Greetings and salutations to all supporters and friends of Mission to Haiti Canada, we are excited to have you read this communication so you can be updated on our recent past, present and future initiatives. During the month of January we hosted two short term mission trips to Haiti that resulted in significant direct impact in the lives of Haitians. In March there will be another team from Markham that will be seeking to

March 11 – 21, 2011:

Short term mission trip (Full)

May 9-20, 2011:

Short-term missions team (full)

(with STIMMA)

June 18, 2011:

9th Annual fundraiser golf

tournament

January 2012 :

(Exact Dates to be announced)

Short term mission trip

Introduction Pg. 1

Anniversary of

earthquake

Pg. 2

Child Sponsorship

Update

Pg. 3

January Mission

Trips

Pg. 4,5

Community Based

initiatives

6

Six months in Haiti 6

Organ iza t ion Nae Newsletter Date Volume 1, Issue 1

share their talents and gifts with our Haitian brothers and sisters. We will also be hosting our annual golf tournament on June 18, 2011 and are anticipating an unprecedented attendance. Please continue reading to discover more about these and other things that have been occurring through the Lord’s gracious leading and power. Alternatively this newsletter can be found online at: www.mthcanada.org

Mark Your

Calendar!

NEWSLETTERNEWSLETTER

Issue 1 –2011

Page 1 Mission to Haiti Canada

In this issue:

Introduction

Mission to Haiti Canada PO Box 39

Norwich ON N0J 1P0 www.mthcanada.org

Page 2 Mission to Haiti Canada

Anniversary of Earthquake

January 12, 2011 marked exactly one year since a powerful earthquake rocked the country of Haiti and plunged this already impoverished nation into further despair. The Haitians have appropriately deemed this a national day of mourning and we directly witnessed a part of its commemoration as approximately one thousand people filled the church and courtyard at the campus to attend a memorial service. This service was very spirited and continued for hours as many songs and prayers were lifted up to our Lord. It is refreshing and awe-inspiring to see such strength in faith in the midst of extreme adversity and oppression. There is a mass grave between Cabaret and Port-au-Prince; it is estimated that upwards of two hundred thousand Haitians are buried here. Recently, this site has been cleared of vegetation and brush, a couple of monuments have been erected and a number of crosses placed in the ground. Our groups had an opportunity to visit this mass grave site and I can attest that it had a significant psychological and emotional impact for most

of us. It is difficult to put into words exactly what you feel when directly confronted by the enormous scale of death this disaster caused and how virtually every Haitian you meet was so directly affected by this tragedy. In light of the one year anniversary of this tragedy, some of you may have viewed some footage on

television recounting events surrounding the earthquake as well as updates on the current state of affairs in Haiti. It is surprising and disheartening to see how little rubble has been removed and to see and hear of the conditions

that exist in the tent cities that continue to act as homes for those displaced by the quake. To see this reinforced how critical our continued prayers and financial support are; the need continues to be great in Haiti. Mission to Haiti Canada intends to stay focused on partnering with the Haitians to help address their physical and spiritual needs with the help of our great God.

The child sponsorship program continues to directly improve the lives of many children in Haiti by providing the opportunity to go to school and receive a nutritious meal. Currently your generous support is facilitating the sponsorship of 200 children! Every dollar that you contribute is utilized at one hundred percent in Haiti; no money is used for administration or other fees. We are grateful to the people and companies who donate their time, money and facilities to make this a reality for the child sponsorship program.

During our January trip your sponsor child was presented with the gift box you had packed for them and an updated photo was taken. It is amazing to see the anticipation the children exhibit as they receive their boxes. It is even more special to see the children have the experience of meeting their

sponsor. Each team member who sponsors a child was able to meet that child and communicate with them using an interpreter. Generally this is quite a highlight for most people and it is our intent to continue to provide this opportunity. Many team members also gave rice and beans to the families of their sponsor children which is an amazing and tangible way to share our abundance.

Page 3 Mission to Haiti Canada

Child Sponsorship Update

This year’s scheduled short term mission trips have been met with an unprecedented amount of interest and in order to accommodate the 72 Canadians who desired to serve on a mission trip in January, our board decided to offer two separate twelve day trips. These two trips occurred between January 10 and February 4 and encompassed a variety of initiatives that were intended to directly impact the lives of the Haitian people. The first two week trip had medical, dental, construction, child sponsorship and food distribution teams while the second trip had exclusively construction and food distribution. With the help of some excellent interpreters and an extremely talented pharmacy department which included a licensed pharmacist, the medical team was able to see a number of sick people from both the local community in Messailler and other locales. The Haitians received caring

attention and were given a variety of medications intended to improve their health or provide relief from acute and chronic pain issues. In certain instances, where their significant medical problems paled in comparison to other needs we were able to provide funds, clothing, food and caring reassurance that they are loved by our Savior. Patients who had

toothaches or other significant dental issues were seen by one of two dentists who were able to assess, treat and provide medication to help address their needs.

The construction team had a number of projects on the go simultaneously. A host of plumbing upgrades and maintenance were performed in the orphanage as was the painting of interior walls. Another project involved starting and finishing the four major beams for the bridge necessary to

Page 4 Mission to Haiti Canada

January Mission Trips

Page 5 Mission to Haiti Canada

support the surface deck that will lead into the campus at Messailler; the deck of the bridge was framed and poured by the second group. This bridge is a significant feat involving a complex mix of engineering, craftsmanship and hard labor. An ongoing project which began this January involves the construction of 41 earthquake and hurricane resistant houses that are being built on a hill just outside of Cabaret in an area called Travo. There are currently 4 houses which are in various stages of assembly; one of the houses is almost complete and the other three are in a stage between completion and the initial pouring of a footing. A team of Haitians has been closely working with us on this initiative, the intent being for a Haitian crew to continue constructing these houses using funds allocated for disaster relief and matching CIDA funds. As our teams worked intimately with the Haitians on these construction projects, their skill and determination shone in amazing fashion.

If you are interested in serving on a short term mission team in 2012 be sure to send in team application form along with a deposit of $50 to secure your position. Trip dates for 2012 will be announced soon and you can download and print application forms from our website at: www.mthcanada.org . Our website also contains archives of blogs from recent trips to Haiti where you can view photos and read about the daily events and impressions as experienced by team members.

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Page 6 Mission to Haiti Canada

A short term mission trip alumnus approached our board with a desire to serve in Haiti for a period of time lasting 6 months. Emily Dennis travelled with the first team in January and has remained in Haiti since with the intent of spend-ing the next 6 months helping to further the ministry in Messailler. Emily will be involved with monitoring and engaging in a number of areas including facilitating the sponsorship pro-gram with Bisson, construction of houses on the hill, care for the boys in the orphanage, and looking into possible agricultural programs for the campus. You can follow Emily’s progress by checking the blog on our website (www.mthcanada.org) as she will be posting a weekly update on her experiences. Thanks to Emily for volunteering her time and talents as she shares in God’s love for the Haitian people.

Last year Mission to Haiti Canada began a new initiative that involved purchasing goats and distributing them to members of Haitian communities. It is our intent to continue to utilize this program in the future with as many of our mission teams as possible. We buy approximately ten female goats for every male goat and distribute them within the community with instructions to breed the goats and gift at least half of the offspring to others in the community providing the recipi-ents with the same instructions. It is our in-tent that this “pay it forward” system will cre-ate a sustainable source of goat milk, meat, and income for these needy communities. Both January teams participated in this expe-rience and were able to witness the tangible difference it could make in the lives of many families.

Our teams also participated in a food distribu-tion program where rice, beans, oil and bot-tled water were packaged and given to fami-lies both in the local community and in the capital. In Messailler, over 500 families re-ceived enough rice, beans, and oil to feed a family of four for close to a month; in Port-au-Prince over 500 families received the same rice, beans and oil, as well as three liters of bottled drinking water. This is another ave-nue we intend to pursue in our efforts to ef-fectively address some of the Haitians’ physi-cal needs.

Due to social and political instability in Haiti, we chose to operate in a safe manner and forgo taking our groups into Port-au-Prince and beyond for our “regular” sightseeing ac-tivity. In an effort to allow our team mem-bers to experience some of the Haitian cul-ture we ventured down the road from our campus to the Cabaret market. During our brief visit, the sights and sounds of this very busy and even chaotic scene filled and may have even overwhelmed the senses of many, delivering a solid reminder of the blessed lives and existences we are living despite what daily trials and tribulations we face!

Community Based initiatives

Six months in Haiti