Today marks the 7th anniversary of the dedication of the Gwo Maché Mirak, or Grand Miracle Marketplace, in Fond Parisien, Haiti. For seven years now, the Haitian people have had the nicest, cleanest, safest marketplace with a wide variety of commercial activities to support the regional economy and create a place for many secure jobs. During these seven years, the Marketplace has continued to expand and adjust its services.

In addition to the many restaurants serving local Haitian food, a bank, a Western Union office, and hundreds of small vendor shops with anything from beauty supplies, freshly grown produce, clothes, electronics, etc. It now even offers a clean, modern, and efficient “GO” fuel station that always has a line of eager customers. In the rear part of the marketplace is the expanded Abatwa or “butcher shop” where Farmer John’s-branded meats of all kinds are available, providing the highest standards for fresh meat in all of Haiti.

Those of you who have been with us since the Grand Opening seven years ago or anyone who has actually been to the Gwo Maché Mirak can testify to the tremendous enduring impact that this Development for Sustainability project is having on the poor nation of Haiti. The $1 million faith seed that Pastor Jentezen Franklin and the Kingdom Connection church provided years ago continues to provide opportunity, higher standards, open-air Christian music, and joy and hope to hundreds of Haitian people who are coming to know Jesus through this project.

As Pastor Franklin said in his Dedication Day remarks, when Jesus came riding a donkey into Jerusalem, he came “through the marketplace”! We thank Pastor Franklin for his faith and support of this project, and Mr. Bellevue and his staff who manage it and keep it operating well. And, we also want to thank our beloved friend Oriel who put all the Dedication festivities together so well and produced our great TV show for so many years. They are all an example of what can happen when people come together, showing that “Love is something that you do.”

Rad Hazelip, Assistant Executive Director

As you know, on Monday Sherry’s covid test came back positive. She had no symptoms and was feeling well. My test came back negative. This stopped our trip going back to Haiti. Today we went to a different doctor for Sherry’s “retest.” PTL! Her covid test came back negative!!! Her covid test on Monday was a false positive. Yes, we both had our two vaccine shots, plus the booster shot. We’re heading back to Haiti ASAP! Working on the tickets now!!!

Bobby Burnette

Haitian children who live in the mountains of Haiti and other poor villages do not get the love and affection that the majority of our children in the States receive. The reason is that life is so tough, so rugged and fathers and mothers are forced to work hard just to keep their children alive. They do not go to school, but instead work in the gardens, hoeing rocks, pulling weeds, washing clothes in the river, and caring for smaller children. Since food is so, so rare, children are often malnourished and if they don’t help, they will die.

Joel and his brother Miguelson came from the mountains of Bel-Fonten, or, as we nicknamed it, Coven. Their father had four children and his job was to “mow to the earth,” as they say in the mountains (work in the garden). He knows neither day nor night because all this father knows is work to keep his children alive.

The mother is Madamn Fanie St Pierre. She had abandoned her children, leaving this father to care for them. This area is so far, that you ride a mule or a donkey, and then take the rest of the way on foot. Their “home,” was just a little two-bedroom, thatched roof-hut. When the hurricane came, they had nowhere to sleep because the water had flooded everything in their hut.

This father, Mr. Emmanuel, has never cried over anything, but he has cried “many a tear” when his little boys could not find food to eat. Both little boys had to be taken to a Malnutrition Clinic (that we know of). This was a missionary friend of ours and the children thrived and did well. But, at last, the children became malnourished again, because when “special food was sent home for them, as outpatients,” they shared it with others and the little boys became malnourished again.

When Joel came to our Malnutrition Clinic here at Love A Child he weighed 7.5 kilos. His legs were swollen, and his skin was dry. The other day before they left, Joel weighed 11.5 kilos! His brother, Miguelson, weighed 12.2 kilos. They are in outpatient care now and their father can come each month to get their special food. And, we will also send a big box of Feed My Starving Children Food so that dad and the others can eat well. What a blessing! When someone sponsors a container of food, there are so many stories inside that “container of food,” and they all have happy endings!!

God bless those of you who sponsor the Malnutrition Clinic each month.

Sherry

Mika Georges is now 14 years old. She is the “quiet side” of a set of twins. Her sister is Mikalange.

She loves working in the kitchen and preparing food. She loves sports, but she “really loves music.” She is learning the keyboard, and one day soon, she will be playing in the children’s service at night.

She is kind to everyone and very respectful. She also likes to volunteer at our Malnutrition Center. Her dream is to become a pediatrician because she wants to help people. I don’t think there is anyone she doesn’t like. With so many kids, I really appreciate the “quiet ones!!” Ha! We love Mika!!!

Sherry

Well, today, Sherry and I were supposed to be on our way to Haiti, but as some of you know, we had to do the Covid test before flying. Sherry’s test came out positive. She was not feeling sick or anything, but we were “grounded.” We have a little place of our own in the country, so we are going to be quarantined here for 10 days. We are used to moving and doing Food Distributions, and always being busy up at 3:30 am, so for us to be “inside” and not “busy” with a Food Distribution, or the Orphanage, etc., was going to be rough.

Sherry decided to make something special today because when we are in Haiti, we have “mission-critical people” coming in and out and we all eat together because we are all busy and it’s usually chicken or hamburger from Farmer John’s. We have had Nini as our Haitian cook for over 30 years. She has cooked for all our visitors and teams and she is like family to us. Well, Sherry sent me out today to buy some food and things that we never usually buy in Haiti, because we are limited in going shopping in a grocery store. I came back with a bunch of stuff!

She sent me out for things to make a salad, fried squash and onions, and two nice little steaks. (We never buy steaks in Haiti.) But, Sherry saw a new recipe she wanted to try… “seared steaks.” Since we don’t have a grill, she was going to fix it a special way so it wouldn’t be tough, and then “sear it.” She made me buy a cast-iron skillet. She started making it and the recipe said, “there will be a lot of smoke, so open your doors and turn off your alarm.” We did that. She turned on the stove vent, we opened our door, and I unplugged the ADT alarm system. Man, that steak smelled so good, but there was a LOT of smoke! As we ate the “best steak I had ever eaten,” I got a phone call but didn’t want to answer it. Sherry said, “Better answer it,” but I said, “It’s just a salesman and this steak is SO GOOD!”

All of a sudden, there were two firemen at our front door! As we were talking to them, through our “country gate” came two of the biggest firemen I had ever seen! Then, in came two of the biggest firetrucks I had ever seen! Three more firemen jumped out and said, “Where’s the fire?” Sherry was almost in tears, apologizing. I told them that I had unplugged the ADT alarm, but it still went off, and “We punched every button to stop it!” Then, one of the firemen came over and said, “Next time, we need your gate code because we almost had to take the gate with us to get in!” We apologized to them over and over but they were so kind.

Well, Sherry told me that today was the “last seared steak” she is making… it’s back to chicken, hamburger, and Keto. This is what happens to missionaries who are used to being on the go 24/7, and now have to be “quarantined” inside!!! We are counting the days to get back to Haiti.

 Bobby 

Everyone is working very hard building the Gabion houses for those who lost everything in the earthquake. What I love about the Gabion house is that it’s about all built from local materials and all local labor.

Haiti has an 85% unemployment and things are much harder now since the earthquake, political unrest, gangs, etc.

It doesn’t take skilled labor to build the house. We have a skilled foreman who is overseeing each house being built by the locals. The earthquake survivors need their houses built and the locals need jobs. We hire local people to gather rocks for the houses and this helps employ more Haitians.

Here is another Grandma praising the Lord for her rocks coming!

The walls are made from rocks and cement inside galvanized wire and are “two feet thick!” This is a “very strong house which can withstand the “next earthquake” and will help “withstand the next hurricane.” We are in the process of building 10 houses now and this month we will start more. By faith, I know the funds will come in.

The cost of each house, which has “three bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen” is $9,000. You may be led by the Lord to provide one or more houses for the earthquake victims. You may only have very little. Every penny counts!

You will receive pictures of your family moving into their new house. Please go and give on our website or call and give on your credit card or by mail…

To donate online, visit: https://loveachild.com/

Please mail letters and contributions to:

Love A Child, Inc.
PO Box 60063
Fort Myers, Florida 33906-6063

If you would like to speak directly to one of our staff members, please call: 239-210-6107

By faith, we are building in southern Haiti. We are thankful because there are “no gangs there” and southern Haiti has fuel in most places. God bless you and thank you again.

PTL! The funds for another house just came in…

Bobby