GIVING TUESDAY FOR HAITI- December 3, 2024

With the lack of resources, and the inability to make enough money to purchase enough food for at least one meal per day for the family, we wonder how it is that the Haitian people have endured this scarcity for so long. The answer: KONBIT. Haitian Creole for working together or a show of strength and unity in a community to fulfill the needs of another. KONBIT can be found in Acts 4: 34-35. It is KONBIT that is discussed in Matthew 10:11-12. It is KONBIT that funded Jesus’ ministry. 

The philosophy of KONBIT originated from farming. After the Haitian people won their independence, many continued to farm the land as they had on the French plantations, or as they had originally in their African home countries. When it was time to clear the land, plant seeds, and harvest the crop, this was too much for one person to handle. The rural communities came together to light the load. Galatians 6:2 would describe it this way: “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” 

KONBIT is not confined to farming. Today, we witness this same philosophy in the hospitality being provided to the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons who are finding refuge in the homes of neighbors, family and friends, and complete strangers. Radio stations air stories and live conversations of children who are wandering the streets, looking for their families, or children who have been found without parents and taken to police stations, hospitals, churches, radio stations to try to help locate any family or neighbor. 

Community is not identified by the sidewalks we share, but instead by the shared life experiences. Together celebrate in times of victory and goodness, and be present to share in grief and tears. A mutual partnership that helps carry the burden, shares in abundance, and provides a level of competition for positive growth; this is a community, KONBIT.

Looking back over the 40 years of ministry, there is a common thread of KNOBIT that shines through. From the communities in the States that come together to pray and send, to the communities of our Haitian brothers and sisters who keep the work moving forward. Together, these communities have worked in unity and strength, aligned with the vision God has for the ministry of HCO. Providing KONBIT to fulfill the many functions of the Body of Christ needed to raise up generations of followers of Christ. This is not to say that God could not and would not still move without these communities coming together, but it is through the willingness of every person to actively engage in KONBIT, and by doing so, Christ’s law is fulfilled. 

Events such as Giving Tuesday, allow you to engage in KONBIT. December 3rd, 2024 – Save the date and join us for a day of hope, community, generosity, and love; a day to celebrate KONBIT. Giving Tuesday is an opportunity for you to align with God’s vision for this ministry: do something in Haiti that will last!

This year, our Giving Tuesday goal is to raise the funds needed to do *many* maintenance repairs and replace some items on the Peredo Campus. Typically teams that we would bring in would help keep up with the many things on campus, but as you are aware, because of the country’s situation, we cannot bring teams in to do the things needed. Even though you can not physically go for the time being, we are bringing our partners the opportunity to provide these jobs to those in the Peredo community who so desperately need work to provide and feed their families during some of the hardest times. 

Many of our partners have taken trips in the past to our Peredo Campus, but we also understand we have many partners who have never been to Haiti, and I want to share with you what happens on our Peredo Campus and why it is an important part of where we do ministry! 

Our Peredo Campus includes many parts of our ministry including: 

• The Peredo Community Hospital 
• The soccer field for sports evangelism and is also used as a helicopter landing pad for the hospital to transport patients in emergencies
• Multiple school buildings for our Emmanuel Christian Schools PreK through 6th-grade students
• The Emmanuel Christian Church
• Dorms for visitors and can be used for emergency shelter during natural disasters
• A kitchen equipped to feed our students, hospital staff, and the Peredo community

On our founders’ most recent trip to the campus, they made a list of things that are in desperate need of repair or replacement. Will you join our community to rebuild and restore the many things that are so desperately needed? Tap the button below to help us reach our Giving Tuesday Goal. Together, we can do something that will last!