Dear Friends,
In August we wrote about handicapped Denise Rochelle, who had come to Daniel with her story and needs. Daniel has continued to meet with her and recently shared the following:
Denise is a 33-year-old Christian. She lives with her only daughter, who’s been abandoned by the father. Denise’s father died in 2003 and her mom in 2007. She’s a hairdresser who goes around the area where she lives to serve her clients. She was not born deformed. She became like that as she started sitting as a baby. The parents took her to Lapointe hospital for help, but they were unable to reverse the development of the small lump they notice. She’s been living with what looks like a big ball on her back all her life. So sad! We’re buying her a piece of property for $12000 H and build a small house on it for her.
Thank you for your prayers and support for Denise. Many of you have given to help make the purchase of land and building of a house possible. The $12000 H equates to about $600 US and the small house costs about $2000 US. Denise is so encouraged by the support she is receiving and sends her gratitude to you.
Last month we shared about Carline. Daniel has given us an update on her as well. Carline is in the ninth grade of high school and is 19 years old. She has an older sister, Chantal, who is also in high school in the twelfth grade. Daniel is helping them find housing to rent and we are beginning to support both of them. They too are very appreciative – thank you for helping to make this possible!
The little brother of Carline is Dieuly, and he has a twin name Dieuno. They are four years old. Dieuly had surgery for the removal of the growth in his groin area that we wrote about last month. That surgery was successful, but then while he was recovering, Dieuly had an appendicitis attack. His little body was weak and Dieuly passed away during the procedure to remove his appendix. Our hearts are heavy as we think through this loss of life at such a young age. And we wonder if things could have turned out differently if we had known about Dieuly sooner. There are no easy answers – it seems too simplistic to respond with “God is in control, He’s sovereign and chose to take Dieuly at this time.” That’s true but I want more!
So how do we respond? We must learn from the trials we experience. We wonder how many little Dieuly’s there are out in the remote villages where we serve. Daniel is training our pastors and community workers to be aware and sensitive as they minister in these villages. And to ask questions. Our goal is to identify those with special needs early on so that we can try to help as soon as possible. Many of the Haitian families “hide” the
handicapped and physically weak because they are embarrassed. Our goal is to encourage them to overcome this and give us the opportunity to help care for them in Jesus’ name.
In July we were able to send a 40-foot container to Haiti from Lynden. Many of you had been donating clothes, shoes, school supplies, stuffed animals, dolls, kitchen utensils, quilts, blankets, towels, medical supplies and so much more. We also shipped several units of lumber, plywood, roofing screws and nails for our construction projects. And we had an ultrasound machine donated for our medical clinic. Daniel reports that the container cleared customs and was safely delivered to Tricotte just last week. He said to thank all of you who gave and helped with this endeavor.
We have stopped collecting for containers, though, due to the cost of sending and processing a container in Haiti. During the past few years, especially since the earthquake, we have been able to purchase more and more in Haiti at mostly reasonable prices. This may change as time goes on and we will let you know when we can begin receiving those donations of goods again.
Again we thank you so much for ministering with us in Haiti. There is much joy in serving those in need. There is also much sorrow at times like the death of Dieuly. God never promised that it would always be easy. However, He did tell us in Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” We will put our trust in Him and look for the good that continues to come as we help the needy and many more respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Serving the Lord together,
Bernie, Sheryl & Philip Bovenkamp
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