Mission Moments: Haiti
An appeal to help build classrooms
Learning to read, write, and hope
By GARY FALLESEN, Climbing For Christ
Gilbert Lindor, a shining example of what a school in a remote village and an education received can mean for a life in an impoverished country, stood before 27 parents and 85 of the 103 children attending the school in Majon.
He shared Proverbs 27:18 (translated to “Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever looks after his master will be honored”) and Jeremiah 48:10 (“Cursed are those who refuse to do the LORD’s work…”).
“I used each of these verses to motivate the parents to continue contributing to the completion of our construction work,” said Gilbert, a recent medical school graduate and Climbing For Christ’s Kingdom worker in Haiti.
Gilbert often posts appeals on social media. In late January, he posted three photos of cute schoolchildren with this message: “Every child has the right to learn to read and write! Each child is the guarantee of the Haiti we would like to have. Every child is the hope of the next generation.”
Each of the children learning at schools supported by Climbing For Christ in Boucan Pierre, Kalimette, and Majon is full of hope. You can see it in their eyes. In their desire to come to schools supervised by Climbing For Christ’s New Generation (C4CNG led by Gilbert). These are places that had no schools, little possibility of any sort of education, before Climbing For Christ came along.
Gilbert experienced that firsthand as a boy in Gentilhomme, where C4C built its first church which doubled as a school in that mountain village.
A schoolgirl in Majon. (Photos by Gilbert Lindor)
Gilbert told the parents in Majon: “Everything we are doing is for them, their children, and their grandchildren. Many parents were touched by every word.
“We hope that those who have been supporting the work will continue to do so, and that who haven’t will join us.”
Roofing – sheet metal and wood – have been put on two of the new classrooms. Another $1,500 USD is needed for lumber and metal to complete the roofing. Then $1,700 is needed for doors. Plaster and paint will finish the project.
In Kalimette, where Gilbert met with 55 parents and 200 of the 262 schoolchildren two days later, even more is needed to finish the addition of five classrooms to the three that are currently overcrowded. Gilbert updated our budget with a request for $3,500 for wood and metal plus $1,700 for doors and then plaster and paint.
School kids inside one of the finished classrooms in Kalimette.
Costs have risen over the original budget because, Gilbert said, “The places we’re going to are difficult. No only is construction difficult, but it also requires (transport) expense. It costs us $6 to transport a bag of cement to Kalimette and almost $4 to Majon.”
Motorbike drivers must be hired to carry materials more than seven miles up the mountain trails to Kalimette. Majon is accessible only by a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
We are looking at the need for $10,000 USD to finish these school projects, which began last year. All other work outside the schools in Haiti is on hold as we pray and raise funds to complete these classrooms. It also affects other areas of our ministry.
C4CNG member Jean Ronald shared Psalm 37:3-4 with the Kalimette parents and children, telling them God can do all things. “For God, nothing is impossible,” he said. “Nor does He care if the weather is good or bad. If God wants to do something, He will do something.”
Gilbert said, “He encouraged our parents to have unwavering faith.”
To help the people with their faith, Gilbert also distributed 60 books containing the Gospel of John and the Book of Romans to the schoolchildren in Kalimette.
In between Majon and Kalimette, Gilbert visited Boucan Pierre, where he met with 70 parents and 220 of the 285 children in that school. He shared Proverbs 22:6 with them and talked again about the importance of education and sacrifices that must be made to support these schools.
A Boucan Pierre schoolgirl.
“Our children in Boucan Pierre are so sweet and loving,” Gilbert said. “I love visiting them and spending time with them.”
As he did in Majon and Kalimette, Gilbert brought cookies and juice to Boucan Pierre. Over the three days of school visits, more than 2,400 cookies were distributed.
Juice and a rare snack for Haitian schoolchildren.
“They were so happy to receive these cookies and a glass of juice,” Gilbert said. “Everyone prays and hopes to receive at least these cookies and a glass of juice every month (when he visits), while we continue to pray that doors will open so we can provide them with a hot meal.”
I pray that doors can be put on the new classrooms in Majon and Kalimette, and a roof put over the heads of hundreds of schoolchildren who otherwise would have no access to education – and hope for their future. 
Helping hands
PRAY for the 650 schoolchildren receiving an education and for the 23 teachers supported by Climbing For Christ who are instructing those children in Boucan Pierre, Kalimette, and Majon. Pray that they are “trained up” not only in the so-called three Rs – reading, writing, and arithmetic – but also about their Resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ. May this education lead to a brighter future in Haiti.
Preparing to put a roof on the classrooms being built in Majon.
GIVE to assist us in finishing these classrooms. Mail checks or money orders to Climbing For Christ c/o Mission: Haiti, P.O. Box 16290, Rochester, NY 14616. Or CLICK HERE and give through PayPal. In Canada, make cheques payable to The Great Commission Foundation, and on the memo line add Climbing For Christ CANADA c/o Mission: Haiti. Mail your support to: The Great Commission Foundation, P.O. Box 14006, Abbotsford, BC V2T 0B4. Or CLICK HERE to give online. Email info@ClimbingForChrist.org to give us a head’s up that you are contributing to this classroom project – and mési anpil davans (“many thanks in advance” in Haitian Creole).
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