Fresh updates
Tent Mission together with Star of Hope is happy to report in on our new partnership with Awana has been an overwhelming success for all involved.
Awana is relentlessly committed to providing Bible-based evangelism and discipleship opportunities for children ages 2-18. As the global leader in child and youth discipleship, Awana gives children the opportunity to know, love and serve Jesus, no matter their background. Methods are always adapting to meet the unique needs of each community. We hope in the near future we can be teaching this to the 20,000 plus children we support in 14 countries together with our founding organization Tent mission.
We are in the middle of a test project where Pastor Reginald Celestin in Haiti, who is the contact person and liaison between Awana International and Star of Hope Haiti. He writes, “Due to the knowledge, diligence, and support of our trainers, trainees and project areas of service, we will service approximately 3,340 children this school year with the emphasis being put mostly on the 730 kindergarten children…” Wow, what a great mission! A mission that is Bible-based, A Mission we and you can stand behind!
I know your heart is aligned with ours when it comes to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, I know you want to do something fantastic. We have the work in place and the only things we need now is prayer and money to print the Awana books and other materials. We want to take Awana to all our children and more!
Here is Pastor Reggie’d report.
Report Star of Hope is an educational organization that focuses on supporting and providing pre-and primary to secondary schools in several poor villages of Haiti. Due to the nation’s lack of schooling and high poverty levels, proper education seems like only a dream for many children in Haiti. Often times, if they are able to attend and to afford school, many families may go a day without pay. It is the hope of our organization that we can eliminate these conditions and develop and sustain positive educational environments for our youth.
I began working with Star of Hope Haiti Foundation in January of 2018 as the consulting pastor. My responsibilities include overseeing the implementation of Christian education in schools and reinforcing the spiritual growth of churches. This new position with Star of Hope has allowed me to orchestrate a conference for teachers near and far that are a part of our selected network of projects. The conference took place at the Star of Hope Haiti Foundation office in Marin, Haiti on September4-6, 2018 from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm.
The goal of this AWANA conference was to train teachers to train children in a spiritual manner by applying Christian instruction in school systems. “AWANA” is a worldwide nonprofit ministry focused on providing Bible-based evangelism and discipleship solutions for ages 2-18. As the global leader in child and youth discipleship, AWANA gives children the opportunity to know, love and serve Jesus, no matter their background.”
Our seven project areas include Jeanton, Boyer, Rigaud, Bois Negresse, Dano, Marigot, and Hess, and we also invited the areas of Bouvier, Carrefour, and Cavaillon to the conference. With the exception of Jeanton and Dano that brought four representatives each, each project area came with three representatives, the school principal, head of the kindergarten teacher and the Sunday school director from each church. The two AWANA trainers, Baby Nicolas, and Ruth Petit Frère provided our attendees with tremendous work. They are very good at working with children and training adults to work with them as well.
Each day provided our participants with a fun, enjoyable and meaningful experience. We began with prayer and praise and worship as a group because as a Christian organization, this is how we will begin to teach the children that we serve. Afterward, our attendees were encouraged to act like children for two days in order to learn, to grow and to experience The AWANA program fully. We received three meals every day during conference times. Myrtha Dor and her kitchen team did a phenomenal job cooking and making everybody feel at home.
On the third day, each participant received the opportunity to practice their knowledge on a group of 20 deserving children. These children, along with three advisors traveled by bus from Love Community Home; an orphanage in Carrefour, Haiti, in order to join and to work with us as we learned about the program. At the orphanage; run by Guy and Merline Vincent, they also head a school that provides education for local children who cannot afford to school elsewhere.
When the children arrived, they were given lunch and given the opportunity to play in the courtyard. They were so happy. Each child was then put into groups by age and got to go through to learn AWANA training. Afterward, the trainees recognized the students for their great efforts and participation. All 20 children received from Star of Hope a school bag and school supplies for the upcoming school year. Every trainee also received a certificate of completion for their hard work and participation in the process.
Due to the knowledge, diligence, and support of our trainers, trainees and project areas of service, we will service approximately 3,340 children this school year with the emphasis being put mostly on the 730 kindergarten children. It was an honor to coordinate and attend this event.
Regular follow-ups will be made throughout the school year in order to monitor the effect of the AWANA materials and also a WhatsApp group has been created with all the participants from the different projects to share experiences and benefits of the AWANA tools. Jeanton has been chosen as the pilot project and the AWANA materials will be tested in both the school and the church and we will start with The AWANA Children club that will meet every Saturday morning from 9:00 AM to 12:00 P.m.
We did it! Thanks to your generous support, all seven projects will start the Christian education program at the earliest age of the children this year. Your gift provides critical support for our organization to apply Proverbs 22:6 “Train up (Catechize) a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
“Boys and girls are future community leaders, entrepreneurs, educators and so much more. Research has shown that investing in children has ripple effects through a community, so if you want to change a country, you start with the children.
On behalf of all of us at Star of Hope Haiti, all projects representatives and all the Children, we thank you again for supporting the AWANA Seminar.
Sincerely, Reginald Celestin, Consulting Pastor for Star of Hope
Pastor Reginald states we are reaching many more kids than we thought, we want to reach even more but we need your help to bring the gospel to the children! With more funds, this program will grow exponentially!
You can get Involved and help us reach more children.
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