Dear Friends,

We are living in uncertain times.   Many are affected by this pandemic: losing loved ones or experiencing financial or job loss. Our Savior is still on His throne and He will never leave us nor forsake us.  As you know, we have lost Pastor Henoc Lucien, who entered glory on June 5th, 2020.  You may not know that Henoc’s father also recently passed into glory and Henoc’s brother Caleb was critically ill.  Praise God that Caleb Lucien has now made a full recovery.

I wrote to you in June proclaiming that Vision of Hope Ministries, inc. (VOHM) will carry on with the vision and mission of our Lord as revealed to Pastor Henoc Lucien.  I shared then that we were seeking the path forward to press on.  Our Lord provides!  I want to share the path with you.  Please know that the VOHM board is committed to continually seeking God to determine any changes in direction, but at this point in time, this is the path He’s currently shown us.

VOHM Haiti ministry encompasses four churches in the Cap Haitian area, a K-13 Christian  school, College Susan Schuenke (CSS), a small orphanage, a water plant, college student support, compassion relief for those in need, pastor training, and evangelism to the lost.  Praise God that over the past 25 years, God, largely through His servant Henoc, has built an infrastructure of people to carry out His mission in Haiti.   Patrick Francklin, our Haiti business manager, will continue to provide oversight of the water project, coordinate relief efforts, and he is stepping up to provide administrative support and act as a liaison between VOHM US and VOHM Haiti.  The four churches all have a staff of capable pastors, the orphanage has house parents who run the orphanage, and CSS has a full administrative and teaching staff with an outstanding reputation.  Although God has blessed us in this regard, the loss of Pastor Henoc Lucien still leaves a huge gap, as he was the overseer for all our work in Haiti.  We have been in prayer to find that person of vision, faith, leadership, and ability to stand in the gap left by Pastor Henoc.

God has provided this person, Pastor Caleb Lucien.  Caleb is imminently qualified to stand in this place for VOHM.  Henoc and Caleb share a similar vision and mission for Haiti that has three legs: Gospel transformation, Christian education, and business & economic development.  Henoc and Caleb worked very closely together in Haiti to accomplish this vision. Caleb received his primary and secondary education in Haiti, and his post-secondary studies were completed in the USA.  He earned a Master’s degree in Education and Theology at Dallas Theological Seminary.  Caleb returned to Haiti after his studies and founded Hosean International Ministries based in Pignon, Haiti.  Hosean built a Christian camp, physical therapy clinic, college de la Grace (a K-13 Christian school serving 1200 students), a foster home, supported numerous disaster response efforts, planted many churches and numerous entrepreneurial initiatives. Caleb has been a Texaco franchise owner, owns and operates a restaurant in Pignon, and is a Rotarian.  Pastor Caleb has lectured in the USA, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Uganda, Kenya, and the Dominican Republic.

The VOHM 2020-2021 budget has been reduced by 15% from 2020; it stands at ~$300,000.  We have committed to sending a monthly Memorial Fund disbursement for Pastor Henoc’s family: Guerline, Michael, and Mathew, which is equivalent to Henoc’s salary for at least 6 months.  We are also sending 100% of your donations to the Memorial Fund to Pastor Henoc’s family.  We are working to help Michael fund his college education to start this August at Trinity University in Deerfield, Il.  College Susan Schuenke, our K-13 Christian school, reopens August 10, 2020.  We anticipate 1200 students.  Haiti suffers, as we do, from the global Covid-19 pandemic.   The economy has collapsed, and many are out of work struggling to survive.  

We anticipate that funding the VOHM operating budget and supporting our Christian school will be incredibly challenging for this year. Please consider helping VOHM to press on with your prayers and financial support, particularly for our operating budget and in funding scholarships for our school at $375/child/year.  You will be hearing more about the scholarships in a few weeks.  Our goal is to raise 200 scholarships.

I am certain our Lord continues to use VOHM to press on in Northern Haiti to glorify him by:

“Transforming lives through the Gospel, empowering the next generation of Haitians with a high-quality education and a Christian world view in order to break a cycle of dependence, which will change Haiti for Christ and His kingdom.”

Thank you for standing with us through this very heartbreaking and challenging time.  Without your prayers and support we could not continue.

 

Blessings to you

 

Greg Schuenke

President VOHM, Inc.