Year End Update

Happy New Year! We pray this year has been as exciting for you as it has been for us. We have so many things to be thankful for as we reflect on what He has done through Empowering Haitian Moms ministry. December was the anniversary of Stacie moving to Haiti & our 1 year anniversary for the feeding program. That’s where we want to start with praising God in our year end letter!

I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations I will sing praises to your name. 2 Samuel 22:50

Dec 24, 2012 was the day the Lord led us to begin a feeding program in Bo Lise, a small hilltop in Montrouis. The goal was to help the 3 moms & 15 children that we had been helping since 2011 and had school sponsorships for. Everyone knows it is harder to learn anything on an empty stomach & since the children didn’t have a lunch break at school we knew most of them were not eating much more than a pack of crackers until dinner time. With that in mind the Lord prompted us to serve lunch 3 days a week to help the children’s minds grow as well as their bodies. Being servants of Jesus we know that “man shall not live on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” Matthew 4:4, so we saw this kind of poverty as the open door to the gospel, to help them grow more in love with Christ, the Savior. This year on Christmas day we fed 150 people the “Freedom Food” which is pumpkin soup. When the Haitian people were enslaved they were not allowed to eat pumpkin so it fit that we should celebrate the birth of the One who set us free with a meal that represented freedom.


Commit your deeds to Yahweh, and your plans shall succeed. Proverbs 16:3



1st Community Toilet!

God knows the plans we make for our own lives but we are here to tell you His ways are better & His thoughts are higher! While we thought it was just a way to help our 3 moms & serve food to 15 kids, God had HIS way on that hilltop. Recapping 2013, we are OVERWHELMED with His goodness and want to inform you that every day on that hill God places an average of 150 people who are being filled with His Word & receiving nutrients to their physical bodies as well. That’s 150 lives impacted & an average of 1,800 meals a MONTH because of supporters like you.  

Every family received 5 gallons of clean water

In addition, God has done so much more in Haiti this year such as; 17 children were healed of parasites, babies were born healthy to moms who are continually being educated about post & prenatal care & reminded that God has the utmost confidence in them to raise HIS children. Teams came to teach, encourage & strengthen while relationships formed around the families in Bo Lise and our school sponsorship tripled in numbers. We began an English class, rented transition homes, improved homes with roofs, toilets and bunk beds but most importantly because Jesus being our #1 focus, we began investing in the woman with job training, skills and micro loans that allow them to become self-sufficient, depending on God as the provider and no one else!

Fritznel and Stacie were married in April surrounded by friends and family from both Haiti & America & are still awaiting Fritznel’s residency approval. A few board members came to Haiti this year while the others are making their plans for visiting in 2014 with many more projects, teams & medical clinics forming. If you’d like to know more about these trips please email us at empoweringhaitianmoms@gmail.com and we’ll let you know how to get involved and come be a part of the exciting adventure.

Thank you so much!

We just want to take this time to thank every person who supported Empowering Haitian Moms this year. Every thought and prayer counted and we can testify to God hearing and answering! We are ending the year 2013 by celebrating the birth of new chapters in EHM and especially the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

In His Love,

Fritznel & Stacie Ulysse

A Full Tank Of Gas

Fritznel VERY happy to drive it home
from customs!

I am ecstatic! Over flowing with joy! Blessed! Thankful and praising God for the testimony I get to share with you about our truck project. As most of you have read in previous blogs we needed a vehicle for Empowering Haitian Moms for many reasons. I was amazed that God brought one to us as a gift only 12 days after being in American to raise $7,000 for it. We got our home rent free when I moved here so I DID expect God to do the same for us with wheels! He loves to give GOOD gifts!
So the process behind getting the truck here has been a learning experience that I would love to do again. I am sure it has been difficult for some and it wasn't exactly easy but I felt God's grace through it all. As you read further know that God is the PROVIDER.. not for me only but for you too. I am not any more special and I want to show you that God can do ANYTHING He wants!



 
Here are the amazing things GOD did for EHM with our truck...


Millie HAPPY with her
"machine"!

• He gifted EHM a 9 seated SUV that I drove 22 hours to FL for $439.00
• Before I left St Louis we called Monarch Shipping Co. in FL. and asked them how much it would cost and they said $1,500 to get the truck ON TO the boat... when I got there it was only $900
• The day after it arrived in Haiti, Fritznel was able to get there with our contact and removed everything from the truck! Nothing missing... nothing broken~ just like we prayed! The customs didn't look through anything we had and we emptied it ourselves. The peanut butter was a little warm and the marshmallows.. well they'll be melted down anyway!
• Paper work took us 7 business days to complete and receive the truck
• The director said we needed to pay $4,675 but our contact got him down to $2,500!!
• After plates, insurance and paying our contact our TOTAL for our new ministry tank is $3,212 on the Haitian side. Total of $4,551 for our new wheels!!

Everything piled into our living
 room from the truck

I have to admit that the past 2 months while waiting for this truck to come here has been stressful for me since we didn't reach our goal of $7,000 but God had prepared the way for His name to be glorified in other ways!


Even the rooster loves the truck!
(His reflection is a threat!)

The best part: Our contact said, "You serve some God... I've never seen anyone leave with a full tank of gas!"

We are so blessed and appreciative of everyone who has prayed for us and has been any part of

getting this vehicle here to Haiti. Our teams will be comfortable and we are arriving to our ministry safer thanks to you! :-) We would absolutely do this again!

P31

If 80% of Haitians live off LESS  than $2 a day
and 60% live on LESS  than $1 a day
and 70% of people have "typical" jobs...
I'd like to know HOW do they do it?

I have lived in Haiti long enough to know that I could not do it, much less have as much joy and NOT complain every second that I was awake.

The women in our community have been in our Bible and business classes for approximately 7-9 months now and we NEVER hear them complain about their situations. Yes, they do occasionally let me know when there is absolutely NO food left in their homes, when they are being forced out by landlords for over due rent, and when their children are sick but I do not see that as a complaint. Our families do not beg for money and they will not ask you for "one dollar" when you come to visit. They have more dignity than that and know that God is the one who provides.

The objective in this ministry has been to build a depot to make a central hub for these women to work from our own community so that they could care for their children and have a safe profitable business. We have high expectations for what the depot can do to help the surrounding area and be able to reach more people for Christ.

Jesus said, "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'".Luke 14:28

The depot will be a great thing... when its a thing. Right now though, we are staring poverty in the face; watching children's stomachs grow with parasites, hair turn yellow and the women not know where to turn for help. The local missionary clinic is only $1.19  to be seen by a doctor and get medicine to help but yet these families aren't able to go.

EHM wants families to be healthy but we learned we were going about it all wrong. Asking for monthly sponsors for the moms is  a great thing and DOES help families! We set a sponsorship goal at $130 a month and had much success until we realized it wasn't helping long term! When the food didn't last or the money ran out... they were no better than they were before the gift. And they were looking to us (people in general) for that next hand out and provision. So, when we had a woman want to give 12 months worth we were ready to make a change. We proposed to her the plan... invest $100 into a business and $30 into food, which was a sack of rice and whatever else they could barter for. IT WAS A GOD IDEA! She joyfully agreed and we were on our way to make a difference. With 6 months up front we made our list, did interviews and invested into 6 new jobs. The women work the "market days" which are 2-3 days a week selling the items of their choice. Instead of spending their entire day's income on food they were able to go home to 55 lbs of rice and get ahead for the 1st time in a long time! 3 other days of the week are our program which happen to be the opposite days of the market and the last day is Sunday, the Lord's Day!



Edeline selling shoes

"She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks." Proverbs 31:17

It is working out perfectly. Each mom has told us how much it has helped and how OVER JOYED they are to be able to work!  We have our next list of moms eager to begin working whenever the Lord provides and we know He will!


Milene selling containers

We are still waiting for God to move on the Depot idea since we know it was His idea too, but we know His timing is perfect! We are teaching sewing, crocheting and each team comes with a new trade for the women so that they learn how to work with

their hands which could lead to more job opportunities.

"Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate" Proverbs 31:31

Assefie selling fried food

An ending note... with Biblical classes we teach to tithe and give back to the Kingdom. Each family is encouraged to give to their home church and back into EHM. They give weekly to the feeding program to be a part of serving each other and the new families that show up every week! They are a part of this ministry as much as we and you are! New outreaches will begin with cooking, serving and preaching the gospel to the poor in the streets as a team beginning in Nov 2013!

"She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy." Proverbs 31:20

Thank you for being a part of the moving of God in Haiti!

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!