Pastor Alceus Daceste, an evangelist friend of Pastor Henocs, lives in Gonaives where he has a radio ministry.  In the past, he has preached at the crusades held in Grande Riviere du Nord.  In 2004 he took in a group of orphans following a hurricane in Gonaives that left them homeless and orphaned.  He put them in a house and found a man and a woman to look after them. Pastor Daceste had no formal, regular support to use to take care of them, just random donations occassionally received.  These children were often hungry.  During the hurricane at the end of the summer of 2008, these children lost the house they were living in together and were forced to survive several days on a roof while they watched the deep flood waters carry dead animals and people past them.  Pastor Alceste contacted Pastor Henoc on a cell phone asking for help and Henoc and Guerline decided to take these children into their home.  Pastor Henoc drove as close as he could get to Gonaives and waited for Pastor Alceste and the children to meet him.    Once the waters receded enough to allow the children to get off the roof,  the children walked through the mountains all day to meet Henoc. They had no shoes and the only the clothes they owned were the ones they were wearing.  Pastor Henoc has returned to Gonaives several times to explore the possibility of returning the children to their home.  Gonaives is filled with huge piles of dried mud.  Most schools and businesses are not operating yet.  There is nothing for the children to return to.  The orphans continue to live with the Luciens and they are enrolled in school at College Susan Schuenke in Cap Haitien.

After Christmas, some friends and supporters of VOHM visited the Luciens in Haiti.  They met and fell in love with the children Pastor Henoc rescued from Gonaives.    They are organizing support to build a home for these orphans on the property next to the Lucien home.  Money to buy the land has already been raised and the land has been purchased.   An estimated $15,000.00 U.S. is needed to build a home for the orphans. The goal is to have the orphans living in this house with house parents by the end of the summer of 2009.  This home is being established to be house these children until each of them has finished school.  Those interested in helping to fund this building project can do so by making a donation to the Orphan Fund found here.

While fund raising and construction for the permanent home for these children is underway, there is a monthly expense for supporting their needs.  It costs approximately $1500 per month to feed and properly care for these children.   Those interested in supporting these children in this way can do so by making donations to our Orphan Fund  here.

Below you will find a gallery of pictures of the children rescued from Gonaives.  Click on any picture to see an enlarged image of that child and to start a slide show of all the pictures.  Please keep these children in your prayers as we work to care for them.