Delta Doings…
We are having a fantastic summer in the Mississippi Delta! So far, we have had Mississippi teams from Madison, Columbus, Taylorsville, and Ridgeland as well as one team from Garfield, Arkansas. In the weeks ahead we have teams from Clinton, Starkville, Brandon and one team from Chattanooga, Tennessee.
We’ve placed our mission trip calendar for 2019 on our website. Be sure and click HERE to register your team and reserve a date for next year.
Many of our teams are helping tear down and clear away old, abandoned, or burned-down houses. These houses are blights on the neighborhood. Currently, we have 14 old houses on our list to be cleared away. Already, this process is making a big difference in “The Park” neighborhood.
Another house being removed!
The house that was in this location recently burned. This week, a team from Ridgeland, MS will be clearing away the debris.
Opening the dental clinic has taken longer than we thought, but we’re almost there. An awesome team from Lake, MS built this covering over the clinic. Last week we had training for the new computer system that will be used. It won’t be long now until we start seeing patients!
Inside the clinic
If you or anyone you know is a dentist or dental hygienist and wants to occasionally volunteer at our dental clinic, please call our office at 601-983-1179 to find out how.
Happenings in Haiti
I cannot adequately describe the incredible amount of ministry taking place in Haiti this summer. It’s really mind boggling! From May through August, we will host 39 teams involving hundreds of volunteers. They’ll come from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Virginia, Oregon, Colorado, and Oklahoma.
Many of the mission trip participants have been with us to Haiti 5, 6, 7, or even 9 times. They have developed strong relationships with the Haitian people.
What do our teams do? They provide energy, enthusiasm, love, resources, ideas, and the grace of God. They help change the lives of countless poverty-stricken Haitians through building desks, beds, handicapped ramps, and rain barrel systems. They host teen Bible studies, VBS, dental clinics, and medical clinics in remote villages. They provide houses, jobs, and motherhood seminars. They engage in food distribution and they even host weddings. These are God’s choice servants who are using their gifts, skills, and resources to make a difference in this world.
Already, we have 26 teams booked for 2019. Be sure and register your team for next year before all the good dates are chosen. Click HERE to start the process of signing up.
An amazing team from Grace Crossing Church in Madison, MS recently built ramps for houses in Galette Chambon for those who rely on wheelchairs. In do so, they provided jobs to Haitians who helped build the ramps.
Life for this dear man and his caregiver
got a little easier with their new ramp.
Two new classrooms are being built at Salmon’s school in Galette Chambon. These much needed rooms will be ready to go when school starts in September. Notice the Haitians who have gotten jobs building the classrooms!
An amazing event took place in Thoman last week. An awesome team from First Baptist Church in Brandon, MS helped host a wedding for 5 couples who have been wanting to get married but could not afford to do so. The team provided dresses for the women and suits for the men as well as food and drink for the reception. Here, the couples are walking from our Hope Center to the church where the ceremony took place.
There was a packed house for the ceremony, including the
choir sitting behind the 5 couples.
Preparing for the wedding reception
One of the more important ministries our teams do is the Motherhood Seminar. This class is life-saving for many of the mothers and children. Margaret Baggett, a team leader who has been to Haiti many times, held a seminar last week and said the following:
My heart is with teaching the pregnant ladies in Haiti all about prenatal care, childbirth, breastfeeding and infant care! We had 18 ladies in our class….and all were so eager to learn!! We were told by the medical student doing the research (he has visited and interviewed people in 21 remote villages) that, on average, most Haitian families have had at least 2 children to die…I cannot imagine the grief these precious people endure as “normal life”!!!!! There is no form of birth control available, and it is not uncommon for mothers to birth 10 to 12 children–one mother who had birthed 10 children had already had 5 to die!!
At the end of class, one mother asked for prayer because her first baby had died….and another lady asked to speak before the entire group-she spoke on behalf of the group of ladies to thank us for “educating them”-she said this was her first pregnancy and she did not know what in the world to expect before our class-but that after our class, she felt fully prepared for the birth of her baby!!
We gave them a maternity dress, a bag full of items for baby, and a “backpack” infant carrier since they have to CARRY their children everywhere!!
How to Change a Life
As you can see in this update, our teams and missionaries do a lot of great work. One of the most impactful and successful ministries we have is our Child Sponsorship Program. My wife and I have been sponsoring a child for several years now. For $37 per month, a child receives a uniform, books, and a meal five days per week. For many, this is the only consistent meal they receive all week. In addition, they learn to read and write and do math and science. Otherwise, they will likely remain hungry, illiterate, and hopeless.
In addition to the children being blessed, dozens and dozens of Haitians receive jobs as we hire teachers, principals, secretaries, cooks, and custodians. It takes a tremendous staff at all of our schools to teach over 1,200 children, 806 of whom are BGM sponsored.
You can click HERE to sponsor a child in Galette Chambon or HERE to sponsor a child in Thoman or Mathias.
Our missionary in Galette Chambon, Mickie West, recently explained the beauty of our Child Sponsorship Program:
Look at the joy in this picture as little Kenley is lifted into the arms of his sponsor and they enjoy visiting with one another. Our sponsor kids aren’t just faces in photos on flyers distributed by an organization. Our sponsor kids are real kids with families and they KNOW their sponsors’ faces. They pray for their sponsors every day. I can’t tell you how many times a child has knocked on our gate and simply asked to see a picture of their sponsor. So even if their sponsor can’t come to Haiti to see them physically, we invite the kids in and look their sponsor up on Facebook so they can see their pictures. It’s not only about money. It’s about relationships and making a difference in a child’s life. You will never regret the decision of making yourself available to be used by God to change a child’s life.
Finally…
As you can see, God is using But God Ministries in marvelous ways. Also, as you are aware, it takes a great deal of resources to do what God has called us to do. Would you please consider financially supporting BGM and our work in Haiti and the Miss. Delta? Your gift will go a long way in helping us share the love of Christ in very tangible ways in these challenging places.
You can give online HERE or send a check to: But God Ministries, 400 Fontaine Place, Suite 103, Ridgeland, MS, 39157.
In addition, I ask for your prayers for wisdom and energy for our Haitian staff, our American staff in Haiti and the U.S., and our Board of Directors.
Can’t Wait To See What God Does Next,
Stan Buckley
Executive Director