<![CDATA[International Christian Development Mission

<![CDATA[International Christian Development Mission - News]]>Mon, 28 May 2012 14:31:54 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[Update on Faustin Pierre]]>Fri, 11 May 2012 11:44:23 -0500http://www.icdm.us/1/post/2012/05/update-on-faustin-pierre.htmlDear Partners in the Gospel,

Here is an update on the health of Brother Faustin Pierre, the director of our school in Bayonnais, Haiti. We wrote you on April 17 that he was in kidney failure, and asked that you urgently pray for a healing touch from God. You prayed and God is answering!

Yesterday Faustin visited the doctor, who ordered new lab tests. His tests two weeks ago showed a very high creatinine level of 6.6, which could mean serious kidney damage or disease (normal is 1.5). Praise God, the test yesterday came back at 4.6, a drop of two full points. The doctor was surprised at the results, and stated that he had never seen that happen! Faustin will go back for new tests in one month.

Faustin told me he has been praying Psalm 118:17, “I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.” Please continue to pray with him and for him, asking God for complete restoration to health. We know that prayer works.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

In Christ’s name,

Yvan Pierre
ICDM Director
]]><![CDATA[Continuing Hope!]]>Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:24:42 -0500http://www.icdm.us/1/post/2012/04/continuing-hope1.html

Stairway to Hope: 2nd floor waiting to be built

(By Jesse McLain)

When I returned from Haiti last October, one of the first questions people asked me was, “How much progress has been made in the reconstruction?” – referring to the 2010 earthquake. The answer to this question is complex.

Much cleanup and rebuilding has been done, but much more remains to be done. The loss of so many lives and the crippling injuries of so many more have permanently affected Haiti’s people. Moreover, the underlying poverty is still prevalent, presenting both need and opportunity. Yet, what I found pervasive in Haiti was hope! Hope is the resource that looks beyond the immediate needs and sees the real possibility of a brighter future.

The eight men on our team worked on a school building in the community of Bayonnais. We witnessed hope in the lives of the nearly 600 children who attend the school.

After we had finished our work on the roof, the children climbed to the top of the building and played on the concrete forms and supports. They were excited because we were helping to finish their school and church building. Their laughter and joy were expressions of hope. We visited in the homes of several families in Bayonnais, and they were so happy to have us stop by. Their smiles and conversation were full of hope.

Since the last time I visited the school, the security wall around the campus had been complete and a water purification plant had been installed to provide residents of Bayonnais withclean drinking water for just pennies a month. A passenger bus and a second bus modified to carry both people and supplies have been acquired. These improvements, along with others,have increased the effectiveness of the school, helped to bring in more work teams to complete the construction, and provided a more economical method of transport for people, supplies and materials.

All of this adds hope to the lives of the students and their families. As these children learn and grow, they will have the opportunity to change the future of their nation by becoming leaders and workers with highly developed skills and abilities.

International Christian Development Mission is now looking to add a trade school, finish its School of Evangelism building in Cap-Haitien, rebuild its headquarters building in Port-au-Prince, and add new schools in other communities around Haiti. This kind of vision is the surest sign of hope for Haiti.

Hope is built on dreams and visions, and no visions are more powerful than those that see and develop the potential in children and young people. These are the dreams that will bring Haiti into a brighter future. These are the visions that inspire hope and that draw us back to this nation of beautiful and hopeful people.

As a team, we want to thank the people who supported us with their prayers and with donations of money and materials needed for our project. Your compassion and generosity helped us to bring hope to the people of Haiti.

Dr. Jesse McLain pastors the First United Methodist
Church in Cape May Court House, New Jersey.

]]><![CDATA[ICDM Leadership Training Conference]]>Mon, 05 Mar 2012 23:56:06 -0500http://www.icdm.us/1/post/2012/03/icdm-leadership-training-conference.html

Story and photos by Cathy Wallick

Christian leaders from five Haitian states and many denominations came together January 16-20 for an ICDM Leadership Training Conference. Presented in cooperation with The Mission Society of Norcross, Georgia, the conference brought 65 Haitian and American men and women to join in community for five days of training.

Throughout the week, participants saw the power of God unfold as four extraordinary teachers from The Mission Society helped them to process how God desires to minister to and through them. Participants were challenged to rethink their approach in ministry, open themselves to a new vision from God’s Spirit, step outside their comfort zones and share the Gospel in new ways, and with new eyes, new ears, and a new dependency on the Spirit of God, to touch lives for eternity.

Participants learned how to use Inductive Bible Storying as an effective method for reaching both literate and illiterate people groups. Bible Storying does not depend on highly skilled, educated people for its effectiveness. It enables reliable, dedicated men and women to reach their own people groups in their own heart language and culture.

The conference experience included large-group teaching, small-group interaction and individual study. Experiential teachings guided participants through a five-day transformation process. Leaders with humble hearts will become better servants of God as they allow the Holy Spirit to be in charge.

God calls leaders to be people of integrity, faithful to biblical teaching and biblical Christianity, and committed to the highest ethical practices in business and ministry. All of us are ordinary people, but through Christ, we can do extraordinary things for the Kingdom of God.

On the final day of the conference, each participant received a certificate of completion.

]]><![CDATA[ICDM: Moving Forward, Changing Lives]]>Wed, 14 Dec 2011 23:27:41 -0500http://www.icdm.us/1/post/2011/12/icdm-moving-forward-changing-lives.html

Dear Friend:

ICDM has been bringing hope and a future to the children of Haiti since October 1989. For twenty-two years, we have worked to educate, equip and empower children and adults in this poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. With the help of caring sponsors and generous donors, we continue to bring hope and restore human dignity to the people of Haiti.

This year we have served 600 students daily in our school in Bayonnais. Our children and their parents are grateful for the opportunities we offer them. Hundreds of our graduates have gone on to finish high school, and some are pursuing higher education beyond high school.

One young man wrote to his sponsors: “Dear Larry and Lisa, My name is Adius. I am a former student at the ICDM Bayonnais School. God has blessed me and helped me to finish with secondary studies, and now I am trusting Him to help me go to college. I want to become a medical doctor in order to help my family, my friends and the whole church. I am praying that God will send someone to help with my future studies. God is the only one who can continue to perform miracles in my life. Please pray that He will open the doors of a college for me this year. Thank you very much for your support, and thank you for your prayers.”

Would you please pray that Adius might realize his dream of becoming a medical doctor?

Meanwhile, with help from God’s people, dreams really do come true. Click here to read Dieunette's story.

Thanks to her sponsors, Dieunette's dream has come true. With her training and Christian commitment, she is serving the people of Haiti and helping them to achieve healthier lives.

Thank you for helping us to bring hope and a future to Haiti’s vulnerable children and families. Your partnership with ICDM is helping to train a new generation of children and youth to make a difference – in their families, their communities and their nation.

We value your partnership and wish you a blessed Christmas and a happy New Year.

]]><![CDATA[Celebrate Hope!]]>Tue, 18 Oct 2011 03:00:00 -0500http://www.icdm.us/1/post/2011/10/celebrate-hope.html

They began arriving before dawn on October 7, and by six am they were ready to begin work. They were the 70 cement workers who mixed, carried, poured and finished the concrete for the second floor of the Center of Hope in Bayonnais. Organized into two teams and supervised by foremen and subcontractors, they soon had a lively competition going, spurred on throughout the day with singing, chanting and cheers.

The operation continued non-stop for 17 ½ hours, until 11:30 pm. Meanwhile, two teams of women, about 50 altogether, were cooking vast quantities of food to feed all the workers, guests and observers.

And there were lots of observers: teams from the U.S., residents from the Bayonnais community, and students from the ICDM school. Though school was dismissed for the day, the older students were on hand to watch and learn, and to help carry food and water.

Cheers and shouts of triumph arose from weary workers and the crowd of onlookers when the job was finished at 11:30 pm. The Center of Hope was one step closer to completion.

The 600 students of ICDM’s school are also one step closer to having a real school building. Many classes currently meet under trees, with tarps forming “walls” (see photo).

In addition to classrooms, the Center of Hope will provide a large meeting hall, health clinic, library, and office space. As work teams from the U.S. join forces with Haitian crews this fall and winter, the second-floor walls will go up and the roof will go on. A dedication service will be held in late January to celebrate the goodness of the Lord in making this new facility possible.

Thank you for being a friend of ICDM and the children of Bayonnais. Thank you, and God bless you, for giving to help the Center of Hope take shape.

]]><![CDATA[Continuing Hope]]>Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:31:37 -0500http://www.icdm.us/1/post/2011/10/continuing-hope.html

One of the first questions I was asked when I returned from Haiti last week was “How much progress has been made in the reconstruction?” The answer is complex. While much has been done to clean up and rebuild following last year’s earthquake, much more remains to be done. The enormous loss of life and crippling injuries will permanently affect all of Haiti’s people, and the underlying poverty makes these natural disasters even more devastating. But what I found pervasive in Haiti was hope!

Hope is the resource that looks beyond the immediate need and sees the possibility of a brighter future.

The eight men on our team worked on the Center of Hope in Bayonnais, building the forms in preparation for pouring the concrete roof, which will also be the second-story floor. We witnessed such hope in the eyes of the school children.
When we finished our work, they climbed on top of the building and played on the concrete forms and supports, laughing with joy and excitement. They were full of hope as they saw the work progressing on their school and church building.

We also visited in the homes of several people. Their smiles and conversation were full of hope.

Since the last time I visited the school, the security wall surrounding the campus has been completed. A pure-water plant has been installed to provide the villagers with clean drinking water for just pennies a month, helping to increase the effectiveness of the school and helping to bring in more work teams to complete the construction. A large school bus and a second bus adapted to carry both people and supplies are providing much-needed means of transport.

All of these things add hope to the lives of the 600 children who attend ICDM’S Henri Christophe School and their families. What is more, as these children learn and grow, they have the chance to change the future of their nation by becoming leaders and workers with highly developed skills and abilities.

ICDM is also looking to add a trade school, finish its School of Evangelism building in Cap-Haitien, rebuild its headquarters building in Port-Au-Prince, and add new schools in other communities around Haiti. This kind of vision is the surest sign of hope for Haiti. Hope is built on dreams and vision, and no visions are more powerful than those that see the potential in children and young people. We witnessed just a small portion of the hope that will bring Haiti into a brighter future. But what we saw is enough to inspire us and draw us back to this nation of beautiful and hopeful people.

As a team, we are grateful to everyone who supported us in prayer and with donations of money and materials needed for the project. We are grateful for your compassion for the people of Haiti and your generous giving to help bring them hope.

If you would like to take part in a future mission trip, please call me at 609-465-7087. Or call Yvan Pierre at 407-922-2475. We are planning new trips for the spring and fall of 2012.

*Dr. Jesse McLain is pastor of discipleship at First United Methodist Church in Cape May Court House, New Jersey.

]]><![CDATA[Neighborhood Yard Sale a Success!]]>Wed, 21 Sep 2011 23:26:34 -0500http://www.icdm.us/1/post/2011/09/neighborhood-yard-sale-a-success.html

Thank you, dear friends of ICDM, for standing with us in bringing hope and a brighter future to Haitian children. You are helping to educate hundreds of children. You continue to make a difference. Please read Tim Carson’s comments below about the yard sale held in Lexington KY last weekend. –Yvan Pierre

Our latest Neighborhood Yard Sale was another great success! We received tons of donations – from neighbors, family and friends – to help the children of Bayonnais. Still to be sold: an antique bow-front oak-and-glass china cabinet and a cherry spindle bed.

We were able to cast the vision of the importance of our mission and what ICDM is doing in Haiti. Also how God has been able to grow our hearts through knowing and interacting with these children.

Large posters of the children, interspersed with the sale items, brought up meaningful conversations between our staff and the clientele. What a joy to be working long hard hours – collecting, presenting, selling and sharing – because we know our efforts will help the children in the Bayonnais Region of Haiti to meet their God-given potential.

Empowerment ...Priceless!

]]><![CDATA[Work progresses on Center of Hope]]>Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:24:01 -0500http://www.icdm.us/1/post/2011/08/work-progresses-on-center-of-hope.html

Intercession City FL – ICDM director Yvan Pierre and a five-person work team from Pennsylvania travel to Bayonnais today to work on the Center of Hope construction, and will return home September 7.

A team of eleven builders, eight from New Jersey and three from other areas, will join forces September 24 to October 1 to continue the Center of Hope construction.

A third work team will is scheduled for October 1-8.

All of these teams will be working alongside Haitian builders under the direction of the general contractor. The goal is to pour the concrete ceiling of the first floor by the end of September, and to progress from there to laying up the concrete-block walls and adding the roof.

Dedication of the completed facility is scheduled for the end of January 2012 as a highlight of the Hope for Haiti team’s visit (January 21-February 6). The completed Center of Hope will provide classrooms for grades K-6, a health clinic, library and large meeting hall for church services, training conferences and retreats.

"Thank you to all who have given to help this vision take shape," says Yvan Pierre. “It will be beautiful to see the completion of what was started by faith. Through faith, the plans were laid. Through faith, the work is progressing and the vision is becoming a reality. We are trusting God to provide what is still needed.”

To help with a contribution in any amount, please write a check designated for Center of Hope and mail to ICDM, PO Box 762, Intercession City FL 33848. Or you can make a secure donation online and choose the “Center of Hope” option.

]]><![CDATA[2012 Hope for Haiti Team Bulletin]]>Mon, 08 Aug 2011 03:00:00 -0500http://www.icdm.us/1/post/2011/08/2012-hope-for-haiti-team-bulletin.htmlThe 2012 Hope for Haiti Team, led by team coordinator Verna Smith, will make a 16-day mission trip to Bayonnais January 21-February 6, 2012, flying from Miami to Port-au-Prince on Saturday, January 21, and returning to Miami on Monday, February 6. ICDM director Yvan Pierre and field coordinator Rosemond Pierre will meet the team in Port-au-Prince and travel with the team directly to Bayonnais.

Already signed on to the team: Verna Smith, Phil Smith, Marlene K. Whitlatch, Lucretia Brown and Connie Coleman. We need additional qualified team members to go for one or both weeks. Especially needed are trained medical and dental professionals and helpers to adequately staff the clinic, and work alongside ICDM’s medical school graduates and students.

To join the team you must begin the application process immediately. You will need a valid passport, up-to-date inoculations as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and an anti-malarial prescription from your doctor. (Go to the CDC site http://cdc.gov for information regarding travel to Haiti.)

Please contact team coordinator, Verna Smith, at 407-922-6377 or 574-293-7131, or email her to request team information, team member guidelines, an application form, and a list of recommended clothing and personal items you will need.

Trip expense will be $1300 per team member to cover round-trip airfare from Miami to Port-au-Prince, land transportation in Haiti, lodging, meals, bottled water and incidentals. One half of this amount is due at sign-on and the balance by November 15, 2011. Team members are also responsible for their own travel to and from Miami. In addition, team members are requested to help raise funds for the team projects, including the final needs for the Center of Hope, medical supplies for the clinic, and food for the school children and staff, and for Haitian workers and visitors attending the meetings, building dedication and other special events.

Schedule of events:

First week: Medical Clinic, Vacation Bible School, Teen and Young Adult Rally, Center of Hope construction work.

Second week: Medical Clinic, Center of Hope construction work, Center of Hope dedication, Leadership Training Conference, Women’s Conference.

This 16-day mission experience will be an immersion in hands-on ministry. Whether you have previously gone on a mission trip, or have never gone but thought you would like to go some day, this may be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for!

]]><![CDATA[Clean Water System Up and Running]]>Tue, 02 Aug 2011 03:00:00 -0500http://www.icdm.us/1/post/2011/08/clean-water-system-up-and-running.htmlBayonnais, Haiti - For the first time in history, the people of Bayonnais have safe, clean water to drink. The new water well and purification system for the Bayonnais community went into service on Saturday, July 30. A dedication ceremony, to be held in the next two weeks, will emphasize for the people of the community what it means to drink this clean water that is free from cholera and other disease organisms.

“It may take a little encouragement, but in time they will come,” declares Tim Carson, whose vision and organization brought this dream from concept to reality. “I could almost bet that the Voodoo priest in this area will come too. His children already come to our school!”

Above left: Rosemond and Yvan Pierre and Tim Carson were among the first to taste the clean, pure water. Above center: For these children, and many more like them, clean water is going to make a difference. Above right: The completed water house and security tower.

CONSTRUCTION SUPPLIES HEADED FOR HAITI

Shippensburg, PA - The bus/truck laden with construction supplies for the Center of Hope in Bayonnais was loaded onto a flatbed truck and headed to Florida on Monday morning, August 1. At Yvan's home in Florida, the supplies stored in his garage will be added to the truck's load on Tuesday before it heads to the dock for its sea voyage to Haiti.

“God is faithful—always,” reports Cathy Wallick. “He’s provided 2x4's, plywood, wheelbarrows, a welder, freezer, 28' extension ladder, computers, chairs, hammers, saws, hand tools, spare tires, and more. A donation this past weekend helped provide the fuel needed for the tractor-trailer to transport the bus to Florida.”

Construction teams now being organized will use these supplies to finish the Center of Hope this fall. To join one of these teams, or organize a team of your own, contact Yvan Pierre, or call him at 407-922-2475.

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