HHColminy

Praise the Lord!

Yesterday, a judge challenged The Administration’s order for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to begin capturing and deporting all Haitians living in the US. This was scheduled to begin today! In the past (as you may know) when the President didn’t like a judge’s order, he’d refuse to enforce it. Or worse yet, he’d fire the judge!

So, it took great compassion, hard work, and especially courage for Judge Ana Reyes to challenge President Trump! But the Lord intervened. For now, all good Haitians living in the US can breathe a sigh of relief. Their stay remains “temporary,” without a new deportation date yet identified. But we are grateful for however long these wonderful, hard-working immigrants get to stay. [We feel the same way about all hard working and self-supporting (non-criminal) immigrants.]

Hopefully, prayerfully, the gang situation in Haiti will also end soon, allowing all good Haitians everywhere to live and work in peace. Once peace returns to their homeland, many Haitians look forward to returning. Please join us as we continue praying for this miracle too! And for our President to rule with Godly grace, compassion and wisdom.
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The alien who resides with you shall be to you as a citizen among you. Love the alien as yourself. [Leviticus 19:34]

If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength! Rescue t hose being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? [Proverbs 24:10-12]

Remember the “American Way” inscribed on our Statue of Liberty:
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

BLESSINGS and DANGERS!

Exactly two weeks ago we posted the desperate needs of Haitians who’d fled from terrorizing gangs that destroyed everything they owned. They arrived in Colminy with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

We’re so proud of the Colminians! They welcomed these strangers with open arms, providing whatever they could from their own meager supplies. But Colminians couldn’t fill every desperate need. So, we made a plea to you, our FB friends, and personally to those in our senior community.

What an amazing response this received! Within 2 hours our driveway was lined with bags and boxes of good, used adult clothing and sheets, plus bundles of sample-sized toiletries. More arrived each day. Our town’s Community Care Center then donated all the kids’ clothes required. HHC also received several cash offerings. Thank you! Thank you, everyone!

became a flurry of sorting and counting, organizing and packing. By Tuesday, we’d boxed at least one change of clothes for every man, woman and child, along with sheets, toothbrushes, 41 beautifully hand-crafted Christian necklaces and underwear for almost everyone. Four stuffed medium-sized Colminy-bound boxes left for Miami on Wednesday. Besides things already mentioned, 6 tubes of caulking and a caulking gun were included to repair their leaky roofs, plud spark plug wires to repair the “ugly green car” we’d given Richard for Colminy’s needs.

Men’s boxers should arrive on Tuesday. We plan for a small shipment with these and the washable menstrual pads still being made.

Please continue to pray! This box-journey is fraught with danger. Last Sunday gangs shot two Sunrise Airway planes as they attempted to land in Port au Price (PaP). They received bullet holes, but fortunately no one was injured. Even so, Amerijet (our cargo carrier) suspended all flights to Haiti “due to recent security concerns.”

Hopefully… prayerfully… flights from Miami to Haiti’s capital will safely resume by the end of next week. Once the boxes arrive in Haiti, the shippers will monitor the gang-infested road linking PaP to St. Marc, ensuring safe overland transport.
After hearing all this, Richard responded (translated):

“Thanks for the info. We pray to the only God. What can I say to you? We are waiting for God’s answer. Everything that is impossible for us is possible for God.”

May He get all the glory!

Photos:
• Richard today
• Women’s Sandals from Colminians (x2)
• Village Noah’s houses 2021, when we were last there.
• Notice the holey tablecloth hanging from the ceiling, intended to catch rain water. (Sadly, not very efficient!)

HELP FOR DISPLACED PEOPLE IN COLMINY

I received such a sad message from Richard last night. As mentioned before,” about 40 people” fled from the nearby Lianscourt Commune when vicious gangs torched their houses, chasing them out. They arrived in Colminy terrorized, ragged and worn, with only the clothes on their back.

Besides the hunger which Richard says “is beating them,” not one, not even the elderly, have shoes. They also “have no water to bathe in.” (We believe they’re also without any change clothes.) Can you imagine?

What to do?

Edly believes she can buy sandals in nearby St. Marc for $5/pair. (These may be used. But good-used is better than none!) She’s accepted the mission of going to Colminy to determine the exact number of people and the shoe sizes each would need. We’re also looking into the possibility of shipping good used shoes from here …maybe used clothing too.

As for bathing, I explained to Richard how they can take sponge baths using very little water, which they can get from Colminy’s water stations. But even this requires things they don’t have: soap, washrags or sponges, small containers, like bowls (for the water) and towels. I’ve asked Edly to find out if these are available and, if so, at what price.

We thank the Lord for Richard and Edly… Godsends for us and the people we serve!

Please pray for these people, who are even more destitute than Colminians! And that, somehow, HHC can help in ways Colminians desire to but can’t.