Need a ride?

On July 13th I traveled to the USA with the goal of purchasing, driving and shipping a vehicle to Haiti.  As a ministry we desperately need a vehicle for many reasons:

• Tap Taps are public transportation and not safe. Up to 30 people on the back of a pick up truck with a driver who most likely does not have a real license and probably did not read the drivers manual
• Motorcycles are plan B form of transportation in Haiti. You can see up to 4 people on each moto and the doctors say taking care of injured people from moto accidents is 90% of their day
• Our ministry is 15 miles and takes us 45-60 minutes each way via tap taps

  

  And they will still stop to get more people!

• Our teams (like you soon) need safe and reliable modes of transportation
• Only one-fourth of births are attended by a skilled health professional. If women get to deliver in a hospital they have to leave within 24 hours and some ride tap tap's home!

A vehicle to this ministry means we can serve our community in better ways such as:

• Taking truck loads of sick and injured to the missionary clinics in surrounding areas
• Getting babies born in clean environments in time for their arrival and then back home!
• Providing SAFE and sanitary transportation for American teams and the on site missionaries

With all that being said we are excited to inform you that July 24th (11th day in America) in St Louis, Missouri a couple from Destiny church GIFTED EHM their 9 seater SUV! Praise the Lord for his provision and love!

With the help of some friends we were able to pack this truck FULL of supplies that have been donated including hundreds of gallons of Gatorade, 300 pounds of MEDICAL peanut butter, gallons of hand sanitizer, school supplies for the "Next Generation" and many more items that friends like you have given. We need this vehicle ASAP!

As of right now this is how we need your partnership in PRAYER:

• Thank the Lord for this family who gave and that they are BLESSED in it
• The Monarch Shipping Company is down a boat which leaves them with only ONE going to and from Haiti and Florida. We need to pray that they get their one from the coast guard and are able to get one that they have been trying to rent to make things faster
• They have quoted us 6-8 weeks which puts us now at 4-6
• We have a team coming Sept 19th who will need this vehicle to get to and from the ministry and give out the school supplies for school which starts on Oct 1st
• The peanut butter is going to help many of the mal-nutritioned families in our community and we don't want it going bad!



300 lbs Medical Peanut Butter

• Pray that Angels protect our vehicle from getting raided and stolen from

We have been quoted $3,000 at the customs yard which we have raised $176 of. That puts us at still needing $2,842! We have a deadline of 3 weeks from now because we are believing that the truck will NOT be detained 4-6 more!

We have made many easy ways to make tax deductible donations: "Truck" in the memo
PayPal: Empoweringhaitianmoms@gmail.com
Website: Empoweringhaitianmoms.org and click the "DONATE" button
and our
P.O. Box 4142
Chesterfield MO 63006

Will you join with us in this project and help us help Haiti!


Shout Louder...

"As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many scolded him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" -Mark 10:46-48

If anyone or anything is discouraging you to stop calling to The Lord.... Shout all the more...I dare you. There are many obstacles in life that can make us want to just STOP, GIVE UP and just be OK with the way things are but the Word encourages us to cry to God and be the "persistent widow".

Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man and said to him, "Have courage! Get up! He is calling you." -Mark 10:49

When distractions and discouragement are telling you to be quiet ... don't STOP.. because here, HE stopped. He was busy leaving the city, surrounded by a large crowd but heard His hurting child crying out. I find it interesting that Jesus didn't just call him to himself but He told the people who were discouraging to get him... Are there people in your life that Jesus wants to use your weakness to show people His strength?! Or are you being that person?

"He threw off his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus." Mark 10:50

Ahhhh... Yes... A blind man throws off his cloak, jumps up and I bet he HURRIED himself to get to the one he believed could heal him. I want to be just like this!!

Ding dong.. The door bell rings. Are we sitting in self pitty because of our circumstances or are we jumping up to be with Jesus who is able to do all things?

Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied, "Rabbi, let me see again." -Mark 10:51

 

Jesus had to have known what Bartimaeus needed and wanted, but wanted to hear him ask. Just like you and me, God knows every little thing but wants us to ASK! I think  it is just so our faith can be strengthened. When I ask for a certain things and God answers the prayer, He gets the glory and my faith increases!

The grand finale!! Jesus said to him, "Go, your faith has healed you." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the road. -Mark 10:52

Jesus didn't have to wait, think, ask anyone else, or pray about it... He said "Go, your faith has healed you." God is eager to heal and IMMEDIATELY the man was able to see.

God is waiting for you to ask for things to happen in your life. He is ready to make changes that are needed to strengthen your relationship with Him. This man didn't ask, receive and forget about the One who heals... He followed Jesus. Jesus doesn't want to be a telephone operator who gives the right answer or direction, then is hung up on and forgotten. He does things to restore us to Him and build relationship with us. So next time you ask for help, healing or answers remember to believe, receive and follow Jesus even closer! Don't forget him. So right now.. ask again. Believe Big and draw closer to the Savior who is eager to heal!

Then Jesus said to him, "'If you are able?' All things are possible for the one who believes." Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" -Mark 9:23-24

Let FAITH arise!!

1 John 15:14. "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

This is how I want to encourage you to live. TRUSTING that God knows everything we NEED and want before we even ask for it excites me! Knowing that we have a GOOD Father who WANTS to help us~ Not because we NEED certain things but because He is just...that... good.   I want to help faith arise tonight. This scripture sums up this blog... its a CONFIDENCE that we have IN God... when we ask for HIS will in our lives... He hears us. Now, I know there is a timing issue which is where He gets to work on patience and all the other fruits of the Spirit but knowing that our God LISTENS and HEARS us... gosh.

How about taking a moment and enjoying the peace and rest that comes with that kind of knowledge. KNOWING He hears me and doesn't just tune me out for asking a question or a request of some sort. I know that living in Haiti, I have learned to tune out the noise but God, my Daddy, doesn't tune me out; in fact... he KNOWS what I am going to ask for before I even ask. So with that being said I would like to introduce you to the newest addition of Empowering Haitian Moms.... BIG RED!

This 2001 Ford Expedition has been gifted to EHM this past week when GOD asked someone to give! I clearly wasn't going around asking for cars... I planned to work for it but God placed it on a families heart to GIVE.

Most of you know that we have been praying for a vehicle for quite some time now and that is why I decided to make a trip to America. Our goal was $7,000 For His glory, His service and His mission.

Now to ship it to Haiti, I am going to drive it to Florida, put it on a ship and send it on its way. The tricky part is... when it gets to Haiti, we have to get it out of customs. $7,000 is still my goal since this is a bigger and newer vehicle than I EXPECTED (Thank you Jesus) and it will cost more for customs. BUT I am excited to see what God does! My past 7 months of living in Haiti full time are a walking testimony to God's faithfulness and DESIRE to bless His children..

This blog is not about what we have but what GOD IS DOING. He is the great "I Am" and is in control of all things which is why we give Him ALL THE GLORY. I want to encourage everyone reading this to continue to be faithful to Him, be obedient and run the race. God is listening, hearing and excited to pour out His love!
2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

PLEASE pray for us to raise the remaining balance so that Big Red doesn't sit in the customs yard! :-) We have raised $1,400 so far and ARE believing God will hit the mark! THANK God that the Haitian people will now be getting more health care, medical attention at a faster rate, safer transportation for us and teams and God will be exalted through it all! No need to ask for those things... its already in motion! Thank YOU for being a HUGE part of this journey and I KNOW that you are feeling God's love and HOPE for your circumstances right now!

Please let us know how to be praying for you so that we can join along side you!

do or die...



A 2 hour walk up a mountain to meet
her family!

Marlen Simeon is my friend, my adopted god mother and mom-inspiration. Marlen is a mother of 5 and we had our first bonding moment (with NO language) at the hospital holding her baby girl down on a table to be treated by other "white" people. Sheeze had gotten a 3rd degree burn on her leg and needed more care than I was able to do. I was Sheeze's first "white" person (and maybe Marlen's too) so needless to say, she was terrified. Amazingly that didn't keep her from me which had to be God.

Marlen works hard, sacrifices much and loves deeply. If you have visited or heard me talk about Haiti you would know her as "Faulto's Mama". Her 6 year old was my first friend in the community and...wait, before I write a book, I am not writing a

 blog to tell you about Marlen, but to glorify my God for her life!



Pierre, her husband is a mason by trade and an amazing husband and father by grace. They have been together for over 18 years, 5 kids and many hard times. Pierre got a job in the Dominican Republic which is very common but it kept him there for 10 years off and on... more on! Well Marlen, at some point, learned to depend on God for all things.

 

This past week Fritznel was at the feeding program and they were testifying about how God provides. Marlen shared a bit of her testimony....

"I was in a room with my children when it started to rain. The floor was flooding so I put ALL our belongings and my children on the 1 bed that we had in our 1 room apartment. I just kept praying that God would help us and in walk a man from the neighborhood. He says to me 'I have $50 and I'll give it to you in exchange for sex'... I said 'no' because I knew God would provide a way to live.  I cried myself to sleep but sang in worship first. The next day, not even 24 hours later someone had brought me $250 that my husband had made at work. God had provided! We began to build a home!"

She cried as she shared this story with the women and my husband. Some of you are in shock...sad, confused, in dis-belief. In Haiti, its do or die. Be committed or not. Trusting in God, staring fear in the face and your life being a walking testimony brings Glory to the name of Jesus. Men propositioning you for services is a way you could get by, but when your heart is fixed on the Lord you don't depend on any one by Him!

Pierre loving on his wife of 18 years!

In January 2012 I had the humbling privilege of leading Marlen back to the Lord and watching her re-commit her life to Him. I don't know what happened in the middle of these times but I know that now He is her Friend, Father and Hope again! Pierre, Marlen and their children have opened their home to EHM and are our ministry site for all the things the Lord has us doing. Our feeding program is growing, our chickens are safe in their Pierre-made coupe, and our classroom is over flowing with families! We meet there and share God's love with the whole community from their front porch. They ask for NOTHING in return! They serve faithfully and make me my favorite food when they can just because they love to be a  blessing! They sleep 7 people in 2 rooms, on 3 "beds", have no electric, water access, or a toilet but they have more joy than anyone I know in their circumstances!

 

What is it that God wants you to remember about your life that can GLORIFY His name? Testify to HIS faithfulness today, tomorrow and always!

 

PLEASE pray for this family that they will continue to be a light in the darkness and always proclaiming God's LOVE for His children!

 
 
 
 

Welcome to....

"Welcome to Haiti" is one of my favorite sayings when people come to visit us. I prep them on their way to the house from the airport. Cold water, minimul electric, animals everywhere and crazy drivers are a few of the things that you will have to adjust to when you come to Empowering Haitian Moms. Now... all I keep thinking is "Welcome to America". I have to admit that when I was in the airport in Haiti, I was so nervous to come back. There were a lot of mixed emotions since I was leaving Fritznel and all the moms that have become my family. I really didn't know what to expect on this trip to the place I no longer consider "home". I had an interesting first week of reminders.

I arrived in North Carolina around 3 am after delays and having to drive with Sara to their home in Fayeteville, so needless to say the 7 am wake up was difficult! Riding in the car that late was very different but one of my first "Welcome to America" moments was the scalding hot shower and the fact that I didn't have to wash my clothes in there with me"! When I see little things on the floor I instantly want to scream and think it is a bug! Eating at an "all you can eat" buffets and not waiting to hitch hike on tap taps was an adjustment too! Oh and wearing a fleece sweat shirt and to stop from shivering in the air conditioning took some work!

I had a few appointments in Suffolk, VA so 5 days later I took a train for the 1st time....did you know the first steam engine train dates back to Jan 1804 and I am here to tell you that this was my most amazing "Welcome to America" moment.
On my train ride I had a cafe, a bathroom, air conditioning, electrical outlets and free wifi all in and within maybe 30 steps from my seat. I will have you know that in Haiti there are NO cafe's anywhere, rarely a bathroom (especially with flushing toilets and a sink to wash my hands in), hardly anyone has full time electric and wifi is like GOLD! It hit me that a 4 hour ride on a vehicle that dates back 200+ years ago, I experienced more amenities that I have access to in the country I now call home. It is so amazing how God changed my heart and with all that I don't have... I miss home. I miss my rooster who thinks he should crow every 30 minutes, my water tank leaking, the electric being too weak to charge my phone and my freezing cold showers. I miss the simplicity of life and being content with my life in Haiti.

Dont get me wrong... I am loving America and all its "Good stuff". I am loving Starbucks, wal mart and chick fil a. Driving my car around and being able to relax on the road without constant fear of wrecking nor do I have to hitch hike! I have realised that I need to be in prayer more for "home". That the people don't need to be "American-ised" at all but they can live better than they do now, free from poverty with a little help. I am realising more and more that God MADE me an American and with that comes blessings too. I am able to travel, say, believe, and be free anytime, place and anywhere! I can work (or not and still survive) in America and be better off more than anyone in the families in our ministry.

I realise more and more that I need to pray for America to be truly the land of the Free. Free from "stuff", free from "things" and free to live. It is so easy to get back into the "American" life style where you go go go and you're in a hurry to wait! You need more, want more and have more. I want everything fast and easy and it hasn't been my lifestyle for 7 months! I need to be free from America!

I encourage you to come to Haiti, shed a few things, sacrifice for a week and see what God does in your life. See how you can become "free" and then go home and say "Welcome to America" with a changed heart.

Praying for God's will to be done.

The train bathroom!

"Yes" and "Amen"

 

Fritznel teaching moms about God's promises!

For every one of God's promises are "Yes" in him; therefore also through him the "Amen" is spoken, to the glory we give to God. 2 Corinthians 1:20

We have been teaching an 8 week series on "Identity, who are you in Christ" and this week was "Righteous". God inspired the Word in 1 John 3:7 that says "Little children, let no one deceive you. The one who practices righteousness is righteous , just as Jesus is righteous.
We taught the story of Noah and how God looked all through the Earth and found only Noah as "a godly man; he was blameless among his contemporaries." Genesis 6:9. In the world we live in it is impossible to live without sin but because of the blood of Jesus we are able to be called "righteous". So, with the help of the Holy Spirit and the gift of repentance we can be like Noah. Ashley brought a craft that the moms and the children got to do which was building the arch with the animals and the rainbow. It is amazing that still to this day God has kept His promise of not flooding the Earth and that every promise in the Bible can not be broken. If you have ever been in Haiti during raining season you would know that some days it feels like that promise is on the brink of being broken.

The children putting the arch together

Knowing that Jesus' Word is truth and it CAN NOT be broken is important in the life of anyone, especially a Haitian. Here, it is crucial to trust and depend on the One Living God for everything you need. 80% of Haitians live under the poverty line and 54% live in abject poverty. The average per capita income in Haiti is $480 a year, compared to $33,550 in the United States.

 

A and C helping Clifford

Encouraging these moms (and you) to stay in the Word, hear, listen & obey is a vital part of life.

The gift of faith is evident in life here and being confident in who God is. When you struggle to feed your family every day, be healed from sickness and need your baby to live through the night all you can do is pray and trust that God's word will not return void. I have witnessed these mothers go from homeless to having a place to lay their heads, jobless on their way to self sufficiency and sick children being healed of MANY sicknesses.

The moms loved the activity too

Provision, Protection, Healer, Rock, Savior, Father and Friend.

Psalm 18:30 "The one true God acts in a faithful manner; the Lord's promise is reliable he is a shield to all who take shelter in him."

$28 a month



This isn't going to be the best-written blog but I am asking for your prayers, need you to read through and then stop to ask God for His provision and THANK Him for his protection over a friend of mine.

 

Psalm 107:28 "They cried out to the Lord in their distress; he delivered them from their troubles."

 

Our dear friend Erik needs your prayers tonight and through out the week. Erik is the father of  3 boys, our newest baby girl Erika and a great husband to our mom Jetride. The average taxi driver can make $7 a week which is how this family makes due. That is $28 a month! Well, today Erik was driving approximately 60 mph and hit a woman on the street. No matter the reason, it is automatically his fault.



Erik did not have the chance to swerve or stop when this woman stepped out without looking and she is in serious condition. The woman was denied hospital care at 3 hospitals because they said that they couldn't give her the best medical attention so his brother Pierre took her 2 hours away to Port Au Prince. Part of the deal here is that a family member of the driver SHOULD go with the victum to insure she gets proper care and do all they can to make sure she...doesn't die. Punishment for this is very severe. Right now Erik has to pay for every single thing that she needs and the family will put a lot of pressure on him to take care of it. If they need to spend equivalent to $.17 (yes cents) he has to pay it. IF she dies, Erik will have to pay half of the bills. Medical and Funeral. If he does not pay the family can retaliate, put him in prison or practice voodoo against him. This is a critial time for this family.

We are crying out for prayer.



In Haiti, there is one hospital bed for every 10,000 inhabitants. There are only about eight doctors and 10 nurses for every 100,000 inhabitants.

 



You can see all the people waiting too

When we heard of the accident, we all prayed and then the entire community rallied together. They jumped on tap tap's and moto's (yes more motos) and went to see him at the nearest hospital while we (the missionaries) called our friend with a truck and waited 30 minutes for him to arrive since Fritznel and I knew it would take over an hour to drive and 30 minutes walking to get to the main hospital that Erik NEEDED to go to. As we approached the 1st hospital we saw Erik being carried out because they couldn't give him proper attention either. Fast forward hours later, after many cold water bags acting as compresses to get the swelling down and we finally got the medical attention that they needed. Erik has a broken wrist, a concussion and a lot of road rash while his brother has a swollen eye and many open road rash as well. Ashley, Cierra and I were able to stay with the men since we were actually being "nurses" to them so we had plenty of time to pray! The hospital situation here is just like the statistics say. Too many patients and not nearly enough personal! It took 30 minutes before they even realized that these men were there. Every person is in the same room with a couple dividers to block off "rooms". 

 

Setting Erik's broken wrist in a cast

2 people died in the very room we were in while we were there. They changed the sheets and moved the next person in 20 minutes later. 

 

 The swelling in Erik's eye went down some, they set his arm in a cast and cleaned both the men's wounds. The doctor's hooked him to an IV because he was "weak" and wanted to do an x-ray of his wrist for $7.14 so he is on his way to recovery but still hurting pretty bad. His sisters wanted to lay him down and let him sleep but we protested and Erik had to stay awake! Having the concussion, I knew he could NOT sleep even though he kept telling me he was tired. There are many different cultural differences but because I am an aggressive woman, (and his child's god mother) ~~ I get my way! ha. 

 

James 1:2-3 "Consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance."

We need your prayers tonight and the rest of the week as the people involved need some healing, comfort, peace and God's love. Please pray for the woman who was injured and her family. This is definitely un-timely for Erik as his baby girl turned 1 week old today and his oldest boy is graduating kindergarten this Sunday. Erik can not work because of his wrist and is going to need a lot of TLC. Please remember this family as we walk through this time together and pull together as a community. Erik and his family are Christians and believe that God knows all and is in control of all things! 

 

Thank you for praying for our friends and we will continue with updates!