Fall 2023 Ministry Update
God is so good to us. Sometimes I wonder why God lets Evens and I be part of something so amazing. We are able to see him move through circumstances that almost seem impossible to figure out. While the world has major issues and we are seeing so much hate and selfishness, here in La Victorie, the poorest town of the northern part of Haiti, many are finding hope in Him. We aren’t perfect, but we are willing to battle hunger, insecurity, and poverty because we know God is with us.
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Health Update and Prayer Request
I (Karina) have the privilege of writing our newsletter this season because I wanted to thank all those who have been praying for me and my health. For those who don’t know, I became ill back in April. I had some type of infection in my legs that doctors could not figure out (we still don’t know what happened). My legs became so swollen I could not walk. Thank God I was in the states during the time that this infection decided to invade my body. I was able to go to the emergency room and then follow up with some specialists. I was put on steroids and that seemed to work after the second round. Doctors thought I had some type of arthritis, but nothing showed in my blood work. Another thought I was developing blood clots, but again, the tests came back negative. This was a good sign for us, but we still couldn’t figure out the cause of such pain in my legs. Today, I am happy to report that I have not had any issues with my legs. My feet feel a little weaker than before, but I have not had any swelling. Praise God!
Continue to pray for my family and I. Working in an underdeveloped country can take a toll on us. Maybe my health scare came from something I had eaten or touched here in Haiti. Only God knows. I was blessed to have my family and my husband by my side through all of this. Evens came to the states for two months with me to take me to the doctors and my testing appointments. With all the work he had to do here in Haiti, nothing mattered to him. He only wanted me to get better. We were finally able to get back home to Haiti in July.
Many things continue to happen throughout the ministry. I’m so excited to share with you!
Community Development Programs
Goats Production Program
We continue to serve and train families in the La Victoire community and its surrounding areas in the field of Agro-Ecology, food production, and animal husbandry. We also train rural families how we could become great leaders through the acronym CHIC which means: character, honesty, integrity, and leaders who are Christian. Throughout this year and next year, we will be able to provide more than 300 families with female goats and goat male breeders in their community for a better goat production. These new goats will give more meat and milk to the families. We are truly grateful for our partnership with Covenant World Relief and Vista Hermosa for such a great opportunity to serve the people of La Victoire and its surrounding areas in difficult times of our country, Haiti.
New Campus Cafeteria
We are so thankful to our friends at Northwest Covenant Church of Mount Prospect who partnered with us to build in our Vieud-Avidtroire campus a cafeteria. Here, families who come to our campus will have a safe space to sit down to eat and connect. In the upcoming years, we are looking forward to hosting more music, youth, families, and children's camp on our campus. This project was very needed in our community.
Women's Conference 2023
August was a busy month for us! We were able to host a Women’s Conference with women around the La Victoire community. The ladies had an amazing time. I was able to preach and discuss issues such as marriage, faith, and relationships.
My favorite part about the conference was the panel we held on the second day. My husband, another pastor, his wife, and I were able to talk to the ladies about marriage. The ladies asked some interesting questions and asked for advice on certain things they were going through. In Haitian culture it is not a norm to lay out problems you have with your marriage, but we create a safe space for these ladies and (hopefully) some Godly advice. We prayed for each woman who came to the panel at the end. At night we had worship, in the early mornings we prayed, and the ladies did some exercises before 9am. It was a much-needed rest and reconnection with the Lord for all the ladies.
Summer 2023 Children's Music Camp
For the very first time we’ve been able to host a music camp this summer! Over 200 children received instruction in a musical instrument that interested them. For many of these students it was the first time they had ever touched an instrument. The best part to this event was that we had 15 young people from all over Haiti come to instruct these children and teenagers. These young people were amazing leaders. The patience and love they had to instill the love of music in our kids was so transparent. It truly gave me a glimpse of God working in Haiti.
Mrs. Janet, their amazing music mom, worked with these young people through her organization BLUME Haiti. She’s been an instructor to many of them for ten years! Mrs. Janet saw young people who had potential and perseverance and she took them and made them professional musicians. These musicians play music during major events here in Haiti. We were able to work with true professionals.
Youth Camp 2023
The last week of August we had 275 young people come to our school for Youth Camp. We had some amazing activities and workshops for our youth. The best part was that Evens and I didn’t plan it! We had our dedicated team of leaders plan the five-day experience for the youth! These leaders grew up in our ministry. It’s amazing to see them flourish and show us their leadership skills.
We also had an amazing team of ladies that cooked all five days! There were some hiccups along the way, but we know God’s presence was with us. Many of the youth reconnect with God and wanted to renew their relationship with him. One concern we prayed about was the issues going on in Haiti. The young people are concerned about the misery they are facing and questioned if God is truly in Haiti. One young person who recently graduated college has questioned his faith because he cannot find a job and he’s been praying for so long. He hasn’t been able to provide for his mom and siblings. He thought that graduating as an agronomist would help him support his family. Pray for the youth of this country. Pray that they choose to be bold leaders of faith and courage. Pray that they rise to stand against the enemy and his schemes.
The young people worshipped at all hours of the night. Our four security guards couldn’t believe how much energy they all had. They believe that many slept only 2-3hours each night for those five days. I know that all my children slept in all day Saturday after camp finished! The final night we had our friend come with his band to play Christian Kompa (traditional Haitian music). The young people did not go to bed all night. The band played until 5am Friday morning! Youth Camp was so much fun! We pray that the young people were blessed and well-nourished after that long week!
Final Thoughts & Prayer Requests
We came back just in time for more uncertainty in the country. More violence, kidnapping, and a rise in hunger. I personally will never get used to someone telling me they are hungry, especially children. Many of you have reached out concerned for our family’s safety, we want to thank you. Continue to pray God’s protection for us and the Haitian people. God has placed us here for such a time as this. Evens and I are bold believers that nothing is impossible for God. We are not scared to come up against the enemy. Maybe that’s why we as a family have faced some challenges. We worship God in a place of victory. We live by the verse in Deuteronomy 31:8 that says,
"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
While at times we can get discouraged, we run to the throne of Him who will fight for us. Blessings!
Prayer Requests
We ask that you pray for the following things, both SAI and personal.
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The children, young people, and women that attended our conferences and camps this summer
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Our mental and physical health, that we can remain healthy
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For Karina's family, the Ricos, and the health of Karina's mom in particular
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All ministry leaders of SAI who tirelessly service despite many challenges
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School opening in October: Increased violence in Haiti (not in La Victoire, thankfully) delayed the start of the school year from September.
Supporting SAI's Mission
We have one key request from all of our supporters - monthly giving that supports our schools.
Oddly enough, we've been able to meet the financial needs of major capital campaigns over the years, but have always been challenged by meeting the day-to-day financial needs of our schools, which teach over 300 students!
Your monthly support provides:
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High-quality education to children
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Good jobs for the teachers who give themselves to the children
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Flexibility to support families who don't have the resources to send their kids to our schools
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Supplies for every grade level
Evangelical Covenant Church Supporters: You can support us by following this link.
May the Lord keep and continue to bless all of your abundantly! With Love, Even & Karina Paul & Family
Evens & Karina Paul & Family
