Haiti is known as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% living in abject poverty. And that was before the earthquake hit in January of 2010. The Haitian people were rocked by the tragedy and are still struggling to find hope in the midst of the tragedy.
Virginia Baptists responded to the disaster and have remained present throughout the recovery. The Virginia Baptist Mission Board has invested time, resources, love and prayer into a community called Delmas 19, sending several teams from across the state over the past several months. The VBMB and these work teams have equipped and supported local Haitian workers in rebuilding homes in the community as well as building an orphanage, which has recently opened. More importantly, they have built relationships with the Haitians in the community and given them a reason to have hope.
Northstar is organizing a trip to Port-au-Prince, Haiti this summer to assist in the ongoing ministry to the recovering Haitian people. There will be opportunities to assist in the construction of homes as well as work in the orphanage. It only takes 5 days and $3000 to build a home in Delmas 19! The tentative dates are June 16-23 (the depart and return dates may change by 1 day depending on flights). We are looking for a team of 8-12 people and the cost will be around ~$1200 per person.
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matt 25:40). Truly, the Haitian people are the least of these. For more information contact Jesse Alley (423-863-6074, hokiezilla@vt.edu).