“For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.”
— Psalm 27:5
On October 4, 2016, a Category 4 hurricane hit southern Haiti. It left deadly destruction and a massive loss of crops and animals. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians lost everything. We have shared with you about the people living in caves in the hills of Jérémie, Haiti because of Hurricane Matthew.
We learned about these poor people living in a big cave when our good friend, Joel Trimble, called us in tears one day to tell us about this tragedy. He was calling from a cave with many Haitian families living inside because they had lost their homes in the hurricane. The cave sits in the mountainous area of Fond Rouge, south of Jérémie. Life in the “cave” was dreadful.
Immediately, we sent food, clothing, tarps and some baby clothes. Two months later our truck made another trip to this area with more food, supplies and even toys for the children. Over 60 children were living in the cave.
When Bobby visited the cave, he had to crawl around on bat feces and urine; it was very damp from the dripping water. He promised these poor people that we would build them new houses. Here is a video of Bobby in the cave.
How could we help these people? They had nothing left; all their houses were gone. We partnered with Joel and Yvonne Trimble by sending food, clothing, and water to them, but it was no longer enough. God expected more of us. We wanted to build “each family” a small block home. We prayed that we could help this community of abandoned people.
In the meantime, Bobby went back to the Jérémie area to visit the Haitian families living in the cave. He took them food and Creole Bibles. Imagine how these poor people felt going outside the cave to read their very own Bibles! These Bibles and food gave them hope, and the Haitians say, “Hope makes us live!” The trip was long, and the cave was difficult to get to, but it was well worth it! These Creole Bibles (5,000 of them) were donated by Pastor Gregory Dickow of LifeChangers International. This group was such a blessing during these difficult times!
We want to thank all of our partners for their gifts, large and small, who helped sponsor houses for the families living in the cave in southern Haiti. We pledged to help Joel build 50 houses for 50 families. The cost was $4,200 for each house, including labor, materials, and transportation. God bless you all for hearing the cry of the poor!
“And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”
— Matthew 8:20
The Lord met our goal of enough funds to build 50 houses for the Haitians. We sent money to Joel and Yvonne Trimble of Haiti for Christ to build the new houses. The workers tried very hard to get the houses built as quickly as possible. The heavy spring rains slowed down the construction. This blockhouse is one of the first houses built for one of the families.
The two-room blockhouse construction is much stronger than their previous homes. This style is the standard home construction used for the poor in Haiti. It will offer much-needed protection for each family, and a safer place to raise their children.
We are so thankful to Joel and Yvonne Trimble for letting us share in this project. The homes are being painted now and, by faith, furniture put inside!
These are just some of the precious families who were living in the cave and now have new homes. They are so thankful that so many of our sponsors responded to our plea for help for these Haitians who had nothing. The families, especially the children are so excited to be moving into their new houses soon!
Thank you all for donating the money to build all 50 houses for the cave families! The goal has been met. But we can’t stop now! We need your help. We want to paint all the houses in the beautiful tropical colors of Haiti.
This Haitian couple, with several children, has a new sturdy home in this community of Fond Rouge. Now, we need to buy furniture and household items for every house. Faith doesn’t know that we don’t have the money.
Bobby says, “These people have changed his life forever.” By faith, we will give the money to Joel and Yvonne to put new furniture in each house and have them painted.
Imagine living in a dark, dirty, and dingy cave in Haiti for nearly a year, after a struggle with a “killer hurricane.” You lack clothing, and everything is scarce. Then, someone brings nice, new clean tee shirts! We take so many things for granted! NRECA International sent these wonderful tee shirts for the “Cave People!” Jonas, who works for Joel Trimble, personally drove eight hours one way with these shirts and some food for them! Thanks to all of you at NRECA International!!! The people of Haiti say “thank you” too!!!
On a recent trip to the Fond Rouge area, we checked on the houses going up for the cave families. The construction boss told me that by the end of August, all the houses would be finished. Some are being built in very hard to get to places unless you are a mountain goat!!
We hope to visit with the cave families and see how all 50 houses are coming along. Soon, they will all be inside their new homes. I heard that some have already moved in. These people are some of the sweetest people I’ve ever met in Haiti.
The need we have that is heavy in our hearts now is to supply furniture ($750.00) for each house. If you feel that God is touching your heart to sponsor necessities such as furniture, clothing and cooking tools for a family, or part of one, please call our office at 239-210-6107 and let a staff member know that you want to help. You may also give securely online. God will bless you back, 100-fold according to Psalms 41:1-3.
God bless you all,
Sherry