Bois De Lance Haiti

As we move forward in the new year, We are getting ready to help an additional community in Northern Haiti.  This community is Bois De Lance Haiti.  This is a very poor area where people farm & do what they can to survive.  There is building that is being built that is the church as well as the school.  The pastor of this Baptist Church is Pastor Cadet.  A very loving & caring man.  The church/school is building in progress, when they have the funds, they buy a few more blocks.  The building does not yet have a roof or a floor.  One of our fellow ministries has donated some tarps that are currently being used as their roof.  Around 80 children are attending the school.  There currently is not any type of lunch provided.  Many of these children are going days without any form of nourishment.    Most of the teachers are all volunteers, not receiving any money for the teaching of these children.

As you can see, there are many needs in Bois De Lance.  There are many logistical things that need to be worked out.  We are asking for prayer as we decide where to begin. Please pray for wisdom for our board in making decisions that glorify God & do his will in this community.

As 2012 is behind us, I thought I would reflect & share on this past year. We became incorporated at the end of August. Immediately we started working with missionary Julienne, who is our eyes & ears in Haiti, directly overseeing all of our projects. We have unofficially adopted the poor farming village of D'Ourvey Haiti to be our starting village. Since August, We have started 2 different feeding programs. The Saturday program was the first project we started. This fed the school children a weekend meal as we found out that many kids were not eating on the weekend. Later in the year, We started a Sunday program that anyone was welcome to attend. This was done at the church, feeding the villagers both spiritually & physically. Through these 2 feeding programs, We have been able to provide approximately 750 individual meals since we started.

In November, we were able to start a medical clinic using Dr Reginald Kreolle, who travels to Haiti once a month for 2 separate medical clinics. Through this clinic, 65 people have been seen & treated for various ailments. Many of these people had never seen a medical doctor in their life. Many of the patients are being treated with medicine that we were able to purchase from a catholic medical agency in the Dominican Republic at deep discounted prices. The clinic & the medicine is provided free of charge to these people.

In December, We were blessed by a anonymous sponsor who agreed to a matching contribution for each pig that someone sponsored in our pig program. We had a great response to that with 15 pigs donated by sponsors & the additional matching pigs. What a great blessing this is for this very poor village.

We have sought God's Guidance with our ministry & let him open and close the doors. At times, some things do not seem to make sense, but we have learned to trust him. I can bring myself to tears thinking how he has blessed our ministry. I do not know what direction 2013 will lead us, But I am sure it will continue to be a blessing as much for us as it is to those that we serve.

In closing, I would like to thank everyone for your support this past year. Your financial support, prayers, thoughts, ideas, conversation & friendship is what made this all happen. From all of us at You Have A Choice Ministries, Thank you & We wish you a Blessed New Year!!

You Have A Choice Ministries, Inc

Sandy Hook School Shooting

It is hard to understand what it must feel like to have lost a loved one in this senseless school shooting. Personally, I do not know anyone that lost anyone in this tragedy.  I however am saddened, sickened & in shock over the events this past Friday.  My heart goes out to the Families that are directly affected by this.  I am also thinking of the first responders that have had to see this gruesome scene.  Surely this will leave scars on the heart of all the responders.

I do not have any answers to this.  I do not know of anything that I can say.

But to everyone that is affected by this, please do know that we are praying for you & our hearts are with you.

www.youhaveachoiceministries.org

Haiti Pig Program

Well the numbers are in.  We had a total of 15 pigs purchased by individual sponsors.   Those 15 pigs were matched by a generous donor.  What a great Christmas present to many families in D'Ourvey Haiti.  I would like to thank each & everyone for your support & prayers.  I never imagined that we would have seen that many pigs in the few days that this matching gift was being offered.

Once again, Thank you all.   www.youhaveachoiceministries.org

Pig Project Sponsorship

Just a update.  Our goal is 13 sponsors for a pig or goat.  This will provide 26 pigs for these needy families.  As of Today, We have 6 Sponsors for our pigs.  7 more to go!!!  We have till midnight on Wednesday Dec 12th for the matching pig.  Thats right, $45 will provide for 2 pigs in D'Ourvey Haiti.

www.youhaveachoiceministries.org

Haiti Pig Project - Buy 1 Get 1 Free

Super great news to report Today.  One of our Ministry friends & supporters has made a offer for our group.  We have a pig & goat project that from time to time, we purchase a goat or pig for a needy family in D'Ourvey Haiti.  This is a huge help to a family in need.  Our friend has offered to match each gift of a pig or goat purchased through Wednesday.  What a blessing this is for families at Christmas.  Our friend has asked us to not reveal his name.

We are able to purchase these animals in Haiti for $45 each.    So for ever pig or goat purchased, you are getting 2..  As with everything in our ministry, 100 percent of all funds go directly to the desired program that the donor chooses.

If you have considered this at anytime, now is the time to act.  If you know someone who would like to support this, send them our way.  This offer is good till Wednesday from our friend.  Thank you in advance for your support & prayers.  Lets make this a huge event happen!!!

www.youhaveachoiceministries.org

Haiti's Filthy Money

 Haiti's currency, the gourde, has a penchant for filthiness.
 Some bills in circulation are so covered with grime that the denominations are no
 longer visible. Frequently, the dark green, purple and red gourdes are sticky to the
 touch and carry a distinct odor.  Touching Haitian money can be hazardous to one's
 health, and anyone handling these bills is advised to give his or her hands a
 good scrubbing before handling food.
 Then again, food actually is part of the problem.
 `What happens is, the street vendors exchange the money while they're handling
 their food, so it gets all over the currency.

These are printed with dark colors to make it harder to see the dirt.''
 With an average income of only about $300 a year, Haitians typically compound
 the money problem by stashing their cash reserves in private places where
 muggers are less likely to find them.  After spending some sweaty hours hidden in a shoe, tucked in a bra or hidden into a waistband, even the newest bill quickly acquires the undeniable
 status of yucky.  Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, lacks the financial resources to
 retire older bills once they've become too worn out.   Meanwhile,
 newly printed bills are being placed into circulation by the Central Bank.
 But the lending institutions responsible for keeping Haiti afloat
 financially are threatening to withhold aid if the practice continues, saying it is
 diluting the gourde's value to the point of worthlessness. So most Haitians are
 stuck with the nasty old paper.

 A trip down any street in the Haiti shows exactly how a clean bill
 acquires the appearance of a mechanic's cleaning rag.
 Street vendors overflow the sidewalks, selling everything from grimy used tires
 and greasy car parts to imported jewelry and perfumes. Entire sections of the city
 have been taken over by shantytowns, consisting of tented shops during the day
 that are converted into dwellings at night.  With no plumbing, the inhabitants wash themselves in ditch water, which almost always carries raw sewage.

`The vast majority of business is conducted on the streets, not in
 banks or stores. The currency is handled by so, so many people every day.''

www.youhaveachoiceministries.org