From the Field: Haiti Update

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Haiti; it is with great joy and excitement we are able to announce we have sufficient funding for the “Haiti Truck” for our Hope Force activities in Sous Savanne, Haiti!

As you know, our stated goal was $ 27,000 which has just been met! We are truly so grateful for your generous donation towards this goal. Our ten-year old SUV has done quite well, but with the bad roads, harsh conditions and often heavy loads, we are ready for a strong and sturdy pickup. 

Over the last few weeks, we have loaded into this SUV:  construction materials for the Hope Shelter construction, food supplies for the Child Sponsorship distribution – and of course, teams and visitors. The new truck will be a huge asset towards the work and ministry in Sous Savanne and surrounding areas. Your contribution and partnership with us makes this a dream come true! 

Rene with local farmers	Hauling construction materials	Irrigation for crops

Just yesterday, I walked around the Sous Savanne area with Joseph, "Papa Kokoye" and a few others. We were surveying the growth of corn and beans – the outcome of distributed seeds to almost 50 farmers in December. Many farmers in the community had lost crops during Hurricane Matthew, and it was so exciting to see the corn and beans (often sown together) grow so well! Farmers have also made efforts towards better irrigation to provide water for the often-fragile crops in changing weather conditions. We’re also grateful for the first rains to help grow the crops! 

Since the beginning of the year, we’ve had visitors from The Netherlands; Frans assisted in overseeing the construction of three Hope Shelters for grateful families. These were mostly women with several children who still lived in appalling circumstances. We also had HFI founders/CEO Jack and Cherie Minton visit with their granddaughter Hailey, and we were happy and grateful to walk the Sous Savanne path with them – showing them first-hand developments since their last visit. 

Newly built "Hope Shelter"	Grateful for Frans' help to build	Minton's & Hailey visit

Two prayer points: 

• Our internet connectivity has been a huge challenge; it is basically non-existent or extremely slow since damage was done to the antennas by Hurricane Matthew. Even now, I write this over one mile from our home where I can send this from my laptop. We’re researching various options, praying for the best possible solution. 

• We still have openings for teams – especially later in the year – but even as early as May. We could also deploy teams of only two – specifically to assist with overseeing the construction of the shelters built by our local crew. 

We truly give thanks for the funds received for the truck, and for the fact that we have almost completed the first four classrooms of the ECCA school construction project. Work on the second building of three classrooms will begin very soon! 

Warm regards and blessings, 

Rene & Marianne Lako