Slowly but surely, the people of Haiti have become part of the fabric of Quest. Groups of Questers have been traveling to this island nation for the entire (yet relatively short) history of our church. Each time we go, we understand more and become more and more committed to seeking the welfare of this impoverished nation. More specifically, we are engaging a city of nearly 50,000 people on the island of La Gonave. On the edge of the sea, on the ‘salt flats’ that regularly flood, there is a small community of families that ‘squat’ on land they do not own and that have no public utilities (electricity, sewer, running water). These people are known as the ‘poor of the poor and the forgotten of the forgotten’.
In the midst of this poverty sits a church planted and served by Pastor Foglas and his wife. Like many churches in Haiti, they developed a school in an effort to help young people build a ladder to a better and more productive life. A few years ago the majority of that school collapsed due to the poor quality of the construction materials. As a result, the 120 students have either move to other schools or for most they simply don’t go to school. This is the same school that our Quest Kids ministry has been raising money to help feed the students a lunch of rice and beans.
We have the chance to rebuild this school. Our teams are headed there in late January and early February to join forces with a Haitian work team. The key need in this project is finances. For $10,000, the school will be functional. For $15,000, it will be effective. For $20,000, it will be excellent. Our hope and prayer is to provide exactly what sort of school the Lord wants for these kids.
I would like to encourage you to seriously ask God what part you could play in this effort of love for the kids on the ’Saline’ (salt flats). Our dream is to give above and beyond what the Haitian could ever imagine. Let’s give them our best. Let’s give sacrificially. Let’s demonstrate the love of God to those whom the world would never know about and seldom care.
Above and beyond all of this, let’s join together and pray for these people. May the grace of God touch them deeply… and touch us also.
Kevin