Construction Projects
April 2018: The Wabash team arrived in Haiti on the afternoon of Jan 17th and unpacked tools and supplies and settled in to the lower level of the Vivy Michel guesthouse. There were 11 on our team, 3 women and 8 men. We arrived at the FOHO property Thursday morning to start getting the column
locations marked on the concrete floor and the steel ready to erect. The trusses were built in 3 pieces so we started assembling them. The floor was poured by Phil Beemer and others last year and the steel was prefabbed and painted by the Island Free Methodist team last October. Two years ago,
Russ Cole designed and built a terrific crane boom that mounts to the back of our big truck. When we got the big truck to the job site we found that the bed was about to fall off the truck so 3 of our men took the old bed off and rebuilt it so we could be confident in its ability to support the crane boom. It took about 2 and 1/2 days to complete that rebuild. When the bed was done, we assembled the boom on the bed. It has the ability to lift a load about 28 feet into the air. The peak of our building is about 27 ft. 8 inches. To say the least it was very close.
The first Sunday we were there we attended the morning worship service at Parc Christian Church. Monday the 22nd we got the first 2 trusses up and some purlins and supports. On Tuesday, the 23rd we got a good sized Haitian crew busy laying blocks on the end where we had the 2 trusses up. The rest of the trip was spent assembling trusses and putting them up, putting purlins on the trusses, and the Haitians making good progress with the block. As the block walls went up it required more Haitians to
get the block up higher. When we left, we had a crew of 20 Haitians working on the walls. They were laying block in multiple locations as we progressed with the trusses. We started putting roofing steel on Friday the 26th. On Monday the 29 we had to stop putting on roofing because of the wind. We finished the roof on Tuesday morning and then picked up and put away all our equipment on Tuesday afternoon. We were also able to get the door frames up and headers for the 4 big doors and installed with Roofing metal above them.
On Sunday the 28th we went to the morning worship service at Greffin Free Methodist Church. Pastor Florel was very nice and made sure we felt welcome. He made sure we had interpreters for the service. They were celebrating the women of their church and they were in charge of the service. Our team helped with repairs and the addition to the sanctuary in 2010 after the earthquake. We took the congregation a gift of big bags of rice some beans and some oil. They have done a fantastic job with their church, school and canteen.
We were very blessed this trip. We did not have any injuries that a bandaid would not take care of, no one got sick and we were able to accomplish a great deal of work. It was work that we could not have
done if the floor had not been done and if the steel was not ready for us when we got there. We thank those teams for their work to prepare for us. The compound is really beginning to take shape and I would like to encourage everyone to consider going on a team to help or committing to helping fund this project. The ability to have a central location to work from again will greatly increase our ability to help meet the needs of our brothers and sisters in Haiti. God Bless You All. -Dan Dennis.
January 2018: Mike Richardville’s Trip
A team of nine representing the Island Free Methodist Church from Sumner, IL arrived in Haiti on Oct. 25 and immediately beganmoving 10’ and 18’ steel beams to a place where they would be madeinto trusses, purloins and support beams for the new machine shed.
Using steel to build with is a challenge, since it is heavy and hard to move from one place to another. It is also very time consuming as few teams have members who can weld.
There are very few trips to Haiti where a team can know for certain where they will work and what they are going to do, but God always knows. Out of the 9 team members, 4 were experienced welders. We had two team members each welding eight hours a day making trusses and columns. The last column was finished at 2 pmthe day before we left. Isn’t it awesome to have God reveal to us without a doubt that when we do his work he will provide everything that is needed?
While the welders were busy welding, with the Haitians help, a team put up a portion (about 600 ft.) of razor wire atop the security wall that surrounds the compound.
Before we left the U.S., the Free Methodist World Missions gave us four 50 lb. suitcases full of necessary hygienic products to take to Desaline hospital located approximately 3 1⁄2 hours from Port Au Prince. Our team members went on the trip to the hospital. They enjoyed the break from work but also witnessed the severe lack of food, shelter, and water that Haitians experience.
The day before we left, God again showed his mercy. On the way tothe job site, we saw that the only well in the vicinity had broken. A Haitian who spoke English told us they didn’t have the money to fix the well and people were getting sick from drinking contaminated water. Our team unanimously voted to pay for fixing the well. A local well company replaced all the rotted pipe to fix the well. Within 30 minutes the Haitians were filling their containers with clean water. God is good all the time.
February 2016: Spring Arbor Free Methodist Church had a team of 14 people plus a few other individuals that worked in Haiti in February 2016. Block was laid for the walls of the building that will house the generators. The trench was dug for the wall on the back side of the property. The wall was started as columns were set and rock was set up to the ground level in one area. The floor was poured and the metal frame was set for a multi-functional open pavilion. There was a rental company found less than a half a mile away from the property, so we were able to rent heavy equipment to move dirt, work on road accessibility, and grade off building areas, and dig footings for some of the security walls. One of the pastors taught at the Bible College in Port au Prince each day. The group also provided stories and crafts during Bible School for the children at the site. The week also brought employment to several people from Port au Prince as well as the local neighborhoods in Tabarre. God answered prayers and granted safety and a great experience for all.
January 2014: A team from the Wabash Conference, lead by Danny Dennis, built a new front wall 15’ in from the current wall. The surviving balcony will be extended forward, side balconies added, and outside stairways added to access the new balconies. AND, there will now be more seating available than before the demoliton! God is good all the time! Restrooms and fencing will need to be rebuilt.2/3 of the National office/bookstore and depot was demolished. Another incoming team is needed to remodel, enlarge and rebuild the offices, bookstores, etc. Do you have a group of mission-hearted people who would love to work alongside Haitians to rebuild their church? If so, contact us!
February 2014: A Spring Arbor, MI team was in Haiti February 2-13, 2014. Led by Phil Beemer, the team worked on the new balcony at Parc Chretien while in PaP. This team spent most of their time at Fond des Negres (located on the peninsula that juts out west of PaP), where they began construction of a unique and beautiful church. This congregation has been waiting for a new building for 20 years! The church is being built on a hillside with wide steps in an arc facing the pulpit. It is an open-air church and the seating will be arranged on each step so that every seat has a good view of the platform with a roof for shade and open air for a nice breeze! After 20 years of waiting for a church that holds their entire congregation, we want to finish their church before beginning work on a new FOHO site. Would you like to be part of a team working side-by-side with Haitian brothers to finish the Fond des Negres church?
FOHO Missions has found over the years that, within a few months, a newly-built church will double or triple attendance. This is exciting information for the FOHO team. It validates our long-held approach to missions in Haiti. The Haitian people are wonderful at winning souls to Jesus and walking alongside new Christians. What is hard for them is construction of worship centers and schools. Since 1974, FOHO Missions has been walking alongside our Haitian brothers and sisters by building schools and churches to enable them to grow relationships and godly, Christian men and women.
Haiti Goat Project
In 2006 Marv DeVisser took over as director of the Goat Project in Haiti when missionary J. R. Crouse was reassigned to Peru. This project is designed to help Haitians develop skills to raise livestock themselves. It is also meant to instill in them the need to help each other and to give back to their church community.
The project works when someone, usually from the United States, sends money ($50) to purchase a female goat. That goat is given to a family who is trained on how to care for its basic needs such as trimming hooves, vaccinating for parasites and proper feeding.
The female is bred and the first kid is kept by the family. The second kid is given back to the community to be given to another family. The third is kept and the fourth is given back, and on it continues. With this plan in place, new families can receive goats and the original family is able to build its “herd.” Male goats are usually sold and the money goes for buying new female goats.
Late Fall Travels
In late Fall Marv travels to Haiti’s northern region to meet with pastors of churches and families who are involved in the Goat Project. While there he trims the hooves and vaccinates goats. He also teaches families how to repeat the process when he is gone. There are 27 churches in the north that participate in this project.
Early Spring Travels
In the spring Marv travels to Haiti’s participating churches in the southern region. Traveling to the south is more difficult. The dry season, when travel is possible, is a short period in late winter. This is because the only access is through long and winding rivers. You must ford the river 27 different times to reach these churches! This is extremely difficult and often impossible during most of the year.
Non-Program Goats & Other Animals
Often there will be many other animals and goats not associated with our project that Marv will come across while visiting these churches. Since his ultimate goal is to help as many Haitian people as possible to find Jesus as well as the means to a better life, he vaccinates as many of these non-program animals as possible.
Goats make wonderful gifts for your children to give to families with children in Haiti. Interested in giving? Contact us.
