Haiti Lifeline Introduction Video (Windows Media format)
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Video Transcript
Nicole Dieudonne - Director of Lifeline in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti
In the orphange we have 75 kids from 0 to 17 years old. They stay here until they
reach age 20. We provide school, food and everything.
Second, we have the education program. We have 350 kids in the school and we also
provide them food, a hot meal a day. This school is not like a regular school it
is a school for poor people in the village and we have about 14 people helping with
this and we really need help for this. And the children in this school they will
be able to have the skills also with Lifeline 2000 where we'll have the computer
class and sewing class for them so they can face the future with some skills.
We have the health program. We have a clinic for poor people, a community clinic
for the poor people that can not go and pay big money.
Lifeline also provides food and soap for the community.
Lifeline provides clean water as well.
John Ratzlaff - Haiti Lifeline Ministries - Hesston, Kansas
My name is John Ratzlaff and my wife and I got involved in the Haiti Lifeline Orphanage
a little more than 10 years ago. The way this all came about was that we had gone
through a time of spiritual recommitment in our lives back in the late 90's. Through
a matter of several different events that came along we met Nicole Dieudonne from
Haiti who is the administrator here at this orphanage. At that time Nicole was at
a point where she had lost most of her support through some other circumstances
(including) government transitions over through the 90's and she was about to lose
the orphanage. She and her husband Daniel were praying that God would send someone
to help them get this orphanage going again.
Doug Thiessen - Haiti Lifeline Ministries - Hesston, Kansas
I was on the first work team to Lifeline from Kansas. A little rag tag group of
guys.... I think there was 5 of us and what's here today is very little of what
was here in 2000. It's a miracle what God has done in this little compound since
2000. From the wall project around to making the entire grounds useful, the boys
dorm. There wasn't even a girls dorm at that time. There were just some walls that
another team group had put up. It took us three years to get that project done.
I just give glory to God for the work getting out of here in Croix-des-Bouquets and
what Nicole has done.
John Ratzlaff
Late 1998 Nicole sent us a letter and invited us to come to Haiti and we felt that
was definitely an answer to our prayers. God had made our names on their hearts
and so they invited us. We came to Haiti in March of 1999, which is 9 years ago
now. We spent two weeks with them and through that time of getting acquainted and
seeing the work here they asked us if we would be willing to represent the orphanage
in the United States and we agreed to do that.
Doug Thiessen
I've been coming to Haiti since 1985 and God put a love in my heart for Haiti that
I can't do anything about. I have to just keep coming back and doing what I can
for the people of Haiti. The different places in Haiti that we've gone over the
years....... I just, God just put a love in my heart for Haiti that I can do nothing
about except keep coming back and helping. I don't what else to say on that.
John Ratzlaff
By the year 2004 (about 5 years later) the support was growing to the point that
we felt it was justified to set up a tax free Christian charity within the Unites
States. We did that in 2004. It is known today as Haiti Lifeline Ministries and
it is headquartered out of Hesston Kansas. We are now continuing to grow as an organization
and we have some new churches that are coming on occasionally. Our support continues
to grow and so we know that God is doing something that is very dear to the heart
of God. He continues to bless His work at the Lifeline orphanage in Croix-des-Bouquets,
Haiti.
Today we are here with the 2008 team - the first team that's here for the year.
There are several more coming right after us. We continue to help Nicole with various
projects, building projects, maintenance, encouraging her and the children and being
part of their lives for about a 10 day work trip. Every year the teams are very
blessed to be here and to see what life is like in Haiti and specifically here at
the Lifeline Orphanage. So we invite you to talk to people that have been involved
in this ministry and have had the experience of coming here and we pray that God
continues to bless His work at the Lifeline Orphanage in Haiti.
Mark 9:36-37
Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them,
"Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives
Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me."