An Immediate, yet Eternal Community Wide Investment…

Estero United Methodist Church has made a huge impact, not only for today, but for years to come in their Sister Church partnership community, Cherette, Haiti. The immediate and eternal return on this investment is simply immeasurable. It’s truly Hope for Haiti.

Several years ago, a team of leaders, movers and shakers arrived in Haiti for their first Sister Church visit with Reciprocal Ministries International and made some observations. Their Sister Church was making every effort possible to build and have a school. Yet, the Haitian church found that it was exceedingly difficult to do all that they dreamed with so few resources. They had made progress personally, but their dreams were still far off in the uncertain distant future. There were “rough beginnings”, but much was yet to be done. Along came their brothers and sisters at Estero United Methodist Church. Led by God, with heart, with compassion, with guts they sought out to raise the significant funding to make it all happen.

Today, here in Cherette, Haiti, there is a fully functioning school. 9 equipped school rooms. A roof. Permanent blackboards. More than 80 school benches. All the teachers have their own desks, and chairs! There are security doors as well! 100% built with local Haitian workers. The hot lunch program (every child get’s a hot nutritious lunch every school day) through Hope for Kidz is in full swing. More children are now attending the school. They have added a secondary school in the afternoon, and even an adult domestic training center in the afternoons to teach adults sewing and cooking, for both personal and business applications.

It’s a new day in Cherette, Haiti.

Pastor Bientot Salomon has written a letter of gratitude to the Estero UM Church. If you are a member of the Estero/Cherette eGroup, you can view this letter here. If you aren’t a member, send a blank email to estero-cherette-partnership-updates+subscribe@rminet.org to subscribe.

More pictures can be seen here.

Here is a video that Estero UMC put together early on in this process.