Evergreen Association Mission Trip to Haiti April 20-29, 2012

We are going to Haiti on April 20-29th 2012, to be part of American Baptist Mission work at Cap Haitien, Haiti! Two groups are actually planning to go -- one departing from Seattle, and the other departing from San Francisco. estimates are that we may have upwards to 30 people from the region going down to help Nzunga Mabudiga and his wife Kihomi minister to the poorest country in our hemisphere.

Kihomi and Nzunga serve as a vital link between International Ministries and the Haitian Baptist Convention. Nzunga teaches theology at the Christian University of Northern Haiti, trains assistant professors in teaching and writing books, administers a scholarship program, and visits and preaches in churches. He also administers the "Kids for Kids" goat project that provides needed school and personal supplies for children and university students.

Kihomi works with families in the areas of counseling, family planning, and women's health issues. She also coordinates and advises the women's association of the Haitian Baptist Convention, representing women of all the Baptist denominations of Haiti at international conferences.

We have a need for participants with a large variety of helping skills (1 Corinthians 12:4-26 describes this well!). If we are able to enlist enough people with construction skills, we will be working on a new school for the mission. If not, we will still be needing to do various kinds of repair work for them. With the cholera outbreak after the earthquake, as well as with the needs of the eye clinic in Cap Haitien, we can certainly use people with medical or nurses training. We are hoping to bring some new computers down to the mission and people with skills at using and/or teaching computer use would certainly be of help. But also, there is a lot of work, especially for women, just being part of the ministry of encouragement that Kihomi does with the women of Haiti. Nzunga wrote in response to one of our questions, "You will have opportunity to connect with women's work. Kihomi will take you places you don't want to go!" Talk about a challenge!

"We always appreciate the visits...Once you are in our place, we don't feel lonely and left alone on the island of Haiti."  -Nzunga Mabudiga


Money raised by any of our Regional churches will be used to offset these expenses:
  • Travel cost of participants: Participants will of course contribute to their own travel, but sharing in the cost of travel will be our way of partnering with them.
  • Cost of laptop computers for the mission: We are hoping to buy a number of these to take and leave at the mission, so they can use them at their schools and with their medical work.
  • Materials for construction and repair: These will be purchased in Haiti for work at the mission.
Cost for participants will be:
Travel to Port-au-Prince:
Travel from Port-au-Prince to Cap Haitien (est):
Room and board at the mission ($50 a day):
Total
Departing Seattle
$1184
$200
$400
$1784
Departing San Francisco
$968
$200
$400
$1568

This trip will not just be the work of 20-30 individuals. It will be the work of all of our Association, powered by the Holy Spirit. We are looking to EACH church in our Association being part of this mission trip in one or more of the following ways:
  • Prayer Partners: We want every church in the region engaged in prayer! Pray for the Holy Spirit’s leading for our mission trip and pray for God’s guidance on your own church’s role.
  • Educate Your Members: Talk to your church in worship and in your educational endeavors about our American Baptist Mission work in Haiti. Show at least one video about that work. These can be found through International Ministries.
  • Share in Financial Support: This can be anything from taking a special offering (perhaps when you show the Haiti video!) to designating this as a women’s mission project, to planning a special fundraiser (The Community Church of Issaquah is already planning a Dinner/ Talent show fund-raiser on September 24th), to including the trip in next year’s budget. Financial support will be used to subsidize travel expenses, to buy computers for the mission, and to purchase construction material for projects at the mission.
  • Recruit Participants: We have a need for participants with a large variety of helping skills: construction skills, medical care skills, computer skills, and just willing workers and encouragers, especially in relation to Kihomi’s work with women.
Those wanting to be part of the trip should send a deposit of $100, along with name, church and contact information to the Evergreen Office. If you have questions or would like for someone to talk to your church about this mission trip, email Dr. Keith Madsen or contact him at The Community Church of Issaquah (425-392-6447).