Transform Blog

To My Frazer Family,
 
Bonjou!! Greetings from Port au Prince, Haiti!! This morning I am honored to write to you all on behalf of the hundreds of deaf families who are currently pursuing a new and beautiful life for themselves here in Haiti.
 

Frazer teams and the Frazer family have truly been a massive and incredibly beautiful part of this project that is redefining culture in Haiti and making history in deaf culture around the world.
 

Less than 1 year ago 540 people in the deaf community were residing in tents and temporary shelters on the outskirts of Cite Soleil, one of the most dangerous slums in the world. The deaf families in this location experienced extra violence and persecution due to the Haitian cultural mentality which views deaf people as the lowest class of citizen. Suffering, struggling to survive, living in constant fear of violence, rape, and starvation . . . this is where we found the deaf community a year and a half ago.
 

Through the work of the Frazer family, the 410 Bridge, and many other partner organizations, one half of the deaf families are now living in permanent and safe homes in a beautiful village named Leveque (the second half will be relocating over the next 6 months) – starting in new education programs, literacy classes, agriculture classes that have led to the cultivation of beautiful gardens, playing every week in a community soccer league, drinking clean water that is cheap enough for every family to afford, and most importantly – clearly finding a new confidence and empowerment to pursue all of those endeavors.
 

As we move forward over the next year, missions teams from Frazer UMC and the 410 Bridge will continue to be VITAL to the health and growth of the deaf community in Haiti. We have projects and programs in every area of development with the deaf. To name just a few:
 

1. Education – literacy programs, tutoring programs, english classes for the village, children’s musical education, work with the adult deaf choir, teacher training programs, parent training programs, vocational training, small business support, medical education . . .

 

2. Work projects – painting homes, cultivating gardens, water treatment, construction of chicken coops, training for masonry and carpentry, leveling of land for recreation areas . . .

 

3. Spiritual Development and Church programs – VBS for children, adult bible studies, mentoring and life groups, dramatic biblical interpretations, pastors training, dedicated prayer time with deaf families, spiritual empowerment and leadership training . . .

 

4. Recreation – community soccer league, development of community recreation including soccer, basketball, track and field, children’s games, coaching training, empowerment of youth through leadership in athletics, development of community Special Olympics providing programming for dozens of people with special needs, . . .

 

5. Medical – mobile clinics, dental clinics, need for nurses, community health education . . .

 

Frazer family – this list is by no means comprehensive or inclusive of everything we need moving forward over the next year. I know it seems like a long list, but believe me when I write that there is so much more happening down here that we need you all to be a part of.
 

We obviously have great need for teachers, engineers, skilled carpenters and masons, medical personnel, pastors, interpreters, artists, business people, etc… ABOVE ALL – WE NEED PEOPLE WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THE LORD, EXCITED TO SHARE HIS WORD, AND WILLING TO BE TOUCHED AND CHANGED BY THE REMARKABLE STORY THAT IS BEING LIVED RIGHT NOW BY THE DEAF COMMUNITY IN HAITI.
 

1. People ready to speak into and be part of a story that is making history in Haiti and that is making history in the world.

 

2. WE ARE ATTEMPTING SOMETHING THAT HAS NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE, THAT IS WHY WE NEED HELP.

 

The Lord has blessed this project abundantly through the vision of leaders, the hard work of many people, the grace we can offer one another through challenging times, and the beautiful vision of what COULD BE here in Haiti.
 

As the person who has led this endeavor from the ground for many months now (and will continue to for many years), the indication of God’s provision has been shown most powerfully through the hearts that the Frazer family has shared with the deaf, and the hearts that the deaf have shared in return. Material development and the sharing of your gifts will always be important when you travel to Haiti, but remember that the most important item that you bring with you when you travel here is the love that the Lord has placed on your heart for our deaf family – that is the heart that has begun to empower the community and give them the confidence to pursue greater dreams for themselves, all the while coming to Christ and praising His name for how mightily He is working in His beautiful creation.
 

As I write to you all often, I call you once again to take this leap of faith and come to Haiti on a missions trip. The Lord has placed this amazing adventure on our hearts to redefine foreign missions, to redefine lives and to make history. I am thankful for how you have supported us so generously prayerfully and financially – if you are at the informational meeting today, I know it means that the Lord has been working on your heart to take this leap – I am encouraging you to TAKE IT!!! You will not regret it, and you will most likely leave Haiti forever changed by the chance to live this remarkable story with the deaf community. Your passion can serve to empower an entire community.
 

It is with great hope and fervent prayer that I hope to greet you one day soon at the Port au Prince airport as you arrive to share life with our Haitian brothers and sisters.
 

Grace and peace,
your missionary on the ground,

Kyle Reschke

Bonswa!! I hope this post finds you loving life in the pursuit of grand adventures. I write to you tonight after a beautiful sunset mountain bike ride over several rugged goat trails deep in the Haitian mountains. This week has been a good one, but I found myself craving some truly quiet and personal time – hence the long and rigorous mountain bike ride this evening.

About a month ago, Mackenson and I were sitting around the house with a few other deaf leaders. Our conversation turned to thoughts and plans for the future of not only this deaf community, but for all deaf people in Haiti. The leaders remarked that they would like to visit several of the schools currently offering at least some education for deaf children. There is a small school named Jubilee Christian Academy 2 hours away from Leveque that is run by a friend of ours named Franklyn. Last week we visited the school and I was honestly very impressed by the quality of education they are providing for young children in a very rough area of Haiti. My mind is immediately drawn to the possibilities of support and development of a school that has done so much with very little.

I look forward to many more meetings and brainstorming sessions with the deaf leaders surrounding the possibility of supporting them as they reach out to other deaf education programs in Haiti. My mind is also drawn to our need for an Interpreter Training Program and greater educational opportunities for many deaf adults who have never before gone to school. It is all exciting!!! This is also a sign to me that while the deaf at Leveque now there are many trials ahead, they have HOPE – a HUGE HOPE in what the future of this life has for them . . . In what the Lord has planned for them as a people who are even now redefining their culture.

After many hours in the car through horrendous traffic, several hours visiting schools, and other work projects throughout the day, I arrived back at Leveque to drop off Mackenson and Alexis. Upon entering Leveque we noticed a gathering of several deaf people. Mack informed me that William was leading deaf church and a time of prayer that the deaf community has been very disciplined in keeping every Tuesday and Thursday.

Well – of course we had to park and attend one of William’s first sermons ever as he is beginning to gain the confidence to be a spiritual leader of his community. I sat back feeling overwhelmed with emotion as I watched William passionately preaching in sign language. For him to come up to me afterwards and say, “I need even more time learning and time in the Bible” was humbling to me. We have been engaged regularly in study together, but this day William made the request for disciplined time together studying the Word with every visit I make to Leveque.

With every team and with every visit, William has his notebook handy in order to learn all he can. In this, William exhibits for me the very picture of a servant leader – something everyone of us, myself especially, needs to observe more regularly. In order to be a good leader we must always remain passionate and disciplined learners. It is from those who ask us to teach that we have a lot to learn from.

We see again the power of encouragement – the beauty in empowering people. William’s passion has come from the Lord, and the Lord has used several people as tools to further ignite that passion and provide needed encouragement and instruction. For those of you reading this blog, you know who you are. Take a look at these pictures and know that the Lord has used you mightily to raise up a spiritual leader in Haiti. AMEN!!!

To close today, I include a prayer from my journals:

Lord, we thank and praise you for reminders of our need for humility. For people who are crying out to learn as much as possible – as they remind us of the need to learn and to serve. Lord, today I lift up Pastor William, I lift up Franklyn, I lift up all of the leaders at Leveque . . . Lord, please grant them the strength and the humility to remain learners, and to share that passion with their countrymen. Lord, tonight we praise you for the joy of working together – the joy of life in the center of Your will as we pursue the callings you have placed on our hearts. Lord, in days like today that are filled with joy and hope we praise You. Lord, on days that seem more difficult, and in months and years that challenge us mightily we ask that you give us Your strength and Your courage so that we may see the infinite hope through everything. In Your name I pray today. AMEN.

I hope you all are having a great week. Your prayers for strength and for the experience of joy together are being answered.

grace and peace,

Kyle