Merry Christmas,
It's hard to believe that in just a few days we'll be in a new year! What a great time to reflect on the many things that the Lord has done for us as a ministry. In that spirit of thanksgiving and gratitude, we thank God for each one of you who never ceases to blow us away by your generosity and faithful giving. On behalf of the entire board of FGIM, we want to say Thank you! As we think about 2022, we are forced to think about 2021 as it was a year filled with challenges and difficulties for the country of Haiti which also impacted our organization. However, despite those realities, we continue to count our blessings because of you. We could say like the prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel 7:12, "Ebenezer", meaning "Thus far the Lord has helped us! When we think of how much you all have helped us throughout the year, we can say "Ebenezer" which is a powerful word expressing a deep sense of gratitude for what the Lord continues to do for His people.
We believe that through every gift that you gave, every prayer that was lifted, and every need that was met, it was the Lord working through you to help us do His Kingdom work in Haiti. 1 Corinthians 5:16-18 captures our feelings during this season of thanksgiving. God's word says, "Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
FGIM family, thanks be to God you are the reason why we have a reason to rejoice this season. You are the reason why we give thanks every day to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ despite the harsh realities plaguing the country of Haiti right now. You are the reason why we can praise God regardless of the difficulties and the vicissitudes of ministerial life. Over the course of the year, so many things transpired in Haiti which made national headlines.
Many of you are well aware that the president of Haiti (Jovenel Moise) was assassinated in July. In August, another earthquake shook the island and in October, 17 missionaries were kidnapped in Port-au-Prince. They escaped this month by God's grace and mercy. Amidst all of that, inflation has risen steadily over the last two years by more than 30% making it impossible for people to purchase basic items like food, fuel, and transportation. On top of that, there is a shortage of fuel across the country adding levels of despair and hopelessness to an already poverty-stricken population. Many people find it impossible to access their funds from the banks due to limited cash flow. Our ministry has been in the middle of all these unfortunate issues and is facing a critical economic challenge as we enter the new year. As we pray about these situations, we rely on your giving to keep our doors open to promote the Good News of Jesus Christ to the people in Jacmel. God teaches us in James 4:2, "You have not because you ask not." FGIM Family, we are coming to you asking for your help to meet our year-end goal of raising $50K. That amount will help us meet our ministry budget and will help us keep doing the work that the Lord has called us to do in Haiti. As much it pains us to say, we are facing a harsh reality in Haiti as the cost of living continues to skyrocket making it difficult for us to cover administrative and operational costs like our stateside staff and our essential personnel who are directly taking care of the girls both at Faith House Orphanage and the Transition Home.
As I write, most of the people in our community can not purchase basic essential items like rice, beans, oil, gasoline, or even afford to go to work because the cost of transportation has doubled. Essential supplies are becoming scarce due to limited supplies coming over the mountain to our city. Many roads in Port-au-Prince are overrun by local gangs which are impacting many provincial cities. The overall atmosphere is characterized by depression and discouragement. We know that we cannot solve all of Haiti's problems, but we can start one person at a time, one family at a time, and one community at a time. Will you partner with us to help us bring hope next year to our FGIM family in Haiti? Your giving over this last year helped us to educate, equip and empower the girls at Faith House. They were able to get daily meals, receive an education, participate in several trade school opportunities and celebrate birthdays. You sent gifts to help them celebrate Christmas and you helped them get much-needed clothing and shoes for the year. Trust us when we say how thankful we are for your consistent love and generosity!
As you prayerfully consider how and where you'll be giving this year, please know that your giving goes far beyond the walls of FGIM in Haiti. It brings hope and joy to so many families in our organization but most importantly it allows us to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a spiritually dark place. May the Lord bless each and every one of you and again, THANK YOU for your prayers, love, support, and generosity.
If you would like us to visit your church in the near future (2022-2023) or if you would like to serve on a short-term mission trip next year, please let us know by contacting us here. Thank you again for your continued support and prayers! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
In Christ,
The St Louis Family
