June 2025

Dear Friends,
I received a phone call from a man who identified himself as working with a charitable fundraising organization.  He said that he had been on our website and was looking for the person in charge of fund raising for Starfish Ministries and wondered if I could help him get in contact with that person.  I responded that I certainly could give him that name which is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  After a short pause I went on to quote I Thessalonians 5:24, “Faithful is He who has called you and He also will bring it to pass.”  I then told him that God is and always has been faithful, we have been called by Him to this ministry and that we believe His promise that He will provide for all the needs that He purposes for us to serve.   
The man responded that he had not heard of this before but recognized that he wouldn’t be able to compete with that fund raising service and said he now had more to think about. 
It is such an encouragement to open the mail each day.  God does supply and we get to experience His provision with each donation that comes.  This past month many of you have shared beyond what you normally send each month and send little notes of encouragement.  Thank you for that!!
I could share many stories of how God has supplied over these past 27 years.  One of my favorites is the time when I answered the doorbell ring and encountered a little girl, probably five or six years old.  She was holding a small Ziploc bag in her hand with a few coins.  As she handed it to me, she said, “Mr. Bovenkamp, would you please use this to help feed the children in Haiti?”  It was $4.73, likely taken from her piggy bank.  With some emotion I assured her that we would do just that – feed hungry children! 
And then there was the time a few years ago when we were short about $10,000 to buy food for our school feeding program and it was near the end of the month when we needed to transfer the money to Haiti.  I talked to God that day about that need, acknowledged His faithfulness and wondered how He was going to supply that month.  That very evening someone stopped by the house and gave me an envelope that had been given to her to deliver to our ministry.  When I opened it, I immediately had my answer.  It was a check for $15,000 from someone in Tacoma, WA, whom I didn’t know.  The name and phone number was on the check so I called him, thanking him and letting him know how God was using him to feed thousands of children.  He let me know that five years before, his wife was in an accident and the insurance had just paid off and they were sharing some of those proceeds. 
God provides in many ways and is using you to accomplish His work!  A few days ago, Lucner notified us that we had just received notification that a container of food from FMSC (Feed My Starving Children was ready for us to pick up in Port-au-Prince.  What a blessing that is but also a challenge for Lucner and the trucker to be able to safely transport the container to Gonieves.  A couple of days later, Lucner notified us that they had successfully made the delivery and now we could start transporting it to Tricotte on smaller delivery vehicles.  Praise the Lord! 
Then Doug was notified that FMSC had decided not to send any more containers to Haiti due to the continuing disastrous conditions for at least a couple of months.  BUT they had shipped two more containers for us that are currently on the sea heading for Haiti.  FFTP (Food for the Poor) partners with us to process the containers and they have now moved their operation to Cap Haitian in the north so Lucner has the challenge of finding trucking and processing from a different location.
We praise God for the safe transport of the recent container to Gonieves.  Also praise Him for 14 people who have recently responded to the gospel message during our church services. 
And please pray for Lucner as he works out the details for the next two containers of food.  And please pray for those who have recently responded to the gospel, that they would now be discipled and grow in their faith.  Please pray for safety and wisdom for Daniel as he leads the ministry in Haiti during such difficult times. 
We really appreciate your prayers and financial support!
Serving together,
Bernie, Sheryl & Philip Bovenkamp