Haiti | Making A Difference
Haiti has been in turmoil for the last several decades. Corrupt governments, military coups, natural disasters, violence, disease epidemics and high unemployment have devastated the nation. It is a place in desperate need of God’s love and hope and God desires to work in and through His people to meet the needs there. The Bible says,
Matthew 25:35-40
“’For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.’”
God has a plan for humanity and wants to work in and through His people to accomplish it. CNM eagerly desires to answer the call and play our part in Haiti and beyond.
Statistics
Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and has a population of over 9 million people. Its capital city, Port Au Prince was devastated by a massive earthquake in January of 2010, which killed over 250,000 people. The aftermath left over 1.3 million people without a home. One year later, Port Au Prince is still in ruins without much hope of recovery anytime soon. And now there is a cholera epidemic that has taken the lives of thousands. Many have left Port Au Prince in search of a better safer place to live and have migrated to the city of Les Cayes. One report said it was the fastest growing city in the world last year.
Helping Build a Church for a Local Pastor
CNM has partnered with Envision Church and a local pastor in Les Cayes, Haiti to reach this overcrowded community in several ways. One of the first goals was to help build a church building that could meet the needs of the people spiritually and physically. Pastor Enoch, the pastor of Sanctified Church of God Through Faith in Les Cayes, had a dream from God to build a church that could hold conferences and have a regular place for the people of his community to learn about God and worship Him. It would be a launching platform for ministry in his city. For over 12 years he has believed God for the dream in his heart and Envision Church felt compelled to bring his dream to pass. CNM partnered with Envision Church, a church in Fort Wayne, Ind and they took a team of 11 people during July of 2010 to start phase one of the building project. Over 100 people from his congregation and community showed up to help begin construction and it was a huge success.
On July 15th, 2011 a team of 25 people from Envision Church went to Les Cayes and began phase 2 of the building project. We completed most of phase two, but we are about $25,000 short of completing it.
View Pictures of Pastor Enoch’s Church being built
Bring Medical Practices and Technology Up to American Standards
Cory went to Haiti this past November with the Pastors of Envision Church during Hurricane Tomas and the cholera outbreak. God began to stir their hearts to make a difference in the overall health of the country. They began talking with Parkview, a very large hospital organization in Northeast Indiana and Parkview loved our vision. They want to partner with us to see the medical practices and protocol upgraded to American standards. On July 25, 2011 we met with the board of directors of the hospital in Les Cayes and they showed us the hospital and explained to us what their greatest needs were. We are currently putting together a health needs assessment of the community to present to Parkview so they can determine their level of funding.
We also discussed having doctors and nurse visit the local hospital on a regular basis to train medical personel on best practices. The hospital could be a base where we would could to take medical teams into hard to reach areas of the country to meet the great health needs of various communities that are unable to make it to a hospital.
Develop a System to Clean Up the Trash Problem
CNM has a heart to help solve the trash problem and provide an ongoing strategy to clean up the community. Trash is a real crisis in Haiti and most Haitians are indifferent to it. This lack of caring has lead to much wide spread disease and poor health conditions. We want to educate the community on the importance of being a steward of the land God has entrusted to them.
Child/ School Sponsorship Program
There are many children in Pastor Enoch’s community that are unable to attend school because they just cannot afford it. CNM is teaming up with Envision Church and Pastor Enoch to create a child/ school sponsorship program to support 100 kids in his church so that they can go to school and get an education. These kids are unable to get an education, unless someone steps in and provides the financial support they need. It costs just $30 a month to sponsor a child to go to elementary school and it cost $35 to send a child to high school. This monthly support will pay for a child’s tuition, books, uniform, possibly lunch, field trips and administration costs. Will YOU help send a child to school.
View Pictures of Children needing sponsorship
How can YOU Help?
1. You can donate to the building fund: Donate to Building Fund
2. You can sponsor a child. If you are interested contact Cory Nickols at cory@corynickols.com
3. If you are a doctor, nurse, dentist or dental hygienist and you want to go on our next trip contact cory@corynickols.com. Or if you have medical supplies or equipment that you would like to donate to the hospital in Les Cayes, please let us know.
