We have spent the last two weeks sorting through all of the information gathered during our recent mission trip to plan the best course of action for our people of Helping for Christ. The situation continues to change on almost a daily basis but we believe God has given us a clear direction for the future.
Many things became evident as a result of David’s trip down. The greatest of these is the fact that the task of caring for the daily needs of 300 people in a camp is too much to continue to ask of Pastor D. and the Helping for Christ pastoral team. Their desire to help their people is great but their energy is limited, especially given all they have been through. They have all lost their homes, the Helping for Christ school, their possessions and they have buried many of the schoolchildren as well as friends and family members. Pastor D. especially displayed signs of extreme exhaustion while David and the team were down there.
In addition, we needed to find a better location for our people. The area they were in was not adequate to withstand the upcoming hurricane season and there was no security. As soon as it was surmised that you had somehow acquired more “stuff” than the people in the surrounding camps, you were attacked and the things you had were taken from you. If you recall, all the tents we had purchased for the group were stolen as were the portable toilets and other personal items Pastor D. had purchased for the members of Camp Victory. In order to continue to move forward, we needed to find a more secure location and make the work of caring for these people more manageable for Pastor D. and his pastoral team.
To that end, we have leased the property that David and the team located while they were on their trip. The property is large enough to house Pastor D. and his wife as well as nine other Helping for Christ staff members and 51 children from Camp Victory. Pastor D. will take with him the weakest and most vulnerable of the children including the girl we have in our camp that has Down’s Syndrome as well as another girl who suffered severe brain damage as a result of a head injury during the earthquake. Pastor D. and his team are in the process of relocating the other children and adults from the camp to other locations where they will be safer and be able to have their basic needs met. A camp/orphanage in the Dominican Republic that is operated by a Baptist church has been located that may be willing to take in and care for the 70 other children at the camp. Pastor D. and his pastoral team are doing all they can to ensure these children will be well-cared for and safe. Other camps have been located that can take in the other members from Camp Victory.
The compound we are leasing has a large backyard in which Pastor D. plans to set up a tent and continue operating the school for the children living at the compound. As things become more settled and depending on how much room they have, Pastor D. may open the school to other children in the area. The teachers who are not living at the compound will travel to the compound on a daily basis in order to hold classes.
It will take Pastor D. and his pastoral team a few days to get the compound ready and get moved in. Once they are settled we are hoping that life will be a little more “normal” for them and they will be able to finish the healing process they must all go through after suffering the tremendous loss of these past few months.
Please continue to pray for our people in Haiti – for their continued safety, that their day-to-day needs for food and water will continue to be met and that God will continue to give all of us wisdom to make the best decisions for them and the future of Helping for Christ.
Dave & Julie Young
Heart of God Haiti
Leave A Comment