|
HOM Activities and Vision for the Future
|
|
|
|
We thank God for the opportunities He is providing!
|
|
The vision of HOM is to make a Christian difference in the city outside the gate
|
|
|
|
|
In 2003:
- Over 2700 worshippers each week at the churches at Cite Soleil, Ibo Beach (Source Matelas), Blanchard (Terre Noire), and Airport.
- Approx 375 primary students in pre-K through 6 at Cite Soleil and 217 primary students at Ibo Beach. Approx 107 secondary students, graduates of Cite Soleil, are sponsored in area secondary schools. 40-60 students will start the new school at Terre Noire/Blanchard in Fall 2003.
- The completion of the church building at Ibo Beach. Dieu merci this project is advancing well, with substantial construction completed. There's a photo below showing the status of work as of the end of March 2003. The first floor roof has been poured and the building is in service!
- The construction of a second floor for the Cite Soleil cafeteria building. This project is complete, with 4 rooms added to the school - 2 classrooms, a library and an A/V room.
- The construction of a new school building at Blanchard and the completion of the Christian Education/Admin building (which will be used for the primary school classes in Fall 2003). The Blanchard efforts have been substantially advanced, with the basic construction of the new school complete. There's a photo below of the new school building as of the end of March 2003. The finishing work is ongoing.
- Over 17 church mission trips from sponsoring churches in the U.S. These trips include medical clinics, VBS, a workshop for the teachers at Cite Soleil and Ibo Beach, carpentry, major building construction, evangelism, and home construction.
- The expansion of the sponsorship program to the new Blanchard students.
- In January 2003 we learned - on very short notice - that the Haitian government was about to widen the road in front of the church at Cite Soleil. Though we knew that such general thoughts were about, the decision to bulldoze about 600 homes and take the front 20' of the church sanctuary and compound immediately came as a shock. There are two photos below showing the new wall (built before the old one comes down) and the wider street. HOM is working to help the 600 households displaced and to begin the process of moving the sanctuary deeper into the compound. For the time being the original sanctuary has been patched and used for worship services. The local church leaders have asked that a new sanctuary, better designed than the original temporary-became-permanent one, be built. This project has been started, with the foundation and wall pillars in place. The roof trusses and steel roof are funded and will be in place this summer. If you would like to help with the displaced families, donations are gratefully accepted - just add a memo indicating the purpose. If you would like to help with either the new sanctuary, the same applies. God bless!
|
|
|
|
During 1999-2002:
- Contruction projects completed: Cafeteria (1st floor), medical clinic, second school building, sanctuary expansion into former classrooms, new pantry and food preparation area.
- Expansion of the primary school to include two pre-K classes to better prepare the children for academic success.
- 600 person capacity sanctuary at Blanchard.
- Expansion of the new clinic to provide complete offices, examination, lab, and pharmacy spaces for the daily clinic staffed by local Haitian medical personnel.
|
|
|
|
Meeting the challenge of the Cite Soleil development project which has displaced 600 families and taken part of the sanctuary: (1) We are trying the mitigate the impact for the displaced by helping them find alternate homes. Donations provided for this specific purpose are applied only to it. (2) We have determined that the best answer to the sanctuary impact is to minimally patch the existing one and build a new one deeper into the compound. This will provide a permanent building designed for the tropics (as the schools have been) which will best meet the evolving ministry for the people of Cite Soleil. These are extended duration projects which we seek to undertake without reducing the other initiatives. Please pray for the people and the ministry in this time of upheaval.
Future Vision:
1. Establish a vocational school at the Blanchard compound to help the community through training in such areas as metal work, sewing, masonry, electronics and carpentry. (Planned for early 2005)
2. Establish an additional 'daughter' church. (Planned for 2005)
3. Enhance the nutrition program through additional diet elements. (ongoing)
4. Sustain the Cite Soleil and Ibo Beach schools. Expand the new Blanchard school. Integrate the airport church school into the network. Expand the school program to the new daughter church.
5. Develop a clinic at Blanchard.
6. Achieve monthly U.S. medical clinic trips.
7. Expand the sanctuary at Blanchard to accommodate the over 800 Haitians already worshipping there!
|
|
 |
|
Americans from a repair team work with Haitians on building and hanging new doors.
|
|
 |
|
A view of students heading into class at Cite Soleil. As part of a project the students in grades 4-6 planted the almond trees shown, along with other types elsewhere in the compound.
|
|
 |
|
Sunday morning worship at Blanchard. After 6 months of services, the sanctuary is 80% full! HOM expects to expand the sanctuary in 2004.
|
|
 |
|
Praising the Lord with a VBS class.
|
|
 |
|
The new cafeteria. A second floor will be built in 2003.
|
|
 |
|
Two 2 school classroom buildings on the left and the medical clinic on the right. In the middle in the background is the new water storage tank. Hidden from view is the new generator building with its 15kw generator, able to supply electrical power to all of the compound.
|
|
 |
|
Some of the 1400 engaged in Bible studies.
|
|
 |
|
December 2002 groundbreaking for the new Blanchard school. The church is in the background. The partially completed education/admin building is on the left.
|
|
 |
|
The finished product! - the second school building in use in April 2000.
|
|
 |
|
The Cite Soleil church with its modifications complete in April 2000 - already in use. The new school building allowed the conversion of some of the classrooms into the new additional worship area.
|
|
 |
|
This is the street in front of the Cite Soleil compound as it looks in March 2003. The old church wall on the right is still on the right, but is about to come down - the road will be another 20' wider toward the church. Compare this with the picture at the top and you can see the scale of family displacement due to the removal of 600 homes.
|
|
 |
|
You can see the clinic on the far left of the photo. Although the sanctuary lost 20', the rest of the compound was n ot significantly impacted. As soon as the new wall is done and the new gate installed the old one will be removed. In lieu of compensation for the 20' of frontage, the new wall has been built by the government. Repairs to the sanctuary and all other work is for us to accomplish.
|
|
 |
|
The new school/church building at Ibo Beach. With the pouring of the ceiling the first phase will be done and the building ready for worship services and to house the school. The next phase - planned for 2004 - is to build the second story to house classrooms.
|
|
 |
|
The new school building at Blanchard/Terre Noire. This will provide sufficient space for the first few years of the school's operation. The next phase of this project is to build the 2nd story for additional classrooms in 2005.
|
|
|
|
