“If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”-James 2:15-17

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Doorway to Peace is grateful to all of you who have faithfully given to support this ministry as it has faced the challenge of educating the children of Pilgrim School and caring for the practical needs of the people of Faugasse, Haiti after the earthquake of August 2021.  Thanks to the tireless work of our administrator and staff at Pilgrim School, the education of our students has not been disrupted.  In fact, we have seen our students serving as tutors to other children in the area.  We also are grateful to God for the gift of a school counselor who is helping the students to address the social and emotional needs that they have in the face of the trauma of the earthquake and housing instability.  We have recently been visited by the Department of Education in Haiti and received full accreditation to be a K-12 school (we currently serve children in grades K-9)! 

As we look to the needs of the larger community, like the apostle James, we see many people in need of food.  One way we are looking to fill that need is by using some of the school’s land to house a farm.  The school has a ¼ acre lot that has already been used to raise pigs and chickens. Our hope is to expand this farm with the help of Pilgrim School staff and students. This livestock will help to care for the community by providing gifts of meat to our neighbors on special holidays; in this way, we can tangibly show the love of Christ.  The farm will also supplement the food we are able to offer our students while they are at school.  In time, we hope that it will provide supplementary income for the school as we sell livestock at the local market.  

As we look to the future, we feel an urgency to continue to impact the spiritual atmosphere in Haiti.  We sincerely believe that prayer for the nation of Haiti is essential to joining with God in the redemptive and restorative work He is doing.  The ministry owns land dedicated to a Prayer Center, and architectural plans have been drafted for this Center.  Our dream is to host 24/7 prayer for the nation as well as trainings and retreats to equip prayer warriors throughout Haiti.  As we modify our architectural plans to adjust to the building supply shortages the nation is facing, we look forward to offering our financial partners a way to support this vital ministry.

Praise Reports:

• Pilgrim School’s year has continued despite the earthquake, and we are seeing students succeed academically and heal from the trauma they have faced.  Praise God for the faithfulness of the school administrator and staff!

• God’s provision of land for both a school farm and future prayer center.

Prayer Requests:

• Provision of $1,000 to expand Pilgrim School’s farm.  Pray that gifts to livestock will continue to build bridges of love and openings for the gospel.

• Help needed to modify Prayer Center plans and provide an estimate of the cost of this work.  Pray for a team of people to catch the vision for this center and see its building to completion.

You may write checks payable to Doorway to Peace at the address below or donate here. 

Doorway to Peace, Inc.

P.O. Box 551

Dunstable, MA 01827

Thank you!

Dear friends,

We, as the board of directors of Doorway to Peace, would like to thank you for another year of support - both spiritual and financial. We have much to be grateful for as we think of all of the people that have had a hand in the work being done in Haiti with Doorway to Peace this year and years prior. God has been at work, and is at work now, using (y)our very own hands and feet. Please join us in taking some time at the end of the year to pause and acknowledge His goodness and righteousness, power, and grace. 

For those unaware, Pilgrim School and general operations for the organization were essentially on hold through most of the Fall. Haiti has experienced what feels like a perpetual pattern of political unrest for years, and this Fall was quite tumultuous with protests and violent demonstrations as organized groups demanded the resignation of the nation’s president. The crisis was particularly stark in Les Cayes, the coastal city near Faugasse where Doorway to Peace resides. The unrest disrupted schools, hospitals, orphanages, and other emergency services all around. Things finally settled down enough to start Pilgrim School back up in early December. All teachers were present, including newly hired teachers and 4 teachers for our newly added 7th grade! The headmaster’s plan is to add a grade level every year until we have a full high school.

As mentioned in the previous newsletter, we are starting a computer class as soon as we have the technology attained, and the music class is set to kickoff in January. We are still seeking instruments and computers, so please reach out if you think you may be able to help with either. Another new addition to Pilgrim School, addressing a very serious concern and need, is a subsidized snack shop that has just opened up to provide students with items such as cereal and grains, fruit, peanut butter, bread, juice, and clean water. Thank you to those that have donated directly to support this endeavor. We hope to continue to expand what we can offer children in terms of food in the future, as we work on building out a new bakery and other forms of sustainability at the school. 

Please continue to pray for Pilgrim School, Doorway to Peace, and the country of Haiti. There are countless hurdles, but we know that God is good and in control. Pray that the people of Haiti would experience his goodness and sovereignty. Despite some dark and rocky circumstances, we find ourselves filled with hope and joy this season as we consider what’s in store for this organization.

It is our hope that you may be, too, filled with hope and joy as you consider what’s in store for your own life. Thank you so much for donating, praying, and partnering with us! You are a critical part of the work being done with Doorway to Peace. We wish you a blessed holiday season and New Year!

Sincerely,

Jon Trapp

Board Member, Doorway to Peace

Greetings! With one month into the school year, we are entering a new, exciting era for the ministry. Though 2018 presented numerous challenges for Doorway to Peace, we have felt God’s grace and blessing during both hard and good times, and are entering the next school year with an ambitious strategy for expanding our efforts to help the children and people of the Faugausse region. The new leadership of the school, reformed financial and board structure, and revenue from growth in our student body will allow us to double our efforts and expand into new areas of enrichment and support. 

But we can’t do this alone. Now more than ever, we’re relying on you, our faithful supporters, to help us build our ministries and sustain our operations. We’ll tell you how in this newsletter. 

New Leadership and Staff

The school’s new headmaster, Gerard Barnaby, has devoted his time to help us grow the school and comply with the recently introduced regulations regarding minimum grade numbers. Through an incremental plan negotiated with the Haitian government, we will be adding seventh-grade classes at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year.

The hiring of new teachers and addition of students sufficient to meet this goal is the result of tireless efforts by the school administrators and its supporting board to increase enrollment. A radio advertisement campaign launched last year; advertisements air on a frequent basis. 

New Programs

In addition to direct appeals to prospective students, we are proceeding with an aggressive campaign to add subjects taught at the school and create revenue sources. These will accomplish not only the aim of adding day-to-day necessary revenue, but also, ensure that the ministry is financially sound, provide a well-rounded education and more broad services, and most importantly, reach the people of Faugausse with God’s word. 

In specific, the school will be adding a technical program, teaching students trades to improve their skills and employment opportunities. Addition of a modular structure is in process to host shop classes; this can be built cheaply and quickly. Welding, electricity, and mechanical education will be among the disciplines available. We’ll also be utilizing land owned by the ministry to begin agricultural education. 

The growing music education continues to be a priority for the school – the board has been seeking instruments to be shipped to the school so this program can begin. 

Bakery

We are working towards opening a bakery within this school year. This is because providing affordable, nutritious food to our students and the community is a priority, and because this will grow the ministry’s revenue. We estimate that being able to sell bread and other baked goods will bring in at minimum $10,000 USD per year.

We plan to purchase a stove, mixer, and sheeters in the year to come, to provide bread which will be sold throughout the region. We also plan to utilize farm lands. Our truck purchase last year makes such an operation possible, as we can expand our scope of possible business. 

How You Can Help 

In order to achieve these goals, we need your support. Opening the bakery in particular is expensive: full buildout, including constructing the bakery space itself, buying cooking materials, and adding a stove, will cost $20-25,000. If you are able, we ask that you consider a donation to help us meet this goal. Additionally or alternately, we welcome donations of cooking supplies, such as mixers, to assist in the short or long term. 

Our trade, technology, and agricultural programs also require high investment. A welding machine alone will cost about $4,000. Donations in the form of tools or electronics are appreciated as well: any mechanical tools, toolboxes, or electronic testers would be of great benefit. Gardening tools are required for our agricultural program. As we continue to expand use of technology where useful, donations of laptops, 20-30 computer monitors, a projector/screen, and computer server would be greatly appreciated; we hope to meet a goal of $4-6,000 for technical programs.  We continue to seek musical instruments for our music students: there is a particular need for violins, clarinets, and saxophones. 

Lastly, with a clinic later this month and in the Spring, please prayerfully consider giving your time or support. This biannual program allows us to connect the people of Faugausse with medication and basic treatment at affordable rates – in Haiti, even cough medicine is expensive and hard to come by.

This is just a brief snapshot of our aspirations for the 2019-2020 school year and the years to come. God’s grace is foremost in allowing us to provide this vital ministry and service. If we make these investments now, we can become more self-sustaining in the future. Your efforts have greatly strengthened us through a difficult time, and allowed us to emerge as prepared as ever to fulfill this calling. 

Sincerely,

Ethan Finlan

Clerk, Doorway to Peace