New Life Mission – Haiti, Inc.
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Another Update from the Estime’s!
Hello from Kaliko Beach Resort!
We took a much needed day of rest today as a family along with Melissa and a friend of ours. We have been working 6 days a week, sometimes 10+ hour days to make as much progress as we can before we leave in 6 weeks! Time is really flying!
Currently the workers are preparing to put the roof on the home by laying plywood and tying wire for the steel forms. Zacharie anticipates being able to lay the concrete in the less than 2 weeks. As you can imagine this will be a BIG project and a LONG day of work needing many hands to finish. The home has 6 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms so it will be a sight to see as they will work rapidly to finish the roof in one day. The foundation of the kitchen is almost finished and Zacharie hopes to have that completed before we leave as well. After the walls go up for the kitchen they will begin to smooth the interior and exterior walls of both buildings and possibly begin putting in doors and windows. Time will tell but it has been absolutely amazing to watch the progress over the last 10 weeks!
The depot is just about finished! The exterior is smoothed over and the ceramic is finished and it all looks so beautiful! We need to cover the septic hole before we can move in which should be this week so that means move in time is any day now! We are very excited. Zacharie bought me a stove this week, which was our first appliance purchase since we got married so naturally I was very excited. Zacharie made fun of me for pointing this out but hey I think it’s the prettiest stove I ever saw 😉
English School has been going very well! There was probably over 100 people in each class on the first day and even more on the second day! Melissa started by teaching them common greetings and has covered a lot in the last three weeks – Numbers, family members, time, the body, clothing, and more! We are so amazed at what the students are able to retain after just one day of learning each subject. Now the class sizes vary and we have roughly 30-50 kids and 40-60 adults every evening, Monday – Thursday. Many of the kids go to school in the morning and yet still come to class each evening while the adults work long days at the children’s home, in their gardens, or at market, etc and still never miss a class. It’s amazing to see as this willingness & eagerness to attend class is not very common for people in the states! We’re so proud of Melissa as she does not use a translator and with the creole she knows is able to teach without difficulty! It’s awesome!
Lately we have been feeling fatigued from the constant asking from people in the community. I personally get so angry sometimes and want to yell, “Do you think money grows on trees?!” Mostly people ask for just basic needs like a toothbrush or soap, and children for a toy car or even just my half drunken water bottle in my hand. Of course I want to give them everything as it’s easy to see how much everyone is in need but sometimes when you hear the words “give me” 100 times a day it’s hard to remain light hearted and humble. However today when we came to Kaliko, God opened my eyes to how richly I have been blessed in my life and how much I have. I have a bathing suit and sunglasses, which most Haitians that I know do not. I have two towels for everyone in my family and most Haitian families share one. I have a laptop, an Iphone, a car… the list goes on and on. I have so much and these people have so little. I need to remember that God has placed me here so that I can be a resource and hopefully bless the community as they have blessed me in too many ways to count. Many of my family and friends here would give me the shirt off their back if I asked for it. It brings me to tears when I think about all the things they have done for me. We have been paying a sweet friend named Vedna to do our laundry for our family and Melissa once a week. She is 23 years old and has a 5 year old son. This past week she told me she did not want paid, that it was a gift for us. I wanted to stuff the money in her pocket and not let her refuse but God told me no, let her bless us in this way. I was just so touched. What was even more awesome was the next day when we went past her house, there was a line of clothes & linens hanging on a line. She has started a little business by buying items in market and reselling to the community. God works in so many more ways than we are even aware of. I need to remember that yes people may ask a lot but they are in need. Though Vedna did not ask for the job, it was a still a way that God used something we gave to richly bless someone. So I want to remember that if we choose to listen to when God tells us to give, we will be blessed in return.
There are 2 teams coming in April! The first is a medical team and we will have 4 days of clinic in Charrier. This will be awesome for the community as we haven’t had clinic in almost 2 years! It’s always crazy as hundreds of people come for all different sorts of reasons, so please pray that everything goes smoothly! The second team is coming to do a VBS for the kids which is always a blast! My good friend Jill Zimmerman is coming with her daughter, Lauren and I am just so excited to share Haiti with them! Please pray that traveling goes well for both teams and they may experience God in a new way during their time here!
Thank You so much for your prayers for our family! As I’ve said before, we feel God moving in Charrier and we are so happy to be able to be here and serve! Will try to send another update before we leave! Blessings!
January & February Mission Trips – 2016
January and February we hosted six different mission teams. Thank you all for your hard work as you came and worked sided by side with our Haitian friends to begin construction on the Children’s Home. It was extremely hard work. Each step in the construction process was done by hand, from digging the foundation, to mixing cement, to filling in the foundation with gravel, mixing cement on the ground, carrying cement and water in five gallons buckets, we were all hot, tired and sore, but in a good way, as we were able to connect with our brothers and sisters in Christ as we worked together. New friendships were made and old ones were built even stronger.
God is awesome as he provided the energy we needed to continue to move forward. When we began January 11’th, it was just bare land. Now the walls are up on both the Children’s Home and the second floor on top of the depo.
The septic system is being dug. That hole is immense, 20 feet deep, all by hand. It was amazing.
The electrician and plumber are at work running the electrical wires and installing the bathrooms.
The tile is laid in the sleeping rooms and bathroom above the depo and The Estime’s will be ready to move in there possibly by next week.
The roof was poured on the depo and before you know it the roof will be poured on the Children’s Home.
The kitchen is beginning to be constructed.
This has been an amazing and exciting project. All our hopes and dreams coming true. We serve an awesome God and give Him all the credit, honor and glory.
Again thank you all for coming to visit Haiti. By bringing all your gifts and talents together you made this a possiblity. I am forever grateful.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Zimmerman
An update from the Estime’s!
It has been a very busy but awesome 4 weeks since the last update. The first work team was scheduled to arrive on Saturday, January 16th/ the first day of PA’s big snow storm (which I am just so sorry I missed J ). Of course their flight was canceled and they weren’t able to come in till the following Wednesday. With the dates of their trip changing that meant it would overlap into the following week, which meant we had two large teams here at the same time. It seemed pretty intimidating with the thought of 20 people in a three-bedroom house but everyone was so understanding. Some of our boys pitched up tarps and took their air mattresses up to the roof, and some ladies found spots on the porch. As always, God provided.
Pouring the cement for ceiling of the second floor rooms on the depot
For the past almost 4 weeks of work teams had an awesome crew of men and women who endured the grueling task of carrying buckets of water and cement to finish the foundation & pour the floor of the children’s home as well as lay the roof of the second floor on the depot. Because we don’t have continuous running water we have to go down to the river to fill buckets. It is difficult and draining but I did not hear a single person complain. Every task was turned into an adventure filled with bruises, laughs, dirt, and smiles. What I appreciate most about the work teams is their willingness to do whatever they are asked. Because Haiti is so underdeveloped, compared to the states, every job in construction is done by hand. As I said, water is not delivered. Rocks do not come already crushed. Sand does not come already sifted. We don’t have skidloaders and fork lifts to transfer the materials. Every task takes 5x as long as it does in America. You learn what hard work truly looks like (and feels like) in Haiti. So to take a week off work in the states and then PAY to come to a third world country to work harder then you probably do at your normal job…that’s a big sacrifice! Thank you is not sufficient but I can say that I know God will bless them richly.
If you have ever come to Haiti, you probably know Mama Ruth. Today is her birthday and I want to give her a special shout out! Ruth Burkholder is a beautiful, kind hearted, 77 year old woman who has made a pact with the Lord to come to Haiti every time Cindy brings a team as long as her health allows. Ruth’s presence over these last 4 weeks has been such a blessing to me. She was my saving grace when I was experiencing culture clashing and helped me relax by taking Abe when he just would not stop crying. She is leaving tomorrow and I will miss her dearly. But THANK YOU Ruth for all the ways you blessed me here in Haiti these past 4 weeks but most importantly for your willingness to serve the Lord and bring others closer to him. Every time I was at my wit’s end these last couple of weeks, you were there to remind me of God’s presence. Can’t wait to see you in April!
Abe & his best buddy Mama Ruth Burkholder
Our dear friend, Melissa Wagner arrived two weeks ago and she will be staying with us until we leave in April. She has spent a lot of time in Haiti and is very well loved by not only our family but the community as well. She and I will be having English school together starting in the next two weeks or so! We plan on starting with the basics and working our way into vocabulary and sentence formation as particants progress and time allows. When I had school in 2012, our first day we had 30-40 people. Our second day 120 – of all ages – showed up! So it will be interesting to see what that will look like this time. We do anticipate the need for a children and adult class. Many people in Charrier are eager to learn English. As a Haitian, if you can speak English well there can be a lot more opportunities for you in the job field so we are excited to begin!
The depot with the finished roof. See that they have begun smoothing the exterior on the right picture
Building update – The floor was poured last Monday. The days where we lay cement floors or ceilings are always my favorite. By just word of mouth, 80+ people showed up to help carry buckets of water, sand, or cement. It’s always a site to see as they sing and dance to pass the long, hot hours. Because we rent a mixer we have to finish the project in one day so it’s nonstop work till we’re done! All the workers are given breakfast of coffee & bread and then a hot meal of rice & beans with sauce on these days. We can’t afford to pay everyone but they are just happy to not only have a meal but to be apart of it all. The phrase “it takes a village” comes to life when we pour cement J …This past week they began putting up the walls for the children’s home (see pictures). It’s just amazing the speed these guys work at. Watching a dirt patch turn into what it is now in just 6 weeks has been amazing! They started digging the septic hole, which in the pictures is at about 10 feet and they are going for 20 total! As for the rooms above the depot – the roof was poured several weeks ago and the forms have been removed. They are now in the process of smoothing over the interior and exterior walls to give it a nice finish. Soon they will finish the plumbing for the bathroom so we can hopefully move in by next month!
Digging the septic pit!
A view of the children’s home floor after cement pouring was finished!
A view from above of the children’s home walls going up!
We will be busy the next couple weeks with building and English school. The next 2 teams come the first and second week of April. Thank you so much for your continued prayers – we feel them! God is moving in Haiti and we have been so touched to see the ways he is using just the building project to bless the community.
Prayer Requests:
- For Abraham – he is still not sleeping well and all the dust has given him quite the cough so for good health and restful nights!
- For the building project – continued progress and safety for our workers
- For English school
- Fidnel – a local young adult that recently accepted Christ. He is 22 years old and works every morning at the project then walks 7 miles to & from school every evening. He is striving to know and do God’s will for his life so please pray with us that he may continue to do so.
- For God’s will to be done in Charrier!
All our love,
Zacharie, Stevie & Abe
Photo by our dear friends with Janae Rose Photography
Hello from Haiti!
Bonjou (good day) from Haiti!
We are finishing up our 2nd week here and are happy to report that things are going so well! Before I left for Haiti I wanted to send out a quick blurb about our timeline while we’re here and what the next couple years will (probably) look like. SO! – We will be in Haiti for 4 months to begin construction of New Life Children’s Home. Zacharie has recently taken over the roll of Haitian Director for New Life mission and will also be helping Cindy Zimmerman, the American director lead and host 6 teams that will be coming to help with construction. We are only able to spend a couple months at a time in Haiti due to Zacharie being on his residency therefore we will be back & forth for the next ~2 years until he can apply for his citizenship. Both our jobs offered us the ability to return when we are home so we will be able to pick up where we left off which is such a HUGE blessing! By 2018 we hope to be full time in Haiti but for now we are happy that God is giving us this ability to travel back and forth.
We really felt the prayers on travel day and Abe did so well on both flights! We arrived in Haiti on January 11th with Cindy, our pastor Kevin Horning, and Luke Ulrich, our friend. We got through immigration with no issues however after waiting at baggage claim for what felt like an eternity we realized one of our suitcases was missing. They advised us to wait for the next flight coming through from Miami so we did, only to realize it wasn’t on that flight either. Naturally, I began to panic and kept thinking that we lost all of our stuff! But right as this thought crossed my mind Zacharie turned to me and put both hands on my shoulders, smiled and said with a laugh, “We’re in Haiti baby!” And I had to smile back in agreement because he was right. The amazing thing was that the suitcase that we lost just had all our random stuff and/or extras. All of our necessities were in our other suitcases. We ended up getting our lost bag the next Friday when we dropped off the team at the airport so Praise God for that! But honestly the whole experience just helped me get into the right perspective that I needed for transitioning into this culture and mission work. Stuff is stuff! Not only can it be replaced but it my definition of “necessities” is always a laugh for Zacharie. For most of his childhood, his list of personal items consisted of a single T- shirt that was 3 times too big. We can survive on so much less than we think we need and I hope this whole experience helps me to keep this perspective…including when I’m in the states!
Our first week in Haiti was filled with reunions, introductions for Abe, and of course, lots of hard work for Zacharie in beginning the foundation of the Children’s Home! Construction is going very well! God gave us the ability to bless 27 people with jobs this week! They finished digging the foundation and next they’ll place the poles & rocks. See the attached pictures! We also began the two rooms & bathroom over the Depot. This will be where Zacharie & I will stay when it is finished. Currently we are bunking in at the mission house on Mama’s land. We hope to be able to start building our own home next year.
Abe is adjusting very well! He gets lots of love from his Haitian family and is getting used to the heat! Prayers would be appreciated for improvements in his daily schedule. He takes lots of cat naps during the day and gets up every 2-3 hours at night, so if we could get back to his normal 7 hour stretches that’d be great! J
This past week our friends Hugo & Janae Tomas and their 1 year old daughter Gloria came to visit us! Hugo tagged along with Zacharie on his many trips to the city to get supplies as well as helped the guys at the job site. Janae & Gloria kept me & Abe company at the house and got to spend quality time with the family. They have a photography business and blessed members of the community by taking family photos. The people were so grateful as few people in the rural mountains of Haiti even have a single family photo. We loved having our friends support us and come to Haiti to share in the experience. We spent tonight, our last night with them, at a beach resort near the airport so that is why I have such a good connection that I can send out this email! Because we will be spending so much time in the mountain I expect internet to be few and far between. But I will leave you with that update and ask for continued prayers. We feel so blessed to have such amazing support from family and friends. God is moving in Haiti and we can ot wait to see all the ways he will use us here! THANK YOU and will send another update as soon as I can!
That was one successful Hoedown!!!
We cannot say thank you enough to all the folks who donated and attended the Hoedown for Haiti!!
We had a blast hanging out with all of you – from the delicious chicken bbq made by J.R.’s Brisket to the variety of raffle prizes donated by so many different businesses to line dancing the night away – it was such a great time in fellowship with family and friends.
There were over 150 people in attendance and I can say we raised almost double of our initial goal of $10,000…bringing in nearly $19,000 for the children’s home construction project! Something I like to throw in is that we had just under $300 in expenses for this event! That shows you how many donations we had – the venue, the food, the DJ, and more ALL donated. How good is our God people?! I am absolutely blown away by the success of this event as it was our first year doing it, but we CANNOT wait to do it again next year!
Now I would like to give some special shout outs to all our supporters/ sponsors / donors !!
The Eby Family – thank you for letting us use your BEAUTIFUL barn!
Jordan High – thank you for designing the invitations!
Delvin Huber – Thanks for the delicious ice cream!
Jill Zimmerman – Thank you for your AMAZING cupcakes!
Parisan & Sons Entertainment – Thank you Josh for donating your time to DJ the event!
Kevin’s Property Services
MN Zimmerman Company
Graham’s Auto Sales & Services
And thank you to all who donated Raffle prizes as well! –
The Coffee Station at Landis Valley , Sweet Frog Lancaster , Keller Brothers Ford , Bombergers , Janae Rose Photography , Meagan Nicole Photography , Sublime Cupcakes , Reflections Restaurant , Fox chase Golf Club , Lauren Eisele with Origami Owl , Stoner Decorating , SGMC , Beams & Brushstrokes , Sturgis Pretzels , Muddy Creek Studio , Quentin Tavern , Lush , The Moveable Feast Restaurant & Catering , Fox Meadows Creamery , Scratch Bakes , JB Zimmerman’s , Salon 717 , Martin’s custom butchering , Doterra Essential Oils – Jennifer Hackman , Premier jewelry , Attractions hair salon , Pellmans , New Holland Family Restaurant , MaryKay , Shady Maple , Creekside Dental , Second Street Consignment , Glennwood Foods , Yoders Country Market , Weaver Markets , Martins Country Market , Sharp Shopper, Dutch-Way, and many more!
We love you all and can’t wait to get to Haiti in January to begin construction of New Life Children’s Home!!
*I was not able to put pictures up today for some reason – I will try to do it later : )
Blessings, Zacharie & Stevie Estime
The Hoedown for Haiti!
Just wanted to remind everyone of the Hoedown for Haiti on Saturday, October 10th at 630 pm!
You can purchase your tickets through sending the above form to New Life Fellowship, 420 E Fulton Street, Ephrata, PA 17522. This way your purchase/donation can be tax deductible!
OR you can purchase your tickets online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-hoedown-for-haiti-tickets-15481241811 !
We hope to see you there! It’s going to be a great time! We’re excited for another opportunity to raise money to build New Life Children’s Home!
Many Blessings!
Stevie Estime
A Hoedown for Haiti! – Looking for sponsors and raffle prize donations!
5 million of the 10 million people living in Haiti are children.
750,000 of those 5 million children are orphans or have been abandoned by their parent(s).
50% of primary age children are not attending school.
One in 10 children die before the age of 5 due to malnutrition
These statistics are real and they are frightening. That is why our faith-based, non-profit organization, New Life Mission Haiti, is currently fundraising to build a children’s home in the rural mountain village of Charrier, Haiti. We believe that by investing in the lives of the children we can rise up leaders in Haiti to change the country for the better. We want to open a home where the children have a safe place to live with proper nutrition, have an opportunity to go to school, and most importantly, have a chance to learn about their Godly Father. Blueprints have been drawn up, land has been purchased and construction has begun, however there is a significant amount to be raised so we can open our doors in fall of 2016.
On October 10, 2015 we are throwing the first Hoedown for Haiti in Ephrata, PA to raise money to construct New Life Children’s Home. The night will consist of a good ole Lancaster county meal, raffle prizes, line dancing, and more! This will also give an opportunity to meet our team & learn more about our mission and plans for the children’s home.
Will you help sponsor the event? We would appreciate your donation of $100 or more with all donations being tax deductible. All donors will receive two tickets to the Hoedown along with recognition of their generosity in our newsletter, on our website, and at the event.
Please make your checks payable to New Life Fellowship, 420 East Fulton Street, Ephrata, PA 17522 with “Hoedown for Haiti” in the memo.
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So who is excited for The Hoedown for Haiti?! I know we are! Currently we are looking for sponsors for this event. If you have a business, large or small or would just like to personally sponsor, please email us at newlifemissionshaiti.org or send a check with a note to clarify what it is to go towards or to the above listed address.
We are also looking for donations for the raffle. Prizes may included but are not limited to gift cards, services, themed baskets, monetary gifts, event tickets, etc. Prize donors will receive recognition of their generosity in our newsletter, on our website, and at the event. Prizes may be sent/delivered to 134 Niss Avenue, Ephrata, PA 17522 or can be picked up by one of our team members by calling or emailing.
This is going to be an event for fun and fellowship with friends so we really hope you can make it! More details on how to purchase tickets will be available soon!
Blessings and thank you for taking the time to get an update!
Zacharie & Stevie Estime
newlifemissionshaiti@gmail.com
7172038536
Zacharie & Cindy’s 3 weeks in Haiti with building teams!
January 2015 Update.compressed (1)
The attached article gives an update on the 3 weeks of teams in January and February!
They were able to finish the storage depot for the children’s home! This 2 room building will store food and equipment. This will allow us the buy & store our own equipment so we don’t have to rent it for every project. Praise God! To him be all the glory! And thank you to every team member and/or those who supported our team members on these trips as they were a HUGE help in completing the project in the 3 week period. We appreciate all your help and willingness to serve SO much!
The next project will be the children’s home! This is a proposed 6 room, 3 bathroom house that will cost roughly $90,000! We understand how big that number looks but we have learned firsthand that if it’s God’s will, there is no such thing as big numbers!
Blessings! We love you all!
Zacharie Estime & Cindy Zimmerman
Rick & Cindy’s 7 weeks in Haiti
Attached is Rick & Cindy’s newsletter from their 7 week trip to Haiti. Please click the attached link to read more! They would like to send out a special thank you to those who supported them, prayerfully & financially. Without God and your support, This mission would cease to exist! Stay tuned for more updates to come!
Praise be to God!
Merry CHRISTmas! Remember the reason for the season!
CLICK HERE!
PS. Check out this video!
THE WALL IS FINISHED!
HEY EVERYBODY!
The wall around the 2.5 acre land for the children’s home in Charrier is DONE! After a month of construction and hard work from our crew in Haiti, we are happy to say it is complete! We are just waiting on the BIG steel entry gate to arrive and be installed! PRAISE GOD! Over a 4 month period over $20,000 has been raised to complete this project and we want to thank everyone for your prayers & support! God has been so faithful! Next will be the construction of the house, bathrooms & kitchen! We ask for your continued prayers as we fundraise and await God’s timeline. Zacharie & I would like to contact other missionaries in search of guidance on how to prepare financially, mentally, and most importantly, spiritually when preparing to devote your life to missions.
Many have asked about ways you are able to donate. You can always donate through sending checks/cash to New Life Fellowship church, 420 East Fulton Street, Ephrata, PA 17522 (checks made payable to ‘New Life Fellowship’ and attach a note stating the check is for the childrens home – please! ). We’re working on creating a paypal account , but for now if you would like to donate electronically visit our Gofundme.com account (link below)
http://www.gofundme.com/newlifechildrenshome
We love you all and can’t say thank you enough if you are even just taking the time to read this!
With love,
Zacharie & Stevie Estime
New Life Mission - Haiti, Inc. 