HELLO DEAR FRIENDS OF HAITI,
Well this certainly has been quite a year! We had 3 trips to Haiti planned this past spring and summer and of course all were cancelled. It has now been more than 1 ½ years since we have seen the children. For one full year it had not been safe to travel there due to the unrest and rioting. That finally calmed down when Covid-19 hit Haiti and all flights into and out of Haiti were cancelled. So far none of our children or staff has contracted the disease, thanks be to God.
The children returned to school in August and will continue through September to finish the 2019-2020 school year. They will start the 2020-2021 school year in October. Three more of our children passed the sixth-grade national exam and will attend a very good private school in October. Congratulations to Glodnel, John Westley and Adnel!! We purchased laptops and calculators for all 12 of our private school kids.
As of last week, we have a new chicken coup which is bigger than any of our houses! It has a concrete floor, electricity and water! Many of the older kids helped with the building which took about 3 months. The chickens and eggs will provide plenty of good protein and iron for the children and we won’t have to worry about trips out of the village when everything is locked down. Next project…a vegetable garden!
Our medical team is planning a trip the first week of December with 6 medical staff including a doctor!!! Our very first doctor! Thank You Lord! Shay, Peter and John and ? will travel the second week of December for a special baptismal service for 9 of our children who have accepted Christ and want to be baptized and to deliver Christmas gifts!
More good news! We have a new pastor from the U.S. who works with Disciples’ Village and Alex’s House (an orphanage) next door to us! He is a youth pastor and is doing 2-3 services every Sunday at our church with our children and all of the children and young adults next door. Adults and families are beginning to attend again, too. God has really been blessing all of us and keeping the children safe and healthy. We know it is because of your prayers and please know that we are ever so grateful!
Also, we want to thank all of you for your continued support. Inflation in Haiti has doubled in the last 3 years and the Haitians are really hurting with all the price increases. During the pandemic here in the U.S., the Hope for Haiti Foundation has continued to receive enough funds to feed and house all of the children and staff. We still have 7 children who are not fully sponsored. Please consider asking your Bible Study or Life Group if they might be interested in sponsoring.
And still even more good news! We will be having an online auction for Hope for Haiti. Items will be posted on our Facebook website (hopeforhaiti.us) throughout the month of October with items being added throughout the month…things like Haitian paintings and sculptures, and art from all over the world. Bidding starts the first of November with items ready to pick up at the end of the 2nd week of November. It will be a great time to purchase Christmas gifts and help the children at the same time!
Sincerely, in Christ,
Shay and Peter Fontana
John and Erin Ginn
Wendy Lantz and Robin Gren (medical team leaders)
P.S. Dieuvensley’s second open-heart surgery went very well! As with the first surgery he was in the ICU for 3 weeks. He is now living with his new adoptive family (adoption is final October 9th!). Ronnie and Jessica Allen, along with Judah and Bella are his new family members (St. Rd. 16 Anastasia Baptist Church members)! Dieuvensley is attending the same school where Jessica teaches. School started on his 10th birthday and the whole cafeteria sang happy birthday to him!
P.P.S. We are including a picture of the children from 8 years ago (with Peter and our director, Rolande in the back). If you are a sponsor you may recognize Wadley, Beverly, Ronalson, Dieuvensley, and Givensley! All of the other children in the picture have been adopted to families here in the U.S!
