks."  Teresa of Avila