Prayers for Haiti

In the prolonged space of chaos and uncertainty, it's hard to get regular updates about much else than the state of the Haitian nation.  

And news is not good.  

And it seems to go on and on.

So for today's posting, all I'm hoping for is to give us a few reminders and incentives to never give up praying.

Some Scriptures to Reflect On

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,

for the rights of all who are destitute.

Speak up and judge fairly;

defend the rights of the poor and the needy."

Proverbs 31:8-9

"Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love;

in your great mercy turn to me.

Do not hide your face from your servant;

answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.

Come near and rescue me;

deliver me because of my foes."

Psalm 69:16-18

"Do not be afraid.

Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.

Then [enemies] you see today you will never see again.

The LORD will fight for you;

you need only to be sill."

Exodus 14:13-14

Articles and Information

Here are a few links if you want to stay up to date with what's going on.

Disclaimer:  I have not had the chance to review every article below, nor do I even have the expertise to be able to filter what's most reliable.  I will leave that up to your own discernment.

These are for overview purposes only.

The Haitian Times

Haiti News Today

Reuters

An Inspirational Video

A video for the song "How Great is Our God" by healinghaiti.org.

This does not include images of our connection with Auberge des Vieillards but it does include a short and simple solo in Creole from a young boy that I found truly moving.

Our Residents By Name

We always want to honour the dignity of each of our Residents at Auberge des Vieillard.

So, even though I've done this before, here are their names.

Our brothers:

Esler (pictured above)

Alphonse

Carius

Jean-Richard

Ones

Jean-Clautte

Marcelus

Our sisters:

Ariana

Zina

Odilia

Thank you so much for your faithfulness to keep on praying!

Piercing the Darkness with Resurrection Power

 

It was about noon, 

and darkness came over the whole land 

until three in the afternoon, 

for the sun stopped shining.  

And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.  

Jesus called out with a loud voice, 

"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."  

When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Luke 23:44-46

Two things are happening at once.

The darkest night,

and the most outrageous access to the Divine.

The sun stops shining.

The temple curtain is ripped in half.

In the darkest moment of Jesus' agony,

the brightest hope of reconciliation with God comes to be.

It was dark for three hours.

No normal eclipse.

And no one knew how long it would be.

The end of the world, it must have seemed.

But the most incredible of things was also true.

The curse of sin was now reversed.

What separated us from God was now paid in full.

And Jesus breathed his last breath,

and hope is breathed out --

Pneuma, Spirit, breath --

in the midst of the darkest hours.

No one can fathom the darkness that covers Haiti.

Just when you think it can't get any worse, it does.

So all the more the wonder,

the triumph,

the hope,

when people step up to be Jesus

in the darkest hours.

Bringing light and love and hope.

For God, who said, 

"Let light shine out of darkness," 

made his light shine in our hearts 

to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory 

displayed in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay 

to show that this all-surpassing power 

is from God and not from us.  

We are hard pressed on every side, 

but not crushed; 

perplexed, but not in despair; 

persecuted, but not abandoned; 

struck down, but not destroyed.  

We always carry around in our body 

the death of Jesus, 

so that the life of Jesus 

may also be revealed in our body.

2 Corinthians 4:6-10

To our dear friends at Auberge des Vieillards,

all those who live there and love each other in Christ,

we pray peace and safety and resurrection power over you,

this Easter season,

and always.

A Place Where Hope Grows

 

"If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry

and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,

then your light will rise in the darkness,

and your night will become like the noonday.

"The LORD will guide you always;

He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land

and will strengthen your frame.

"You will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring whose waters never fail."

Isaiah 58:10-11

Just had to share some of these pictures sent to us from the garden at A des V.

Some good news out of Haiti!

A garden grows to nurture the needs of our seniors.

In the midst of all the wretchedness,

hope springs up.

Reminds me of God's words through the prophet Isaiah, reminding us that, to Him, this is true worship.

I think I get it.

The light splashing over the rows of vegetables is making me catch my breath a little.

Knowing what these dear people are contending with every day.

Seeing a defiant hope in the midst of it.

Few things speak hope like a garden.

And oh, by the way.

Our grand total from the Haiti Dinner and Auction keeps creeping up, with donations trickling in even after the event.

We're now up to over $14,500.00 raised.

Again.....thank you to everyone, every single one of you, who made it happen!!

What's a Bigger Word for "Thank You?"

It's Monday morning after our big event and the final numbers are still coming in.

In a day or two I will be able to report the final amounts and give more details.

What I can say, at this point, is that we have certainly exceeded our goal of $10,000.00 towards Auberge des Vieillards and the care of the ten vulnerable Seniors there.

And what I want to say, right here and right now, is how in awe I am of our stellar volunteers.  

We're not a big church, so when I say that 37 individuals came together to pull this off, that's a huge buy-in. 

Haiti Volunteers - Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I honestly wish there was a 'bigger' word for it, because that's what I hope you can hear.

And at the risk of minimizing some contributions (which I in no way want to do ever), I still feel it's worth mentioning the over-and-above from certain individuals.

Colin - you really outdid yourself this year in going in for 'the ask', gathering corporate donations towards the meal and the event itself!  That was a lot of footwork!!!!  Not to mention how much you were on your feet on the day of!!  (Enjoy your auction item bid win.)

Lillian - you can 'stand the heat' in the kitchen like nobody else we know!  You and your whole kitchen team were giving it your all.  And that you stay to the very, very end, washing up and putting away AND getting back at in first thing on Sunday morning for our Haiti Leftovers Lunch....those are 'last push' efforts that are nothing less than heroic!

Brian - it's your heart and passion and positivity that leads the whole thing in the first place.  You are the one gathering the auction items and also going in for the ask at the corporate level.  Thank you for keeping Haiti on our radar in ways that are a perfect blend of love and tenacity.

I've just got to say, as Highview's Missionary in Residence, it is such a humbling thing to be part of a family of people who love like you do.  Over the years, no matter what role I've held, a common question when meeting other church leaders is, "How big is your church?"  I've learned to answer with a question.  "By what measurement?"  Because, if I take in what happens when it comes to weekends like this, regardless of Sunday morning attendance or any other metric...we are ENORMOUS! 

So, yes, every single one who came together in any way, 

THANK YOU!!!

I just wish there was a bigger way to say it!

Except, you just are the bigger way.

Still Time to Be Part of Something Important - Caring for Vulnerable Seniors in Haiti

HIGHVIEW COMMUNITY CHURCH presents

the annual

HAITI DINNER AND SILENT AUCTION

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Details in the yellow box below.

Hand Carved Soapstone, Artist: Amber Barrett

I just gotta say, our line up of Auction Items is pretty impressive this year.

Here are just two of some pretty awesome prizes to be bid on this coming Saturday, February 24.  

Interlocking Set of Live Edge Black Walnut Charcuterie Boards, Woodcrafter: Roger Bowman

And that's just a taste.

But speaking of taste - you won't want to miss our signature turkey dinner complete with dessert.

All for the very worthy cause of caring for our ten Seniors at Auberge des Vieillards in Pignon, Haiti.

Tickets still available.

Brian Ogilvie - brian.ogilvie@obfinancial.ca

Ken Breithaupt - kdb@ptsoft.com

 

Ridiculous Hope, Right Now

Marilyn McIlroy stops to care for a homeless senior.

 

"I will make peace your governor

and well-being your ruler.

No longer will violence be heard in your land,

nor ruin or destruction within your borders.

but you will call your walls Salvation

 and your gates Praise."

Isaiah 60:17-18

This spectacular vision painted by the prophet describes a future full of the redeeming glory of a God who has set all things right.

It stands in stark contrast to the harsh realities being lived out by Haitians right now.  Particularly vulnerable are the seniors who have no place to go.

It could leave us all feeling hopeless.

But here's the astonishing thing.  We even might call it 'good news.'

You and I can participate in bringing that kind of hope, 

where God's grace is unleashed and light shines in dark places.

 

Right now.

We can help bring God's vision to bear. 

Right now.

That's what our Haiti Dinner and Silent Auction is really all about.

Bringing hope and health and belonging to vulnerable seniors in Haiti who would otherwise be homeless.  

Auberge des Vieillards (Inn for the Elderly) is the object of our love, as we come alongside some true heroes of hope, Pastor Abdon and his wife Madame Lumide, and the Committee and Staff that care for eleven of our brothers and sisters.

Right now.

Fundraising Goal:

$10,000.00

Thanks to everyone who has already signed up to be part of the action on Saturday, February 24.

Still want to help?

Desserts are still needed.  Please contact Lillian at lweatherall110@gmail.com

Dishwashers are still needed.  Please contact Ruth Anne a rabreithaupt@hcckw.ca.

Want tickets?

Contact Brian at brian.ogilvie@obfinancial.ca

Contact Ken at kdb@ptsoft.com

Spectacular Gatherings of Superheroes

 

The mobility scooters at Auberge des Vieillards make for some good fun.

At least that's what Hadassah and Mike think.  They are the two youngest children of Pastor Abdon and Madame Lumide, and they are with all their Grammas and Grampas a lot.  Their parents are part of the spectacular gathering of superheroes who care for our senior friends, along with the Leadership and Staff Teams, all labouring together to make the world a brighter place.

I call them spectacular for good reason.  They are caring for the vulnerable midst their own vulnerability.  Haiti, as we all know, is a chaotic and often dangerous place to live.  Yet these amazing people have welcomed an even grater level of complexity into their lives by choosing to embrace these seniors who would otherwise be homeless, protecting them from all manner of harm and indignity.

I also think they're kind of spectacular because they took this picture, and then even sent it along for us, even after admitting that they have repeatedly dissuaded their children from playing with the scooters.  To me that gives us a peek into real-time parenting, children being children, and an ability to find the fun and humour in the midst of demanding ministry.   Also, maybe it's just me, but I'm thinking our seniors find it somewhat entertaining.  So there's that.  

On Sunday, February 11 at Highview (10:30 a.m.) we'll be highlighting these spectacular folks, their incredible work and the inspiration they can bring to our own light-shining here in Canada.  We'll touch on Isaiah chapter 60 with the proposition that every believer can participate in Isaiah's vision of ridiculous hope by releasing the grace of God to bring light to dark places, right now.

Then later this month we'll really ramp it up with our Haiti Dinner and Silent Auction, Saturday, February 24.  We've been doing this since 2008, and it's always a pretty big deal.  

Our fundraising goal is $10,000.00, and we've got a lot of dedicated volunteers lined up to help make it happen.

Hope you can join us.

Questions?  Contact me at rabreithaupt@hcckw.ca.

Ruth Anne Breithaupt

Missionary in Residence

Highview Community Church

The Mud Factor

 

I'm going to guess that I don't know mud like Haitians know mud.

This is a space between buildings on the property known as Auberge des Vieillards in Pignon, Haiti where eleven seniors are cared for by the dedicated team of staff connected to the church there.

I do not know what season it is in this capture.  But I do know that in the rainy season, whatever looks like damp soft earth here is going to be a hot mess of mud for weeks and weeks on end.  Problem is, getting folks, especially folks with mobility issues, between those buildings will be no small feat.  Even staff and other caregivers have to maneuver through the mud. 

That's why one of the items on the projects list for A des V is cement.

I'm being this specific because it's no secret that sending money to Haiti has its understandable concerns.  And I want to be clear about what we're doing and what the funds are going to when we host our annual Haiti Dinner and Silent Auction event at Highview.

Cement pathways, of course, are only one of the projects underway on the property.  There's still some last steps to help make sure the water gets from the pump to the buildings.  There's supply rooms that need to be properly shelved and stocked.  And there's general maintenance always on the go.  We all know how it goes.  

But I wondered if it might help to give a 'concrete' example (see what I did there) in order to keep us all focused on what it is we're doing here.

Of course, it's not just about the building or the property.

There are real people here.  People who deserve the basic dignities of life in the last phase of their lives.  People who, for reasons including poverty but which also are way more complicated than just that, have no recourse for sustenance.  Who would be begging on the street otherwise.

They are the ones who need the cement walkways to take them from building to building.

They are the ones who require the care and supervision of staff.

They are the ones who need supplies properly stored.

They are the ones who need proper nutrition and medical attention.

They are the ones who happily benefit from a far-away turkey dinner with dessert, and a sometimes-slightly-competitive-but-always-fun silent auction at the end of the evening.

We're more likely to have snow than mud on February 24th.  

But either way, we'd love for you to join us.

For more information you can email me directly at rabreithaupt@hcckw.ca.
Love to hear from you!!!

The Wall Story

It's important that we keep telling the stories.  

They help connect the dots, 

bring context and meaning, 

and keep our spirits inspired.

This is a wall.

That may seem way too obvious, but it's an important part of the story.   Because, as far as our partnership with Auberge des Vieillards in Pignon, Haiti is concerned, the wall is where is all started.

The construction part, that is.  Even before the wall, there was a vision.  A vision to care for vulnerable seniors with no place to go.  That came from a Haitian Pastor named Abdon, and it was a long, long time ago.  In 1988 he began his theological studies in Cape Haitian, and would often see the elderly begging in the streets back and forth on his way to class.  The images stayed with him, wouldn't shake off, until it became a part of the very DNA of his leadership, and how he would inspire the church he and his wife Lumide would lead together in Pignon.  

Between the first inklings of that vision, and the eleven seniors now receiving care, there was a parcel of land.  And it needed a wall.  Without the wall going up first, whatever was kept or built on that parcel of land would be 'free game' for theft and destruction.  

Highview, along with Teams from other Canadian churches, helped build that wall.

In fact, a good-sized stone that got dislodged from Highview's foundation in a spring-thaw flood back in Canada, has been incorporated into the wall that now surrounds the Auberge des Vieillards property.

Oh yes.  The stories.

On Saturday, February 24, 2024 we'll be continuing the story of Highview's partnership with Pastor Abdon, Madame Lumide, and the astonishingly generous people of the Pignon Church who have freely chosen to take on the love-task of caring for people who otherwise would suffer greatly.

We'd love it if you'd join us.  

Be part of the story.

For tickets:

Brian Ogilvie  -  brian.ogilvie@obfinancial.ca

Ken Breithaupt -  kdb@ptsoft.com

For more information:

Ruth Anne Breithaupt - rabreithaupt@hcckw.ca

(Sorry no links)

 

When Your Donation of an Auction Item Goes a Long, Long Way

This is one of our seniors who lives as Auberge des Vieillards 

(Inn for the Elderly) in Pignon, Haiti.  

He needs extra care because he has a lesion on his leg 

that just won't heal.  

Every day the lesion is cleaned and dressed.  

Three times a day he eats nutritious meals.  

Every night he sleeps safely in his own bed.

These simple, basic realities are possible only because of the combined factors of the vision of Pastor Abdon, and the support of people like you.  Moved with compassion at the sight of forgotten seniors begging on the street, Pastor Abdon and his wife Lumide, who is a nurse, have gathered their small congregation around the care of vulnerable seniors in their district.  This is no small task in a country as destitute as Haiti.  Especially now, as gang violence, political confusion, and economic chaos runs rampant.

In Canada, Highview, along with others similarly inspired, have gathered to first build the residence itself, and now support the seniors who live there.  

That's what our Haiti Dinner and Silent Auction is all about.

There are many ways you can contribute.

One fun way is to donate a service or an item to be auctioned off.

Perhaps you have a business, or provide a service, and you could donate a product or your time and expertise.

We'd love to showcase your business, and of course, all proceeds go to Auberge des Vieillards through the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada.

To donate an item please contact brian.ogilvie@sbfinancial.ca.

For tickets contact Brian (same email) or Ken Breithaupt at kdb@ptsoft.com.

For other information, and to volunteer on day of, contact me, Ruth Anne, at rabreithaupt@hcckw.ca.

(Sorry, no links, please cut and paste).

Tickets Now On Sale! Highview's Dinner and Silent Auction Saturday, February 24, 2024

 

TICKETS NOW ON SALE!!!

Reserving your tickets early helps to ensure you get your preferred seating

5:00 or 6:30 p.m.

It also helps us plan and prepare the food 

with minimal waste, 

something that is consistent with 

the values of Auberge des Vieillards, 

and our care of vulnerable seniors in Pignon, Haiti.

Tickets available in person from

Brian Ogilvie or Ken Breithaupt

starting Sunday, January 14, 2024

after our worship service

(Highview Community Church

295 Highview Drive, KIT ON N2N 2K7).

OR

by contacting Brian or Ken directly at

Brian - brian.ogilvie@obfinancial.ca

Ken - kdb@ptsoft.com

For more information about our Dinner and Auction, or about Auberge des Vieillards

contact our Missionary in Residence

Ruth Anne Breithaupt at

rabreithaupt@hcckw.ca.

For more stories keep scrolling.

Swimming, Patient Friends, Dr. Larry Mellon, and a Hospital in Haiti

Something pretty great is happening at Highview on 

Saturday, February 24, 2024

295 Highview Drive

HAITI DINNER AND SILENT AUCTION

Tickets and Information available by contacting me, 

Highview's Missionary in Residence

at rabreithaupt@hcckw.ca 

or check out www.hcckw.ca.

But what does that have to to with the book pictured here?

Well, there's a story for that.

I'm not swimming anymore.  Not as part of my regular fitness routine at least.  There are reasons, and it's all good.  But I only mention it here because it's an important part of the story, and it's going to end up in Haiti.

The thing about swimming, or any other thing you do regularly enough, is that your meet people and they become your 'that' friends.  In this case, my 'swimming' friends.  The folks I don't have any other common orbits with, but when we see each other in the change rooms or in the pool or in the jacuzzi after our swim, we're all friendly and finding out enough about each other, and what makes the world interesting because they're interesting.  But all of this is, of course, in quick conversations as we are getting in and out of the pool and drying our hair and stuff.

Maggie and Joy (not their real names) are two of my swimming friends.

Hang on.  This will actually get us to Haiti, I promise.

On my last day of swimming, I didn't know it would be my last day of swimming, so I didn't really say a proper goodbye.  It's like that, actually.  Because sometimes you don't even run into each other to chat.  But I had given Maggie my business card at one point when she expressed interest in my pashmina, and it led to the conversation about my times in Thailand.  Yes, we'll get to Haiti.

So six months after my last day of swimming I get a call from Maggie.  She wants to have a tea and invite Joy.  How lovely.  But I explain that I am heading into a rather demanding fall and it would be best if we set this up as a Christmas tea, perhaps, if that's not too far off to make such plans.  It wasn't.

So early in December, once my head stopped spinning from the jetlag return from Thailand, I sat for tea in Maggie's lovely home, and she and Joy and I found out oh so much more about each other than ever we could in the quick conversations at the pool.

For example.  Maggie, who is a very spry lady in her 90's, had many years ago spent two years as a nurse at the Hospital Albert Schweitzer at Deschapelles in Haiti.  (Told ya.)  

What?  Tell me more.  So she did.  With great respect she talked about a man named Larry Mellon who, being born into wealth, was drawn into so much more than the 'entitled' life could offer, and ended up a medical doctor in one of the poorest countries of the world.

As the name of the hospital suggests, Dr. Mellon had been inspired by the similar kind of medicine practiced by Albert Schweitzer in Africa, driven by the shared desire to "find the place of maximum need."  It's what led Mellon to build his hospital in the Artibonite Valley, a place deserted by other doctors due to the hopeless conditions in which the inhabitants lived.  

And now an aside, because more dots are connecting for me.  A quote from Brian Stiller's book "Find a Broken Wall" (2012) where he encourages Christian leaders (and all of us for that matter) to consider our 'job search' a little differently.

Instead of searching for the good places, 

rewarding salaries and benefits, 

popular communities and nice people, 

look for rundown, bankrupt communities 

in need of someone to lift and lead (29).

This is exactly what Mellon did.

Near to the end of our Christmas tea, I realized I wanted to know more about this intriguing man and his medical mission in Haiti.  So I asked if ever there was a book published or anything else I could read.  Maggie easily lent me the book pictured above, published in 1964.  I have not been disappointed.

I'm not finished the book.  And I'm still learning so much.  The hospital still exists, but I've only started to poke around to find out more.  If you're also interested, here's a possible link to information today:  Current information on the hospital.  If nothing else it will give us all a perspective on how the situation in Haiti today is affecting everything.

And it all comes back to what's happening at Highview on Saturday, February 24.

We aren't directly connected with Dr. Mellon's hospital.  But we are partners with Auberge des Vieillards (Inn for the Elderly) in Pignon.  The seniors and disabled residents there are also living midst the turmoil of a country in prolonged chaos.  It's another 'broken wall' if you will; another 'place of maximum need.'

We want to help.  

We hope you'll join us.