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| Child Hope International | April 2011 |
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He is Risen!
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Greetings in the name of our Risen, Eternal and Living Lord - Who is the same yesterday, today and forever!
What an amazing wonderful God we serve!
Celebrating our Lord's resurrection this last weekend was a beautiful and inspiring experience. To see all the MDL kids rejoicing in the hope of their Savior was a tremendous blessing.
It is the Hope of the resurrection that spurs us on during bad times and good, to continue the race and keep our eyes fixed on the prize.
This last weekend fueled and regenerated the passions that brought us to Haiti in the first place. To know and share the Hope of Christ for Haiti is our greatest joy.
What a privilege it is to witness and experience all God is doing in this beautiful country.
The joy we share is captured so well in he classic Bill Gaither hymn:
Because He lives,
I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives,
all fear is gone;
Because I know
He holds the future, And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!
God bless you as we celebrate His resurrection all year long.
In Christ in Haiti, The Manasseros
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Celebrating Our Risen Lord!
 | | Fritz leading the MDL kids in early morning worship on Good Friday |
It's a tradition we have been doing for a while here in Haiti. Early in the morning, on Good Friday, all the children of Maison de Lumiere, hike up a mountain to pray, worship and consider the beautiful sacrifice our Savior endured for our freedom and deliverance. But, last year, it took on a special significance. After the earthquake, Tom Manassero, Bill's brother, who came to help after the quake, constructed a large cross to have the kids carry up to the top of the hill where we would worship. It now became an event where we considered what it means to "take up the cross and follow Him." After all the children had been through during and after the quake -- the intense fear and uncertainty, the loss of dear friends and family and the face of hopelessness -- we all took our eyes off of ourselves and directed them to the cross -- to the One who took on the sins of the world.  In the midst of all the chaos and despair we found hope and joy. We realized that, although things were dark and grim, our God was greater and mightier than our circumstances, greater than our pain, greater then the challenges ahead. He is the God of the impossible! The One who endured torture, rejection and ridicule, and who was crucified and then resurrected from the dead still loves us and His love is wider, longer, higher and deeper than we could ever imagine. He is the author and perfecter of our faith. He is the One who will never leave
 | | Bill and Ariana leading worship while Port-au-Prince Fellowship Church prays over the city. |
nor forsake us. Jesus, who is our Hope and our Salvation - the One who never fails. As we descended the hill, after an incredible morning of worship, praise, prayer and a powerful message by Scotti Robbins, our stirred hearts with the biblical account of the crucifixion and resurrection and a call to live for His glory daily. Two days later, we would go up another hill, a place called Boutillea, a look-out point overlooking greater Port-au-Prince, where we had sunrise Easter service with our local church, Port-au-Prince Fellowship. The view is striking. We worshiped, read the Word and prayed over the city. Another powerful morning! Oh the power of the cross! And the power of the resurrection! We find solace and great hope in taking up our cross and following Him. When we switch our gaze from our own personal trauma and worries to the One True Prize, we find peace -- beauty from ashes. Praise God, through Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him, above ye Heavenly Host; Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost! Thank you, Lord Jesus! We love You!
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Camp-in-a-Box 2011
 Only three months away! That's right! Camp-in-a-Box 2011 is coming up July 28 through August 6th. Once again, we will be returning to Le Montcel resort in the beautiful mountains above Port-au-Prince, for a week of inspired teaching, Bible study, team games, great food and much more fun. The kids at the Lighthouse look forward to this event all year long.  The idea was originally created as a Christian summer camp experience that would imitate summer camps in the states, Canada and elsewhere, box-it-up and take it to share with the children in Haiti. 
Utilizing a diverse, multi-church 30 plus person planning team, that included counselors, activity directors, worship band members, planners, coordinators and a host of others, the presenting team pr epares months in advance for this amazing event. The children are divided into four different colored teams who compete throughout the week in a series of exciting games and competitions. The event is wrapped up with a silly "Haiti's Got Talent" talent show on the last night. This is a very special event that blesses the children of the Lighthouse tremendously. If you are interested in participating, supporting or helping sponsor this event, please contact Jamie Kruse at .jamie.m.kruse@gmail.com |
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New Guest House is Completed!
 It has taken nearly six months of hard work conducted by construction crews from all over North America, plus the dedicated effort of a team of over 20 Haitian skilled workers, to complete it -- but the new Child Hope Guest House is finally up and ready for visitors. The new guest house will accommodate over 32 guests, has air conditioning in all guest rooms, Wi-Fi, hot water (yeah, like you need it in Haiti) and an expanded dining and lounging area, including an extensive gift shop. The new guest house was, just five months ago, a shell of a building that was, at best 75% complete. It required  the dedicated effort of Chad Younquist and his mighty band of construction workers, along with other visiting teams and local Haitian construction teams, to turn it into the beautiful, fully functional guest house resort. The first group to experience the recently completed guest house was a missions team Hillcrest Covenant Church from Prairie Village Kansas. They stayed at the house as our first "official" guests while they were in Haiti. Fortunately, they had a great heart and attitude as lights went on and off, plumbing stuff happened and a few other bugs had to be worked out. But, all-in-all, they had a good experience. The greatest joy in having the new guest house is that it now frees up our old guest house to become our new, expanded girls home -- allowing more space for our current girls and new beds to take in more girls in need. As we continue to improve, upgrade and work out the bugs at the guest house, we're grateful that all of the subsequent teams have helped us deal with these growing pains. It looks like it will be a very busy season for the new guest house. We have already received bookings up through the beginning of 2012. If you are thinking of booking a missions trip, contact Lucas Simmons at lucas@childhope.org.
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New Videos on Web Site
Although many of you reading this newsletter were unable to attend the Celebration Dinner recently held in Southern California, you now can view some of the videos featured at the dinner on the childhope.org web site. Filmed and produced by talented videographer Adam Ebert from Scruffy Films, these well-done video clips feature the Manasseros as well as many of the missionaries, staff members and children in Haiti, talking about the current situation in Haiti and the mission's activities over the last year.To view all the new video clips, go here or click the images below.    |
Service Opportunities in Haiti
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:14-16 Have you ever wondered if you are being called to serve in the mission field? There are many opportunities and needs for able servants at Child Hope's mission in Haiti for both short and long-term service. As the ministry grows, so do the needs for spirit-filled believers to serve. The mission of Child Hope International, first and foremost, is to raise up disciples and that is no small task. We are seeking individuals who are willing to pour into the children and families we serve on a daily basis in Haiti. We need individuals with administrative gifts, vocational trades, Bible teaching skills and a heart to serve. In Luke 10:2 it says "He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." So we are praying and asking. Please join us in prayer for the Lord to sent workers willing to give of themselves to serve Christ here in Haiti. Here are just a few of the Child Hope volunteer needs. Short-Term Opportunities: (one to six-month opportunities) * English & French-speaking teachers/tutors - summer and during regular school year * Boys Bible Teachers/Mentors/Disciplers * Girls Bible Teachers/Mentors/Disciplers * Vocational training teachers for our transition program Long-Term: (six-months to two-year opportunities) * Girls Home Live-in Nanny (female) for the Older Girls * Boys Home Live-in Mentor (male) for the Older Boys * Boys Home live-in Nanny (female) for the Younger Boys * Girls Bible Teachers/Mentors * MDL School Administrator (French fluency required) * muTch Program Director * Administrative Manager * Office Administrative Assistants * Personnel Director (Haitian) * Guest House Managers (live-in) * Nurse or Doctor to run medical clinic * Handy Man All positions require individuals to raise their own support. For more information on these opportunities, contact Jessica Selica at Jessica@childhope.org or call 888-808-9595.. |
Book Your Missions Trips Early!
 Summer is already booked up and we are now scheduling missions trips for 2012.
Teams continue to flow into Haiti at an unprecedented level. Since the earthquake, teams from all over the world continue to stream into the island nation. Carriers such as Delta and Continental have recently added Port-au-Prince to their flight schedules.
We are thankful to welcome all the new visitors from all over the world who have come to share the love of Christ. Likewise, it is exciting for us to share the wonderful things God is doing in Haiti through Child Hope International.
With our new guest house, we are better able to accommodate visitors needs and schedules. For example, we are now more flexible with bookings, scheduling more and more teams on Friday-to Friday, segments instead of Saturday-to-Saturday and we are even able to book 10-day trip itineraries.
We are seeing  a large variety of teams and team activities. We have construction teams, teaching teams, ministering teams, sports-focused teams, praying teams, combination teams where, for example, some do construction, some teach and some conduc t a VBS.
What is the process to book a team? It starts with an email to Lucas Simmons, our on-the-ground Haiti team coordinator. He can share available dates and send a wealth of information on the details you need to know about visiting Haiti and Child Hope. Next, he generally will ask for an assessment of the team skills, talents and gifts from which he will recommend various activities, projects and a schedule based on Child Hope's needs and the team's talents. Team leaders then fill out an online form and the dates are secured.
A missions trip to Haiti is an experience of a lifetime. We hear time-and-time-again how profoundly impacted those who came to minister are.
If you would like to look into a trip to Child Hope in Haiti, you can start by clicking here.
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Upcoming Events
May 14-21 - Sanctuary Covenant Church Team
May 28-June 4 - Calvary Baptist Huntington Beach Team
May 28-June 4 - Gold Coast Orphan Alliance Team
July 28 - August 6 - Camp-in-a-Box
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