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W E ’ D L I K E Y O U T O M E E T V A N E S A J E A N
Meet Vanesa Jean. Vanesa is 14 years old. Vanesa came to live with us in 2009 after the government’s children’s services removed her from a bad situation. Her father (who is a Voodoo man) and her mother gave her away to work for a family who abused her. Something that rarely happens in Haiti happened for Vanesa and that is that the abuse was reported and she was removed from the fam-
ily’s home.
Vanesa is a very quiet young lady. She likes to help in the kitchen. When she grows up she would like to be a dancer. Her favorite subject in school is math. Her favor-
ite foods are bananas, white rice and pork.
W I N T E R 2 0 1 2
V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :
V I N E Y A R D 2
H A R L E M R O A D 3
U N I F O R M S 4
S H I P M E N T 5
C H R I S T M A S 6
T R A N S I T I O N
H O U S E 7
Serving Christ through the Children of the Loyal Oaks Community Chapel Children’s Home, Despinos, Haiti
I N T R O D U C I N G O U R H E A D C O O K , G E N E S E M A R C E L L U S
This quarter we would like to introduce you to Genese
Marcellus. She is the head cook at the children’s
home and she has been cooking for the children for
twelve years. Genese has seven children of her own,
ages 12 - 25. Their father became ill and died four
years ago. Genese works seven days a week, cooking
to pay for their schooling and everyday needs.
Genese arrives at the children’s home at 4:45 am to
begin cooking breakfast for 120 children. Around 9:00
am breakfast is finished and cleaned up and then she
begins preparing our main meal which is served at
2:00 pm. Genese then cleans the kitchen and is fin-
ished around 3:30 pm. When asked if she would like to do something different than cooking
she said that no, she enjoys cooking. She would like to say hi to everyone in the states and
hopes you have a good life and she is praying for you. She asked that you pray for her and
the children’s home and that you continue to help.
As our team prayed about what our
purpose was, it became clear that
God wanted us to show His love and
let the children know that He has a
plan for them. Part of our purpose
was to build picnic tables which fulfill a
tangible need and we also wanted to
fill an eternal need. We decided to
show this through a VBS program with
all of the children. Each day we wor-
shiped with the children, played
games, prayed with them, and taught
them about the love of Jesus. The
language barrier was a challenge but
as always the Lord seemed to diminish
that obstacle daily. We started to
know the children individually and see
the plans that God has for them. One
young man, Daniel Joseph, wants to
be a Doctor someday and participate
in medical missions to Cuba. Another
young man, Robens, wants to be a
Mechanic. Christele wants to work in
a bank and Myrlande wants to be a
Doctor. These children have real
dreams that God has placed in their
hearts and minds! Hearing the dreams
of the children confirmed our purpose!
One of our team members Cyndy
Epps, an amazing artist, was inspired
to paint a mural for the children. She
decided that a beautiful beach and
nature scene would be nice. We
agreed on the scripture passage from
Matthew 6 that talks about not worry-
ing. It also encompassed he theme
that God has a plan for the children.
The final element was placing each of
their handprints around the mural. This
made them part of it and let them
know that God has a plan for
each of those handprints repre-
sented. We were able to individu-
ally pray blessings, protection and
God’s divine plans over each of
the children. The presence of the
Holy Spirit was heavy as we
prayed!
I would love to say that in the end
the children were blessed more
than we were, but of course that
would be a lie! I woke up excited
each morning to see their smiling
faces! The joy of the Lord flows
through them and around them.
These children are so happy, kind,
content, and giving! I was hum-
bled by their love for our team
Page 2 I M A G I N E M I S S I O N S
and the prayers they lifted up for us.
My intent was for us to pray and
bless the children, which we did, but
they gave it back tenfold to us! The
scripture from Matthew 19:14 “Let
the little children come to me, and
do not hinder them, for the kingdom
of heaven belongs to such as
these”, has new meaning for me. It
is obvious to me that the Kingdom of
Heaven rains down on those chil-
dren daily and that the Kingdom of
Heaven truly belongs to them. I feel
privileged and grateful for the op-
portunity we had to serve them.
Charity Santiago
Vineyard Church of Augusta
G O D W I L L T A K E C A R E O F Y O U , G O D L O V E S Y O U , G O D W I L L S A V E Y O U , A N D G O D H A S A P L A N F O R Y O U ~ V I N E Y A R D C H U R C H
A team of 18 from Harlem
Road United Methodist
Church traveled to the
LOCC Children’s Home in
January . . . Where we
were blessed beyond
measure! The moment we
stepped into the orphan-
age compound, we were
surrounded . . . well,
SWARMED by kids . . . kids
with huge smiles . . . kids
who wanted to hold our
hands . . . kids who wanted
to know our names . . . kids
who wanted to be loved.
Throughout the week, the
kids continued to shower
us with their love. Each
one of us was “adopted”
by two or three kids who
stayed by our sides wher-
ever we went, as if to
watch out for our wellbe-
ing. Once when we
showed the kids how to
make friendship bracelets,
U P C O M I N G E V E N T S
Page 3 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1
H A R L E M R O A D U N I T E D M E T H O D I S T C H U R C H
thoughts were focused on
the plans and material lists
for the shelter house, and
the plans and supplies for
the crafts and games.
When we came home
however, all we could
think about and talk
about were the kids . . .
Melissa’s kids . . . GOD’S
kids.
We were also blessed by
Melissa, Pascal, and Ro-
selle. Our entire team was
inspired by the compas-
sion that these three peo-
ple have for the kids, and
by the faith they have
that God will meet all their
needs. We experienced
first-hand the trials that
they face each day with
intermittent electricity,
vehicles that don’t want
to start, outsiders that
make demands, genera-
tors that need TLC, roads
so filled with traffic and
potholes that it’s a chal-
lenge to get anywhere,
emergencies causing
more outlays of cash . . .
And we witnessed their
peace-that-passes-
understanding as each of
these three calmly and
patiently dealt with the
matter at hand. God truly
chose the right people to
be at His orphanage.
Melissa, Pascal and Roselle
are doing amazing things
at LOCC, and Harlem Road
UMC is asking God to guide
us in how we can best help
them over the next several
years!
one of the nine-year-old
girls made a bracelet for
the woman she’d
adopted. When another
of the ladies was handing
out lollipops, and the kids
started to push into her to
get a lollipop, her young
guardian angel stepped
in and made sure the
other kids knew to be nice
and get in line. Several of
our team received letters
from kids who expressed
their love and happiness
that we had come to
spend time with them.
We went down there to
build a 20’ x 36’ shelter
house so the kids could
do things outside in the
breeze and still be out of
the sun, and to do games
and crafts with the kids.
You know . . . It’s funny.
We were in Ohio prepar-
ing for our trip, our
• Melissa will be in the
states from February 29
through March 15.
• We will be having a Haiti
update meeting (carry-
in dinner) Tuesday,
March 6th, 6:30 pm.
Upcoming Mission Trips:
Chris & Beth Hostetler will be
there February 24 - 28
Mark & Tonya Robinson
leading a team from Hart-
land Vineyard from Iowa
March 10 - 24 (putting in a
garden & playground)
Galilee Christian Church,
Jefferson GA, May 29-June 7
Insight Youth Group, June 10
- 19 (building a shower
house for the little kids and
cleaning up our trash area)
High school Senior Trip, June
19 - 18
Page 4 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1
God is doing wonderful things in the lives of these
children, as well as the lives of those of us fortunate
enough to help them come to know the love of
God by providing clean water, food, an education,
and teaching them about Jesus.
If you would like to send a contribution, sponsor a
child, or help in any way, there are several ways in
which we can be reached:
Email: [email protected]
US Postal Service:
Imagine Missions
c/o Park Christian Church
236 Miller Ave.
Dennison, OH 44621
Most of all, please continue to uplift everyone in-
volved with the Children’s Home in your prayers.
We ask for your prayers in these areas of need:
• All the upcoming teams. Their safe travel, good
health, and that they have great experience
while they are here
• Food supply
• Our students to do well in school
• Financial needs
• Staff members
P R A Y E R L I S T
U N I F O R M S
We express our heartfelt sympathies to Mrs. Nicolle Bos-
worth Green Bompart and the family and friends of Mis-
sionary David Bompart. Melissa had the privilege of
meeting and talking with Dave about his plans for Haiti.
He was a very nice man with a smile that just lit up his
face when he talked to you. Please continue to pray for
his family.
There is a lovely lady in New Phila-
delphia, Ohio, named Dorothy Stor-
rie who heard about Imagine Mis-
sions from her son-in-law. She con-
tacted Melissa and through talking
about the needs of the children’s
home she felt led to put her sewing
skills to use making new school uni-
forms. She and Melissa picked out
fabric in November and she
rounded up her friends to cut pat-
terns and sew uniforms. She is also
using the remnants to make shorts
and pajamas for the kids. Dorothy
has raise all her own funds for this
project by making and selling
scarves at craft shows and using
her own funds. There is one other need that
Dorothy feels led to help with and that is get-
ting washing machines at the orphanage.
She says she cannot imagine washing sheets
by hand for 120 children.
Imagine is so grateful for Dorothy and her
group of ladies for fulfilling a need we had at
the children’s home.
Page 5 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1
C A N I C O M E F O R A V I S I T ?
Melissa Young is planning for
her yearly updates to
churches that are supporting
the Children’s home for next
year or anyone who would
like her to come share about
Imagine Missions. Please
contact her to schedule a
date and time. She can best
be contacted at melis-
[email protected]; USA
phone 330-340-4921; Haiti
phone 01150931707667.
W E ’ R E G E T T I N G R E A D Y F O R A N O T H E R S H I P M E N T
The Imagine Missions
Shipping Team is putting
together a second ship-
ment of food and cloth-
ing. We would really like
to put the emphasis on
food this time, however
all donations are appre-
ciated. The deadline for
dropping off items for this
shipment is February 26th.
Food that we are collect-
ing:
White rice
Dried beans
Pancake mix
Oatmeal
Spaghetti
Tomato paste
Powdered milk
Canned fruit
Instant mashed potatoes
Self-rising flour
Brown and white sugar
Granola bars
Peanut butter
Canned carrots
Food must have an expi-
ration date after Decem-
ber 2012.
Clothing items especially
needed are:
Men’s pants size 26”—32”
waist, 32”-34” length
Men’s shirts, size small
and medium
Women’s dresses and
skirts, size 2-10 (or 3—11 in
Juniors)
Women’s shirts, size extra
small—medium
Any monetary donations
for shipping are also
greatly appreciated!
Items can be dropped
off at Park Christian
Church in Dennison, Ohio
or you can call
Naomi Hicks, 330-
432-5562, to make
arrangements.
We need everyone’s
help. If you would
like to donate, col-
lect items, or get
your group involved
in any way, contact
Naomi (330-432-5562) or if
you would like to be a
part of the shipping
team, call Paul at 330-
260-0913.
Again, the deadline for
dropping off items for this
shipment is February 26th.
Thank you!
5 0 3 ( C ) S T A T U S
We have received approval from the Internal
Revenue Service as a non-profit organization.
This means that in the future all checks can be
made to Imagine Missions. Thank you!
James 1:27James 1:27James 1:27James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as
pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and
widows in their distress and to keep oneself from
being polluted by the world.
Any Fundraising ideas, please email Beth
and Chris Hostetler at
V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1 Page 6
It was a very Merry Christmas
in Haiti this year. It was my
goal to create childhood
memories just like I had of
Christmas when I was growing
up. We started out by orga-
nizing the sponsorship of chil-
dren for Christmas. Becky
Massey and those who as-
sisted her got all 120 children
sponsored for Christmas and
packed all the bags to be
brought down.
We started many new tradi-
tions this year. We made or-
naments and strung lights
and decorated a tree with
our friends from Georgia,
Wendy, Tori and Amber. I
made cut out cookies with
the big girls. All the employ-
ees came to the mission
house where we shared food
and fellowship and the staff
received their Christmas bo-
nuses. They were so grateful
for the small gift. We had our
first staff Christmas party. Our
friends from Iowa, Mark,
Tonya and Rachel arrived on
December 23 to celebrate
Christmas with us. We had
our first candlelight service on
Christmas Eve at the chil-
dren’s home. Mark and
Tanya helped me wrap 120
gifts and we got up at 4:30
am, quietly entering the chil-
dren’s home and by flashlight
C H R I S T M A S
we placed 120 gifts under
the tree for the children.
The children were awake
at daylight but we had to
wait until there was
enough light to see in the
building before we could
open gifts.
Then the real fun started!
We began with the small-
est children, as all were
crowded around. It was
crazy but so much fun and
the children were so
happy. I had one last gift
to give all the children. I
gathered them all around
and explained that
through a generous dona-
tion in two days we were
all going to the beach.
Cheers, clapping and
shouts of joy erupted!
On December 27th with
more friends arriving from
Missouri joining us (Wyatt,
Sally and Erin) we had a
great day at the beach.
I want to thank all who
helped make Christmas
possible this year. You all
helped create many last-
ing memories for the chil-
dren. Be looking on the
website in the middle of
March for a Christmas
video. Our friend Kathy
from Augusta, Georgia is
putting together a video
of all our memories.
I would also like to
mention that this year
we are going to start
getting ready a little
earlier for Christmas.
Our friend Judy from
Columbus will be send-
ing our info in July.
Please consider help-
ing us again this year.
V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1 Page 7
T H E T R A N S I T I O N H O U S E
The boy’s transition house is well underway. The masons have been
working hard and have all the walls and pillars up.
There are seven main areas that need to be finished
so that the boys can move in.
1. Pouring the floors. This will cost approximately
$1800.
2. Putting on the roof. This will cost approximately
$5900.
3. Electrical work, costing approximately $2500.
4. Installing the bathrooms and sewer, costing about
$2000.
5. Putting the smooth finish on the walls and painting.
Estimated cost $1000.
6. Three doors, $375.
If you would like to help with any of these projects please con-
tact Melissa.
We still have two children who need sponsors.
Wilson and Norelien. The cost is $500 a year.
If YOU are interested, please contact Melissa.