Our Saviour’s involvement in Haiti began with one family, a handful of orphaned children, and a piece of land just outside Thomassique. A house was built that provides a home for 14 or more adults and children. A deep well was drilled and a pump and diesel generator installed that provides clean drinking water for many families in the surrounding area. A young member of the congregation took the time to teach sustainable agricultural practices, which has resulted in cultivating an ever larger area of the land,
providing a much needed way of helping this group of people feed themselves. An irrigation dam was built to catch and keep water from the rainy season, and chickens and goats were added the mix. Thanks to a very generous donation, Our Saviour’s group are working on extending hydro to the property which will also benefit other neighbours as well. But one of the main goals is to provide a stable education for the children. This year the number of children being sponsored to go to school is 26 up from 21 in the previous year. Students range from kindergarten to the last year of high school. In the past Terry Ollerhead has been able to be present to verify the children are indeed enrolled and attending school. The unrest in Haiti means we have to lean on the trust we’ve built up in that area until the political/social unrest settles and travel again becomes possible.
In the future, Our Saviour’s group would like to sponsor a VBS in this area with the help of the local
Lutheran Church in Thomassique and help raise funds to support the HLMS with the theological training of pastors and lay pastors in Haiti that we might better speak to the reason we desire to help these people. “For the love of Christ controls us….” (2 Cor 5:14)