Participants: Dick Duerksen
Series Code: MMS
Program Code: MMS001252
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00:04 And then when we were here a year ago,
00:06 this was home to thousands of refugees, 00:08 a tent city right here on the concrete. 00:10 Today, this is part of 00:12 the Adventist University of Haiti-- 00:15 school rooms-- and they're packed. 00:21 [music] 00:58 This container sat for six months on a dock in 01:02 Dominican Republic. 01:04 You prayed, I prayed, Maranatha prayed, 01:07 the people of Haiti prayed, we all prayed that it 01:11 would be released. 01:12 When it was, it was the perfect time to build schools. 01:17 If you look around in here, there are 300 large pieces of 01:20 rebar and a ton of other material, 01:22 ready to build schools in Haiti. 01:28 More than a year has passed since Haiti's 01:29 devastating earthquake. 01:32 Although life is still challenging for many, 01:34 signs of progress can be seen all around the city. 01:39 Rubble is being cleared, the roads are being repaired, 01:42 and life is settling into a new normal. 01:47 But one element vital to the success of Haiti's future 01:51 is education. 01:55 It's estimated that more than 01:57 3,000 classrooms were destroyed in the earthquake. 01:59 Children with aspirations of becoming doctors, teachers, 02:02 lawyers, found themselves with no place to learn. 02:06 Education in Haiti came to a halt. 02:12 Schools were not part of Maranatha's original plan 02:14 for Haiti. 02:15 We were responding to a request to build housing for those 02:18 who had lost their homes due to the earthquake. 02:21 But a visit to the Adventist University in Haiti 02:24 changed everything. 02:26 The campus was inundated with over 02:28 25,000 displaced people seeking refuge. 02:32 But despite the tents that covered every corner 02:34 of this campus, University President, 02:37 Dr. J.J. Pierre, had only one thing in mind: classrooms. 02:43 To teach, you have to make some conditions. 02:48 You have the students, and you have the teachers; 02:54 but if you don't have any classrooms, 02:59 you are missing something really important. 03:04 After the earthquake, Dr. Pierre found himself, 03:06 the President of a university, without any classrooms. 03:11 The campus is made up of more than 03:12 2,500 students from kindergarten through college, 03:17 but the earthquake destroyed and damaged many of their buildings. 03:21 Their situation is a common one in Port-au-Prince. 03:25 We have in Port-au-Prince more than 85% of institutions 03:35 who collapsed on January 12, and you can imagine the government 03:41 cannot really help. 03:44 And until now, some of them cannot open their doors: 03:49 primary schools, secondary schools, and universities. 03:53 In an effort to reestablish a sense of normalcy to life, 03:57 Haiti's Minister of Education announced that schools would 04:00 reopen in April, only a few months after the earthquake. 04:05 The idea of getting kids back into school was a good one, 04:09 but the reality was a challenge. 04:12 We had nothing. 04:15 We received only 6 tents 04:20 to receive more than 40 classrooms. 04:27 You can figure out what it would be to take 40 classes 04:33 in 6 tents. 04:36 So, it was a very difficult--really, 04:43 it was impossible for us to restart classes. 04:47 Maranatha visited Haiti in March, following the earthquake. 04:50 We traveled to sites where temporary shelters 04:52 would be built. 04:54 But after visiting the university campus, 04:56 meeting Dr. Pierre, and hearing his desperate need 04:59 for classrooms, we broadened our focus. 05:03 Structures that had originally been intended as shelters were 05:07 erected as classrooms, and the buildings brought hope 05:11 to a desperate situation. 05:13 Dr. Pierre can't imagine what life would be like 05:16 without his new classrooms. 05:19 You can imagine a school who cannot receive more than 05:23 2,500 students left in their home without the education. 05:32 So, it would be a very sad situation for the parents, 05:35 for the school, and for the Adventist church also. 05:41 I can tell you, it would be a very, very big, big, 05:46 big challenge for us. 05:49 It would be really impossible to restart classes 05:54 without those one-day structures. 05:56 It would be impossible, impossible. 06:00 When classes resumed in the new one-day structures, 06:03 parents and students were amazed at the quality of their 06:06 classrooms and expressed their gratitude for what Maranatha 06:10 had been able to provide. 06:12 I would like to say thank you for Maranatha, for God. 06:17 God is good all the time, and God will bless you every day 06:22 on your life. 06:23 Thanks to you, we have this opportunity to be here, 06:28 to be inside of the class, to receive instruction. 06:33 Because without you, we can't come to do it. 06:38 So, we thank Maranatha for this help to Haiti. 06:43 I'm so happy to them, 06:45 because they give us this kind of building. 06:48 Without them, we can't keep studying here. 06:54 And because of that, I wish to Maranatha welcome and thank you 07:00 for this gift. 07:03 When the parents and the students came, 07:06 they saw the structure the other school had, 07:12 and they were seeing our structure, and they said, "Wow, 07:20 you have the nicest structure among the other schools. 07:27 We are really blessed." 07:30 They were proud of those structures. 07:33 So, we are thankful to Maranatha to give us not only good 07:42 classrooms, but the nicest classrooms in the country 07:49 to receive our students. 07:51 With those structures, we look like rich people in Haiti. 07:57 But for Dr. Pierre, it's not about having 08:01 the strongest structures or the nicest classrooms. 08:05 He's out to change Haiti one student at a time. 08:10 If you educate a child, the child can educate its parents, 08:15 and the parents can change the neighbor. 08:19 I think the results can grow and grow and grow 08:23 because of their education. 08:26 So, I--to me, the main challenge we have in Haiti 08:33 is the education. 08:35 Dr. Pierre's passion for education and request 08:39 for classrooms expanded our scope. 08:41 Now many of the structures Maranatha erected are serving 08:44 multiple purposes. 08:46 During the day, they function as classrooms; at night, 08:50 as shelter; and on Sabbath, they are transformed 08:54 into sanctuaries for worship. 08:58 Whatever their use, they're all providing hope 09:01 for the people of Haiti. 09:03 When we come back, see how the new one-day school will make 09:07 a huge impact in Haiti. 09:13 [music] 09:27 [music] 09:51 It's been more than a year since Maranatha built 09:53 the first classrooms on the university campus. 09:56 Listen, and you'll hear a school in full session. 10:02 Dr. Pierre and I walked amidst the buzz of 10:04 the primary school buildings. 10:07 It's obvious that he is proud of how his school is not only 10:09 surviving, but thriving. 10:13 But the current buildings, they cannot comfortably hold 10:16 all of the students that want to attend. 10:18 Dr. Pierre shared his dream of building a new permanent 10:23 kindergarten and primary school that will comfortably 10:26 accommodate all their students. 10:29 This soccer field, it will become a one-day school campus. 10:35 We've talked about a variety of possibilities for 10:37 a new school campus for the primary and the kindergarten. 10:40 How are your dreams, right now, that would include 10:44 at least 22 buildings? 10:46 You need 22, right? 10:49 We need 22, but now we have this place. 10:54 This place is a soccer field, but we could envision putting, 10:58 like, 22 classrooms here. 11:01 Twenty-two classrooms would fill the needs of the school. 11:07 We will have all our classrooms here, 11:10 and it would be able for the management to watch over 11:15 the students, because all the building in one place. 11:18 That would be great. 11:21 All across the city, schools are successfully operating 11:24 under one-day structures. 11:26 The La Source School is one of those. 11:29 This primary school, under the direction of Regicee Jennice 11:33 is serving 505 students. 11:38 So, how important are the buildings to what you are doing, 11:41 to your work. 11:43 [interpreter translating] 11:52 Now it's better, because, you know, nowadays some schools, 11:57 they work under tarps, tents. 12:01 And, you know, because of the climate, it's too hot, 12:06 and they complain. 12:09 But now when we have this kind of facility, 12:11 now it's better for us. 12:12 She took us on a tour of the classrooms. 12:15 Wow, look at all these. 12:16 Hello! 12:19 Each is filled with students busy learning, 12:22 not only the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, 12:25 but learning about the God who loves them. 12:29 Cazimir has three children enrolled in the school 12:32 and is so thankful that the earthquake didn't put 12:35 an end to their education. 12:38 I am happy. 12:41 I am happy for the education that the school, 12:42 they provide them, because specifically, you understand, 12:47 after this earthquake, it was very difficult. 12:53 And once you put the facilities now, it was like deliverance. 13:00 So, you allowed the school to work. 13:04 If it weren't for that, they would have to wait for another 13:07 year to go to school. 13:08 The teachers at La Source School make each student 13:11 feel valued. 13:13 They take their job of molding the children's lives 13:16 very seriously. 13:19 Because not only am I a teacher, 13:24 but I educate them spiritually, too. 13:28 Yeah, and you watch over them. 13:31 I give them advice, not only for school, 13:36 but for the life that they are going to lead. 13:41 And as a Seventh Day Adventist, 13:43 I know that I have the responsibility to teach, 13:50 to teach them everything that I believe and to teach everyone 13:54 that I meet. 13:56 Regicee is just one of the many committed 13:59 Christian educators in Haiti. 14:02 These teachers want to see their students grow to the full 14:05 potential, both academically and spiritually. 14:10 But as Dr. J.J. Pierre mentioned earlier, 14:12 you can have students, 14:14 and you can have teachers; but without proper classrooms, 14:17 it's hard for learning to take place. 14:21 More than 5,000 students all over Port-au-Prince were able to 14:25 continue their education in one-day structures. 14:29 But these structures were not originally intended to be used 14:32 as classrooms. 14:33 The new one-day school classrooms are a perfect fit 14:37 in Haiti. 14:38 They will create permanent places for children to receive 14:41 quality education. 14:45 We visited the site of the very first one-day school in Haiti. 14:48 When we arrived, students were diligently studying 14:51 in their old, broken-down classroom. 14:53 A shabby tarp is the only thing shading their heads. 14:57 The earthquake, it destroyed the classrooms, 15:00 and this is the only shelter in which they have to study. 15:04 What happens here when it rains? 15:06 [interpreter translating] 15:13 It would be living in a difficult situation. 15:16 It's almost living in a swimming pool, huh? 15:21 Yeah. 15:22 But in the new school? 15:27 That's awesome. 15:29 I love you said that word magnifique. 15:34 Because this is very good. 15:36 Yeah, see, you get good and then you get magnificent. 15:42 It's magnifique? 15:44 Oui oui, okay. 15:46 The students eagerly filed into their new classroom 15:49 and took their seats at the new desks. 15:57 These children represent the future of Haiti. 16:03 Many local church leaders came to witness the opening 16:05 of the first one-day school. 16:07 One of the pastors in attendance was Jean Mathieu 16:11 who is in charge of education for the Adventist Church 16:13 in South Haiti. 16:15 He came to take a look at the new building and was impressed 16:19 by what he saw. 16:20 You know, I love the look. 16:23 You see the kind of painting that we have, the windows. 16:30 This is high technology for us. 16:33 Yeah. 16:34 The one-day school, it will be a major upgrade compared 16:37 to their current facilities. 16:39 You have been asking for us to build schools 16:42 in your country. 16:44 [interpreter translating] 16:47 Yes. 16:49 How many? 16:53 Only 350 schools. 16:54 Now, the schools you have now, are they like this? 17:00 Yes, they are like this and under tarps. 17:08 So, they don't have real buildings. 17:12 No, no, no. 17:14 After seeing the new one-day school, 17:16 Pastor Matthew is excited about the opportunities the classrooms 17:19 can provide for the children in his area of Haiti. 17:23 If you move from a school like this 17:29 to a school like that, 17:33 how would your work change? 17:36 Oh, that would be amazing, because I think not only for 17:42 the church, for the children, but for all of the community. 17:47 That would be awesome. 17:50 Would more people send their children to your school? 17:55 Yes, I believe so, and I think that the way that 18:00 the building is, I have to tell you that around the community, 18:06 people, they are going to send all their kids to school here. 18:09 Why? 18:12 Because, first, even though we don't have an economy, 18:16 a lot of money to pay, even though we don't have a lot of 18:21 structure, good structure, but the people, they believe in us. 18:28 They believe in the way that we teach the children, 18:32 because intellectually it is right, but spiritually, too, 18:39 we help them. 18:41 Our teachers--because, you know, that they have--they are like 18:46 Christian, and they have moral standards to believe in us. 18:50 So, let me ask you another question. 18:52 If you have a Seventh Day Adventist School, 18:55 like the church, 19:01 will you have more baptisms? 19:05 Yes, I believe so, because not only the children, 19:10 but we have in Adventist schools, 19:15 we have a program to create every week. 19:22 We evangelize not only the children, but their parents. 19:26 And their parents come? 19:27 And their parents, they come. 19:30 The 350 schools Pastor Mathieu is requesting will not 19:33 only provide education for more than 14,000 students, 19:37 but each of them will serve as an evangelism center 19:42 in their community. 19:44 When we come back, see how schools encourage church growth 19:49 in Haiti. 19:52 [music] 20:02 [music] 20:28 It's easy to go on a Maranatha mission trip. 20:31 Simply visit Maranatha.org and click on the Volunteer 20:34 Opportunities tab for a complete list of upcoming projects. 20:38 Life-changing experiences are just a click 20:40 or a phone call away. 20:42 Are you ready to make a difference? 20:47 [music] 21:01 A few days later, Pastor Mathieu took us south 21:04 out of the city to show us some of the sites where he 21:07 would like to build schools. 21:09 Outside of town, the landscape changes. 21:12 Congested streets become sugar cane fields. 21:15 Life is simpler, but the need is the same. 21:22 The earthquake completely destroyed the structure, 21:25 so the members began meeting in a shelter they built 21:28 from poles and tarps. 21:30 Maranatha constructed several one-day church structures 21:33 to accommodate the large congregation. 21:36 The old shelter then became a classroom for the local 21:38 children, but far less than adequate, 21:43 and parents chose to send their children elsewhere. 21:46 Now the congregation has purchased the land behind their 21:48 church, and Maranatha supervisor Pastor Amador 21:52 is measuring and assessing the land. 21:56 Pastor Mathieu and the local church elder are excited about 22:00 the possibility of restoring their school. 22:04 The earthquake, it may have disrupted life, 22:07 but the schools Maranatha has built are helping rebuild 22:10 the country one student at a time. 22:15 Haiti's past is marked with tragedy, 22:18 but these children represent a brighter future. 22:29 More than 5,000 students have a safe environment to heal from 22:34 the trauma of the disaster and rise to their full potential 22:38 in Maranatha schools. 22:40 These schools are not just steel and concrete. 22:44 Look around. 22:45 We need your help to continue to invest in the lives of 22:50 tomorrow's leaders in Haiti. 22:57 [music] 23:06 [music] 23:16 In the village of Mathieu in the southern part of Haiti, 23:20 this is the source of the water of life. 23:23 And what I know for sure is that before the earthquake, 23:27 there were at least 300 people going to church here 23:30 and about 130 children in the elementary school, 23:32 The Adventist School Maranatha in the Village of Mathieu. 23:37 Then the earthquake came, and everything shifted overnight. 23:41 You can imagine, the entire church fell down. 23:44 That eliminated the church, and the school fell down. 23:47 And at that point, they had basically nothing. 23:51 Maranatha built the double church building. 23:54 People from the community then started worrying about what 23:57 was going to happen with the school and how fast. 24:00 And I'm not sure of all of those details. 24:02 What I do know is this. 24:04 We were here yesterday: 3 teachers, 24:06 30 students in the school. 24:09 We're here today: there's probably 280-300 people 24:13 in church. 24:14 And the pastor looks at me and says, "Pastor Dick, 24:18 we must have a school, because if you have a church without 24:24 a school, you have no church." 24:28 I thought about that so much. 24:31 Every day we hear new, additional, brighter, 24:34 eager requests from the people of Haiti. 24:37 "We'd like a school here. We'd like a school there. 24:39 We'd like a school there." 24:41 Yeah, they talk about churches, but they always talk about the 24:43 school first, because in Haiti, the success of your school 24:50 predicts the success of your church. 24:53 Three hundred and fifty schools requested just in the south, 24:58 many more around the city itself in Port-au-Prince; 25:02 and once you get north up in the mountains, 25:05 there's the same request: "We want a school, 25:09 so we can have a church." 25:13 When Jesus was talking about lost things--you remember, 25:16 recorded well as lost coin, lost sheep, 25:19 lost boy--the lost sheep one is my favorite. 25:25 Ninety and nine were home. 25:27 There was one missing. 25:29 I asked the pastor, "Why do you have schools?" 25:31 "Because that's the way we find the lost lambs." 25:37 Maranatha's work is to find lost lambs by providing 25:43 the capability in a community for exactly that to happen. 25:49 And what I love most about is that we don't ever do it alone. 25:53 We do it together with a community, 25:56 a community of believers and non-believers who want their 25:59 kids to know Jesus. 26:02 You can help with that. 26:04 Thank you for what you have done; but even more, 26:06 thank you for what I know you're going to do next. 26:10 Because when Jesus finished the story about the lost sheep, 26:17 remember what he said? 26:19 Now let me tell you the story about the prodigal, 26:22 a son who is so dearly loved by his father, 26:27 that his father will give up everything so that the boy 26:29 can come home. 26:31 That's what we're doing here. 26:33 We're providing schools for sheep, boys, girls, 26:37 for a kingdom that needs to be packed with God's kids. 26:44 Help the people of Haiti today. 26:47 Call our toll free number now at 800-467-6384. 26:52 Your gift will change lives by providing places 26:55 to learn and worship. 26:57 Visit our website at Maranatha.org to donate, 27:00 or send your gift in the mail 27:02 to Maranatha Volunteers International, 27:05 990 Reserve Drive, Suite 100, 27:08 Roseville, CA 95678. 27:11 Thank you for supporting Haiti. 27:13 Our toll free number is 800-467-6384. 27:18 Our website is Maranatha.org. 27:24 I'm Dick Duerksen, host of Maranatha Mission Stories, 27:26 and I want to thank you for joining us this week 27:28 in the country of Haiti. 27:30 Even more, I want to thank you for what you have done to make 27:33 it possible for the water of life to flow through these 27:37 schools to huge communities all around the country. 27:42 It's a little miracle we're doing. 27:44 I'm glad to be part of it. 27:45 Don't know where we'll be next week, 27:47 but I want to invite you to be sure and join us on 27:49 Maranatha Mission Stories. 27:55 [music] |
Revised 2013-06-29