Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY018075A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:39 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:50 Mending broken people 01:10 Hello and welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:13 Thank you for taking the time 01:14 to tune in to 3ABN's flagship program, 01:17 and I'm so glad that you've joined us 01:19 for a very informative program. 01:21 My name is John Lomacang, 01:22 and I have with me, my better half. 01:25 Well, I say you are my better half. 01:28 Okay. 01:29 And this is my wife Angela. 01:31 Good to have you here, honey. I'm excited about this program. 01:34 Yes, and you'll know in just a moment 01:35 why she's excited about the program. 01:38 We're talking about missions today. 01:40 And so many of you may think of missions 01:42 as something that can only be done 01:44 on large budgets and large scales 01:47 and many personnel, 01:49 but today, our guests are going to let you know 01:51 that missions is something that can be done... 01:53 You just need to have the heart for missions. 01:56 Amen. That's right. 01:57 And there's a special guest on the program today 01:59 that in just a moment, you're going to introduce. 02:01 Okay? Yeah. Sure am. 02:02 But before we do our introductions, 02:04 we want to thank you for your prayers 02:05 and financial support of this network 02:07 as we continue going and growing, 02:09 getting ready for the coming of the Lord. 02:12 Don't turn away 02:13 because you're going to be inspired, challenged, 02:16 and then you also going to find ways 02:17 in which you can participate in carrying the ministry 02:21 that we're going to be introducing to you today 02:22 forward. 02:24 But thank you for all that you do for 3ABN. 02:27 Honey, I'll let you introduce to people 02:28 that are with us today. 02:29 Wow. 02:31 First of all, we have Jessie... 02:32 Oh, your last name. 02:34 Guillaume. Guillaume? 02:35 Yes. 02:36 She's the President and Founder of 02:38 Hope Ministry Project Incorporated. 02:41 Welcome, Jessie. Thank you. 02:42 Next, we have Courtney Rivas. 02:45 She's a community liaison. 02:49 Welcome. Thank you. 02:50 And last, 02:51 should I say the least, no, 02:54 but not least, my brother, 02:57 Clifford Maher from Miramar, Florida. 03:01 Thank you. Yes. 03:02 It's so good to have them here today. 03:04 Yeah. We are excited. 03:05 And he has been your brother all your life. 03:09 Yeah, and still is, right? 03:11 That's an... 03:13 You cannot cancel that moment. 03:14 Cliff is a wonderful brother-in-law. 03:17 We practically grew up together. 03:19 Actually, for most of my adult life, 03:21 I've known him as my brother-in-law 03:23 and kind of like a brother to me. 03:24 Like a brother. 03:25 And we're glad to have him, and also, Jesse and Courtney. 03:28 But just briefly, give us an overview. 03:30 Tell us... 03:32 Where you're, little bit about your personal life 03:34 outside of the ministry, just a kind of brief interview? 03:36 Oh, my name is Jessie Guillaume as you said. 03:38 And I am a teacher assistant. 03:40 I work for the school board, and I live in Florida, 03:45 and I'm from Haiti. 03:46 Okay. You're from Haiti? 03:48 Yes. Do you have any children? 03:49 Yes, I don't have any children, I've been married for 35 years. 03:53 My mother side is Jean, Jean Guillaume, so. 03:56 Okay. Well, good to have you here. 03:58 And Courtney Rivas is a community liaison, 04:00 but tell us what you do outside of that? 04:02 Yes, indeed. 04:03 Thank you again for having us here today. 04:05 I work in sales for an insurance company, 04:07 and I live in Weston, Florida and I have a daughter who's 12. 04:11 I'm very proud of her. 04:14 And Cliff, I know what you do, 04:15 but the people 04:16 that are watching and listening to the program 04:18 don't know what you do. 04:19 So I'll give you a chance to introduce yourself. 04:20 And your family. And your family. 04:22 Okay. Okay. 04:23 Of course, my name is Cliff Marr, 04:25 and I'm from Miramar, Florida 04:27 and what I do for a living is I'm a project manager 04:31 for Miami-Dade Aviation Department. 04:33 And I am married with a wonderful wife 04:36 and a beautiful daughter. 04:37 And your wife is from Trinidad. 04:39 And my wife is from Trinidad, yes, she is. 04:41 And we're all here to, 04:44 well, basically, promote our Hope Ministries. 04:49 Okay. 04:50 So we wanted to share with the 3ABN family. 04:53 And so on that note, we're going to dive right in 04:55 because Hope Ministry Project Incorporated 04:59 is a ministry that we're talking about today, 05:02 and honey, we've talked off the set about this ministry. 05:04 Oh, what a ministry. 05:06 And there are so many, so many things 05:08 that we're going to share today in the time that we do have. 05:11 But I want you to pay particular attention 05:13 because we also gonna challenge you 05:14 in ways that you can not only pray for the ministry, 05:17 but also financially support it, 05:19 because ministry is just that. 05:21 You may not be able to go 05:22 to where this ministry is going to be going and has gone, 05:26 but you can make a big major difference 05:28 by your financial support. 05:30 I'm going to begin with Jessie. 05:31 Jessie, we smile together, I think... 05:34 Were we on a cruise together with Jessie? 05:35 Yeah, we were. 05:37 We were on a cruise together with Jessie. 05:38 Jessie is a wonderful lighthearted person. 05:40 But you were... 05:41 Were you born in Haiti, am I correct? 05:42 Yes, I was born in Haiti. 05:44 And I came here, I was 16 years old, 05:46 but when you come down 05:49 for the Hope Ministry Project Inc., 05:52 we started in 2004 feeding the homeless 05:56 on the streets of Miami, 05:58 and now we find out that there was need for a house 06:03 to help people to get back on their feet. 06:06 That's when in 2005, 06:07 we become a not-for-profit organization. 06:09 Okay. 06:10 And now, 06:12 the HOPE stands for Helping Oppressed People Everywhere. 06:14 Oh. Say that one more time. 06:16 Helping... 06:18 Helping Oppressed People Everywhere. 06:21 Okay. 06:22 And so it's more of an acronym rather than just the word. 06:24 Yes. Okay. 06:26 And so we've been very successful 06:29 in helping the homeless in Miami. 06:31 We have a triplex, 06:34 and then, we have people coming from, 06:36 we have different people from our organization 06:37 from our church 06:39 who are going through hard times 06:41 to come and live up to a year for free. 06:43 Wow. 06:44 So that's what we do 06:46 for the Hope Ministry Project Inc. 06:49 And also, we go to Miami, if we, Thanksgiving, Easter, 06:54 we pick up the homeless randomly, 06:56 take them to the Hope house, Miami and fellowship with them, 07:00 and give them a hot meal, a hot lunch meal. 07:03 And then in Christmas day, 07:05 we always go at the Broward Outreach Center 07:08 where we do the washing feet, 07:09 and everybody receive a pair of new sneakers 07:14 and socks in every gift, every gift to the residents. 07:18 And also, we provide meals for all do residents 07:22 at the Broward Outreach Center. 07:23 Not only that, but also we have Bible study twice a week 07:28 at the Broward Outreach Center. 07:30 Saturday evening, 6 to 7, 07:33 and Sunday, 9 to 10. 07:37 So it's been a very powerful ministry 07:39 because we have people who have been baptized 07:41 from that ministry from the shelter ministry, 07:44 and we have all the churches that are involved 07:48 and also going to get Bible study. 07:49 So Hope Ministry is more out showing to people 07:54 the love of God by doing service 07:57 and meet their needs. 07:58 That's what we are. Okay. 07:59 It's beautiful. Wow. 08:01 It's wonderful. 08:02 So the ministry started in Florida? 08:04 It started in Florida in 2005. 08:06 And I think the first time, we had food left over, 08:09 and we went to feed the people in Broward. 08:11 In Broward? 08:13 In Broward, and that's when we found out 08:14 there was a need for the people. 08:17 Hope Ministry feeds the forgotten, 08:20 the worst one, 08:21 those who cannot go on the shelter, 08:23 those who are on the street that people look down on them 08:25 like they were nobody, and that's where our love, 08:27 our compassion goes the most, to love the unloved, 08:32 to give to those who cannot give us back, 08:33 and to help those who cannot help us back. 08:35 Wow. So that's what it is. 08:37 But this ministry also extends to where you were born, 08:41 and that's what we're going to be highlighting today. 08:43 Yes. The Haiti project. 08:46 And tell us how that came about? 08:48 You know, it's always been in my heart. 08:52 I get to give back to my country. 08:54 So I did, I give back to America. 08:57 I thank God for being here in America, 08:58 so that's why we have the Hope Ministry Project Inc. 09:00 House, Miami. 09:02 But also, it was always in my heart 09:04 to do something for the less, the orphans in Haiti. 09:08 But it was not visible until now. 09:10 So we had a board member 09:13 that was living close to the orphanage 09:16 and worship at the church, 09:18 and he came to let us know about the children 09:20 that didn't have no food to eat, 09:22 and in what's was happening. 09:23 So that's how we came into. 09:25 We moved into action, 09:26 and I think that you can step in if you want. 09:29 So and in that dream, 09:32 that passion was somewhere in my heart hidden, 09:36 but God knew exactly when to bring it out. 09:38 Yes. 09:40 So it was like, we jump into opportunity, 09:43 you know, to do that. 09:44 When we went to Haiti, it was a life changing 09:48 because those children who never knew love, 09:51 who never had people to care for them, 09:54 and they give us so much love. 09:55 Wow. Amen. 09:56 So it's just amazing. 09:58 So we... 09:59 Now, our team, we put ourself on the line 10:02 to help these children, never to let them go anymore. 10:05 Correct. 10:06 Cliff wants to say something. Cliff. 10:08 I was just second what Jessie is saying, and that is, 10:13 when we went to Haiti, this my first time going, 10:18 it was such a powerful mission trip. 10:20 And to be honest with you, how I got into this 10:22 because Jessie came to me and asked me for assistance, 10:26 asked me for help, 10:28 and from time to time, 10:29 we've gone down to feed the homeless in Miami. 10:32 But this mission or this trip was, 10:37 it was life changing. 10:39 And to be honest with you, when I talked to Angie about... 10:43 When you and Angie went to India 10:46 as far as your mission trip, 10:48 she also told me, she told me beforehand 10:51 how life changing a mission trip can be, 10:55 and this. 10:56 And she was absolutely right. 10:59 This was a life changing trip if I ever seen one. 11:04 As we go on, we will begin to unfold 11:08 some of the activities 11:10 or some of the changes that has been taking place. 11:14 Glory to God for that. 11:16 Amen. 11:17 Before we go to the first video that introduces the ministry, 11:20 I want to give Courtney an opportunity 11:21 because you're community liaison. 11:23 Explain to us what that is? 11:25 I work with different members of the community 11:29 try and bring in additional folks 11:31 to give them opportunities to volunteer. 11:33 Obviously, it's an honor to be able to do God's work. 11:36 And so part of the benefit of Hope Ministry 11:38 besides that we feel that we're helping folks in need 11:41 as Jesse eloquently shared with us, 11:43 but we also give volunteer opportunities 11:44 to other folks as well to share those blessings. 11:48 And so part of my work as community liaison 11:51 is to bring in different folks, many of them Adventists, 11:54 many Christians, some non-Adventist as well 11:57 because the work that needs to be done 11:59 requires many of us, 12:00 and so we're looking to expand our reach 12:02 beyond the wonderful support that we have 12:04 from the Plantation Seventh-day Adventist Church. 12:07 But again, much work to be done 12:08 and we want to expand the folks 12:10 that are available to help with that. 12:12 That's wonderful. 12:13 What I'd like to do, honey, is 12:15 there's a video roll that we showed, 12:18 a kind of an introduction video role 12:20 to this particular trip that was taken in Haiti. 12:22 We're going to go to that right now, 12:24 and then we're going to come back, 12:25 and talk about what we've seen, 12:27 and then continue to build on that. 12:35 It's a beautiful country, beautiful people. 12:37 It's a natural beautiful place. 12:39 We're in the Caribbean, 12:41 we have crystal clear blue waters, 12:43 the wonderful beautiful mountains. 12:45 The beauty that is unparalleled. 12:48 The mountains, the ocean. 12:57 Going over Haiti and looking at the mountains 12:59 and then seeing what looked like 13:01 a bunch of trees have fallen over, 13:04 but then as we got closer and closer, 13:05 we realized that these were built homes, 13:08 and these were people that were living 13:09 in what looked like just torn down force 13:13 and my heart began to break even before I landed. 13:16 I've seen poor people. 13:18 I've seen, you know, I've been to Jamaica, 13:20 sand I've seen, you know, little places that, 13:23 you know, section that's poor, 13:27 and you know these people don't have anything. 13:29 But at the magnitude of this, I couldn't put a finger, 13:35 I really couldn't. 13:36 You couldn't sum it up in words. 13:38 It's just heartbreaking. 13:40 Lot of poverty, lot of crime, lot of hardship here. 13:49 The orphanage here was constructed 13:51 about 18 years ago. 13:52 It's the Seventh-day Adventist group, 13:54 and there's a church here on property as well 13:56 along with the orphanage with about 22 children. 13:58 The folks, the church that's helped to build it 14:01 were not able to continue to support it. 14:03 And so when we became aware of it, 14:05 they were really in a place of need, 14:07 just barely getting by. 14:10 Little things that we have. 14:11 Our kids really take so many things for granted. 14:15 The love that they gave us, 14:18 you know, just first meeting was, 14:23 it makes your eyes wet. 14:28 Young man, Henderson, has got to be 12 years old, 14:32 and immediately, first time out of the van, 14:34 he made a bee line right for me. 14:36 And he said in his best English, 14:40 "What's your name?" 14:41 And I said, "Ahkeem." 14:43 He said, "I am Henderson." 14:45 I said, "Hey, Henderson." 14:47 And so over the couple of days, 14:48 we, you know, just kind of talked to one another 14:51 as best we could, played basketball with him. 14:53 So yesterday, we walk up, and he's like, 14:55 "Hey, are you going to be my dad?" 15:09 So when I toured here on the first day, 15:12 and then I went back to my hotel, I just slumbered. 15:16 It's so hard to sleep on a comfy bed 15:18 when these children are sleeping on cots, 15:21 and they shower with a hose, and it's just very hard. 15:29 If anyone would have the opportunity to come here, 15:31 we would love them to join us some time, 15:32 but they will be appalled by the need. 15:34 We knew it was going to be difficult. 15:36 We knew that the orphanage had been run down. 15:38 We did not really understand 15:40 the way that physical facility has deteriorated. 15:57 The kids have been very well cared for. 15:58 Praise God. 16:00 Again, the team that's been doing that are, 16:01 they're saints. 16:02 The kids are clean. 16:04 They are fed as well as they can, 16:05 given the food that is available to them. 16:07 They are happy. 16:08 They do not have food insecurity issues. 16:11 When we share food, 16:13 the older kids give it to all the younger kids first 16:14 which is wonderful. 16:16 It says to us that people here really love them 16:18 and really cared for them. 16:19 And so we're thankful for those people. 16:20 But we definitely could use help. 16:22 Again, of any type, 16:24 but I would encourage folks to pray about it, 16:26 to look into their hearts, and to count their blessings 16:30 because the way people are living here, again, 16:32 we would find completely unacceptable at home. 17:00 Wow. 17:01 If that hasn't impacted you as it has us, 17:04 then you probably didn't see it. 17:06 It's amazing. 17:07 But what an amazing... 17:09 You know, as we've traveled around, honey, 17:10 you know, when you go to places like India, 17:13 and parts of South America, different parts of the world, 17:18 you begin to think, 17:19 "Well, it can't be that bad other places." 17:21 But then you look at 17:23 video and pictures like this and realize. 17:24 Yeah, it's sad. 17:25 And Haiti had an earthquake. 17:28 Oh, I forgot what year, 17:29 it was on my birthday, January 12th... 17:31 2010. In 2010. 17:33 And what devastation. 17:35 And, Courtney, you have a daughter 17:38 and your daughter celebrated her birthday in Haiti. 17:42 She did. 17:44 It was her birthday 17:45 when we were there for our trip, 17:47 and that was her in the video, 17:48 and she wanted very much to celebrate her birthday 17:50 with the orphans. 17:52 She wanted to bring cake in, 17:53 and share that celebration with her. 17:55 So her party was not thrown here 17:58 in the States in Miami. 17:59 It was thrown in Haiti, and yes, 18:01 it was a really fun thing to get to do there. 18:04 Very selfless. 18:06 Yes. And how old is she? 18:07 She is 12. Wow. 18:09 You know what's nice about allowing children at that age 18:12 to get involved in missions 18:14 is that when they come back home, 18:15 they have a whole lot less to complain about. 18:16 Yes. 18:18 And we've had that as experience. 18:19 When we were in Africa, you know, 18:21 a teenager had gone to mission trips every year, 18:22 and one year, 18:23 the family took her to Disney World, 18:25 and she said, 18:26 "The summer I hated the most 18:27 was when I was at Disney world." 18:29 She said, "Why?" 18:30 She said, "I need to be in Africa 18:32 doing something for people." 18:33 And that's what Hope is doing. 18:34 Give me the acronym again, Helping Oppressed People... 18:36 Everywhere. Everywhere. 18:37 Everywhere. 18:39 That is, so it's not just, if the Lord opens doors for you 18:41 to go other places, you go there too, 18:43 but Haiti has a special place in your heart. 18:46 How did you get that home in Haiti? 18:49 Like she said, Courtney said, it was built in 2000, 18:53 and about 7 years ago, there ran out of food. 18:57 This place cost us about 18:59 half a million dollars to build. 19:00 That's why I told you earlier, it would be impossible for me 19:02 to have an orphanage in Haiti 19:04 because with that kind of money, the land, 19:06 but God made it possible. 19:08 So money that was coming to that orphanage stopped, 19:10 didn't have any more help. 19:12 So now this is all we came about to know about it, 19:15 and then we step in by faith. 19:17 Wow. By faith, we step in. 19:20 And so it's a big place, it's really big, 19:24 and so there was no way if it was not God 19:29 to be able to have this property. 19:33 This is why there you can see the footstep of God in the end, 19:38 you know? 19:39 And so because money stopped coming, 19:42 that's why we were able to take over, 19:44 and to take care of the management 19:46 for the children. 19:47 How many children? 19:49 We have 23 children, and five staff. 19:51 Five staff. 19:52 Yeah, people working. Yes. 19:54 As Jessie said, it was really a wonderful project 19:56 when it was built. 19:57 Over half a million dollars to build. 19:59 They had everything they needed, 20:00 they had a commercial bakery to raise funds, 20:03 to be self-supporting. 20:05 It was very, very well done. 20:06 The problem was over time, as they lost their funding, 20:10 they had to begin to sell off equipment. 20:12 So they had solar panels, 20:13 they had to sell those for food, 20:15 the bakery items. 20:17 When we became involved, 20:18 they didn't have utensils or plates. 20:20 Last year, we had to send down plates. 20:22 So they went from being well-staffed, well-funded 20:25 to truly barely subsisting when we became involved. 20:29 So it was wonderfully done, but a shame that the support, 20:34 the church supporting that was not able to continue. 20:37 And so when we came in, 20:38 we did not actually have the funds 20:40 prepared to be able to help, but as Jessie said, 20:42 we had to step out in faith 20:44 because the need was so great, you could not turn away. 20:47 Wow. 20:48 It was amazing. Cliff? 20:50 But also we have to keep in mind that 20:51 this orphanage is located on Adventist property. 20:55 There's an Adventist Church on that property. 20:59 But there was another church running the orphanage, 21:02 and unfortunately, 21:04 things didn't work out there too well. 21:05 So they end up, 21:09 one thing led to another, and they end up, 21:12 I believe, selling the batteries 21:14 to get to buy food. 21:16 The batteries for the electricity 21:18 which of course is the solar panels. 21:21 And so they end up selling those to buy food 21:25 which means they had no electricity. 21:27 So we... 21:28 Well, Jessie bought it to all of our attention and we, 21:32 through God's help, stepped in, 21:34 and tried to help in any way we can. 21:38 You know, the amazing thing about it is 21:40 the building was there. 21:42 Yeah. 21:43 And if you had to say, 21:45 "Well, let's build a building in Haiti." 21:46 "How much?" "Half a million dollars." 21:49 You would say, 21:50 "Hey, we just are basic people here. 21:52 We're not doing that." 21:53 But that shows you how the Lord provides. 21:54 Yeah. 21:56 And so now, right, the church is not far away, 21:58 now you have this building. 21:59 So as you pointed out, Courtney, 22:02 the building is still there, the framework is good, 22:05 it's a good structure. 22:06 Now it has to be refurbished, brought back up to standards. 22:11 Talk about some of the conditions 22:12 because you mentioned they had to sell the panels, 22:15 then they sold the batteries, 22:17 then they had to sell some of the appliances, 22:20 and all this was just to eat. 22:22 And that shouldn't be the thing, 22:23 and we're going to talk about in a moment 22:25 how to bring that back up 22:26 because we talk about the amount of meals 22:27 they used to have compared to now. 22:29 But let's talk about some of those things, 22:30 those needs that are there. 22:32 And what are some of the things you see there 22:33 are in need in that building? 22:35 Absolutely, John. 22:36 As we shared in the video, when we arrived, 22:38 there was no electricity, there was no running water. 22:42 Occasionally, once or twice a month, 22:44 when there was power, 22:46 they would pump water out of their well, 22:48 hold it in a storage facility that was not covered, 22:51 and then bathe with a hose. 22:53 So there were bathrooms and showers 22:55 that were not functional. 22:59 You can see that the property was dilapidated. 23:01 You know, it needed to be painted, 23:02 there were some security issues that we needed to resolve. 23:05 Food, as we already shared was a real problem 23:08 that the kids were eating poor quality canned fish, 23:14 not enough fresh vegetables, those types of things 23:16 because they were truly living hand to mouth. 23:19 Everything of value had been sold 23:21 when we came including utensils. 23:23 They don't own the bowls 23:25 that they were preparing the food, 23:26 and there's no refrigeration, since there's no electricity. 23:29 So every meal for roughly 30 people, 23:32 every day, is prepared, someone goes out, 23:34 and purchases the food, and prepares only that meal. 23:37 There's no ability to cook ahead 23:39 or plan or purchase food in bulk or store food. 23:42 So just truly barely getting by when we arrived. 23:47 Yeah. Wow. 23:49 And you think about it, Haiti is not that far away. 23:51 No. 23:52 When you think about the population of, 23:54 you know, people that have means, 23:56 we're not talking about, you know, 23:58 15,000 miles away or 11,000 miles away, 24:01 we're talking right here in the Caribbean 24:03 within the belt of a lot of provision. 24:06 But it's just, like, it's just been overlooked, 24:09 and Haiti is not a new place, 24:10 it has gone through quite a bit of challenges, 24:11 you know, the earthquakes, poverty, government structure, 24:15 all these types of things. 24:16 But the Lord has given you an opportunity 24:18 to step in there. 24:19 Amen. 24:20 Also, in Haiti, you know, when you are poor, 24:25 you are poor forever. 24:26 And then when you are wealthy, you are wealthy forever. 24:28 Wow. There was no middle ground. 24:31 And in Haiti, you know, 24:32 I've been visiting for a long time, 24:34 you know, my husband used to live there, 24:37 I always like to help the children 24:39 because they are the ones sufferings. 24:41 They didn't ask to be born, 24:43 and somebody brought them into life. 24:45 They need to have the very basic of living. 24:48 Amen. 24:49 So when we went there, there was none of that. 24:52 No one who wanted, 24:54 like she said, there was no electricity. 24:55 How come you are going to have a child 24:56 sleeping in the dark? 24:58 Going to school, wake up in the dark again. 25:01 This is really basic. 25:02 No one in water, the water is away there 25:04 making mosquitoes. 25:06 So, you know, no drinking water. 25:08 What kind of life is this? 25:10 Wow. 25:11 We had... 25:12 Our heart was broken. Of course. 25:14 And we had to prioritize to give them the very basic. 25:18 Food was cost, we had to give them, 25:21 make plans to have them good food for them. 25:23 It was unbelievable. 25:25 But like we said, we moved into that by faith. 25:29 And that's what is hard with Haiti. 25:31 They don't have a system to help the poor. 25:36 Everybody's about their own. 25:39 So I think that's the calling for you and I 25:42 to do that, to bring love to this people, 25:45 compassion, and give them a reason to live. 25:48 That's right. That's the work of us to do. 25:53 Now how do you feed them spiritually? 25:56 They have a church in property, and they have a lady, 25:59 they call her, they have a lady on property that study, 26:02 do Bible study with them. 26:03 Oh, good. 26:04 So as a matter of fact, in the upcoming trip, 26:06 we're going to have baptism with these children. 26:10 And to show you, how powerful it is 26:12 when you try to help because of the... 26:15 We provide you solar panels, they have electricity, 26:18 and they have water, 26:19 they are able to reach the community. 26:22 So they have the solar panels now? 26:24 They have the solar panels. Wonderful. 26:25 You know, and they have the batteries. 26:28 The batteries. Yes. 26:29 And then what happened is that 26:31 they were able to bring water to the hose, to the community. 26:35 So now, we are reaching out the community 26:37 by giving them drinking water. 26:40 That is so powerful. Wow. 26:41 This is the really basic that God teaches us to do. 26:44 By showing love, by meeting the people's needs, 26:47 then the gospel will be preached. 26:49 You know, Matthew 28, says... 26:51 Oh, Matthew 25, 26:52 When did you see a stranger and take him in, 26:54 or naked and clothe them? 26:56 Or when did you see the sick, or in prison, and come to them? 26:59 Or those who were thirsty and feed 27:01 and those who needed water and you gave them water?" 27:03 This is the real. 27:05 That's the examination of the return of Christ. 27:08 "When did you see?" 27:09 "And as much as you've done it, to the least of these 27:11 you've done it to me." 27:12 I want to walk through some of these pictures 27:14 and explain to us what we're watching, 27:15 what we're seeing here. 27:16 Okay. 27:19 Talk about this picture? 27:20 Well, this picture, 27:22 as I'm walking through the orphanage, 27:25 I took a look, and I turned around, 27:28 I saw these two children. 27:30 And I immediately snapped that picture 27:32 just because they were just there, 27:35 and they just look so in need of attention and love. 27:40 As a matter of fact, one of them... 27:43 It was so bad, they had no Pampers. 27:46 A what? Pampers. 27:47 No Pampers? No Pampers. 27:49 What's the age? 27:50 They were not party trained. 27:52 Well, at least that one wasn't. About two. 27:53 They were about two years old at that time, yes. 27:56 And no parents? 27:57 No. No. 27:58 As a matter of fact, there was one incident where... 28:02 This, I was told when I was there. 28:05 One of the ladies was sitting in a car in traffic, 28:09 and this woman came up to her and just gave her this baby 28:13 as she's sitting in traffic. 28:15 And said, "I cannot take care of her anymore. 28:17 But because you're in a vehicle, you're in a car, 28:20 I believe you can give her a better life than I can, " 28:23 and left. 28:25 And so that was heartbreaking when you really look at that. 28:30 And these are just some of the examples 28:32 of some of the stories that are there. 28:35 And what else do we have as far as photos are concerned? 28:37 Well, what is that? 28:39 Well, this was what we saw as far as the pipes, 28:44 no running water, as we mentioned earlier. 28:46 And we saw there were toilets 28:49 that had no toilet seats, 28:53 shower curtains with no shower, with no... 28:55 Sorry. 28:57 We had showers but no shower curtains. 29:00 So we just saw a dilapidated condition. 29:04 We saw where it was just 29:08 really nothing was really being... 29:13 There was no function to anything. 29:16 And I would add to that what was... 29:18 Besides seeing the conditions they were living in, 29:20 and how difficult that is, 29:22 what was hard is you could see the bones of the project 29:24 and that it had been an amazing project. 29:27 And these children have lived there 29:29 as the property grows into disrepair, 29:32 that it's their hope fading. 29:35 You see where you live, your home, 29:38 your meals get smaller and more worn down. 29:41 You see your own circumstances changing 29:43 in the course of even some of their very short lives, 29:46 and that that was heartbreaking to see as well. 29:49 So when we arrived 29:50 and their faces were joyful and loving, 29:53 and there as Jessie said, 29:55 that the love is unbelievable given their life. 29:57 They want to hug you, they want to hold your hand, 29:59 they want to walk around with you. 30:01 It was just... 30:02 It was a very moving experience, 30:03 both from an understanding 30:05 of the circumstances they were living in 30:07 and then conversely the love 30:08 that was spilling out of them was really amazing to see. 30:12 Well, let's see another picture, 30:13 I think, for this... 30:15 What do we have here? What is that? 30:16 This was one of the batteries that was installed 30:19 on the second missionary trip that, 30:21 I believe Jessie went back. 30:25 Once we went on the first mission trip 30:27 and we took an assessment for, 30:29 you know, for our church, 30:30 Plantation Seventh-day Adventist Church, 30:32 and through some of their donations, 30:35 we were able to get batteries installed 30:38 and we were able to get the solar panels installed, 30:43 and we were able to get the electricity up 30:44 and running on the second trip. 30:48 So we were... 30:49 What you saw there was just one of the individuals 30:52 that was installing the batteries. 30:54 Now I know you like your daughter 30:56 to get involved in mission trips. 30:57 Yes. 30:59 Are you going to take Ashley down? 31:00 He need to. I'm hoping to take Ashley down. 31:01 There is no question because she wants to go, 31:06 so I'm hoping we can do that in near future. 31:09 You know, what I want to do is show the second video 31:11 because this is really important. 31:12 Yeah. 31:14 Let's look at the second video that was pertaining 31:15 to this particular trip that you all were on 31:18 and then we'll come back for more commentary. 31:20 Okay. 31:35 The greatest need right now is power 31:40 because power is going to help them do many things. 31:44 Power will allow them to refrigerate food, cook food, 31:48 probably sell food that they can make. 31:51 And it's going to allow them to get water flowing, 31:56 you know, evenly and freely throughout the place. 31:59 We need this orphanage to be somewhat self-sufficient. 32:04 With the solar, 32:06 it provides the electricity needed for it, 32:10 for instance, for the bakery, for the oven, 32:14 for the... 32:16 Just for the lighting. 32:18 We need to have ceiling fans to cool everything down. 32:23 We need light switches. 32:24 We need so much for this orphanage. 32:27 It is unbelievable the need. 32:30 First and foremost, prayer, prayer for the children here, 32:33 for the people who have not abandoned them, 32:35 and who stayed here to continue to help them 32:38 despite the fact that their funding was cut off. 32:42 Second, we can use all kinds of help, 32:44 obviously monetary donations are at the top 32:47 because a lot of things are best done in country, 32:49 a lot of things here are better to be purchased 32:51 as opposed to us shipping them from the States. 32:52 We need to start with security 32:54 so that any other improvements we do make here are protected. 32:57 Food is next for the children, healthier meals, 33:01 appropriate utensils, appropriate kitchen. 33:04 Then probably next would be water, 33:07 solving some of their water issues, plumbing, 33:10 and also solar panels 33:11 so that they can have electricity. 33:13 Right now, there's no electricity here. 33:21 Even if the donations come in 33:23 and we throw tons of resources and money at this stuff, 33:27 if we don't have boots on the ground here 33:29 to make sure that this stuff goes 33:32 where it's supposed to go, 33:33 in the direction that we believe, 33:36 and the values that we have are enacted, 33:40 we can get batteries, 33:42 but they'll be gone when the need arises. 33:45 And so we've looked at hiring a managing director here 33:50 so that we can have accountability 33:53 for all of the efforts that are taking place. 33:56 I think that is so needed because everything else, 33:59 all of the other things that are going to come in, 34:01 will now go through 34:03 the accountability of that manager, 34:04 and so I was thankful to be able to interview 34:06 and really get a sense of the heart 34:07 of the managing director here 34:10 and know that he's aimed at first. 34:13 And the first thing he said was, 34:14 "I love the kids," right? 34:16 And he has a passion for that. 34:17 So that's the first thing, 34:20 making sure you've got someone in place 34:22 that's going to be able to manage 34:24 what we're going to be committing to as a church. 34:28 But in terms of physical needs, it is absolutely the basics. 34:31 It's get electricity in here, get portable water... 34:39 addressed security. 34:41 Make sure they have a place to experience God. 34:47 This is groundbreaking. We're not here by chance. 34:51 This is destiny. We have to do something. 34:53 It's good to sit in your pews and say, 34:55 "Yeah. Yeah. I had served today." 34:58 But to actually get out and do something, 35:02 that's where God is because before coming here... 35:08 And this is my first time coming to Haiti. 35:12 Before coming here, I didn't know what to think. 35:14 I mean, I have a lot of friends at home that are Asian, 35:17 and they tell stories, 35:19 but their stories cannot match what I've seen 35:24 since I've been here. 35:49 What a powerful video, huh? Yeah I'm ready to go to Haiti. 35:53 I'm ready to go and help. That's right. 35:54 And you? I'm ready. 35:57 I mean, can you... This is... 35:59 We have so much here in America. 36:01 So much. 36:02 We personally have so much here in America that... 36:04 Let me ask a question. 36:06 And we're going to just... 36:07 Before we go to the questions, 36:08 we're going to just introduce our new panelists. 36:10 Yeah. Saada Aboubaker. 36:11 Good to have you, Saada. 36:13 Yes. Yes. 36:14 Tell us about yourself briefly? 36:16 I live in Fort Lauderdale. 36:18 I'm in commercial real estate. 36:19 And I also have a daughter who's nine, Xena. 36:22 Okay. 36:24 Has she gone to Haiti? 36:25 She was on the second trip with us. 36:27 Wow. Yes. 36:29 And she replaced your brother? 36:30 Yeah, which is fine with me. 36:33 Cliff is not here any longer. 36:35 But, yeah, I tell you... 36:37 What a mission. 36:39 Now who is taking care of all these children? 36:42 Who's directing them there in Haiti? 36:45 For Haiti, it is important to have someone 36:49 that is showing transparency 36:51 and who have the love and passion for children. 36:55 So we're blessed to have St. Louis Cefran, 37:00 new director of the orphanage. 37:02 The love from that man to the children 37:04 is unbelievable. 37:06 He is a godsend. Amen. 37:08 Because you cannot have orphanage in Haiti 37:11 without showing transparency. 37:14 That someone is there to look after the children. 37:17 But not only he is there to work 37:20 but it's not only the reason, it's his passion for children. 37:25 So when we went to the church before, 37:29 God provided us with him. 37:32 And this is a blessing 37:34 to the Hope Ministry Project, Inc. 37:36 That orphanage could not be working and functioning 37:40 without that man, the director. 37:42 This is true. 37:44 We very much feel that God placed him 37:46 in our path at that time. 37:47 He had experience with another Adventist orphanage. 37:50 As Jessie said, has an unbelievable love 37:52 for the children and is completely trustworthy, 37:55 provides documentation 37:57 for any funds that are provided, 37:58 provides a real comfort level for us about... 38:01 This is the path that God has for us 38:03 because Louis was placed 38:05 at this spot in this moment in time. 38:07 Wow. 38:08 Children are so comfortable with him, 38:10 I mean someone that they can go to 38:12 and someone that they can talk to 38:14 and trust, which was a big thing for us. 38:17 And he definitely provides that security 38:19 that they have lacked for so long, it's a blessing. 38:23 When you were invited to go, what were your... 38:28 What was your... 38:29 How did it change you? How did it impact your life? 38:31 Well, that was my first mission trip. 38:34 So I'd never done... 38:35 I had never had an experience like that before. 38:37 I've done the washing of the feet 38:39 with the group before and we've done, 38:42 you know, we've fed the homeless 38:43 but nothing of this magnitude. 38:46 So I would always, you know, say that 38:49 I would watch programs like this at home, 38:52 and it tugs at the heart a little bit, 38:55 and you know, you feel bad, you're compassionate, 38:57 but then that's kind of, sometimes, where it stops. 39:00 And so I feel like God moved me to this trip. 39:04 And it was a life-changing experience that I mean... 39:09 You really do have to experience 39:11 to understand just how much... 39:15 How inspiring it is. 39:16 So going there, I didn't know what to expect. 39:21 I didn't know what it would look like. 39:23 And just when the truck... 39:26 When the van pulled up and those kids ran out at us, 39:30 just embracing us, 39:32 taking the backpacks off of our back 39:33 and putting it down, 39:35 I mean that's just a feeling that I'll never forget. 39:40 And one of the children said, 39:43 "People come and they say that they're going to be back 39:46 and they're going to help us and they tell us 39:48 all these great ideas and then they never show up." 39:52 So we all knew at that moment that 39:55 we were going to be the ones to show up. 39:57 That's right. 39:58 There was a particular story 40:00 that you shared with us briefly. 40:01 Talk about the blind man? 40:02 His name is John Le. 40:04 He is 21. 40:06 He's been in the orphanage since he was a small boy. 40:09 He's blind but he wasn't born blind. 40:12 As we began to speak with him, 40:14 he explained to us that he had an issue with his eyes. 40:17 They weren't sure exactly what it was. 40:20 And then around the age of five, 40:22 he woke up completely blind, and everything was dark. 40:26 So just speaking with him a little bit more 40:29 and getting to know his story, 40:30 he said that someone came in, 40:32 you know, a group came in to help out 40:34 and just kind of said that they would be back to perform 40:39 some sort of surgery or that there was something 40:42 that they could do to help him to regain his sight, 40:45 and you know, they never came back. 40:47 So I mean, just the hope he felt, right, 40:51 what the possibility of being able to see again 40:55 was just ripped away. 40:56 How sad. 40:58 In other words, he was saying to you, 40:59 "Please don't do the same thing to me." 41:00 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 41:02 You know, that's a sad reality 41:03 because you think about that... 41:04 And there are so many of us, sometimes we sit down, 41:06 and we watch a program 41:08 and we kind of become hardened to it, 41:09 inoculated, and we see the children in their poverty 41:12 and we'd say, 41:13 "They're just trying to raise funds 41:14 to use it for themselves," 41:16 and then we hear about this ministry 41:18 and we know that that's not the case. 41:20 There are people on the other side 41:21 of our comfort 41:23 that are going to go to bed tonight and wonder, 41:26 you know, 41:27 "How many mosquito bites am I going to have 41:29 when I wake up in the morning? 41:30 Is going to be warm water for me? 41:32 Am I going to get to school? 41:33 Am I going to have a meal," 41:34 'cause I want you to talk about that. 41:36 You talked about... 41:37 In the past, when you had the funding... 41:38 And what I like about your ministry... 41:40 We're going to show a video in a moment. 41:41 But what I like about your ministry is 41:43 you just want to provide every need that they have 41:45 and, I think Courtney mentioned, 41:47 the budget just kept shrinking and shrinking 41:49 and shrinking and shrinking because... 41:51 How much does it take per month, 41:52 you say, average to handle this? 41:54 Average is about $5,000 a month. 41:56 Okay. Wow. 41:58 And actually we're having living on $2,000 41:59 a month, which is... 42:01 Instead of them having three meals a day, 42:03 we are down now to two meals a day. 42:06 And it's just heartbreaking, you know, because... 42:11 The two meals a day... 42:12 And then so many needs. 42:14 Also, we have children 42:16 who are of aging group 42:20 that, you know, 18. 42:22 Like Courtney said, 42:24 we have those kids all what they know is orphanage. 42:28 Had lived in all their lives. All their lives. 42:30 And now what happen, 42:32 they're aging out and they don't have a trade 42:35 Are we going to let them go without having a skill? 42:36 That's right. They need a trade. 42:38 That's really important 42:40 because they need to have a trade 42:42 to be able to be independent, 42:45 otherwise they will stay in the orphanage forever. 42:47 That's right. 42:49 So that's one of the needs that we have, 42:51 also for them to have a... 42:54 Before you go past that point, 42:55 I want to talk about the trade here 42:57 and give one of the other ladies a chance. 42:59 How do you get them ready for this trade? 43:01 What is the vision for that? 43:04 I think initially what we'd like to do 43:07 and what our push is next 43:09 is we need to bring a small business 43:10 into the orphanage to help them become more self-supporting. 43:14 As they become more self-supporting, 43:16 we can bring in some of these programs that Jessie said 43:18 to enable these children and young adults 43:20 to live independently on their own. 43:22 So part of what we're trying to do is raise funds 43:24 so that we can bring in 43:26 a small business as Jess said. 43:28 We really maxed out all of our funds, 43:31 providing some of the essential needs. 43:33 The food is an ongoing cost but we provided electricity, 43:35 we fixed the plumbing, the children have healthcare, 43:39 tuition has been paid for this year, 43:41 and now we're about to the end of our budget. 43:43 And the food is ongoing obviously. 43:47 So I think the thing that we need most 43:49 is to establish that small business 43:51 so that they can begin to offset 43:53 some of their costs. 43:54 But I also just wanted to add one thing to what Saada said, 43:57 which is that... 43:58 You know, many of us volunteer, 44:00 you know, periods of time for volunteer work, right? 44:02 You know, "I'm going to do this... 44:03 I'm going to feed the homeless on the street in Miami 44:04 for three hours on a Sabbath afternoon." 44:07 We came back from this going, "There is no one else." 44:10 If we do not show up to feed these children, 44:13 there is no one. 44:14 There is not a social system, as Jessie said, 44:18 other people go and do not continue to help. 44:21 So the 15 of us that went down came back 44:23 with a wonderful blessing 44:25 of having spent time with these children 44:27 but a terrible burden. 44:29 I lay awake in bed at night and think, 44:30 "How are we going to feed these children?" 44:32 We have maxed out the budget from our not-for-profit 44:36 because, again, we've stepped out. 44:38 But it is truly... 44:40 If we do not raise funds to do the things 44:43 we need to do, these children will not have food, 44:45 and I am not exaggerating when I say that. 44:47 Wow. 44:48 And I think that the turning point 44:50 from that first trip was when we all... 44:52 I mean, I think when we got there 44:53 and we saw the need and we saw their living condition, 44:57 we immediately knew 44:58 that we had to step in and get involved. 45:00 But I think the turning point was when we all came home 45:03 from the trip and the sun went down 45:05 that Sabbath and we realized that 45:08 those kids would be at home in the dark. 45:10 Oh, no. Wow. 45:11 And to think of those kids that showed us so much love 45:15 would be without light that night 45:18 and would be spending the night in the dark, 45:21 night after night, 45:23 was what really, at that point, just... 45:25 I mean everyone knew there was no turning back. 45:28 Something has to be done. 45:30 Yeah. Wow. 45:31 You were just there in Haiti, Jessie. 45:34 Yes. 45:35 I just was there for the school supply, 45:38 I believe, and the notebook and the backpack for them. 45:42 But it's just amazing the welcoming they give us. 45:47 To me, this is all that is worth it. 45:49 Yeah. 45:50 When you see the life of these children being transformed, 45:54 you know, they have a meal, they dress, 45:57 you know, and they're so grateful. 46:00 You know, my husband... 46:02 And my husband says, "I see why you and Saada 46:05 and your whole group love these children," 46:07 because they give so much love, 46:10 so much love, it's just unbelievable. 46:12 And I will move mountain for these children. 46:16 I just doesn't want them to be left alone. 46:17 Wow. 46:19 You know, I want to go to the video right now 46:20 in the interest of informing you. 46:23 And when we come back, 46:25 we'll segue to the rest of our program. 46:26 Yes. 46:32 Welcome to you 48:07 All right. 48:14 All right. 48:44 You know, I love my children. 48:45 They are my world. 48:48 And I can't think of being a better person 48:51 outside of being a better parent for them 48:55 knowing that I'm training them up 48:57 to be a little boy who loves God, 49:01 little girl who loves God, 49:02 and are protected, fed, clothed, loved, 49:06 and then I come here and I see 49:08 these children that are really in need, 49:12 in need of the basics. 49:13 And my heart breaks. 49:16 And really one of the things that touched me the most 49:19 was just the vulnerability. 49:25 The time that we spent here with these kids, 49:27 you know, talking to them, 49:29 playing with them, touching them, 49:30 and cutting their nails, and all of those things, 49:33 that's awesome, you know, it's a wonderful experience, 49:36 but we can't be here every day. 49:38 But when we have sponsorships and we make that, 49:42 I guess, a solid program where the people back home 49:46 sponsoring these kids can send letters, 49:48 can send pictures, and then vice versa, 49:51 I think that's going to do a lot for this orphanage. 49:54 And then when we get some consistent program going here, 49:57 I think it can spill over into other communities. 50:00 We want to be the orphanage that people think of, 50:03 that they choose. 50:05 We want to have a high level of expectation 50:08 when it comes to cleanliness, food, education, Christianity. 50:12 There's no reason we can't do that here. 50:14 We want this orphanage to be a beacon in the community 50:18 and outreach opportunity. 50:19 There's a church on the site here as well. 50:21 We want this to be the same standard 50:23 that we would provide to our children in the States, 50:25 but we will need lots of help to do that. 50:27 Lord, prepare me 50:30 To be a sanctuary 50:34 Pure and holy 50:38 Tried and true with thanksgiving 50:44 I'll be Your living Sanctuary 50:52 For You 50:56 Lord, prepare me 50:58 To be a sanctuary 51:03 That's it. 51:06 Right, you want to take it up. 51:08 I'm done. 51:21 I know you're watching the program 51:22 and you're saying, "How can I help? 51:25 What difference can I make? 51:26 How can I put my funds 51:28 where lives are being transformed?" 51:30 We want you to take note of what you saw today. 51:32 And when you go to bed tonight, 51:34 as was pointed out on the program, 51:36 and you're in the comfort of your bed, 51:38 there is somebody without lights, without food, 51:40 without those needs, 51:42 and the Lord is calling on you to reach deep down 51:44 and change your life. 51:46 And here is the information 51:47 that you need to become involved. 51:54 The Hope Ministry Project team 51:55 provide food for over 200 people each week, 51:59 along with clothing, sleeping bags, and toiletries. 52:02 If you would like to support this ministry, 52:05 please visit their website, HopeHouseMiami.org, 52:09 that's HopeHouseMiami.org. 52:12 You may also call them 52:13 at 954-468-0532 52:19 or send your donations to Hope Ministry Project, 52:22 1528 Northeast 135th Street, 52:26 Miami, Florida 33161. |
Revised 2018-11-26