Ann Ale Missions

10/07/2022

We received these words from Jinel Ulysse, Community Relations Director for Ann Ale Missions:

“I am sad and depressed but I have hope from God. Psalm 46:1 says God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. I am writing to describe how awful the situation is in Haiti. It is more difficult than I have ever seen in my life. The reason for my words is to ask for prayers. Life has been hard in Haiti for a long time. The gangs are now controlling 60% of the island. They control the gasoline and diesel. They control the roads getting to the south and north of the country. Every week they are taking control of more ground. They control the fears and emotions of the people. The country has been shut down for three weeks. The banks are closed. Schools are not opening. Grocery stores are closed. You can’t buy water. Many people are without clean water and food. Most hospitals are closed. Workers can’t get to their jobs. When I say we have a shutdown, I’m not describing the shutdown like we all had with the pandemic. Our shutdown in Haiti is much worse. Literally nothing is open. If you were not prepared for this, you are in bad shape right now. There is no electricity in most places. The gas supply for alternative power like generators have been used up. It is for this reason that there is no power and the hospitals are not in operation. Sick people are dying due to a lack of healthcare. Pregnant women and babies are dying if they have complications and need a hospital. It has been 15 months since the assassination of our President and there is still no sign or talk about an election. We have no leadership and no one is managing the country or dealing with the gang problems. Hunger is killing people. We are facing a time now where we are unable to help others. Everyone is affected, rich and poor alike. Even if you have money, you can’t buy what you need. You can’t get what you need. There is no public transportation to get places. I am in Port au Prince now. I am stuck here and can’t get to the village to do my job and check on the kids and the ministry of Ann Ale Missions. I’m asking for help from God. There is no one else that we can count on except God. I don’t think we can even go on for one week longer. More people will die. I know the power of prayer, and I am gracefully asking for that. That is the only thing I can ask for.”

Since this was written, we were able to secure a flight to get Jinel to the village. He is in Gros Marin now. The community and church and kids and our family are all well. They are less affected by this situation than if you are in the city. The community is more prepared for these type of situations. They grow most of their own food and have chickens and goats. They have a well for water and they don’t need electricity for many things. I can say that our family and community is good. We can’t transport things to them or send them money but they have what they need to survive. Just this week we received news that a new outbreak of cholera has emerged in Port au Prince. I do not even want to imagine how this can turn out. Again, we ask for your prayers. The country is crumbling without leadership. A UN representative recently said, “Haiti has an economic crisis, a gang crisis, and a political crisis that has emerged into a humanitarian catastrophe.” The situation is very grim. Many people are asking how they can help and prayer is the only way to help right now. God is truly our only hope at this time.

08/21/2022

School starts back in Haiti next month. If you sponsored a child last year and would like to do so again this year, now is the time to pay. It costs $125 for the year. We believe the future of a country depends upon educating the children. In Haiti, education is not free and many parents cannot afford to send their children to school. It is a struggle for most to even feed their children. Often parents place their kids in an orphanage so they can go to school and have their basic needs met. Our goal is to keep kids at home with their families. We do this through our school sponsorship program. It costs $125 yearly for a kid to go to school in our village. We currently have 128 children sponsored in our program. We are confident some of these children would have ended up a statistic in an orphanage if it were not for your sponsorship. Many would also end up in gangs as there are not many options for teenagers in Haiti. When a child joins our program, he commits to attending church at least one Sunday a month. Once they are part of our program, we get to know the child and their family. We visit their home and learn about their needs or other ways we see that we could help. We bring all the children together a couple times a year and have a VBS type activity. When you sponsor a child, you will receive updates and photos a few times a year to keep you connected with your child. Jeff and I go to Haiti every two months and check on the children. With so many kids, we usually don’t get a chance to see them all often and it has become difficult to keep up and give you the updates that you deserve to have on your children. Recently, we added our long time friend, Jinel, to our team. He is residing in the village and will be visiting the children and their families regularly. You will be hearing from him as he will be giving you updates on your sponsored child and can even FaceTime with them or their parents if you would like to meet them this way. Jinel is available for whatever questions you may have about your child. He is there to develop better relationships with our village and our organization and our church. Be looking for his emails or letters.
If you’ve never sponsored a child before and would like to do so this year, we have plenty children waiting to go to school that would love this opportunity. You can pay online with card or PayPal or stripe. You can also pay with check by mail at:
Ann Ale Missions
PO Box 8011
Waverly, TN 37185
Once i get the payment, i will send you a child with their picture and profile that tells a little about the child.
Thank you to all those that have already paid. We are so grateful for your generosity. Trust me when i say you are making a difference in a life and in the whole family’s lives. Thank you to those who have sponsored year after year. We have watched your children grow up into amazing boys and girls.

07/30/2022

Our kids had VBS last week!

07/15/2022

We completed the construction of house #3 in Gros Marin! This home was built for an older gentleman who was never married and never had children whose home was destroyed in the earthquake. God never forgets the lonely and the weak and the isolated. We are so thankful to those who financially and prayerfully sponsored this home. I know he feels loved and can sleep well at night in his new home.

06/25/2022

A few words about our latest trip to Haiti….

The Bible says we are the light of the world. It actually mentions light 204 times in the scriptures. I’ve been told my whole life we are to be the light of the world. I remember singing songs as a child about shining my light. I’ve always been excited about the idea of being light in a world of...

05/13/2022

We recently launched Gros Marin FM, the radio station in our community in south Haiti. As you know, electricity is not available in the community so the majority of people do not have smart phones and social media and apps and all the ways that we get news daily. Most also do not have TV as they do not have power to run it. So at times, the village can be unaware of things happening in the world, or even in the city next to their town. They might not get important information about storms coming or protests or violence in nearby towns. But most people have a battery-operated am/fm radio. The best way to describe communities in the country is they are living many decades behind our technology today. This radio is a great opportunity for this community to stay informed about everything happening in the country. We will have programs that will educate them about health care and government happenings and the latest technology. We will broadcast our Compassion Church service and many will listen that might would never come to church. We want to train, educate, and evangelize the community. At this time, the station operates 18 hours a day. It is also available online at grosmarinfm.com for you to listen. We have a lot of ideas and plans for different programs and even can do remote programs about any topics you might want to share with the community. Stay tuned as we grow this ministry. The community is so excited about this!

04/27/2022

House number 2 is complete! Thank you to those that helped sponsor this home for this special boy and his grandmother.

04/18/2022

We have completed the building of house number 1 of 5 in Gros Marin after the recent earthquake that destroyed many homes in the community. This home was presented to our pastor of Compassion Haiti and his family. Thank you to the Compassion network and everyone that contributed to this project financially and in prayer. It has taken months to get this done as we have tackled one obstacle after another with the gangs controlling the roads to the south making it difficult to get building materials from Port au Prince. The price of building materials went up drastically due to all the chaos and lack of supply in the country. It seemed like everyday was a new problem to deal with. But we have finished and the Delpeche family now has a place to call home!

04/08/2022

Over the past two years, we have been planting food and providing it to those in need in the community of Gros Marin. We planted black beans and brown beans, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and plantains. The beans and potatoes grew and came in great! We’ve been very successful with them. The peanuts did not do well. We need to figure out a better location or a better method for them. We knew the plantains were a long term crop. We wanted to plant them because they multiply and spread like wildfire and are so easy to grow, but they take time to mature. So it’s been two years, and now we have our first fruits of plantains! We are very excited! We’ve been able to consistently feed 10 families with what we are growing! We are also continuing to bake bread two times a week and give to the community. Feed the belly and you feed the soul!!

10/30/2021

Haiti newsletter updates!!!!!! 🇭🇹

It has been two months since the earthquake. It is estimated that 2200 people died, 12,000 injured and many more are still missing. We have been to Haiti twice since the earthquake. The people are carrying on with life as best as they can. We have completed the wall we were building around our land with the church, our home and family’s home, and the bakery. About 50 people are still coming to sleep behind our wall at the church each night. The aftershocks have ceased but the Haitians are still stressed and will not sleep in their homes. It seems they are suffering with PTSD. Several are coming because their homes were destroyed and they actually do not have a roof to sleep under; others just come because they feel safe. I asked my aunt and our children how long it was going to be this way. I asked them when they would feel comfortable sleeping in their beds again. They all just shrug their shoulders. Everyone seems happy. It’s almost like a slumber party each night in the church. It feels peaceful and tranquil there at night inside that church. I feel unity and it feels like the body of Christ coming together and resting each night. Who knows, maybe I would do the same if I lived there?
I mentioned in the last newsletter about the gangs and kidnappings and lack of fuel. The gangs stood down for a few weeks and allowed aid to come in for the earthquake victims. They allowed the gas trucks to pass and let the country get back to a little normalcy. But this only lasted briefly and it has become out of control again. This time, it is more dangerous than I have ever seen or that Jeff has seen in his lifetime. There are kidnappings and murders daily. You don’t hear about these things on our local or national news. Jeff personally knows a few people that have been kidnapped and murdered. He lost a friend and colleague last week to murder. There have been 602 kidnappings so far this year that we are aware of.
I’m sure you all have heard of the 17 American missionaries that are currently being held captive by one of the gangs. They are asking for $17 million ransom. I do not know how this situation will turn out. It has been two weeks. Please continue to pray for them. They have been able to contact family and their only request is for people to pray for their captors that they can lead them to Christ! I believe they are well and taken care of. I do not believe they are being harmed.
No justice has come from the assassination of President Moise. They are still no closer to finding who is responsible. We had hoped there would be a new Presidential election by the end of the year, but after the earthquake ravaged the south of the county, they had to put this election off until 2022. The Prime Minister is still in control, but has no control. He is not controlling the gangs and there is little he can do with no military and the majority of the police being in the gang’s pockets.
I write you today with a heavy heart. I see no resolution for the country that holds my love and my loyalty. I know God is here. I know He is the ultimate authority. But many days I find myself asking God, “where are you?” We are watching our people suffer.
The roads are blocked again by the gangs. There is no way to reach the south of the country except to fly. Supplies and food are not getting to the south as needed. Money is not being delivered to the banks.
At this moment, the significant crisis is no gas. There is literally no gas. Schools and business have shut down. Even the taptaps and moto taxi’s do not have gas. You are not able to go to work. Most hospitals have shut their doors and the major big hospitals gave a warning today that they will have to close by the end of the week if no gas comes. They are not able to run the generators for power and can not supply oxygen without electricity. Jeff’s TV station in Port au Prince went off air yesterday due to no generator power. Digicel and Natcom, the two cell and internet companies in the country announced there will be no service soon. Haiti is just days away from a national crisis unlike anything I’ve seen before. The gas in in the country. It is at the port. The gangs are controlling it. They will not let the gas trucks deliver it. They are demanding from the government 50K per truck. I hope you can see the desperation that we are feeling. Haiti needs your prayers more than ever!

Our community in Gros Marin is not affected greatly by this chaos. It is far from the city and there is not electricity there so the people are used to not having it. On our last trip, we installed a large solar system at the church and our home. So as long as there is sunlight, the church and our family will have power. I mean, the timing of the solar installation could not have been better! Praise God for that! He is always one step ahead of us!! Our community should be ok as long as there is not a food crisis and as long as people stay healthy and do not get sick.
School has started back. They are having school under tents. As you recall, the school was destroyed in the earthquake. There is no school in the cities due to the crisis, but school can resume in the village as it usually does during hard times like this. We are so grateful that our children can continue their normal lives during hard times as these. Thank you for all of you that sponsored a child for school. If you have not yet paid for your child, now is the time to do so. It is $125 for the year. You can pay online with card or paypal on our website or mail to: Ann Ale Missions PO Box 8011 Waverly, TN 37185. Website is in the comments.

Our goal is to build back 5 homes that were destroyed by the earthquake. We are so grateful and blown away by the outpouring of support that has come in for these homes. We will begin with our pastor’s home. We are ready to begin as soon as the gas problem gets resolved where we can buy and transport building materials.
We have decided to cancel the team trip for January 2022. The country is not in a situation that we feel we can safely host a team. We will keep in communication with those interested and reschedule as soon as we feel it is safe.
It is so easy to get down and discouraged! I have found myself in deep thought and in tears almost every day. I have to remind myself that we are not wrestling with flesh and blood but against darkness! We must stand strong in our faith and we desperately need you to stand with us!

Toward better days,
Crystal