Haiti Training Program, Empowering Local Communities for Transformation

This is a letter to explain a little bit more of the school we are planning to run in Haiti:

Introduction

YWAM (Youth With A Mission) is an international, inter-denominational, non-profit Christian missionary organization. It has existed for 50 years and currently has a staff of over 16,000 people from more than 150 different nationalities, operating in 171 nations worldwide. YWAM trains over 25,000 short-term mission volunteers annually, and is involved in educational training, church planting, business missions, and relief and development services.

YWAM Belo Horizonte (Brazil) has existed for 24 years, focusing on working with children at risk, as well as training and inspiring others to do so. We, Johan & Jeannette Lukasse founded this work in Belo Horizonte, and continue to lead these efforts to this day.

In January 2010, a small team of YWAM staff from Brazil (including Johan) spent 3 weeks in Haiti to help in the post-earthquake relief efforts. Our goal was to assess the situation in order to provide long-term support to Haiti, particularly in the area of children in need. They were stationed in the National Police Headquarters, and served with Misión Rescate ( led by YWAM Santo Domingo) in the medical clinic set up there, besides distributing food in orphanages and other “tent cities.” They also participated in Unicef and Unesco meetings on Education and Child Protection.

At the same time, Pr. Mario from Brazil, working with the NGO M.A.I.S. was in Haiti, developing a network with 30 local pastors who were not receiving any other sort of assistance. The network formed is led locally by Pr. Vijonet. Pr. Mario is working with Brazilian churches to offer relief-type assistance to these pastors and the populations they serve. He has taken several teams to Haiti to provide food, water, shelter for these contacts during the past few months. He has also developed a plan for long-term support of these church communities, and realizes the importance of training as an essential component of building strong, self-sustaining communities.

The following is a proposal for a training program in Haiti, emanating from the needs seen during the 3-week visit to Haiti, and from networking with other leaders and organizations.

Purpose

The purpose of this program is to train about 50 key community members from regions affected by the January 2010 earthquake in the areas of Child Protection, Leadership/Discipleship and Community Development, so they may, in turn, work to rebuild their communities in these areas, focusing especially on children and youth.

Format

The training includes theoretical and practical components. Students and staff will live and study on site. Classes are held Monday through Friday (mornings and evenings). Morning classes are on Child Protection & Community Development. Evening classes focus on Leadership/Discipleship. In the afternoons students work with the population in the camps, applying the strategies and principles acquired during the lectures.

Content

This course is a combination of 4 distinct YWAM courses:

1. Discipleship Training School (DTS) – basic training in missions, focusing on relational aspects of Christianity and Biblical principles for living. This training is provided by YWAM around the world as basic staff training.

2. Children at Risk Course (CAR) – training for working with children in need: street children, orphans, abused/neglected youth, children with special needs.

3. Foundations of Community Development (FCD) – training on working with communities in impoverished or adversely affected areas.

4. Teacher Training – preparation for teachers in basic principles of Education.

The goal is to adapt these courses to the reality of post-earthquake Haiti.

Some of the classes are: Understanding Community Development, Community Health, Strategies for Working with Children at Risk, Project Planning, Communication & Leadership, HIV, Bereavement, Creativity with Children, Child Development, Curriculum Development, Classroom Dynamics, Storytelling, Trauma Counseling, Foster Care, Discipleship Training.

Speakers

YWAM has an international network of lecturers on these subjects, in addition to local staff and partnerships who will provide speakers on specific subjects. YWAM Belo is responsible all arrangements with speakers.

Duration

The training is from October 4th – December 25th, 2010. Total: 3 months.

Location

This course is to take place in Port-au-Prince. Arrangements for a location are under way. Students and staff will live and work/study within close distance of internally displaced population sites, so they may serve those communities as part of the training.

Finances

YWAM staff is responsible for their own finances through private donors. The cost per student is currently being studied. The current estimate is that the approximate cost will be US$250 per student per month. There is a possibility of Brazilian churches sponsoring the students of the course.

Needs:

• Water
• Food
• Bathrooms
• Printing 
• Books
• Classroom materials
• Internet/Projection system
• Sound sytem
• Chairs
• Transportation for the students

If you would like to participate and give financially towards those needs, please get in contact with us through our email.
If you would like to help us personally you can find in our contact info on the right, how to give to us if you live in the USA, UK or in Australia. For other countries, please get in contact with us.

Please pray for this school!

Newsletter 136, August 2010

Dear family and friends,


"Is God asking the impossible of you?" asked the English pastor during our weekly Thursday evening service on our YWAM base in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The question touched me. Yes, it actually felt as if God asked too much... I looked around me. The hall was crowded with staff and children from all our eight different homes, with volunteers who had given up their holidays to come and help us, and with guests from the local churches.

Johan was not in the service, as he had gone to Haiti this week to prepare for a school we will be running from October 2 to December 25 to train local young people and empower local communities for transformation. And that was what was troubling me a little; I had no doubt that God had led us together to offer help after the earthquake in Haiti, especially to train people to reach out to the children in need. But even after seeing God do so many miracles, directing us to the right people, opening doors, confirming it over and over again that these were His plans for us, we were still worried how to combine this with leading the YWAM base in Belo Horizonte, with around 100 full time staff, plus leading the Children at Risk School in Belo, which will start late August. How could we do all of this? Was God asking the impossible? Well, yes, it sure felt like it!

Impossible to do in our own strength, impossible to do with our own resources, impossible to manage everything... but then I found out that this is exactly the place where God wants me, where He says: "Trust me, with me it is possible!” We are going to do this together with God; scary and exciting at the same time! Will you pray for us?

Naiomi, Eva and Davi

In early April, our granddaughter Naiomi was born. She is the sister of Iara and the daughter of Johanneke and Jonathan, who are on staff here on the base. What a wonderful experience to be at her birth, and what a darling little child with long, dark blond hair and big blue eyes. And then in June, our sixth grandchild, Eva, was born on the day we returned from our trip to India and Australia. So I went directly from the airport to the hospital. She is the sister of Igor and the daughter of Michele and Romeu, who are also missionaries, living and working one hour away from Belo Horizonte. She has pitch black hair and a complexion as if she has been sunbathing; a lovely child. What a joy and what a blessing! To top it off Davi came to visit us for a month. He is our youngest son, who is physically and mentally challenged and lives in a Christian residential community in Holland. What a wonderful family time we had!

Iara, Jonathan, Johanneke and Naiomi

Igor, Romeu, Michele and Eva

Davi, busy with handicraft.

We want to thank you all who support us through prayer, encouragements by email, and financial gifts. Without such support we could not do all the work we are doing!

We wish you God's abundant blessings!

Johan and Jeannette Lukasse

Prayer Point :

• Thank God for His faithfulness; He can be trusted with all our needs. Pray that in all impossible situations, we will hold onto Him.

Last week Johan went back to Haiti to speak and participate in a conference for 150 Haitian pastors and leaders. He writes:

On February 12, one month after the earthquake in Haiti, I was sleeping in the open air in downtown Port-au-Prince near the collapsed government palace, when all of a sudden at 5:30 in the morning I woke up. Someone shouted very loudly “Halleluuuuuujah”: they were testing a very powerful sound system right in front of the palace!

That was the beginning of three days of worship, praise and declarations of hundreds of thousands of Haitians that Haiti belongs to Jesus Christ. Until that moment I had felt little hope for the future of Haiti, but when I witnessed these revival services, I began to believe, that because of the church, Haiti can have a better future.

Last week this belief was reinforced when I was back in Haiti for a conference of pastors and leaders in Port au Prince. Being among them during worship seemed to be a foretaste of heaven. Their hunger and thirst for the Word of God was so refreshing to see! Receiving their hugs and gratitude simply because we had taken the trouble to be with them, filled me with a feeling of great gratitude and a better understanding of how privileged we are to serve the Lord Jesus among the nations.

Our bedroom in Haiti. This pic was taken at 5.30 in the morning, quiet time...

In October we plan to go back to Haiti again, myself and Jeannette and some other missionaries, to conduct a school of three months for approximately 50-100 young Haitians and to train them to become agents of change in their communities. The school will focus on community development, protection of children in situations of risk and education.

We believe that God will primarily use the church use to change the reality in Haiti. Pray with us for this nation.