April 2024

April 2024
Dear Friends,
 
I recently read a report from Haiti that said, “It would be very difficult for anyone who does not live in Haiti to really understand this chaotic situation that we now live in.”  The people live in fear every day and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.  Armed gangs helped over 4000 prisoners escape from prison who then joined the gangs to help with the killing, raping, and kidnapping.  Even many of the Haitian police force are forced to live under the orders of gang leaders in order to save their lives and those of their families.  It’s under these tragic conditions that Starfish Ministries continues to serve the needy in the Tricotte area.  The challenges are great – food is becoming scarcer since we are no longer able to receive containers of donated rice.  Medical supplies are becoming more difficult to purchase.  Fuel is also in short supply and very expensive. Even in Sunday worship gatherings it is not safe because gangs have the habit of coming and kidnapping people even inside churches.  And the gangs are getting closer to disrupting life even in the village of Tricotte.  We could become very discouraged if we didn’t know and believe that God called us to minister in Haiti and He faithfully promises to bring it to pass.  So we press on, trusting God to make a way for us to continue His work.
 
A few days ago, we received a letter from a former orphanage child who has now completed her education.  Lovelie Lubren came to our orphanage in Tricotte in 2000 along with her sister, Shelove.  Their mother had recently passed away and their father was not well and could not care for them.  An older brother, Wislo, stayed with their father to care for him until he also died.  Without support, Wislo then came to the orphanage at the approximate age of 12.  Wislo soon became a leader at the orphanage often leading the singing during daily devotions and sharing from God’s Word.  After completing his secondary education, Wislo moved to Port-au-Prince, went to trade school, and learned plumbing.  He couldn’t find employment in Haiti, so Wislo made his way to the Domincan Republic in order to find work there.
 
Shelove completed her education a couple of years ago.  She met Rodner while finishing her training in Gonieves.  They married and moved to Tricotte.  Daniel hired Rodner as the administrator of our elementary school in Tricotte.  He is also responsible for the boys at the orphanage so he and Shelove live in the apartment at the boys’ dorm.  Shelove also teaches Preschool and Kindergarten at the Tricotte elementary school.  It is so good to be able to provide employment for former orphans and see how God has raised them up to effectively serve Him!
 
Here are some excerpts from Lovelie’s letter.  She writes generally to Starfish Ministries and specifically to her sponsor family.
 
Thank you for the great work you have done in education in the life of people in Tricotte, especially in the life of young people. My name is Lovelie Lebrun, a young girl who was born in a family where my parents did not have the economic possibility to provide for my needs. My father asked the leader of the orphanage of Starfish Ministries at that time to accept us in the orphanage. Three kids of the family found the opportunity to enter the orphanage. That’s how it became possible for us to go to school. Thanks to this program I have grown spiritually, socially, and intellectually.  As you know I grew up in the orphanage. I have learned a lot how to live for God while I was living in it. Through the program I am an obedient girl, respectful, and a Christian.
Thank you, my dear sponsor, for the support you have given me. You have chosen to share your money for my education. You have taken care of me; you did what my parents couldn’t to do for me. I am so grateful to you.
Recently I graduated from my university studies in Gestion (Business Management). Thank you so much.
Please continue to pray for my spiritual life.   I want to grow in my relationship with Jesus Christ.  Pray also for my success so that I will be able to help needy people.
God has given us the privilege to serve the Lubren orphans and the people of the Tricotte area of Haiti from birth to the very oldest of the population.  Babies are born safely in the medical clinic, and healthcare is provided for people of all ages.  60 children like Wislo, Shelove and Lovelie– ages four through 17 are cared for in the orphanage.  Many more children from preschool all the way through trade school and university are educated and fed through the school ministry. Children and adults alike are fed through the coffee and food program at the churches each Sunday morning.  Many of the poorest families in the region have received help through food relief. The elderly/handicapped ministry meets needs for 86 previously forgotten people.  And through every means possible, we present the gospel of Jesus Christ, trusting in Him to meet their greatest need.
 
Thank you so much for making this possible.  Please pray for security in Haiti and specifically in the Tricotte area.  Please pray for Daniel as he leads the ministry in Haiti at such difficult times.   Your prayers and financial support are truly making a positive difference in Haitian lives. 
 
Serving the Lord together,
 
Bernie, Sheryl & Philip Bovenkamp