Three Holiday Ministry Opportunities

This issue, in the spirit of the Thanksgiving season, is designed to provide our partners in mission with some strategic giving opportunities in Haiti. The first opportunity we are excited about is the newest micro-finance business start-up that has been approved for funding by Zafèn. You may remember that our first micro-finance candidate, Peterson, was fully funded for his beverage sports bar business last month. Now Pastor Jean Paul’s assistant, Osseille Joseph has been interviewed and approved to begin seeking funding for his pasta shop start-up business in Lathan, Haiti, not far from our La Plaine compound. Osseille’s business will provide work for four additional Haitians desperately in need of self-supporting incomes.

The second opportunity we want to place before our partners in mission is the need for a sound system for use in evangelism and evangelistic services. Another of Jean’s pastoral students, Marcel, has begun work sharing the love of Christ with afflicted Haitians in one of the largest tent cities in the area. When we asked Jean if we should provide printed materials for Marcel to distribute, Pastor Paul reminded us with a smile that Haitian culture is so very different from the United States. Few of these Haitians can read and they are used to taking in their information through preaching and public speaking. Jean explained that what Marcel needs to reach these thousands of Haitians with the Gospel is a good sound system. So we are seeking partners to help us raise $3,000 for a sound system Marcel can use in the tent city for the glory of Christ and the calling of God’s elect to receive eternal salvation by faith in Jesus.

Our third holiday ministry project we’d like to ask you to prayerfully consider is one that we are keeping a bit of a secret from our brother Jean. In fact, we’d like to surprise him for Christmas with this gift. Pastor Paul and the ministry students are slowly building a library of study books and Bibles from donors in the U.S. and from their own labors. But as of now, there is no place in which to safely store and organize their books. We’d like to have the resources to hire Gerard (another of Jean’s assistants) to construct wooden bookcases for Jean Paul’s office to be used as his library and as the theological students’ library in the years ahead. Think of the impact these resources, made easily available to the pastoral students, will have on generations upon generations of Haitian believers in the years ahead! This project will require about $4,000 to purchase the wood and stain and to compensate Gerard for his wonderful woodworking labors on this project.

Please consider partnering with us in one or more of these projects. Any size investment will go a long way toward providing for these three long-range impactful opportunities for Haiti. Contributions for the sound system or the bookcases may be made through our website using the PayPal link, or may be mailed to our RHI offices address designated for these projects. For those of you interested in helping Osseille and his efforts to start a business and put other Haitians to work, more information is provided below.

With much thanksgiving to God our Savior for all of you,
Rev. Martin Hawley, Executive Director

Osseille Gourmet Pasta
Opening a Pasta Shop in Lathan

Summary
Pasta is one of the favorite dishes of Haitians. It is sold and served anytime during the day by street vendors as well as formal restaurants throughout the country. Mr. Joseph seeks financing to open the first pasta shop, Osseille Gourmet Pasta (OGP) in his neighborhood. With the loan from Zafèn, Mr. Joseph intends to rent a building located on Route Nationale # 1, fund the acquisition of dishware and flatware, kitchenware, energy back up power systems, a freezer, and a propane gas oven stove as well as covering the fees for shipping and handling.

Goal
To exceed the expectations of the customers of pasta shops, fulfill an entrepreneurial dream, and create jobs in Lathan.

Milestones
Mr. Osseille Joseph is acting as the assistant Pastor at Souls Winning Ministries Presbyterian Church and the coordinator of daily operations at the David Petro Covenant Christian School. Mr. Joseph was handpicked for the job based on his dynamism and ability to lead.

Community Impact
A growing portion of the population residing in or commuting through the Lathan area have to wake up and leave their houses early to get to their place of business on a daily basis. Whether they go to school, university, office or business, the reality is that people have little time to enjoy a decent breakfast at home due to inadequate public transportation, which makes people get on the move early. Pasta is usually eaten in the morning and evening in Haiti. Through this initiative, OGP will create four full-time jobs. To run the business it will employ: a cook, a waiter, a cleaning and janitorial services specialist, and a cashier. In addition, OGP will buy fresh fruits and all the ingredients from the local vendors and raw pasta retailers operating in the neighborhood.

Actively Raising Funds
To invest in Osseille's start-up business, click on the link below and include a note on the contribution page.