Dear Friend in Christ,
15 August 2006
It’s time for school to begin again and Jonique Saint-Felix holds an
acceptance letter from Bethany College, Bethany,WV. An exceptional
student, Jonique is all smiles and excitement as she pictures herself finally
becoming all that she can be.
Unfortunately, her letter, which was dated November 1, 2005 for the
spring semester 2006, went unanswered. Jonique was unable to attend.
Grinding poverty and political turmoil that are difficult for most U.S.
students and their parents to fathom have crushed this young woman’s plans.
You see, Jonique is a Haitian National, currently living in the majestic
mountains that backdrop the troubled city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The small
town of Bel-Air, just outside of Petion-ville, is her home and the setting for
her primary and secondary education. Her schooling has taken place in
humble roots and was provided through a sponsorship program in her local
church.
Evangelical Church of the United Hearts (Eglise Evangelique Coeurs
Unis, EECU), a Haitian-based Christian ministry located in Bel-Air, has
been the source of Jonique’s foundation in education as well as her basis for
faith and morality. EECU has been providing sponsorship and support to the
children of this area for over twenty years. This program has been the source
of food, uniforms, books and school supplies to hundreds of beautiful
children.
Recently my husband, Mathew Reven, made the trip to Haiti to visit
his long-time friend, Vragne Liberus, founder and president of the EECU.
As president of United Hearts International (UHI), the U.S. partner of
EECU, Mathew was privileged to meet many different people in rural
southeastern Haiti. During his stay, he was able to gather vital information
and begin to formulate a needs assessment report for UHI.
He came away with many thoughts and ideas but forefront of these
thoughts was the certainty that the young adults of Haiti need our help now.
More specifically, five young adults deserve our immediate attention. The
educated minds of these four young men and one young woman represent
the fruit of years of dedicated sponsorship programs into which generous
supporters throughout the U.S. have invested. Now that these students have
reached the end of their secondary education there are few doors open. In a
country where college is almost nonexistent and where families are hardpressed to eat let alone finance an education, the dreams of these fine young
adults will wither in the harsh reality of the Haitian sun if we do not continue
our support.
Let me tell you about Jean Nelso Anacius, a twenty-four-year-old
young man who has a passion for music. Since he was a boy tracking
through the dust and rubble in the streets of his mountain town of Bel-Air ,
he has been composing and performing his own musical creations. He
dreams of owning his own recording studio and producing top quality
music. At present he puts his talents to use serving as the worship leader in
his local church. Expressive and full of potential, he leads his community in
song and brings joy to his beautiful but pitifully impoverished and harsh
surroundings.
In Haiti, there is no money to pay a worship leader and provide him
with means to support his family. Jean’s father died four years ago and he,
as the oldest son, feels the heavy weight of responsibility for his mother and
siblings. He has so much to offer and Mathew describes the look in his eyes
as “eager and determined”. My husband said, “When we spoke about a
possibility of hope in the future, the tears welled up in Jean’s eyes and he
shook my hand hard and looked me in the eye forever it seemed. It was like I
had become his father and the tears were there in my eyes and I knew I had
to do something to help him.”.
The other four young adults have similar stories and their expressive
ebony eyes burn with hope and need and the desire to be given a chance.
United Hearts International wants to provide a way to bring these
students to the U.S.. Provide room and board and tuition money as well as a
way for them to earn money to send back home to their families. We need
individuals or groups who would be willing to open up their lives and make
a lasting difference in the lives of Jonique, Jean, Elner Larame, and , Rock
Junior. Please contact us at United Hearts International today at 304-8294825, or [email protected]. We are looking for your ideas, input and
support. You can be a blessing.
Sincerely,
Marian Reven, Secretary UHI
Mathew and Marian Reven
PO Box 135
Bethany, WV 26032
Jean Nelso Anacius - Music
Elner Larame - Medicine
Johny Veillard - Law
Rocky Junior - Business
Jonique Saint-Felix - Education