Hearts United with Haiti hosts its inaugural Fund Raising Dinner at Shady Maple Banquet Hall Oct. 16 at 6 p.m.
“I am very excited and feels blessed to be part of these projects and would love to talk to the locals, how they can be part of it as well!” said Crystal Funk of Narvon, founder and president. “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few”- Matthew 9:37. Let’s change that together! We need MANY ‘workers’ to assist in these projects. There is something for everyone to do.”
The dinner is at no charge but limited to the first 100 people who register. To register go to heartsunitedwithhaiti.com click on events and fill in the form.
There will be special guest speakers including Funk; Redgi Alvarez, Haitian Coordinator; Pastor Tim VanDalen, Youth Pastor of Cocalico Community Chapel, Reinholds, along with Haitian music, a slide show and a silent auction.
“I am married for 32 years to my husband Ron with three grown daughters. He has a trucking company and we have been involved in mission work for many years, both as participants, support staff on trips, and we were lay youth leaders at Living Rock Bible Church in Elverson.
“I did extensive work after Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast and lived in Haiti for the summer of 2010, working with an amazing mission organization and helping them serve short term mission teams in the Carrefour area,” said Funk.
After traveling to Haiti many times and talking to others in the U.S. about her work in Haiti, she heard of other communities and pastors struggling and in need of mentoring and partnerships. So, the idea of Hearts United with Haiti was “born”.
Their goal is to connect people and churches in other countries with those in Haiti and to provide a way that they can support one another, be it prayer, physical labor, financial, or emotional to provide a “listening ear” and/or mentorship. Currently Hearts United with Haiti is working to serve different areas, such as the orphanage in Port au Prince, some places in the countryside, and the community of Carrefour.
Funk is passionate about her mission and faith. Hearts United with Haiti is an organization born to assist a church in Chaveneau, Haiti (near Les Cayes) to realize their dream of a school, medical center and financial institution in their community. With God’s direction it has now evolved to ministry in other areas.
“We are a relational ministry, walking with those God leads us to. We have witnessed the effects of what we call the “cycle of dependency” over and over. Created and continued by the well-meaning. As time progresses we become convinced that this way is not beneficial to the Haitian population nor is it scriptural in nature,” said Funk.
They work to facilitate independence and work alongside the Haitians toward sustainable projects. They believe short term mission groups are God’s way of using their organization in Haiti, but their ministry objectives are far from short term.
Their current Bas-Citronniers Project includes goat raising, a school, a daily feeding program, a Nanny Program (helping with Nanny salaries monthly so the children at the orphanage have consistent caregivers who are trained and care for them and two Haitian missionary staff Reginald Alvarez and James Desrosiers to whom the organization gives a $200 monthly blessing, said Funk.
They rent a home yearly with four bedrooms with rolling electricity in the countryside and employ seven people which helps with the unemployment. This is where the people who come on missions stay.
“Dr. Donaldson and dentist Dr. Scott Wallace, both from the Tri County Area in addition to local auto mechanics, teachers, medical workers, cooks, etc. have worked alongside the Hattians teaching them to be self-sufficient.
The committee has decided to start raising and selling goats as a business. Between 15 to 20 young goats will be purchased in the fall of 2015 to start the program. Each is anticipated to cost about $35 U.S. and should be sold in December for double that price. Their goal is to have enough goats to start breeding their own. Many of the Hattians are Catholic and goats are their traditional Christmas meal.
“Our veterinarian in Haiti Dr. Kelly Crowdis consults with leaders to teach them about raising goats: what they require for food, shelter, water, etc. In April 2015 she met with them and they were very impressed,” said Funk.
“This committee has the motivation to succeed and not be dependent on foreign assistance. They have seen first-hand what happens when that assistance dries up and they do not want that to happen again because those building the school dissolved their organization when it was finished so they had no way to support the teacher salaries, feeding program, etc. until Laughing Angels stepped in to contact Hearts United with Haiti and gave them a grant to work with the community leaders on sustainability,” she said.
One of Funk’s favorite programs is the Nanny program which provides employment to help the nanny’s family and provides teaching and personal care to the orphans.
They are a non-denominational mission organization striving to live like Jesus. Like Jesus sometimes they meet physical needs. He fed people. He healed people. But when that relief becomes a long-term program that would end up hurting rather than helping they believe in giving a “hand-up” rather than a “hand-out”.
They are currently accepting table sponsorships. Call 610-286-0612 to sponsor a table or make a donation. No need to fill your table. No charge to the first 100 preregistrations.
For more information visit www.heartsunitedwithhaiti.org or on Facebook: Hearts United with Haiti, the Blog at www.heartsunitedwithhaiti.blogspot.com or call 610-286-0612 and email at heartsunitedwithhaiti@gmail.com.
