Dear Friends,
As we ended March’s newsletter, we asked you to pray for Lucner and the truckers who were delivering two containers of food from Port-au-Prince to Tricotte – for their safety and a positive conclusion to this food delivery. Thank you for praying – this month I am pleased to report how that was accomplished. Lucner sent me a fairly detailed account of the trip. He often rides along in the cab of one of the trucks. Lucner wrote the following:
| It was a big challenge when I had to pick up the first two rice meal containers in Port-au-Prince. We had just run out of food in SFM depot when I received an email from FFP (Food For the Poor) which said that we have two rice meal containers to pick up. It was a such amazing news! You know those containers were there since August and September 2022. I picked up the two rice meal containers early Monday morning, February 27. Because there is no security we could not take the main road that we would normally take. We were obliged to take another road to get to Tricotte. One of the trucks had a problem going down one of the hills. They stopped there and fixed it, which took more than 6 hours to fix the problem. We were able to continue on in the afternoon and arrived late that night in Saint-Raphaël. We woke up at 6 o’clock on Tuesday morning to continue. Then one of the trucks had a problem again so we spent all day in the road after leaving Saint-Michel. The owner of the trucks left Port-au-Prince with a mechanic guy and the necessary part that was broken. He fixed the problem during the night and then we continued the transportation on Wednesday. We arrived in Gros-morne city and parked the trucks close to the police station until tomorrow morning. On Thursday morning the trucks arrived at the market area, about one mile from Tricotte. They waited for Mr. Gasius to come with police team to provide us with security during the unloading so that we can move the food to SFM depot. We unload on Thursday morning. The same Thursday I have received word from FFP for another container of rice meal, ready to pick up. I left Tricotte on Friday morning and arrived on time at FFP in Port-au-Prince to load the same day and travel to Tricotte on Saturday. We unloaded that third rice meal container on Sunday morning. Mr. Gasius came again to help us with security for the unloading and moving the food to its destination, the Starfish Ministries food depot in Tricotte. This is an amazing journey we are experiencing – seeing how God brings all the pieces together in His way and in His timing! In the midst of the worst conditions we have seen in Haiti, God continues to work in ways that show us that He indeed is in control. Thank you for having an important partnership role in praying and supporting His work. The timing was such that we were literally down to our last few boxes of rice meal food when Lucner was notified of the two loads to pick up. Daniel and I were working on a plan of how we were going to feed hungry kids and adults when that call came. The alternative to receiving the containers of food was to purchase food at the local markets which would cost the ministry significantly more money. But God halted those plans and provided the containers of food. Then in spite of the security issues, road conditions and truck breakdowns, they did not encounter any gang related problems. That’s hardly heard of these days in Haiti. Many food deliveries throughout Haiti are hi-jacked and never recovered. But God provided His cover so that the needed food would be available for His needy children in the Tricotte area. And then Mr. Gasius. Gasius grew up in Tricotte, went to elementary school there, went to high school in Gros-Morne and some trade schooling in Gonieves and Port-au-Prince. Gasius was the orphanage director early in our ministry. Most recently Gasius became the Chief of Police in Gros-Morne and being a Tricotte native and a friend of the ministry, he is willing to provide the security we need to unload and move the food the last mile of the trip, up the Tricotte Road which the trucks can not navigate. Lucner tells us that without Gasius’ help it would be almost impossible to unload because of the masses of people in the market area. But God raised up Gasius for this time. God is so good!! So here we are – from an empty food warehouse to one that is overflowing within a short weeks’ time. Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow! We are encouraged by all of this plus the prayer and financial support that you are providing. We thank God for you as you partner with us to truly make a difference in the lives of hungry children and adults! Serving the Lord together, Bernie, Sheryl & Philip Bovenkamp |
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