We serve a living God!
In the name of our Lord and Savior, we greet you; our fellow workers in the kingdom of God. As we prepare this newsletter, we are reminded of your love for us and the work we are doing together. God has blessed us with many good people and congregations with whom to labor. It is our pray that God will continue to accomplish his will through each of us. We say, “Thank You” for your prayers, encouragement and financial support. This is not “our” work but God’s work; we are but his servants.
Update: Roberta & JoJo
For more than twenty years our sister in Christ, Roberta Edwards, was the only parent many of the children in the home had known. With her tragic death in October, 2015 there was a loss that words cannot describe. Her absents is felt every day. The five men arrested in connection with her death are still in jail and await trial. While evidence seems to point to the innocence of one of the men, the courts will decide. The investigation continues to move forward and from all indications her death was out of revenge. Two of the men had broken into her home and she reported it to the police. The two men were arrested and the other two brothers took out revenge on Roberta. JoJo has not yet been found. This is so sad and so unnecessary. It is not easy to get information but we will try to keep you updated.
New House Parents Sunlight Children’s Home: Martial and Ketty Viciere (Lit Amar - 16, Ken Lee - 8)
With the death of Roberta, new parents had to be found. Our new family is the Viciere family. Martial is a student at the International School of Theology, a preacher of the gospel and a dedicated husband and father. Martial and Ketty have been married for 18 years and have two children. I had the privilege of visiting with them in their home and the congregation where they attend. Martial has a degree in political science and served on the Royal Police force in Haiti. Ketty attended beautician school but chose to be a stay at home mom and wife.
While it will take time to adjust, they have made great progress in the home. It is not easy to go from having two children to having 25. The children have accepted them and most are now calling them “momma” and “papi”. We are blessed to have them in the home and as a part of the Haiti mission effort. I hope you are able to meet them in person one day. Please pray for them, the children and their work.
Riley Hendrix Teaches At IST
Riley Hendrix was able to travel to Haiti and teach a course at IST. His class focused on the importance of our worship assemblies.
Since 2013, Riley and Brittany (our daughter) have been a part of a mission team working in Coral Springs, Florida. They are reaching out to the Hispanic world. Riley and Brittany are graduates from Freed-Hardeman University. They also have a five-month old daughter, Juliette.
This was Riley’s fifth mission trip to Haiti but he has also traveled to St. Lucia, Grand Cayman, Montana and spent three months working in Brazil. His dedication to the Lord and his work is a great encouragement to all who know him. Riley and Brittany work under the oversight of the Pomona Church of Christ in Dickson, TN.
1 & 2 Timothy and Titus
So far this year I have spent seven weeks in Haiti. I have taught two classes, Ministry Technologies and Timothy and Titus. I love to teach at IST because the men are so eager to learn and grow. These men do not simply accept what is said but love to question and study what is being taught. I am reminded of what Paul said about the Christians in Berea, “they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” I would not want them to be any other way.
The books of Timothy and Titus are important to the work of an evangelist. Paul, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, show the importance of God’s word, the role of elders and danger of false teachers. Take the time to read these letters.
First Class of IST Will Soon Graduate
The above picture was the first day of class at the International School of Theology - Haiti, August 13, 2014. I wish there was a way to put into words the growth I have seen in these men. Their ability to preach, teach, lead singing and share the message of God’s word proves the importance of IST. Just in 2015 our students were instrumental in bringing more than 250 souls to Christ. They have conducted campaigns, seminars and gospel meetings throughout Haiti. From the picture above, only two men are no longer in the school. We have changed translators and one student, who was a denominational preacher, decided to drop out of the program.
On May 28th, these men will walk across the stage and receive their diplomas, being the first graduating class of the International School of Theology. It is hard to believe we have almost completed two years of classes. Most of the classes have been taught by teachers from the USA. This will change in August of 2016, when we hire some of our graduates to teach in the program. Each of the men we will ask to teach have degrees from a university in Haiti.
We have had several men from the Bear Valley Bible Institute, Freed-Hardeman University and others to teach a class at IST. We have also had several ladies to come and teach special classes to the wives of our students and other ladies. While the number of American teachers will decrease, we plan to have eight short courses taught by teachers from the USA. We will continue to have classes for the ladies and special classes that will be open to the general public.
As we look to the future, I am reminded of the words of Jesus: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Matthew 9:37-38
Future Home Of The International School of Theology
For the past two years we have rented our facility. While it has worked well, it was also expensive. We are now planning to move onto our own property. We have been able to purchase a three-acre piece of property in the La Tremblay area, outside of Port-au-Prince. The area is seen as one of the best places to live and to own property. When we first contacted the own, the price was $250,000 but after several months of negotiations, we were able to purchase the property for $100,000. We have borrowed the money to pay for the property and the payment is less than the rent we were paying. Plus, the property already has a house, well, septic tank, power pole, partial block wall and the foundation for the school; this is about $50,000 that we don’t have to spend.
Thanks to the congregations and individuals in the Cookeville, Tennessee area, we have been able to make repairs to the house. A family will move in soon to watch after the property and there is a private room that I will use as I travel to Haiti. When we have visiting teachers they also will be able to stay at the home.
Larry Woods, an Elder from Lexington, recently was part of a crew to work on the property.
Recently Brandon Pruett lead a group of seven men from Cookeville, Tennessee to Haiti. Four of the men traveled to the area of Jeremey and spoke at several congregations. Their mission was to help train leaders and be an encouragement to the members. I have made this trip and it is not an easy one. While the distance is only about 120 miles, it is an eight- hour trip. I am so thankful for these men and their willingness to serve in this way.
Three of the men from Cookeville stayed with Larry Woods and me to work on the new property. Our mission was to build an additional room on the existing house. This room will serve as a storage room and a battery room. (When we do not have public electricity, our facility runs on batteries.) We hired three Haitian men to “help” but quickly realized we were the helpers. One day we also had three of the students from IST to come and help. While we could not communicate verbally we all understood the task before us.
Your Help Is Needed!
As we move into this new phase of work in Haiti and the International School of Theology continues to train preachers and teachers of God’s word, we request your help. While we have secured the funds to pay for the property and we have raised the money to make repairs to the house and rebuild the wall on the front of the property, there is still much to be done.
Our financial needs are broken down into different areas:
1. Maintain the property. This will include the building of a wall around the property. This is for security and safety.
2. Build the new facility. We will one day have a facility to provide education for at least 45 full- time students.
3. Pay our teachers and daily needs. We want to use the local preachers and teachers to train men and women in their native tongue.
We want to give our students one meal each day. Many of our students do not have food at home and what we provide may be their only meal. The married students often take what we supply and share it with family members.
How Can You Help?
First and foremost, pray often for the work in Haiti. The field is white unto harvest and we must train workers and teachers of God’s word.
Second, make a generous one-time donation to help build the school.
Third, help support the school on some monthly basis. While we wish we did not need to ask, it is a necessity. We cannot do the work without monthly support.
Fourth, tell others about the work of IST and the needs. It is by word of mouth that many great works have been accomplished.
Fifth, invite us to come and make a presentation to your congregation or friends. We are willing to go wherever is needed to share this work.
Development of the Property
As we continue to move forward, there is a ten-year plan we are putting together. We know that time, circumstances, government and events can alter our plans, but this is the beginning point.
1. We plan to increase our student body to 45 students. This will be a three-year program. All students will not become preachers but will be teachers in many congregations.
2. We hope to have the school officially recognized by the Haitian government. This will allow us to offer a degreed program and make IST more valuable to the work in Haiti.
3. We plan to have a congregation that meets on the property. This will be a bilingual congregation with an emphasis on English. There are approximately 8,000 English speaking people in the Port-au-Prince area and no one is reaching out to them.
4. We plan for the property to be used for area- wide meetings, seminars and lectureships.
5. We plan to use the facility for medical teams, special outreach programs and special programs for the Christian women of Haiti.
6. We plan to use the facility and grounds for special youth activities.
Thank you in Advance
As the school grows, so do the expenses. Your help is urgently needed as we expand our program. We plan to move to the new property in April and will start a new chapter in our work. We are asking you to consider a monthly support and if that is not possible, please consider a one-time donation. The cost of the property, the cost of repairs and the construction that needs to take place is very important. Every dollar that is given goes toward the work. A financial statement can be provided upon request for all of our contributors. Thank you for considering this work. Without your help it would not happen.
Larry & Carol Waymire
Contact Information: Larry Waymire lwaymire@gmail.com
Mobile: 731-798-0136 Office: 731-968-6688
All Contributions Should be sent to: Broad St. Church of Christ Caribbean Ministries
131 N. Broad Street Lexington,TN 38351
To see the report with pictures, please click here.