Thursday, April 1^st, 2010

Greetings, we are excited to report that much has happened since our last update. Communication with Pastor Pierre has been very difficult, thus new information has been slow in coming, but God always has a way of communicating with His people, so we were not surprised when a video/slide show showed up at our door detailing much of the work that Pierre and his ministers are doing throughout the island of La Gonave. Currently Pierre is the lead Pastor of three churches on the island of La Gonave. We are happy to report that all of these churches are thriving and Pierre reports that church attendance is higher than it has ever been. The church at Anse-a-galets is in the process of constructing a block building to hold services. Money and supplies are scarce, so the people have really had to sacrifice to provide the materials for this project, but it is so exciting to watch as God honors their humble sacrifice. We do not know when the building will be complete as there are no lines of credit available to the people of Haiti so they build as much as they can and then construction stops until God provides the resources to continue. But regardless, we see God at work and we are so excited about the commitment the people have made to God in this regard. In Boucan La Marre, church attendance has grown so much that the tarp structure once used as the church is no longer large enough. The people are now worshiping outside, finding shade under the cover of the mango trees. God has used Pierre to establish a third church in a neighboring village, which is not accessible by car and is a half days walk through the brush. At this time, because of its location Pierre is only able to travel there once a month, but the people are so excited to learn about Jesus Christ, that under Pierre's guidance, they hold their own services once a week. All three churches came together in early March for a Joint crusade. Many people came to the Lord and were baptized in the waters of the Caribbean.

Thanks to your financial contributions, Pierre was able to hold a second community wide feeding day in the month of March. Hundreds of families received a small supply of rice and oil to take home. Once again the process was extremely orderly and the people were so thankful for the food they received and the encouragement of knowing that so many people care about them.

We are also pleased to report, that thanks to your assistance and prayers, we have been able to supply a regular lunch to the more than 500 students that are currently attending our school. With the water well now repaired our school staff is able to prepare the meals and feed the children right there on the campus and the children have the comfort of knowing that they will be receiving at least one meal a day. Because of the damage our school building sustained during the earthquake, classes are currently being held outside. This will undoubtedly pose a challenge now that the rainy season is upon us, but these are a resilient people, and as they continue to put their trust in the Lord, we know they will weather this situation with the wisdom and grace that only God can provide. Please pray for them

Finally, we are excited to report that we have been blessed beyond words, by the wonderful people at Childspring International, a mission organization based in Atlanta, GA, which provides medical care and supplies to poverty stricken countries around the world. For years we have been looking for a cost effective way to ship item donations such as clothing, toys and medical supplies to Pierre. In the aftermath of the earthquake God connected us with a representative from Childspring, who told us about the work her organization is doing in Haiti. Weeks went by without us speaking with her, but we were thrilled last week when she contacted us to tell us that her organization had chartered a boat to ship supplies, not to Port Au Prince, but directly to the island of La Gonave! She stated there was ample space on the boat for her supplies and told us she would be happy to include anything RTPI would like to ship! Volunteers from Living Witness Ministries spent the next several days working to collect and pack item donations. After filling a Budget truck almost to capacity with food, clothes, toys, and medical supplies, Alfonso, along with three additional volunteers, drove the truck to Miami to load the supplies onto the boat. The trip has not been without its challenges and unfortunately, as of today (April 1^st), due to mechanical difficulties and customs issues, the boat, which was scheduled to depart on Monday, March 29^th is still docked. Prayerfully they will be able to leave this Saturday (April 3^rd), arriving in Haiti toward the middle of next week. Please keep this effort in your prayers, as Childspring would like to make more of these trips in the future and has offered to assist us in shipping whenever possible. Well, as you can see, God has been busy, but make no mistake, it is through the selfless acts of people like you that His plans come to pass. Thank you so much for your support of RTPI and the work God has entrusted us with. God bless!