La Limyè Ministries

 The mother of one of my students in our Special Education/Handicap learning center asked me for a job the other day.  I know she desperately needs it.  La Limyè already pays half of her yearly rent for her house because if not she and her daughter would truly be homeless.  I’m encouraged that she’s asking for work, not just handouts…but I literally have no work to give her. Every position is full and I can’t think of any job to just “make up” for her to do.  The rise in prices, the fall of the economy, the insecurity…it’s crippling for these people.  All that to say, my employees need to be paid, the girls have to be fed, school fees need to be met, but right now the most dire need is to help our neighbors.  It would be a blessing and truly an answer to prayer.  I have 26 employees  23 families in our Special Education learning center.  Around 35 in our local church.  Any extra we raise can go to the people in our village which wou...

I can no longer travel freely.  I no longer feel like I have a choice on what I want to do.  I can’t be seen on certain roads at certain times.  No one stateside can come visit me.  The gangs have spread out and their power seems to have grown too great for anyone to stand up against.  The people are hungry.  The hungry are starving.  The churches are mourning.  Willing to risk my life to serve here is now a higher cost if that means it’ll affect my children and their future.  I hired an armored car service to take me home last time I flew in.  Life as we knew it seems too distant to remember and the new season seems too much like a taste of hell on earth for the Haitians just trying to live.  And yet I’m surrounded by the most selfless, God fearing, humble Haitians who even with a paycheck I know it’s still hard to make ends meet.  The Haitian currency was about 40 gourdes to every American dollar when I moved here and now it’...

7 automatic weapons were pointed at us as the gang surrounded our vehicle. I thought, this is it. It’s over.  I was going to be taken.  Here’s what happened on the 30th of December:  For the past several months with all the issues in Haiti, I’ve been sitting in the back seat instead of the front whenever I leave the house to go into the city or come from the airport to leave the city. Less people can see me in the back so it just feels safer.  After lots of deep breaths I felt confident I could quickly go to the grocery store to get the basic necessities and then make the trip back to La Limyè.  Before I even got in the truck and after I was in, I prayed for safety, thanked Him in advance for protection and prayed no traumatic issues would happen on the road because one can only handle so much in a lifetime and I thought I should be about done.  Once we left the grocery store we passed the round about and headed down that road. When we got to the outskirts ...

I don’t even know what to say. I write when my heart is heavy. Yet it’s like I’m so numb by what’s going on I can’t even explain it. It’s like living a dream… but not those sweet fairy tale dreams that I wish for. It’s the nightmares. The ones that never stop. It’s reality. It’s life.  But it’s not a true nightmare for me. I’m just watching it mainly. I’m comfortable. Sure, not near as comfy as if I were stateside, but I’m well. I have what I need. But not my neighbors. They’re suffering. Their nightmare continues on even after they wake up. They’re not watching it, they’re living it.  The motorcycle taxi driver quoted one of my employees how much it would cost for her to get a ride to and from La Limyè. It was half of her daily wage. Which is a fair wage. But with gas off the street being $20 a gallon, what do you expect… instead she walked the several miles home in the pitch black because there are no streetlights. It’s not fair.  They tell me of a lady who was pregnant...

 Life can be so overwhelming at times and everything can feel like a sinking ship at one moment and perfect harmony on a mountain top the very next. As my heart was pounding with anxiety the other day all it took to calm me down was hearing the nannies and the girls start singing sweet hymns at the top of their lungs praising God amidst so much heartache and disasters and grief in the world. I couldn’t help but have tears in my eyes.  Amanda sat on the floor making a circle around her with building blocks and said “look Mommy Ellie I made an airplane so I can go visit God”  “What are you going to tell Him when you get there, DaDa?”  “mèsi”.  She’s going to tell the King, “thank you.” “Because even when I  walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid” psalm 23:4  And even though “the wicked are stringing their bows and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings, the Lord still rules from heaven” psalm 11:2&4  And even in this parched and w...

Written on 9-26-21   I listened as I was told story after story of what’s been happening in just the last 72 hours….  Haiti is a “level 4 DO NOT TRAVEL” country and has been for a long time. In the past it’s been due to road blocks and riots, robberies and protests. But now it’s kidnappings. Though the others still are happening often, kidnapping is increasing rapidly in so many areas. Haitian, American, French, it doesn’t matter where you’re from or the color of your skin the gangs are kidnapping people for ransom left and right. Young and old. Locals and foreigners.  It’s exhausting mentally and emotionally to watch it play out.  I’ve been told not to go to the grocery store in the city any time soon. I haven’t been in over a month. I’ve been warned not to go renew my residence permit yet. Not to go pick up my mail. Not to go into the city at all for the time being.  It’s exhausting because we all hear about the kidnappings, see the faces of the victims a...

    This month marks 8 years living in Haiti February marked 10 years of being a follower of Jesus.  The good, the bad, and the ugly  The blood, sweat, and tears  The highs and the lows  The mountain tops and the valleys  The births and the deaths  the thrills and the burnouts I’ve named babies and I’ve bought caskets.  I’ve watched the child overcome starvation and watched starvation kill the child.  I’ve seen miracles and I’ve seen witchcraft  I’ve seen the work of God and I’ve seen the work of the devil.  I’ve dreamed dreams and lost visions  I’ve had nothing and I’ve been full.  This island has taught me to grow up faster than I thought I would through my 20s. This island life taught me how to pay taxes, drive without a GPS, and negotiate through any and every purchase. These people have taught me how to love no matter what, forgive even when it hurts, understand that not everything is right vs wrong but sometimes...