It was just a random statement: Prit was showing some slides of our work in Haiti at one of our supporting churches (Faith Temple in Alexander City, Alabama). The pictures showed two young fellows with their heads on the bench while the service was going on. Prit told the congregation in Alabama, ”Please don’t misunderstand. It looks like these young men are not interested in what’s going on. But, in reality, many people come to church hungry and weak. They place their heads on the bench while listening to the message.” The rest of what Prit shared that evening was lost to the hearers because God so stirred their hearts to help feed hungry people in Haiti. When the question and answer time came around, the only questions asked were, ”What can we do to help these people get some food?” We explained to them that we had been praying and were burdened for our schoolchildren. Many of them come to school with empty stomachs and some of them have even fainted in the classroom because of the hunger and the heat. Some of our teachers have bought food on credit just so they could give the little ones something that would give them a little energy.

We had wanted to restart the feeding program that was in place years ago, but our schools have grown at such a rapid rate, it seemed like an impossibility to feed all the students. (All three schools combined give us a total of 1,250 students!) We have reminded the Lord that he had fed over a million Israelites in the wilderness, but honestly, we really lacked the faith to relaunch such a program. We didn’t want to start something again that we couldn’t continue. Proverbs 13:12a tells us, ”Hope deferred makes the heart sick…” and there would be tremendous disappointment among the recipients to learn that the food would no longer be available.

To our amazement, the members of Faith Temple (pastored by Dick and Sandra Stark) started raising funds. Between many of the church members and a dynamic children’s group called ”Kid’s On The Move”, they have already raised an impressive $6,150! They are still taking up offerings because God laid the burden on their hearts.

Feeling that this work has been initiated by the Lord Himself, we are bringing this opportunity to the rest of you as well, and inviting you to give as God would lead you to help make this feeding program a success. We still need $17,850 in order to feed every student in every school a hot meal three times a week for a school year. That sounds like a huge sum, but essentially, it only costs 20 cents to feed a child a meal. Just 20 cents a day per child will help stave off hunger, thereby protecting them from sickness due to malnutrition and also lifting a small burden off their families. To feed one child for a year costs less than $20. It would take less than $2,000 to feed 100 children for a year!

There is a Haitian Creole proverb that sums up this call for help. ”Men anpil chay pa lou” means, ”Many hands make light the work.” With your help, we can make this a reality. The Haitian government has declared that the schools will reopen on October 3. The already sluggish economy, compounded by the ongoing, post-earthquake dilemma paints a dismal picture for those who are trying to work and have a decent life in Haiti. Because  the school will open a little later this year, we have additional time to raise the funds necessary to help feed these precious children. Can you help?

Checks made to Rehoboth Ministries and designated for the Feeding Program can be sent to our home address or one can utilize the paypal account on this website.