Heartbreaking News from Haiti Outreach Ministries

It is heartbreaking to see the images coming out of the communities of Repatriote and Terre Noire in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. The heavy rains and massive flooding that took place on June 3 and 4 have left some families with nothing — homes and belongings that literally washed away — and so many others picking up the pieces of what were already rudimentary shelters to begin with. Clothes, shoes, and beds are gone. Street vending supplies used to eke out a meager living have disappeared. Ten days later, there is still standing water in many places, despite days of Haitian sunshine. That’s how much rain descended on these communities.

Todd Luke — March 2023 Update

In January and February, our little partnership built seven cisterns for seven young families in the village of Castilla Brito. That’s where our cistern ministry began back in 2002. Not surprisingly, we share a bit of history with our newest cistern owners. Most of them grew up drinking rainwater from cisterns we built with their parents a long time ago. Those kids grew up, got married, had kids, and built their own homes. Like their parents before them, they need a year-round water source to keep their families healthy.

Haiti Outreach Ministries — July 2022 Update

Executive Director Caroline Chambre Hammock recently shared news from Haiti Outreach Ministries (HOM):

Many happy activities have recently taken place at HOM — the “50/20” celebration honoring Pastor Leon and the Terre Noire church (Pastor Leon’s 50 years of ministry and the 20th anniversary of the Terre Noire church), university graduates from the HOM schools, a photo of our first 13th grade class, and more.

Don and Martha Wehmeyer — July 2022 Update

Dear friends,

It is good to write to Outreach Foundation supporters. Martha and I have been blessed by your ministry for over 30 years!

Hopefully, we are near the end of the COVID pandemic. The whole country of Mexico is most anxious that it be so. The burden it has placed on the church and society has been enormous.

Haiti Outreach Ministries - February 2021 Update

Dear friends of Haiti Outreach Ministries:

As we begin 2021, I give thanks for you and the many ways that you support our ministry with your prayers, student sponsorships, financial gifts, and words of encouragement. In the face of much uncertainty, we are grateful for the many good things going on related to our shared ministry in Haiti, so I am writing to give you several updates. Our staff in Haiti is very busy:

- We currently have 1,825 students enrolled in our schools with 1,412 in the primary schools and 413 at the Baryé Fè secondary school.

- Our medical and dental staff continue to see patients at our clinic in Terre Noire. At the end of February, we will say good-bye to Dr. Quency Etienne, our beloved medical director. Dr. Quency is moving to the U.S. to be near family. We welcome Dr. Beethoven Solon to our clinic and look forward to introducing him to you formally in our email next month.

- Our three churches are worshipping regularly on Sundays giving encouragement to the communities we serve.

Todd Luke - December 2020 Update

Dear friends,

Maria and I traveled to Xpujil in October. I returned to the Chicago area a week later. Maria will continue to work there until December 10. She has plenty to do. I will be back in Xpujil to meet with all our cistern owner partners after Thanksgiving. A snapshot of the week follows below. But first, I will share a portion of a thought that kept coming to mind during my first visit to Xpujil since the pandemic began.

Work

All over the Calakmul region, entire families work so hard, trying to survive. By God’s grace, humans can work and bring in the harvest. He cares for his creation, in part, through human labor. After God created the heavens, our planet, and humans in his own image; he gave us the task to fill the earth, subdue it, wisely govern its creatures, cultivate the soil, and care for it. Work is not a necessary evil. It’s a valuable part of God’s health plan for us and all of creation. As we consider how to help the poor, the weak, the widow, the orphan, the alien, the hungry, the thirsty, the prisoner, the old, and the sick—we do well to be mindful of work’s sacred origin. Whether we go to Xpujil in person or contribute a portion of the fruit of our labor so that others can work together for God’s sake to build cisterns, God uses work to bring health to individuals, families, and communities. As we labor, it is altogether reasonable to constantly thank and praise God for the opportunity to do so. For as great as work can be, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Vulnerable Children's Fund - July 2020 Update

The Situation

According to James 1:7, “True religion is this, that we care for orphans and widows in their distress…” We cannot be faithful to the whole Gospel if we do not express love and care for the most vulnerable in our midst. The Outreach Foundation believes this fundamentally and believes that children are the most vulnerable of all in our sinful, broken world. And The Outreach Foundation believes that all children have the right to survive, to thrive, and to fulfill their God-given potential. This means understanding the global situations facing children everywhere and committing to helping to provide access to basic services, care, and education to the children in their (Outreach’s) spheres of influence.

In the church, and around the world, there is an effort to provide comprehensive care for vulnerable children that addresses the physical, emotional, educational, social, and spiritual life of every child, recognizing that they are each created in God’s image. The ultimate focus is on value and dignity for children and their families.

Matanzas Evangelical Theological Seminary - July 2020 Update

The Matanzas Evangelical Theological Seminary (SET) provides a high quality, diversified theological education program that prepares young church leaders to meet the challenges of growth in existing local congregations, including those of the Presbyterian Reformed Church in Cuba, and pursuing new church developments throughout Cuba. We recently received this note from the Rev. Dr. Carlos Emilio Ham, president of the seminary:

Undoubtedly, the world is undergoing one of the most difficult moments in its history with the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease that does not distinguish social classes nor geographical locations. Many countries have been affected in a bigger or lesser magnitude in a surprising way since this disease causes severe damage to human beings’ health. Cuba has not been free from it, which is why our Council of Ministers, together with the highest leadership of our country, determined to take a series of measures corresponding with the different epidemiological stages that our country could go through. Educational centers at all levels have closed their premises; sometimes these places have become isolation facilities for patients who were suspected to carry the disease or were positive for the virus. However, alternatives have emerged by using the media to continue teaching students.

Haiti Outreach Ministries - June 2020 Update

Due to concerns related to the coronavirus, schools, churches, and the airport have been closed in Haiti since March 20. Cases of coronavirus are increasing in Haiti, although our Medical Director Dr. Quency reports that very limited testing makes it difficult to know the number of confirmed cases that exist in our communities. Our medical staff prepared for the virus when the outbreak first began and has since been educating patients and members of the community.

Although U.S. teams cannot travel and schools and churches cannot meet, much is happening. Here are a few highlights about HOM/MICECC’s recent ministry activity

Matanzas Theological Evangelical Seminary - June 2020 Update

The Matanzas Evangelical Theological Seminary (SET) provides a high quality, diversified theological education program that prepares young church leaders to meet the challenges of growth in existing local congregations, including those of the Presbyterian Reformed Church in Cuba, and pursuing new church developments throughout Cuba. We recently received this note from the Rev. Dr. Carlos Emilio Ham, president of the seminary:

Undoubtedly, the world is undergoing one of the most difficult moments in its history with the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease that does not distinguish social classes nor geographical locations. Many countries have been affected in a bigger or lesser magnitude in a surprising way since this disease causes severe damage to human beings’ health. Cuba has not been free from it, which is why our Council of Ministers, together with the highest leadership of our country, determined to take a series of measures corresponding with the different epidemiological stages that our country could go through. Educational centers at all levels have closed their premises; sometimes these places have become isolation facilities for patients who were suspected to carry the disease or were positive for the virus. However, alternatives have emerged by using the media to continue teaching students.

Haiti Outreach Ministries - January 2020 Update

The humanitarian crisis persists in Haiti which has been without a stable government since March 2019. In response to its longest wave of demonstrations, presidential elections were called off in October. These anti-government protests have exacerbated food insecurity in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest county, our neighbor, Haiti.

The lack of a working government in Haiti is preventing wide swatches of Haitians from accessing international aid funds or loans from the World Bank. Aid organizations are struggling to provide relief due to protester barricades blocking roads, fuel shortages, 20% inflation, and gang violence.

Immediate and Ongoing Needs
Most people in Haiti live on just one meal per day. The Outreach Foundation’s ministry partner, Haiti Outreach Ministries (HOM), provides year-round food assistance to more than 1,400 students with nutritious, hot meals daily. Essentials like clean water, rice and cooking oil, and medical procedures are provided to community members in the poorest section of Port-au-Prince through the church on the Cite’ Soleil campus. Food shortages and poor access to health care are an everyday reality, not simply a short-term crisis. Working together we can support HOM’s efforts to build self-sustaining Christian communities.

Todd Luke - December 2019 Update

Dear friends,

Every year Victor, Felipe, and I drive from village to village to meet with our cistern owner partners. This year, these visits are in early December. Hundreds of men and women from a couple of dozen villages will tell us about the state of their rainwater catchment systems and pay back a portion of what they owe for the building materials. Not only cistern owners attend these gatherings. Families without cisterns often come to ask how to join this movement. We meet in churches, town halls, basketball courts, streets, and front yards. We do business at tables, benches, and the hood of my car. Flashlights required. The December visits add new strands to and reinforce the existing fibers of our partnership web.

N&Ctrl America Caribbean, MissionariesThe Outreach FoundationDecember 18, 2019Todd Luke, Mexico

Shalom Teaching Ministry - Update

Dear friend in Christ,

Most pastors in the growing Latin American church support themselves by holding other jobs. Although they are often very motivated to learn, it is estimated that less than 30% have access to formal theological education. Their personal study is severely constrained because theological books in Spanish are expensive.

An emerging ministry is now being offered through the Shalom Community Church to help with this challenge. With support from The Outreach Foundation, Shalom is making the Latin American Contemporary Commentary of the Bible available to pastors throughout Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, San Salvador, Guatemala, Cuba, and Ecuador. In addition to substantial theological studies on every book in the Bible, the Commentary includes 100 articles that apply Bible teaching to issues particularly relevant in Latin America. The topics include prison ministry, domestic violence, care of orphans, concern for people with disabilities, and political violence. A result of 12 years of work by the most respected Latino Christian scholars, the Contemporary Commentary of the Bible is the first of its kind because of both its rigorous nature and the attention that it gives to the cultural features and realities of the region. The Latin American Contemporary Commentary of the Bible, along with guidance from Shalom, can serve as a cornerstone for pastors’ theological development throughout Latin America.

Sureste Presbyterian Theological Seminary - Update

Sureste Presbyterian Theological Seminary believes that every pastor should develop a vision and a heart for sharing the Good News across cultures and countries. On October 12, the seminary sponsored an event called “CIMA Day” which provided an opportunity to share the importance of global mission in today’s world. The information was communicated in three main sessions over the course of seven hours. Through presentations, participants were introduced to the historical development of God’s purposes which focused on themes related to the biblical, historical, cultural and strategic aspects of God’s mission. The event was also sponsored by the Synod of Tabasco of The National Presbyterian Church of Mexico.

Don and Martha Wehmeyer - November 2019 Update

Dear brothers and sisters,

Here is a picture of the Followers of Christ, the congregation in Sitpatch where Martha and I are serving. The people here have a wonderful commitment to serving in the community. Every Saturday they serve a hot meal to neighborhood children along with teaching Bible classes. We have excellent music on Sundays, the folks meet twice a week for teaching or activities and they are opening a new mission in a nearby town.

In mid-October, we went for ten days to Valdivia, Chile. Our intention was to spend time with Ricardo Silva and his wife Magaly. They are a lovely couple who are moving from the big city of Santiago to a quieter life near Valdivia. They bought a lot on a very tiny island called Mancera and want to build their house there. In the picture we are on a cliff of the island looking out into the Pacific Ocean. For us the temperature was cold, about 50 degrees. Ricardo is a welder by trade and Magaly has long been a caregiver for children who cannot leave their homes because of serious developmental problems. While in Valdivia we began friendships with the brothers and sisters of a new church startup, Christ the Rock Presbyterian. This house church surprised us. We went to their Wednesday night gathering, dinner, and teaching and found twenty people, four women and sixteen men.

N&Ctrl America Caribbean, MissionariesThe Outreach FoundationNovember 26, 2019Don and Martha Wehmeyer, Mexico

Todd and Maria Luke - September 2019 Update

“Few things are more transformative than to go to another culture where many of your assumptions are not shared. You have to examine what you’ve always taken for granted – that your point of view is right.”

Dear friends,

Our little cistern partnership continues to roll along. Thank God for your participation.

Fifty-six family-owned cisterns were built in 2019. Our Mexican partners Victor, Raul, Isaias, Ezequias, Felipe, Lucas, and Diego guided nine American teams at the work sites. Seventy-six Americans came to Xpujil to lend a helping hand. They came from places like Jonesboro, AR; Los Angeles and Hollywood, CA; Northbrook, Gurnee, Evergreen Park, and Palos Park, IL; Caruthersville, MO; Roxboro, NC; Moncks Corner, SC; Brownsville, Collierville, Germantown, and Memphis, TN; and also towns in New Mexico, Texas, Alabama, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Our mission team members’ ages ranged from 14 to 77.

N&Ctrl America Caribbean, Projects, MissionariesThe Outreach FoundationSeptember 4, 2019Todd and Maria Luke, Mexico

San Pablo Presbyterian Theological Seminary - July 2019 Update

Dear friends and companions in the ministry,

Warm greetings from Mérida, Yucatán. What follows is a brief overview of the recent activities and new initiatives that San Pablo Presbyterian Theological Seminary is undertaking. With your help, the witness of the church in Mexico and other Latin American countries is being strengthened.

Conferences
From June 2 to 4 we held our Continuing Education conference for pastors and leaders. There were 122 pastors and leaders of 10 different Presbyteries of the states of Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Chiapas, Oaxaca and Mexico City in attendance. The theme was "The Theology of the Covenant" by Dr. Jonathan Gerstner, president of Yucatán International Academy.

Graduation
On Friday, June 7 we celebrated our graduation service and the end of the academic cycle that started in August 2018. We had thirty-six graduates:

Don and Martha Wehmeyer - April 2019 Update

Dear friends,

This beautiful little girl with her pet was sitting on a doorstep in Lijiang, China. Martha and I traveled there for a two-week sixty-fifth birthday present. The trip was wonderful and in Shangri-La, Tibet we had a day of snow! Many of you see snow every year but for us, it was a cool novelty. This trip was mostly sightseeing. We did meet a few brothers and sisters but they had very limited English so we were not able to learn a great deal except that they had about twenty people in their home Bible study (without a pastor) on Mondays because Sunday is a workday. We are praying for a pastor to Lijiang as the population is Buddhist and atheist.

Our daughter Kristen is stronger now after the horrible accident in December. Thank you for your many notes of condolence. She is planning on going to Curitiba, Brazil to volunteer six weeks in a home the Independent Presbyterian Church has established for children of domestic abuse. She will be there from May 16 to June 26 so we ask for your prayers for her travel and being able to get along in Portuguese.

Missionaries, N&Ctrl America CaribbeanThe Outreach FoundationApril 25, 2019Don and Martha Wehmeyer, Mexico

Partner Updates