Spiritual Support

Churches are at the foundation of society in Haiti.  They are the center of hope and love in a place when food, shelter and basic life necessities are scarce. 

Women in particular suffer in Haiti - they continue to die in childbirth at higher rates than in other parts of the Western world, they lose about 30% of their children to complications of malnutrition, and they still suffer from preventable diseases like cervical cancer. Their faith keeps them going.

Family Health Ministries supports the faith community in Haiti in several ways.

Prayer Team

Bible Distribution Program

Seminary Scholarships & Pastoral Salaries

Pastors Discretionary Fund

Vacation Bible School

Pastor Leon's Christian Community Church adjacent to the Blanchard Clinic

• Prayer Team
  FHM Board Member Nancy Holton leads the FHM's Prayer Team. Please contact Nancy with your email address and she will send you regular updates from our partners in Haiti on their current prayer requests.
  
  OR, link here to current prayer requests.
  
  
  
  
• Bible Distribution Program
  Faithful US donors provides thousands of dollars each year for Bibles, distributed by FHM partner Pastor Leon Dorleans in the Christian Community Churches in the Port-au-Prince area. Pastor Leon credits the Bible distribution program for increasing attendance in the last several years from 1300 people to over 2100.

Since the inception of the program in 2002, over 2500 Bibles have been distributed. Haitians receive Bibles in a variety of circumstances:

• Members who invite a visitor who attends worship services and Sunday School at least six times in 3 months receive a Bible for themselves and one for their friend
  
• Visitors who attend worship services and Sunday School at least six times in 3 months
  
• Members who bring the most guests during quarterly campaigns. The biggest success over the years was a member who brought 40 visitors!

Help provide access to the Scriptures - $15.

• Seminary Scholarships & Pastoral Salaries
  Many young parishioners in Pastor Leon Dorlean's five churches in the Port-au-Prince area are called to attend seminary. These young men and women then come back into local church leaderships. Several are sponsored each year through FHM donors, at $2000/year for three years.
  
  Two years ago a new church was started in the community of Repatriote, a growing section of Port-au-Prince. Two deacons from the Cite Soleil church, Aplos Philostin and Aly Honore, were assigned to be full time church leaders there for the first several years. At present, their total salary is $200/mo each, $100 provided by FHM donors.

Since their current salaries are inadequate to support a family, FHM would like to find donors who can provide $200 more per month for each man and his family.  

• Pastors Discretionary Fund
  FHM provides Pastor Leon with $100 per month to distribute as he sees fit for food, shelter, and other critical necessities. This small amount does not go far, especially after the September 2008 hurricanes, but it allows Pastor Leon to help those in extreme need who have no other resources.

One young man who occasionally benefits from the fund is studying to be a teacher. He is faithful church member but has little or no income. His mother was shot during the disturbances back in 2004. Although he is often hungry, Limage walks four miles to school and back every day. Leon gives him a few goudes to take a "tap tap", a Haitian taxi, to save his energy for studying.  

• Vacation Bible School
  FHM has sent annual VBS teams to Haiti since the summer of 2003. Team members spend 6 weeks before the trip preparing materials, Bible lessons, games and crafts, and learning Kreyol. 
  
  While in the Blanchard community of Port-au-Prince, the team typically has about 150 students who are divided into 4 groups.  Each group visits a different theme area each day for 2½ hours.   The groups are led by two or three US VBS team members with two Haitian translators and four or more Haitian class assistants. 
  
  In the mountain community of Fondwa, about three hours outside of Port-au-Prince, US team members conduct a three-hour session for 40 to 50 students, and then enjoy some rest and relaxation in the lovely setting.
  
  Vacation Bible school supplies cost about $3000 each year.
  
    
  

Enjoy pictures from the 2009 team's trip.

To participate in any of these ministries, contact FHM to volunteer your time or fundraising skills. You can also volunteer for a mission trip and visit FHM's church partners.