March 1, 2021
Hello from Haiti!
Last month, Pastor Oris Guillaume wrote about the challenges the school in Dolval is facing due to Covid-19. The economic impact has been so severe that it caused the school to close. Parents cannot pay the school fees, which means teachers can't be paid, and the school has had to suspend operation.
Some people asked me about Dolval and whether or not Haiti Cheri has a longstanding relationship with the community. Actually, Haiti Cheri the organization probably would not exist without Dolval! Therefore, I thought I would take this opportunity to fill in a bit of the backstory.
In the years 2000 and 2001, I traveled to Haiti a few times on short-term mission trips. After these experiences I knew I would continue to be involved in Haiti, so I decided to learn the language. During this same time period, Pastor Oris immigrated to the U.S. Before he immigrated he was pastoring the church in Dolval. He went before his congregation to tell them he had a visa, but that would mean leaving them. He asked the church what he should do. They said, "Go, but don't forget us!"
Through a divine appointment, I met Pastor Oris only four months after he arrived in the U.S. He started to tutor me in the Haitian Creole language, and we became friends. Pastor Oris invited me to go to see Dolval, so we and a group of friends went in December of 2001. That group included Pastor Oris' brother, Pastor Seneque Saintil, my son Ned, and my friend Tim Chandler. We were all very taken by Dolval. It is such a beautiful place with a kind spirit about it. However, it was and still is very poverty-stricken. We knew we had to do something about it. Soon after returning to the U.S. we formed the organization Haiti Cheri Harvest Life Ministries, and we brought in our first board of directors. True to his word, Pastor Oris did not forget Dolval!
The photo shows this first group that went to Dolval in 2001, standing on the school grounds. All that was in place at that time was the early formation of the foundation. With the help of some donors, we were able to build a school building and give the initial group of teachers financial assistance for a period of time. Until recently, the school was able to continue operation from that early start. We have since branched out to help other villages and have become involved with medical work through the clinic in Cap-Haitien.
This is why Dolval is so close to our hearts. That's where our roots in Haiti were put down. As Pastor Oris stated in our last newsletter, we are looking for a few people who might be in a position to help financially on a regular basis for the long term in order to support the teachers and get the school off the ground again. Some have asked how much it will take to support a teacher. We will have more information about this in the next newsletter. For now, we are just asking you to pray for Dolval and ask God if this is something He might want you to consider. We are grateful for all of the concern you have expressed for Dolval and Haiti in general. The need is now greater than ever.
