Hurricane update

David and I have talked with people in Peredo and they say it is flooded and gardens are destroyed. Thankfully, as far as everyone knows, everyone is OK.

We have had a few people ask about sending Invest Hope relief money. We are not taking relief funds specifically for the hurricane at this time. If you do want to help, we recommend donating to Samaritan's Purse who in on ground in Haiti and already has significant relief work experience in Haiti in the name of Jesus. Here is their link

Samaritan's Purse

Please continue to pray for the people in Peredo in the coming weeks/months as gardens were destroyed and roads washed away by water.

Finished!

Day 1

 

 

 

 

 

3.5 weeks later...

 

Hope House #4 is completed! Louie Mae and family along with friends and neighbors built a house for his family that Invest Hope funded. This family provided all the labor between themselves and their friends and neighbors. 

Thank you for your donations, prayers ans support of this project.

Before...the family did not have basic shelter or security.

Now...

Hope House #4

It's underway! Louie Mae and his family and friends are working hard to build their new home! Through your generous donations, they were provided with the materials and a professional house builder and they are responsible for the sweat equity. and thrust me, there is plenty of sweat in August in Haiti!

These pics are from last week but I wanted to show you all the foundation dug out and the amazing view they have on their property!

 


 

 Please continue to pray for this project and everyone's safety. Our mission truck was in an accident this week-no one is hurt-Thank the Lord! A water truck backed into it.




David and Louie Mae are hard at work on the house site!

House Project #4!

The purpose of Invest Hope in Haiti has always been to break the cycle of poverty in a small village in the southern part of the country. We have used different methods to reach towards this goal. We are so excited about the mission land now being walled in therefore being more secure. Our dreams for this piece of land is for it to be a "home-base" place where we launch off to go out and help the community help themselves. We have had multiple meetings in the village to ask the community what they feel that they need.

We are currently saving funds to build a pavilion for our use in the microloan loan training program AND for the community to use. They asked for a place to hold weddings, funerals and meetings. A nice place they would be proud of. We thought a pavilion type structure with open side to allow for cross wind, wired with electricity and nicely ceramic tiled fit the need.

While David was in Haiti for the wall project several people told him there was a family he needed to visit who really needed a house. David and I ended up knowing this family very well. Louis Mae is a gentleman well known in the community who can always be found in the market on the main street of town directing traffic. Just generally helping out. He has helped David and I out at times also. He is well respected in the community. Over a year ago when I went to their house, they were living in a small one roomed tent and putting down a new foundation on the back of an already existing small room with porch.

David went back to see the progress and check it out. (When poor people come to you and tall you someone needs help-they usually aren't exaggerating! It's usually pretty bad.)  Here are pictures he took.

 front porch of house with Louis Mae and his wife

side of house

As you can see this "house" is not fit for living. It does not provide adequate shelter or safety for this couple.

Even though we are knee deep in fundraising for building on Invest Hope property, we feel strongly that God wants us to help this family build a proper home. We had a Haitian contractor come out and look at the foundation they laid on the back and he said it is not done correctly and will all have to be redone. 

We would like to help Louis May build a 2 room house with front porch and outhouse as we have helped 3 other families do. Here is an example of one of those houses. 

Louis Mae will work on this project and provide all the labor through his friends and family. We do pay a Haitian "boss" who is in charge of the construction and has building experience. We will also fund the building materials and transport of those materials.

This worked out so well for the 3 previous houses we helped families build in the area.

Would you consider helping this family build a home? Something they have been trying to do for quite some time but do not have the financial resources to finish?

Wall, Gate and Driveway completed!

Last month David went to Haiti and oversaw the wall building project. He and 22 other Haitians, built the 9 foot wall in about 3 and a half weeks. Additional funds were in the budget when the wall was completed, a gate built and driveway were put in this last week!

 pouring foundation for wall

 unloading cement block for wall

Front of property where gate will be installed 

 smoothing out layer of cement on front of outside wall

aka: making it pretty :)

 Finished!

Invest Hope fund raised for this project for almost 3 years and it finally is completed! Thank you for your donations, patience and encouragement!

And special thanks to David and the 2 construction bosses, Nilio and Rosney. They completed this project quickly, beautifully and under budget!

We're gonna build a wall!

Finally! We have raised the needed funds to close in the Invest Hope property in Peredo with a 9 foot high security wall. Even though the facilities are going to be available to the community, it is important to have it secured due to the materials we will have inside.

David will be traveling to Haiti in the near future to oversee this big project. If you would still like to participate in this project, you can donate towards his plane ticket. Just go to www.investhope.com and click on the "Donate" button. You can also give by writing a check and mailing it to:

Invest Hope

1578 Dayton Rd

Newark, OH 43055

Also- we are putting together some goodie bags for our microloan participants. We need deodorant and toothpaste to complete the project. So if you are in the central Ohio area and want to donate, let me know at investhope@gmail.com! 

 

Many many many thanks to the Licking Valley Church of Christ for designating their Thanksgiving offering towards funds needed for a Pavilion on the Invest Hope property in Peredo, Haiti!

They have given us a great start with a donation of $5600!

David is currently in Haiti visiting his family and doing work for Invest Hope. He called today and reported he had a meeting with our loan program participants and also with the School Match Savings program participants. I have to admit I am a little jealous he is getting to hang out with our friends and staff and eat some good Haitian food! But I am glad he is getting to spend time in his country with his family around this Christmas season. He had not been home since February so this trip is a much needed break for him. 

 David called and put me on speaker phone and I talked to our loan program participants! I can not tell you how much I miss these women. They are doing really well and anxious to receive new loans in the future.  I was worried how the repayment of loans might diminish once David and I left Haiti. However, the repayment rate has remained very high! I am so proud of them. 

We have raised the money needed to put a security wall around Invest Hope property! Early next year David will go to Haiti to oversee this project.  Thank you all for your continued support of Invest Hope and helping the people who live in the village of Peredo. They truly appreciate it and need it.

We are now raising the remaining amount of funds needed for the Pavilion which is to be built on the land. David is getting an estimate on building and labor costs while he is in country and will bring back the report.

 If your church or organization are interested in hearing more about this project, please email me at ginnyandrews@hotmail.com. 

It's that time of year...

For VBS and church camp of course!

David and I are signed up to be the missionaries at several VBS's and a church camp week this year.

We started out with Heath Church of Christ's VBS and it started with a bang! One day there were 229 kids in attendance! Thank goodness they had plenty of volunteers to help!

The kids learned how Haitian kid's chores differed from theirs.

David is showing them how to hand wash clothes.

 

Here they are practicing carrying water on their heads.

Amazing how much the kids loved these simple activities!

Here are the "Helping Hands" ladies!

Abby, Molly and Rosemary

 Here is the 5th and 6th grade class in front of their "Helping Hands" wall.

They memorized scripture all week and instead of earning prizes,

they earned items to send to Haiti to help kids go to school!

First week of VBS is all wrapped up and we are looking forward to a

couple more this summer!

Thanks Heath Church for the opportunity to teach your kids about

the things INVEST HOPE is doing in Haiti!

He's here!

Olan Page Andrews-Barreau made his appearance on April 1st. He weighed 9 lbs 1 oz and was 21 inches long. 

Omri is being a great big brother.

Thanks for all your prayers for a safe delivery.

Attention Amazon users!

Did you know Invest Hope can earn 0.5% of your purchase from Amazon? Through their program called Amazon Smile, you can sign up and help us earn money for microloans in Haiti at no additional cost to you!

Go to  https://smile.amazon.com/about  For more information.  You do have to start from the page www.smile.amazon.com for us to receive the donation. But Amazon guarantees you will find the SAME products and SAME low prices you find on www.amazon.com. Invest Hope can benefit from this little extra step in your shopping!

Search "Invest Hope" and choose our non profit listed under "Newark, Ohio" location and spread the word around to your friends!

Adoption update

Our family has been celebrating with each other over Skype the past couple days...

Odessa's petition to enter the US as my legally adopted child has been approved! This is what we have been waiting on since October!

There are still some additional housekeeping papers to be completed before her visa is issued...but we are still celebrating! And thankful. Thankful for all your prayers and words of encouragement.  And most importantly, thankful to our God who listens, calms and loves our Odessa more than we ever could.

Water project Finished!

Well...it has been for over a month now. I am so behind in blogging! 

Through a partnership with Hungry for Life Canada, Invest Hope worked with the community of Peredo in providing a water system using a natural spring in the mountains. Local community leaders came to David and I years ago asking for help in accessing clean water. Although we had no idea how to fund the project let alone complete it, God did! And although it took several years to find a partner, it did happen.

The community themselves put in A LOT of sweat equity into this project. My husband, David, managed the project and transported most materials from Jacmel to Peredo (an hours drive on rough terrain). 

Below are some pictures of the project and the Haitians working on a project in their own community that they and their families are now directly benefiting from!

Note: there is one Cistern at the source of the spring, 3 kiosk stations where people bring buckets to fill with clean spring water, 10 direct lines into yards of families.