Pastor Noel - Haiti

This is a article that was in the Lincoln County News last year.  I thought I would  share this piece about This wonderful man of God.  We are pleased to help the work that Pastor Noel has started.



Haitian Pastor Apollon Noël has a special relationship with many people in Maine. His work and collaboration with local churches on behalf of Haiti's people was celebrated with a gathering at the Broken Acres Pavilion in Jefferson July 8.

During his 10 day visit to the Maine this month, Noel stayed with long-time supporters of his work, Terry and Lee Johnston in Jefferson.

Noël has been ministering as the founder and pastor of L'Eglise Baptiste (Baptist School) of Terrier Rouge, Haiti for 52 years. His dream to provide a good education to the children in his country, one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, is supported by "His Hands Support Ministries" founded in Maine in 2003. 

Terry Johnston has been traveling to Haiti for several years each January to work with Pastor Noël on many important programs including the child and family sponsorship program. Along with Jeanne Bryant and members of The First Baptist Church of Jefferson, The Lincoln County Assembly of God, the South Somerville Baptist Church, and the Spruce Head Community Church, local Lincoln County residents support hundreds of the students with sponsorships.

Haiti has no free public educational system. Private church schools provide the only education, and often the only nutrition, to the heavily populated island. The illiteracy rate in Haiti is estimated at 68 percent.

Noël said education is seen as the doorway to a better life for everyone and is highly valued by the Haitians. In L'Eglise Baptiste, there are often 100 students in a classroom, with graduates still continuing on to higher education. The students work joyously to gain every bit of knowledge they can glean from " this precious gift," as Noël said.

In recent years, Haiti has struggled with problems ranging from near-constant political upheaval, health crises, an annual barrage of hurricanes, and in January 2010, the worst earthquake in the region in more than 200 years. Lincoln County volunteers have been working tirelessly to help in the wake of this monumental disaster, which also caused a Cholera epidemic resulting from the loss of sanitation and electricity in the capital of Port-Au-Prince and areas nearby.

Noël, with two assistant pastors and the dedicated help of his wife, Marie, has made it his mission to educate, protect and feed the children of Terrier Rouge. Terry Johnston assists by gathering information on children and families, then returning to Maine to seek sponsors. Tuition is $70 per year for each student, which covers teacher salaries, student uniforms, and one daily meal.

Books are not included in this stipend, so many share one book and often have to wait to have a book from which to work. With less than half of Noël's students receiving these scholarships, fees are stretched to allow others to attend.

No child is turned away for lack of sponsorship. One hundred percent of the sponsorship payment goes directly to the children's needs. None of it is used to cover any administrative expenses of the program here in the US, Noël said. 

Pastor Noël has 1220 children who attend his church school, which is divided into three sections. For the youngest, "The Center of Protection" provides a half-day of education for children ages 3-5.

The second part of the school is just called L'ecole (which means "the school" in French), which is comparable to an American elementary school. The newest part of the school is the middle and high school sections.

Many of the children in the secondary school are older than the typical middle or high school age student in the United States.

Students receive a hot meal at the end of their school day. Feeding the children is, by itself, a full-time job. Pastor Noël personally meets the boats, which arrive weekly, to pick up rice, beans and corn, the staple diet that helps to feed the children.

His wife, Marie, concerned that Friday to Monday often meant no dinner, began a program called Saturday Feeding on her own, which now serves children and families on that day. She cooks for 200 or more each Saturday. On Sunday, a meal comes with the Church Service. 

The United Nations, through UNICEF, donates some food each week, with the rest purchased by the parish. When school is out there is no guarantee that the children will receive even this one simple meal, and the UNICEF donations cease for that period. When asked how they manage with such a shortage of sponsors and food, Noël said, "We trust that God will provide, and his loving kindness sees us through." 

Noël said he appreciates the kindness and friendships of his Maine family of churches, and enjoys his visits here to meet the people who are helping to care for his large flock.

"My youngest daughter begins college in Florida," he said, "She will be a doctor for the little ones. I can see her safe at her new school before I return home."

He is delighted with the new President of Haiti. "The streets erupted in joy when Martelly won the election," Noël said. "He has a good heart." 

Living in a country where one in eight children will never see their fifth year, Noël remains optimistic saying, "God looks down with love on all his children, and takes care of them." With a broad smile and a gesture, he included all the people who have gathered to celebrate his visit in Jefferson, as one family. 

"People here are very blessed, and they bless us also with their generous hearts every year," Noël said. "There is no vanity in these Maine people. They follow the example of the Lord Jesus, and are His hands and feet for Haiti."

The impact of the earthquake on Terrier Rouge has been enormous. Although they felt only small tremors in the area, Pastor Noël said, "We lost several students who were in the capital and everyone lost someone. Many children came here to the Orphanage because there is no family left but God's.

Many children are taken to the orphanage simply because their families cannot afford to keep them well and safe anymore. These children also are taught at the schools. Ten other churches in Terrier Rouge have schools and all look to the indefatigable Noël for fatherly advice and encouragement.

William Chouloute, a Haitian seminary student at Faith School of Theology in Charleston, is spending his summer break working on the Johnston farm in Jefferson. He served as interpreter for the French speaking Pastor Noël on Friday. He brought along his guitar and his love of gospel songs and songs of Faith to share with the gathering. 

If you would like to help, please visit  www.youhaveachoiceministries.org