Dear Supporters of TeamOne27 and Divine Ministries in Hope for Children:

 

Major airlines have resumed service to the major airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I was able to travel back and forth to Haiti last week, though Port-au-Prince itself is still 80% controlled by the gangs. Travel within the country by road is still dangerous, but it is possible to fly direct from Port-au-Prince to our Les Cayes compound via small planes serviced by Sunrise Airways. All this adds to the cost of travel, but does make it possible, even in these tough times.

 

The troops promised by Kenya arrived last month, as stated in our May update, but then left Haiti saying that sufficient preparations had not yet been made for them to stay. After a few weeks’ absence, however, they are returning this week in greater force than last month. The USA has also pledged financial help so that the newly selected Haitian transitional government will have the resources available to deal with the gangs while rebuilding the county’s infrastructure. Some very good news: the new Prime Minister, Garry Conille, chosen to oversee this transition seems to be focused on rooting out government corruption and channeling the resources available into actually helping the poor people. He dismissed six cabinet members as being unnecessary and has been vocal in his determination to keep the needs of the masses as his primary consideration. The rich people (yes, there are many in Haiti) are complaining loudly, but the poor are taking a wait and see attitude to see if Mr. Conille’s actions reflect his talk.

 

The heat that has been put on the gangs in the Port-au-Prince area has resulted in the gangs relocating into the Carrefour District; the area where Divine Ministries has been located since Pastor Daniel started the orphanage in 2001. Fortunately, we moved all of our operations last October out to the western countryside of Les Cayes where gang activity is minimal. Over the past weekend Divine Ministry staff was busy moving all of Daniel Jean’s personal household items out to Les Cayes. The gangs have made it known that they want to take over the house we have rented in Carrefour for the past several years. Churches in the Carrefour District have been suffering under the heightened attentions of the gangs. It is nearly impossible to hold a church service without some gang members arriving and demanding money. Stealing the hard-won tithe money from poor parishioners will certainly not be blessed by our Lord. Our home church location of The Church on Fire has dropped in Sunday attendance from 350 to 70 brave young people who refuse to be cowed by the gangs. We need to hold these souls up in prayer.

 

The water pump we mentioned in our May newsletter, which was purchased for $ 1,000, was stolen by a gang when they stopped the bus carrying the man delivering our pump and stole everything of value from every passenger on that bus. We have located a replacement pump in Les Cayes at a cost of $1,300 and it should be installed this week. Virtually anything purchased in Les Cayes will be more expensive than it would be in Port-au-Prince due to increased delivery (and protection) fees. It is possible to drill a new well and install a manually-operated pump as backup to the electrical system for a cost of $5,000. If you are part of a family, church, or civic group that would like to accept that project, please let us know. It could be a literal lifesaver.

 

A “shout out” to Tower Health Hospital of West Reading, PA for supplying vitamins and basic medical necessities for Divine Ministries. The children have been receiving the vitamins on a daily basis for the past five months and their health has notably improved. Hospital visits are less frequent, and their energy levels are strong.

 

The school year officially ended in Les Cayes the day I arrived (June 19th ) but it is already time to begin preparations for the 2024-2025 school year. School uniforms are only available by hiring a service to physically produce each individual uniform. Seamstresses take on jobs on a first come-first served basis and we have a number of children who will need new uniforms this coming year due to the children growing and normal wear and tear. This need will require approximately $1,500. We have a need for four basic laptops for students whose course of study include training on the maintenance and use of computer and/or the skills to utilize a computer. Approximate cost: $1,200.

 

Priorities:
1. Finish the building in Les Cayes started in 2023. Approximate cost $40,000
2. School uniforms (mentioned above). Approximate cost $1,500
3. Finish paying teachers for the final month of last year schooling. $1,000
4. Tuition for start of Fall 2024 school year. $1,500

 

In other news:
The new Prime Minister of the transitional government has announced that he has approved the project of opening a port on the western tip of the southern peninsula of Haiti; about an hour’s drive from our Les Cayes compound. This will greatly improve access to needed goods while reducing the cost of transportation and the impact the gangs have had on all goods shipped to this region. The two pigs that were provided several years ago by a generous donation of a couple from Pennsylvania are still producing piglets. Recently, three piglets were added to our small farm. The cow that was provided by a donation has been producing milk for the children, but she has now been “dried off” in anticipation of delivering a new calf. We hope this calf will be a heifer
(unlike the first couple of her calves which were bulls) so we can build a herd of milk producers.

 

This newsletter grew beyond the length I would have preferred, but since I was unable to travel to Haiti for the intervening three months, there was a lot of information to share.

If you want to contribute to meet the needs of the children and staff at Divine Ministries, we have a PayPal link on our website at www.TeamOne27.org, or you can mail a check payable to TeamOne27 to our PO Box 78 in Wernersville, PA 19565. TeamOne27 has no paid employees in the USA, so every penny donated goes directly to Divine Ministries in Haiti.
The children and staff at Divine Ministries in Hope for Children send their deep-felt thanks and appreciation for your continued love and support which makes it possible for them to survive the severe conditions they face every day in Haiti.

 

Sincerely,

Mark Gillette, TeamOne27
610-451-1996 or markgillette1007@gmail.com