Highlights
September 08
Phil Snyder - Editor
Back to http://glowmi.org
A Note From Amber
Isaiah, Malina, and Eden Voter have made a discovery. I hope you will make the same discovery for yourselves. I’m not going to tell you what it is. But if you join The GLOW-LYMPICS! I am sure you will find out. Brainstorm and Pray. Turn your talents into heavenly treasure.
This is an email I received this month.
Hi Amber,
We sorted through our CDs last week, to get rid of a bunch that we don't use. So the CDs were sitting on my counter, waiting to be disposed of. My kids asked me if they could "have them," and of course I wanted to know why... They said they wanted to have a Music Stand by the side of the road to make money for Haiti :) So it turned into a bit of an impromptu Glowlympics event, selling old CDs, sungold tomatoes, and wildflowers. They actually made over $20, which surprised me. And they want to do it again, as soon as we have more ripe tomatoes. It was fun, and really cute to watch.
More events to come! Love, Joy
“Instead, store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust don't destroy and thieves don't break in and steal. Your heart will be where your treasure is.” Matthew 6:19-21
We Will Stand
Sometimes it's hard for me to understand Why we pull away from each other so easily, Even though we're all walking the same road Yet we build dividing walls between Our brothers and ourselves. But I, I don't care what label you may wear If you believe in Jesus you belong with me. The bond we share is all I care to see And we'll change the world forever If you will join with me, Join and sing, sing,
You're my brother, you're my sister, So take me by the hand Together we will work until He comes. There's no foe that can defeat us When we're walking side by side. So long as there is love, We will stand.
The day will come when we will be as one, And with a mighty voice togetherwe will proclaim that Jesus Jesus is King. It will echo through the earth; It will shake the nations, And the world will see,
See that you're my brother, you're my sister So take me by the hand Together we will work until He comes. There's no foe that can defeat us When we're walking side by side. So long as there is love, We will stand
Russ Taff, Tori Taff, James Hollihan Jr.
It’s September Again
It’s September again and you know what that means, back to school. We will be partnering with 10 schools this year. In these schools we will be providing a base, minimum salary for the teachers, as many meals as possible for the students and school supplies according to available funds. I am estimating that we will be supporting around 80 teachers this year. These teachers are our missionaries! Think of that, we support 80 missionaries! Every school is managed and operated by a local church. The church in turn hires the teachers and requires that the highest standards of ethics be met. All of our teachers start the mornings with devotions and prayer. In Haiti it’s not just “religion” it’s life, these are very spiritual people. The teachers will disciple the 2,000 or so children in their classrooms while teaching them reading, writing and arithmetic.
The feeding programs will be a source of health and strength to most of these children who are undernourished. School feeding programs actually relieve a measure of food insecurity in the community homes. For every child who eats a nutritious meal in school there is the potential to have more food in the home for that child’s family. This has an amazing effect on the community as we see not only our students getting healthier but the whole community progressing in a positive direction.
There is not much money left in the coffers for school supplies, but we help with as much as we can. School books are usually the number one priority. After that we have to see what we can do to fix broken blackboards, repair or replace benches, buy chalk, pencils, paper, all your basic school supplies.
We are trusting God for all our students to be sponsored by December 31, 2008. This is the idea behind the Bold Challenge 1600. Currently less than 25% of our students are sponsored. The sponsorship monies for 400 kids actually provides the very basics for 2,000 kids. We have to rely on other sources of income to provide beyond the basics. When all of our children are sponsored we will have the best schools in Haiti.
Donations for school startup costs are eagerly accepted at this time of the year. Designate all or part of your gift this month to School Start-up.
School Feeding Report
We did the numbers on our feeding programs for the school year 2007-2008 and here are the results:
We served a total of 230,905 meals throughout the school year!
We spent $ 63,619.87 total to provide those meals.
The average cost over the year: $ .28 per meal.
We fed our school children an average of 130 days out of the 147 days school was in session.
First Annual Teacher Summit
GLOW held its first annual Teacher Summit at Grande Gode July 29-31. We hosted 11 North Americans; 8 teachers and 3 other participants for a great week, an event we hope to do yearly. 18 Haitian teachers from Grande Gode and Troufondban attended the summit and the “fun day” at Kalico Hotel. During the two days of summit our respective groups, Haitians and Americans, took turns demonstrating their unique teaching methods. The Americans had arrived laden with various teaching manipulatives including recorders, gel pads, mini slate boards, rulers, solar calculators, abacus and other stuff. They had brought along 24 of each, enough to use in the classrooms at Grande Gode when school starts. It was a fantastic experience which I believe will set the pace for gradual improvement in all our schools. I’m not saying that our schools in Haiti are not good, our goal is that they become the best they can possibly be.
Our main theme for the week was “be relational.” Our intent was to open the door to a dynamic plan for building up and encouraging our Haitian teachers and partnering with them in order to share our knowledge and resources for their benefit.
We topped it off by sharing a fun day at Kalico Beach Hotel which included games like Basketball, Ping Pong, Bocce Ball, String Golf, a Scavenger Hunt and everyone’s favorite, the swimming pool. It was hot in Haiti!
The event was organized by Jim Geertsma in association with Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Holland, MI. Here are some of the comments from their blog at:
http://haititeachers.wordpress.com/
“The Haitian teachers have an incredible knowledge of the Bible and were applying their biblical knowledge to so many things. For example, when they were asked to write about a snake, the writing was all about the snake being the one who tempted Eve and was known as the devil. At the end of a very hot and humid day, we were blessed once again to witness the Haitians in worship. They sing and clap and pray with such enthusiasm. We are tired tonight, but going to bed tonight with a sense of encouragement and excitement for day two of the summit tomorrow.”
“When we arrived at the Grande Gode school, the teachers were having a worship service. Once they finished we were invited to come in and began making introductions and forming relationships. The Haitian teachers were so grateful for our willingness to take time out of our summer vacation to travel hundreds of miles to come and spend time with them. God blessed us with an interpreter who was passionate about what he was doing, and through him, we were able to spend time on math, language arts, science, music, and social studies. We took turns teaching lessons and the Haitian teachers also taught us some lessons. The difference in our teaching styles was quite evident.”
“It was a warm day and we all sort of crashed when we got back to the Kalico Resort. It took a lot of energy out of us, but we all felt that we had done a good thing, and that God had given us the strength to do it well. God blessed us with a place like the Kalico to come home to after a long day.”
Looking For Water In Grande Gode
Water is such an important element to everyday life. Sometimes I don’t see what the big deal is, after all, I get up in the morning, turn on the tap for a drink and to make coffee, jump in a hot shower, I’ve got clean clothes to wear because of a washer and dryer in the basement, what’s the big deal?
In Haiti life revolves around water. Outside of Port au Prince there is almost no such thing as “running water.” I’m guessing that 90% of the rural population have no other choice but to somehow bring water in. If they have the means they may be able to buy it by the truck load, have it delivered and pumped into their holding tanks. But the most common delivery system is the 6 gallon bucket balanced on the head. Life Revolves Around Water!
We have wanted to bring water into the Grande Gode school and community for years. Our first attempt at putting a well in resulted in brackish, undrinkable water. Our second go round is heating up now, we are expanding our options and need your help. Here’s what we’d like to do:
Phase One: $ 4,000.00 Set up a roof collection system immediately and take advantage of the next six months frequent rains.
Phase Two: $ 2,500.00 Test a spring we have discovered up in the mountains, it is little more than a puddle right now but we’d like to take a team up there, dig it out and clean it up, and then pump it and see how fast it replenishes itself. If it is a true spring it has the potential to supply water to the whole community without any energy investment.
Phase Three: Cost to be determined: Either Cap the spring, build a reservoir and pipe the water down or go back to the drawing board for where best to drill the next well.
Phase One and Phase Two are ready to go as soon as we find funding. Please pray with us that this spring comes in. It would be the most expensive to develop but most cost effective in the long run.
Troufondban Disaster Relief
We want to thank everyone who responded to the disaster relief plea for Troufondban last month. Together we raised over $10,000.00 and set right to work helping folks get their homes repaired and their lives back to normal. Here are a few pictures:
Update
Champions for Children Hurdle For Hunger
The GLOW-LYMPICS! got off to a fantastic start this month as kids and grown ups alike joined in with creative events to benefit our Haitian friends. Each of these simple ideas could be done by just about anyone, anywhere. We hope you are inspired by their success, and BRAINSTORM an event featuring your own special interests and talents in your neighborhood!
Gargala & Knott Coffee Company!
Micah, Tyler and John delivered flyers to every family in their subdivision advertising their upcoming fair-trade coffee stand. Along with the flyer they included a photocopy of an NY Times article with a photo explaining how people in Haiti are making and eating mud cookies to stave off hunger pangs. These boys opened for business at 6 am. Theresa’s homemade coffee cake sold out quickly, so they restocked with bakery donuts. It is exciting to see how their neighborhood rallied around these young men to help them raise $846! Thank you Jack, of JP’s in Holland, for donating the special coffee!
‘Maters and Music!
The Voter kids (Isaiah, 8, Malina, 7, and Eden,4) asked mom, Joy, if they could have the used CDs she was going to give away. They saw a GLOW-LYMPIC opportunity in their garden, a few minutes later they were ready for business. These enterprising young’uns raised $47 selling CD’s and tomatoes and believe me; those cherry tomatoes were worth it!
Gold Medal Pop-Canners!
Those Voter kids were not finished yet! They got their buddies Nathan and Kaleb Aukema, and mom, Kristi, to join the team by collecting pop cans in their subdivision one Saturday morning. Everybody got hot and sweaty, and tired too, but they raised $61 when the cans were turned in. And Malina’s Grama sweetened the deal with a matching gift, if she reached her goal.
Mighty Mites!
Malina still wasn’t finished. When she arrived home, she decided the kids in Haiti needed $3 she had been saving for a long time, which she had earned herself by helping mom clean offices. She gave it all, as did her cousin Charis who set aside all her money for the kids in Haiti, along with some special toys. These kids bless me!
Facebook Fun!
Kellie Scholten, one of our new sponsors through the BOLD Challenge Relay, posted her Haitian child’s picture on her profile. She has also encouraged us with her joy and enthusiasm in telling others about GLOW! She added our website to her profile, and says she prays we will find sponsors for all our kids.
You can join GLOW Ministries International on Facebook Causes today.
Goody! Goody!
New Day Fellowship’s members got to work baking up goodies and making flavored popcorn to be sold at Sharon Beltman’s garage sale. With explanations from Sharon’s niece, Chloe, 3, visitors learned about our students and generously helped them to raise $210!
Good Junk for Sale!
Becky Walters and The Chris Briggs family shared GLOW with their neighbors at their garage sales by setting up a display and sharing brochures and information. Chris told me he wants to take pledges for a 100 mile bike a thon for Haiti. Let’s pester him by pledging until he can’t procrastinate!
Beans and Rice and Free Stuff, too!
The Kip and Nancy Kauffman Family tried eating beans and rice twice a day every day. The kids told me they were still hungry and really missed their normal diet, but they enjoyed the experiment, because it gave them a real understanding of what it’s like to have limited food choices. To top off their week, they held a Free Garage Sale. The guys greeted visitors with a GLOW Brochure and explained why they were asking for donations for our kids. Ben, Will, and Hillary with mom, Nancy, raised $1,125 in one day!
Thanks to everyone who donated items for this sale.
Diving!
Please pray for Dolores, Elvira, and Marilyn, as they take the plunge in sharing our Child Sponsorship Program with their friends and neighbors. These ladies are on fire!
You won’t want to miss these UPCOMING GLOW-LYMPICS! EVENTS
Beads and Bracelets!
Heather Medema shares her beautiful bead creations at the Garfield Park Arts and Crafts Show September 6, Corner of Burton and Madison, Grand Rapids, MI. She will make custom necklaces, bracelets and earrings upon request, (nice birthday gifts!) Call Amber 616 283 9616 for more information.
“Drive in and Park It” Movie Nights
September 12, 19 ,& 26 First installment: Alvin and the Chipmunks
These will be located at the Voter Homestead 3670 96th Ave, Zeeland , Bring your wife and kids, and a blanket or chair and join in the fun! 8pm arrivals 8:30 movie starts ,We’ll have goodies to eat, and you can even donate some to the cause. This is a free event, held for donations to Haiti. Rain Location: Gateway Community Church 8265 Felch (across from the new hospital) RSVP joylinnae@tds.net Call Amber for more info 616 283 9616.
1st Annual GLOW Classic
Grand Haven Golf Club 1700 Lincoln St Grand Haven MI September 13, 2008
Four Person Scramble 1 PM Shotgun Start. $100 per person includes driving range & boxed lunch, 18 holes w/ cart, hole contests with prizes, buffet dinner. Non-golfers may join us for dinner at 5:30 -$25 per person. Registration deadline: September 6, contact Brian Booth for info 414.559.3642 or brianbooth.1@gmail.com You may register online at www.glowmi.org .
GLOW Benefit Concert
Lokers Auditorium, Cityside Middle School, Zeeland, October 11, 2008, 7PM
Micah Voter, Dave Purnell, and Kimmy Snyder present an evening of fine vocals, keyboards and guitar. Many of their original compositions will be featured. Watch the Facebook page for more info, ticket details in the next newsletter.
eBay Auction “Open Hands Open Hearts”
Jennifer Diel, Holland , will auction off your donated goodies, especially those dusty collections your kids don’t want to inherit. Contact her to arrange a donation time, or drop them off at the office or Snyder’s. Jen’s # 616 738 7513 or
parisdiel@chartermi.net .This is open till October!
Take a Shot Photo Contest
Rudy needs some friends who’ll help him to organize this special event! Let us know if you are interested!
The BOLD Challenge Relay 1600 has many faithful runners doing their part to help spread the word that we need a sponsor for every child. I see them at school meetings, the doctor’s office, and at church. This race is taking patience, because we do not have people tackling us in the dog food aisle asking how they can sponsor a child. But we ARE making an impact! We are seeing new sponsors every week! Check out the Google map www.glowmi.org and click on some markers, you’ll see who they are. If you want to see the list, slide the blue button to the right of the instructions on the Google map page. If you have an SOS and you haven’t visited the website or called Amber, please register your Lanyard today! We have distributed about 250 SOS so far! If you’d like to help us by searching for sponsors please contact Amber Snyder sos@glowmi.org . 1 Cor 9:24-24 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Display Away!
GLOW has tri-fold displays to lend you for your event, brochures to share, posters and signs available.
I hope this has you itching to brainstorm a GLOW-LYMPICS! Event for your own neighborhood. Joy said it best when she shared that participating in the GLOW-LYMPICS! gives her something to look forward to while she gets the laundry done and wipes little noses, cute as they are! It helps us to remember there is a bigger purpose than our own! Have I made you think “I can do that!”? Well, you CAN!
Please Call Amber Snyder To Get Started: 616-283-9616