Mission Volunteers, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church 

Haiti Response Plan

Volume 4, Number 1

October 27, 2011

In This Issue
Experiencing Cayes
Updates to age requirements
HRP position available
Lives forever changed
Experiencing Cayes
Child in Les Cayes

 

Les Cayes is a town on the soutwest coast of the nation of Haiti, nearly 200 km from Port au Prince. It is the furthest priority project site of the Haiti Response Plan.

 

In September, a team from Grace Community Church, Shreveport, LA traveled to Les Cayes to stay with Pastor Ablami and Donette at th local guest house. During the team's stay, they traveled to an orphanage, sponsored by First UMC Shreveport.

 

"Ablami and Donette drove us on a rocky trail deep into the bush," a team member related. "Many children of all ages were waiting for us. The little ones flocked to us asking to be picked up. 

 

"It was heart-wrenching and overwhelming to leave the children behind without being able to help them further," she continued. "Forty-five minutes of attention is better than nothing..."

 

Two hours drive south of Les Cayes lies Dasmas, where the team spent their working time. They built pews and school desks, taught VBS, played soccer and visited with people in the community.

 

"We were told that it's missions like ours that benefit the Haitian people the most because the help comes directly to the people who need it," related the journaler.

 

October 2011 marks the one year anniversary of the Haiti Response Plan, which was approved by the General Board in October 2010 after a successful six month pilot program. As of the end of this month, 204 UMVIM teams, representing almost 1,800 volunteers, have served in Haiti. Many persons who were part of an earlier team are signing up to return.

 

Would you like to be a part of this powerful ministry? Learn more about the details of the Haiti Response Plan at the web site, or contact Susan Meister, US-based Communications & Calendaring Coordinator.

 

Photo courtesy Sarah Ann Marsalis-Luginbill 

 


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Please pray for the people of Haiti and the UMVIM teams who are traveling to work alongside the Methodist Church of Haiti in rebuilding. 

 

We give thanks for all the volunteers in mission who are called and sent.

Greetings!

Thank you for subscribing to the bi-weekly newsletter of the Haiti Response Plan, a program of the Mission Volunteers unit of the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church.

The UMVIM community and the staff of the Haiti Response Plan continue to work with the Eglise Methodiste d'Haiti (EMH) to host volunteer teams to address the humanitarian needs and priority projects of the Methodist Church of Haiti. 

Recruiting team members for 2012 teams

UMVIM Haiti Response logo

UMVIM Leaders who have reserved places on the 2012 calendar are busily recruiting team members. Team leaders are reminded that their Conference and Jurisdictional UMVIM Coordinators can help with this effort. In addition, this newsletter frequently publishes teams with spaces available - just send an email to Susan Meister, US-based Communications & Calendaring Coordinator.

 

Individuals who are interested in serving on a team are also welcome to contact Meister, who can work with them to find an UMVIM team traveling to Haiti at a particular time. With the availability of technology, some teams are able to organize and conduct orientations "at a distance" using email, phone calls, and Skype.

 

A list of Conference and Jurisdictional UMVIM Coordinators can be found here.

Haiti Response Plan position available

Persons interested in the position of Haiti Finance Administrator are encouraged to apply to work with the Haiti Response Team. This person oversees all financial activities, including the coordination of donated goods and supplies from UMVIM teams. 

 

The position of Haiti Finance Administrator is treated as a consultant under a six-month contract, with a possibility of extension. The job description is available here. An application form (in PDF and Word format) are available on the UMVIM Haiti News page (scroll down the page to find the entry). The completed application, along with a resume and cover letter, should be forwarded to the Mission Volunteers office.

 

The application deadline has been extended to Nov. 1.

 

If you have questions about the details of the job description or application process, contact Una Jones, Assistant General Secretary, Mission Volunteers, or your Jurisdictional UMVIM Coordinator. 

Individual Volunteer joins HRP team
Bill Borah with boys
A mission trip, a meeting, and a casual challenge have combined to bring Bill Borah (center back) from a first-time mission experience to an Individual Volunteer assignment with the Haiti Response Plan. In September, Borah (California-Nevada Conference) began working a three month assignment as coordinator for the Haiti Home Assistance Program and Guest House Renovation Project. Read more...

 

Through the United Methodist Church's Individual Volunteers (IV) program, single persons and couples can serve with churches and institutions in the U.S. and other countries for between two weeks and two years. According to Nancy Eubanks, Consultant for Individual Volunteers, Global Ministries, there are about 75 IVs in the field at any one time. About one-third are young adults under age thirty, one-third about retired adults, with the remainder in between. Several married couples are serving.

 

The Individual Volunteer program sponsors five training session per year, one in each Jurisdiction. Eubanks reports that 102 persons have been trained in 2011.

 

If you or someone you know is interested in this program, please access the web site. A recent flyer from the North Central Jurisdiction is available here, or you can email Eubanks at [email protected] for more information.

 

 

Photo courtesy Bill Borah 
More web-based stories & resources available

Walking in Les Cayes

A story about Oge Celin, the HRP Project Site Liason, has been posted to the UMVIM Haiti News page of the web site. Oge is responsible for making sure that materials and labor are ready at the UMVIM project sites.

 

For UMVIM teams interested in bringing donations with them to Haiti, the Haiti Response Team has published Donation Guidelines. The document was recently updated. Please check the details on the Team Resources page.

 

Over the past year, many of you have been our friends on an individual Facebook page. GBGM Mission Volunteers office has asked us to move our Facebook presence to a group page - so please "like" us! We are in the process of moving photo albums to the new site - please be patient as we complete that process.

 

Thank you for your continuing prayers and support.

 

In the photo above, Davidson, adopted son of Pastor Ablami and Donette (see Cayes story at left) shows members of the Grace Community Church UMVIM team his school in Les Cayes.

Photo courtesy Sarah Ann Marsalis-Luginbill


 

 

 

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Matching 

Grants Available 

New!

Effective November 2011:  Teams of 4-6 persons who raise $2500 in project funds are eligible for a matching grant of $2500. Teams of 7-10 persons who raise $3500 in project funds are eligible for a matching grant of $3500. For more information on how to apply for matching funds, contact Susan Meister, US-based Communications & Calendaring Coordinator.