Help for Haiti

Help for Haiti

For additional information about Haiti click HERE.

Shortly after the devastating January 12th earthquake hit in Haiti, we sent the following letter...

Dear Family and Friends:

I know that you all share the sadness and grief over the devastation that has occurred in Haiti. We (Salem Pre-school and New Salem Church) have a very special connection with Haiti and thus am writing to share a plea for help that has come from our former student, Lori, and her family. Here is a little of our/their story.

In 1995, a little girl, Lori just three years old came to Salem Pre-school along with her brother, age 8, her sister, age 6, and her mom and dad. They all spoke little to no English. This remarkable refugee family from Haiti arrived in America with absolutely nothing but the clothes on their backs- and each other. They suffered greatly while in Haiti striving to uphold their faith and convictions in a country much less tolerant than the United States.

Salem Pre-school and New Salem Church had the great fortune to meet this family when they first arrived in Indiana. Since that time we have gotten to know and love them. According to them, we have become their guardian angels. this family is all about faith, caring, sharing, and love. They live in gratitude and appreciation of the small blessings in life. the parents are dedicated and committed to their family; they both have high personal standards and integrity and firmly believe in the value of education.

A dream cam true for this family in 2001 when the preschool and church put on their coveralls and helped them build a Habitat for Humanity home this family still lives in today. In Fact, some of you may have helped contribute to this effort. Soon after they moved in, they all became our American future, learn to read, write, and speak the English language, obtain employment and continue their education, and become established in their community. Many folks contributed financially to help make this family a great success story.

Now this family has a mission..for the father, Esler, to return to Haiti to help their extended family living in the smaller communities and greatly in need of assistance. Since Esler was a pastor in Haiti, he fell the need to return to his homeland and minister to those Haitians affected by the devastating earthquake. Unfortunately, even though this family works very hard, they dtill have limited financial resources (and probably always will). So they have asked us to help their

family reach out to the suffering Haitians. Below is a letter written by the dad, Esler, aksking for help.

My name is Esler Capre and I am from Haiti. I am a nurse and I have been working at the Courtyard Health care Center of Goshen, Indiana, since December of 2002. My wife, Kathy is a qualified Medical Assistant and works at the Beardsley House in Elkhart. She has just received a degree in social work services from Ivy Tech. We have three children: two in college and the youngest is a senior in high school. we are regularly attending ElkharCalvary Assembly of God.

We are trying to reach out to the community for help for Haiti after the terrible earthquake that has left them hopeless. It has been reported that over 200,000 people were killed. Although many nations around the world promise to help Haiti, those aids usually reach large communities rather than the small communities. Our relatives who live in Carrefour, Delmas, and Petion-vile were struck and have nothing left to keep them alive. Everything was destroyed including houses, chruches, schools, and markets.The people are starving, and our family and friends down there are no exception.They are seeping in the streets, under trees, and in other people's yards. My brother who is a well-known minister in Haiti has over 100 churches under his ministries, but his main church in Delmas has now been damaged. Fifty-two people are currently sleeping in his yard. Two of my wife's sisters and a nephew were missing but thankfully been found. One of my nieces is still missing.

I respectfully ask for your help. Please, pray for the Haitian people and send financial donations to our sponsor, Salem Pre-school, so that I may return to my homeland and help my family and everyone in my community.

If you can, we are asking for financial assistance of any amount that you maybe able to share. We assure you, the Capre family will be forever grateful. If you have any questions or would like additional information, Please call Chris Chrobot at 574-674-8190 or 574-674-8293. Please feel free to share this request with anybody else who you think may be able to help this wonderful family. Pleas make all checks out to Salem Pre-school and mail them to : Help for Haiti, c/o Chris Chrobot, 52173 Ash Road, Granger IN, 46530. On the memo line of your check, please write "Help for Haiti". All donations are tax deductible. It is very important to get help to Haiti soon so please make your donation as soon as possible. Thank you so very much and may God Bless You.

UPDATE TO HELP FOR HAITI

In a short time, nearly $7,000 was donated for Esler Capre's mission to get back to his homeland in Haiti to directly help the survivors of the January 12th earthquake. Late on Febuary 4th, he boarded a bus to Chicago, then took a plane to Miami, and finally flew to Santo Domingo.  There he spent the night and in the morning of February 6th, he got on a bus and rode more than 10 hours to get to Petion-ville in Haiti. There he slept in a field under the stars with many other Haitians. On Sunday, February 7th, Esler began ministering to his people. Sunday morning began with church services, prayers, singing, and reaching out to the suffering Hairians. On Monday, he began shopping and distributing food, medical supplies, and other necessities to the people in the small communities of Carrefour, Delmas, and Petion-ville where his friends and relatives lived.

We want to thank you so very much for your loving gifts that provided help and hope in Haiti.

Every year Salem Pre-school has a special theme. This year our theme is “Sharing God’s Bucket of Love” based on Carol McCloud’s book, Have You Filled a Bucket Today? This book explains to children that we all carry an invisible bucket in which we keep our feelings. When our buckets are full, we are happy; when they are empty, we are sad. (It’s a new twist on the Golden Rule.) Bucket fillers are those who are happy to help others. YOU are a bucket filler!

You have filled our buckets to overflowing with your amazing and generous response to our plea to help Esler Capre return to Haiti to help his relatives and friends. When Esler was ready to leave for Haiti, he said he was so nervous he hadn’t eaten or slept for 5 days. He was anxious to go but he knew he was embarking on a very difficult mission. He took with him two suitcases filled with necessities the Haitian people desperately needed.  He also took with him over $5,000.

For many of Esler and Kathy’s relatives in Haiti, their world changed on January 12, 2010, because the area in which they lived was heavily damaged by the earthquake. In February when Esler arrived in Haiti, he saw firsthand the devastation of the quake.  The roads were lined with makeshift tent cities. Some tents were crudely put together using whatever materials their occupants could find such as bed sheets and scraps of cardboard.   Esler’s brother, a pastor whose church was damaged, had over 50 families living in his front yard.

He said, “It is impossible to describe the extent of this tragedy. The devastation is endless. It is difficult to look in the eyes of women, men, and children who have been waiting for aid since January 12^th and who are so desperate.” Esler was able to provide food, water, tarps, medical supplies, and other necessities to his family and friends who survived the catastrophic earthquake. Because local supplies were so scarce, Esler had to rent a truck to travel to Gonaives to get food and supplies. He was able to leave at least a month’s supply of food (mostly rice, beans, spaghetti, and oil) and other necessities ( laundry soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, deodorant, shampoo, towels, washcloths) to families in three communities.

Esler spent approximately $3,500 on food and other necessities, $750 on medical supplies purchased in Gonaives (medication, a blood pressure monitor, bandages), $900 on tents, tarps, plastic sheeting, and beds, and $800 in cash given to Kathy’s family, Esler’s pastor brother, and people with major injuries. In addition almost $800 was used for transportation expenses, a border pass, a calling card, and other necessary travel expenses.

Esler returned to the United States with tears in his eyes and only the clothes on his back. He left everything (including his suitcases) in the small communities of Carrefour, Delmas, and Petion-ville.   Through your gifts, Esler was able to minister to the people in these three small towns as a nurse and as a pastor. Thank you so very much for providing the resources to Esler so we could reach out to the people in these small communities in his native country. Your prayers and support have provided hope and filled many “buckets” in Haiti as well as ours. God bless you for all you did! Thank you for being a bucket filler!



In Esler and Kathy’s own words …Thank you for the prayers, words of encouragement, and support as we brought your help to the Haitian people. It was an honor to go to Haiti, and it was a blessing for those who were able to receive food, medical supplies, cash, and other items according to their needs. In Haiti whenever we prayed for and spoke about you who donated financially from your family to my family, we looked toward heaven because to us and to the Haitian people we helped, you are angels sent from God. You are ordinary, anonymous people who appeared in our lives, and did something wonderful.   We’ll probably never mee,t but the love you shared will be forever in our hearts. Together we were able to bring little splashes of joy to Haiti which reminded all of us to appreciate the blessings we have been given.

As you know, recovering from the earthquake will be a long-term process so please continue to keep the Haitian people in your prayers. At this time Salem Pre-school is in the process of collecting gently used clothing, shoes, and other necessities which will be sent to Haiti. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please feel free to contact us at 574-875-7249 or Salem Pre-school at 574-674-8293. If you would like to view some pictures from the trip, please log on to www.newsalemumc.org.   Thank you and God bless!

                                                                                                            From Esler and Kathy Capre