Breaking ground on Dita's Home.

Digging for the foundation

You can see the back of the Children's village in the background

The view from Dita's Home

  Today we have a Special Announcement.  Today, New Generation Ministries is taking a huge leap of faith for some very special people, We will break ground on a new facility for our "Aging Out - Transitional Ministry." What is aging out - transitional ministry anyway? These are the fancy words used by the world wide orphan care organizations to describe "what to do with children that the Social Services say can no longer legally live in orphanages". They have reached an age that calls them predators of children, instead of just children. It is a very huge problem, because it has been proven to be correct more times than anyone cares to admit. It is a serious problem because these children are not yet ready to be put out onto the streets. But that is the way rules are, needed for some, and not fair to the rest. Fair or not, The Good Shepherd Children's Village must follow the rules dictated to us by the Haitian Government. So, to help these young girls, we will be building "Dita's Home" for girls, with a Godly, role model family, that will care for these girls transitioning out of the Children's Village. 

   Our son Jake and his wife Amber, along with their 3 children feel called to leave their home in Lynden, WA and move to Marose, Haiti. When Dita's Home is complete, they will shepherd these young girls, helping them to finish high school and obtain practical life skills including a higher level of maturity in Christian living, until they are ready for appropriate, productive community life in Haiti. Shinning as bright testimonies of God's great favor. 

   Social services says that they must go!  If I just kick them out, where will they go? What will they do? How will they survive? What will happen to them? Well, they won't keep going to school!  They might be upset enough to quit following God! Statistics have proven that they will probably end up living on the streets, resorting to lying, stealing, cheating and even prostitution, just to stay alive! Many of these homeless girls in Haiti are rounded up and put into sexual slavery or shipped out of the country for sexual purposes. Nobody knows them, nobody reports them missing, nobody cares!!!

WRONG....... GOD CARES, and WE CARE, and I know that YOU CARE TOO...... We don't have to sit by and let these horrific events just continue along like we are blind in one eye, and can't see out of the other. We can get together and do something with God's help that will really "Make a Difference" for these girls. Dita's Home will make that difference............ 

   Dita's Home for girls will keep them in school. Dita's Home for girls will provide a safe and secure place for them to live in a loving family environment. Dita's Home for girls will teach them "Godly life skills" that will transition them into capable young women, confident in their hearts, productive in their community, and powerful for the Kingdom of God.

    We need your prayers and financial support to build Dita's Home.  A new website page for specific details of how you can help is coming soon. It will not be possible to build and operate Dita's Home without you. 

If you are a church, This is your body in need!  

If you are a small business, this is the business you need to be in! 

If you are a family, this is what these girls need, Family!. 

If you are a single person or young adult, these are your sisters in great need of your help! 

Will you help them. Together we can do it!

Together we can "Make a Difference!"

 

--

Mike and Chris Leland

Laura and her daughters

Our littlest girls

Today the team visited our Pass Rein school. They prayed over the school and passed out shoes and candy to the children. In the afternoon they went swimming in the river. They also did crafts with the children. In the evening we celebrated the March birthday's including Nathan's. They helped to make the cake and frosting and put together gifts for each of the birthday children. In the evening they passed out glow sticks, which is one of the children's favorites. Tomorrow they fly out, please pray for safe and on time travel connections.  

Thank you so much for your prayers.

Blessings,

Chris

Hello,

We have had a small team from Canada here all week. I was in the US, so I have not been updating their trip. They have been really great. They have spent a lot of time with the children. They have had movie times, they have spent time making jewelry, coloring, they brought Nerf rockets, many of which we have rescued from the roof :) They also brought a game which is something like a zip line for a ball. The older boys have enjoyed looking at coffee table books of Canada that they brought. The boys have asked me about some the photos. Laura and her daughters even brought homemade treats for all of the children. 

This morning the team visited our school in Marotte. They prayed over them and passed out candy. Later they went into Gonavies, to the market and to the political square.

Tonight Mike will be teaching bible study in Marose. Please pray for opened hearts and minds. Last night Nathan had over 100 people attend the bible study in Pass Rein. 

Tomorrow the team will be visiting our school in Pass Rein.

Last Tuesday night, while I was gone, Nathan came upon a 18 year old girl being badly beaten in the road. He rescued her and brought her to the orphanage to make sure she was not seriously hurt. Nathan, Mike and the team spent time helping her and then prayed over her. We would appreciate your prayers for her as she heals. Nathan will check on her again and see how she is doing. 

We have been working with IBESR the children's protection service in Haiti for the past couple of month's. We have been licensed in Gonaives and are trying to receive our orphanage licence in Port-au-Prince also. Please be praying as we finish up the paperwork. We are very close. 

Also tomorrow we have a meeting with a company from the Dominican Republic. We are hoping they will be clearing the land for our new Trish's Playground of Hope. This will be a covered play area, that will be about 50 x 60 feet. It will have a concrete pad for basket ball, tether ball, 4 square, hopscotch and chess on a giant scale. It will also include concrete picnic tables. Please pray for a favorable response, as big machinery is hard to come by in Haiti.

Thank you so very much for your prayers before, during and after the birth of our grandson. God answered all of your prayers and hundreds more. We know of at least 6 churches putting him on their prayer chains. After many complications, he is finally able to be off medications and IV's. He has one test result left to come back, but he was finally able to go home with Mom and Dad. I was blessed to be back in Lynden for the birth. It was very hard to miss one of my granddaughters be born this past summer. Being around to love and support my children, as my grandchildren are born is very dear to my heart.  I am so glad I was able to be with them as they walked through this time in their lives. Sorry I did not see many of you on this trip as things became complicated and most of my focus was on Dustin, Melissa and Cameron. I am blessed to have a husband willing to stay in Haiti with some of my other children and continue to home school and keep the household going while doing ministry. My children were the only little ones at the 3 day youth camp that was the high school alternative to carnival. They are used to being with us during ministry though and did well. I always have such mixed emotions as I leave Haiti or leave Lynden. In either place it is so hard for me to leave the ones I love. It is always with tears, and even more so on this trip. It was hard to leave Dustin and Melissa with Cameron still in the hospital. It was also hard not having a lot of time to spend with others. We are so thankful for your prayer support through this time and we feel very blessed by you and God's mercy.

Blessings,

Chris

Playing soccer  

Family

Eileen with one of our nanny's and girls

The youth from our five churches

Listening to a message

The front of the t's that match the youth groups in the U.S.

The back says "We will rebuild the ruins and repair the villages. We will proclaim the favor of the Lord."

The youth worshiping

All the youth going forward to make a commitment 

Hello, 

I would like to share with you some of the updates Mike has shared with me, regarding the youth event. I have flown to Lynden to be with my son Dustin and his wife Melissa. Melissa is still having some complications in her pregnancy, but over all is doing better. Please keep praying for her and their baby. She has reached her due date and we are praying she will go into labor naturally in the next two days, so the doctors will not intervene. Because I am in Lynden now, Mike is letting me know what is going on in Haiti. He says....

"The youth event is going very well, with over 250 youth attending. Their hearts are worshiping and praising God. They are beginning to believe that "They can make a difference." Yesterday Pastor Wadnare spoke about sexual appropriateness for two hours, and then we had an hour of passionate questions and answers. Last night our son Jake spoke after an hour and a half of emotionally exuberant worship. Many came forward for prayer to"make a difference." Today more games and competition between groups, they love this. Tonight Pastor Nathan will lead worship and Mike will give a message again. We will also be sharing glow sticks and the difference the Holy Spirit can make in a follower of Jesus. The staff has decided to make this an annual event for the youth."

This morning Mike and our children took Jake to the airport to fly home, please pray for safe travel.

Mike continues......

"Worship was amazing tonight. God really moved. All youth were on their knees, calling, submitting, and praising. Then there was an alter call for filling of the Holy Spirit to really make a difference. All came forward. Ministry time lasted over an hour....It was amazing to see these youth crying out to God in Haiti, on one of the worst nights of evil..."

Two of the five youth groups from our churches have youth groups in the States that sponsor them. The youth here in the states have helped to buy the Haitian youth t-shirts that match theirs. They have been partnering with and praying for the youth group they sponsor during this youth camp. They have been such a blessing to the youth in Haiti. We are praying that the groups will be encouraging to each other. 

Please continue to lift the youth up in prayer. Pray they will have the strength to walk out the commitments they have made. And thank you for your faithfulness in prayer.

Blessings, Mike and Chris