Dan and Gillian Shoemaker - Serving the Lord in HAITI: Blog

Hurricane after Hurricane

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:54:22 GMT

Hanna and Ike are house hold words in Haiti now. Thank you for the many emails of concern and prayers for safety. We thank the Lord for the protection he has given us all at OMS. We are safe and dry. We have many messages from our pastors that they have not faired so well. Many of our churches and schools are flooded and many people have lost everything in the flood waters. Missionary Flights is an airline support system to us at OMS Haiti. Some of the photos posted to the left (September photos) are on their website, as other missionaries have collected photos from their areas of the country. Raising food prices were already enough to devistate many families and now this on top. We can't help but wonder how they are going to manage. This is a country that shares all they have. One by one people will give and recieve and livelyhoods will be restored. God is their encourager.

Introducing TiMac

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:44:09 GMT

August brought the cries of new life and joy as God and his family welcomed McLaurenz Anderson Jean... lovingly nicknamed TiMac. Just over 6 pounds and two weeks early, he is a wee bundle. New parents Carline and Karly are learning the finer art of parenthood... one day at a time...just like the rest of us.

Good byes are so hard

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:36:44 GMT

It was with sad hearts that we said good bye to our dear friends Colleen and Jussi Yrjana last weekend. They finished their one year term in Haiti and return to Vancouver Island, Canada. They have a burning heart to continue serving the Lord in missions but are not sure where that might be. As I learned from a friend today, it is not for us to know all the details but just to be prepared. Saying good bye is something a missionary does a lot...sometimes with the strength to hold back the tears and sometimes not...as was this case. We will be visiting them during our travels across Canada and the US in October and November.

Wake up

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:08:59 GMT

Live your life in such away that when you put your feet on the floor in the morning, Satan will say, "OH CRAP, she's awake again!"

Transformed by God

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:53:33 GMT

It is often our style of reporting to list our ministry accomplishments...things that hands and feet do. While those things continue to progress this month, we want to share with you what the Lord has been showing us and growing in us in the past months. We have been looking ahead to the fall and starting the process of planning a 2-month trip across the USA and Canada. We will meet with friends, family, supporters and churches- some who have been with us since the beginning of our time in Haiti. We will share about the wonderful things our eyes have seen during our 8-years here.

This trip is called "deputation", which has the underlying goal of raising funds to stay another 4 years in Haiti. This is often the hardest part of a missionary's life. We never want to see people as ATM machines...share a need and out comes the money. The Lord has shown us that sharing and giving should be transformational...on both sides. People uniting with the same goals, be it Christian education; feeding the hungry; sharing the Gospel; etc, should be transformed by God as they become more like Christ. Financial and prayer supporters are called to the same things as missionaries...they are just at a different place in the line. Is the person who throws the sand bag in the hole of the overflowing river more important that the one who filled the bag or the 100 people that passed the bag from hand to hand? No! Is the person who leads a sinner to Christ in prayer and more valuable than those who witnessed and mentored that person in the years before? No! You have followed our lives and have seen how we have been changed. We have only followed Christ for 10 years and 8 of those years have been here in Haiti! Being active in fulfilling the promises of God has changed us inside and out...it changes you, too! We want to hear how your lives have been changed.

We don't want our deputation tour to be about money. Pray specifically that our relationships will glorify God.

Parnters with you in great commission,

Dan and Gill

Hurricane Faye

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:38:27 GMT

For those of you who watched the weather channel, you might have followed FAYE. She looked pretty impressive on the satillite but in fact was hardly a poof here in north Haiti. Thanks to all who prayed for safety.

Karly and Carline's Wedding

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:57:25 GMT

If you have followed our lives in Haiti than you will know the name Karly and place he has in our family. We call him our son but have no papers to prove it. He is 26 and a student of architecture, now in Port au Prince. We met him almost 8 years ago and have loved him ever since. Karly married an angel, Carline, on July 19th. We could not have found him a more beautiful woman- inside and out. Karly's mom died when he was 13 and his dad has had no place in his life. As only the Lord can do, Karly was represented by 3 sets of parents at the wedding! Dan and I, Jussi and Colleen Yrjana, and Jim and Linda McIntosh -who surprised him and flew in for the big day.

Karly and Carline have a baby on the way. This is never God's plan...or a parent's... but we have full confidence that they are fully prepared and capable of the immense job that lays ahead of them. For those that know him from trips to Haiti and would like to send an email, you can reach them at joukaba25_391@yahoo.com .

Happy Canada Day

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:18:11 GMT

We are Canadians…surrounded by Americans… living in Haiti. After 8 years, we have subtly lost our “eh”, now translate hydro to electric and have almost forgot the taste of a fresh cup of Tim Hortons coffee. July 1^st week came with the blessing of meeting a fellow Canadian, far from home. Dan Stepaniuk is a school teacher in Hamilton, Ont, serving with the UN for a 6 month term in Haiti. Dan’s school raised funds to help build Starfish Kids schools through the encouragement of an active group called Joy and Hope of Haiti. He flew from Port au Prince to Cap Haitien on a big UN helicopter and spent the day touring the OMS ministries and seeing the finished results of his students' hard work. In the photo to the left (July Photos), we are standing with a school director in front of one of the schools. Dan has a wife and three children back home who miss him very much. We appreciate all their sacrifices. The UN presence has helped to give security and stability in the hopes of bringing economic investment and growth.

Round Peg in a Square Hole

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:32:43 GMT

As is life on the mission field...we have to take on jobs we aren't always equiped for. Dan has now taken on the role of Field Treasurer, along with Colleen Yrjana. She seems to have caught on well but as seen in the picture to the left (July Photos), Dan is not doing so well. We will miss John and Dorothy McCluskey very much. They have been a blast in the office all year. They will be back to cover for a couple of months this fall. They are real troopers to stand in the gap.

To every Pastor's wife

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:12:24 GMT

Pass this on to every Pastor's wife you know. I have a friend that showed this to the entire church to surprise her (pastor) husband on their anniversary. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY4khRpG8O8

Too FUNNY! No more sermons at the expence of the their wife's humiliation!

A New Attitude

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:21:17 GMT

The problems in Haiti can appear hopeless, desperate and overwhelming. It is so easy to judge Haitians with a sense of North American superiority and give a thousand practical solutions to solve the long list of downfalls from bad roads to a struggling government system. It is easy to see the consequences of illiteracy in every area of life. But stop! Look! Haitians are not people who are weak or unwise. This is a country of survivors! They have overcome slavery to become the first Black Republic. These are families that stick together, share and support each other through the generations. Rising out of poverty are educated, hard working visionaries.

Through Christ, there is hope for Haiti. Each elementary, secondary and seminary student that graduates gives thanks to many family members, friends and neighbors who financially and prayerfully supported them each year of their expenses. In Haiti, no one does anything alone. We see this cream of the crop using their education to support the next generation coming up behind them. These are the leaders we are so proud to partner with here in Haiti. We have to talk less and listen more. We have to stop giving answers before we ask the questions. Who knows Haiti better than the Haitians? Who was called to serve whom? It is with a new sense of humility that we want to learn from our peers. Pray with us, please.

OMS- 50 Years in Haiti

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:36:01 GMT

Happy 50th Anniversary OMS- Haiti!! Many delegates, visitors and past missionaries came to Haiti to help us give God the Glory for the great things He has done. How awesome it is to reflect back at old times and reminisce of the changes that have come to OMS in the past 50 years; more cars, worse roads, flights to north Haiti, better nutrition for the people, evolving and revolving governments, new construction, cell phones and internet,...and best of all...a growing church. We have celebrated in song, soccer, sharing of meals and sermons. God is good!!

Emmaus Graduation

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:32:46 GMT

It was a day of celebration when the friends and families of 25 graduates came together. The pastor from church in Saccenville graduated!!! You can see the joy just busting in the photo I took of him with his wife.

Haiti is in the news again

Wed, 14 May 2008 18:19:54 GMT

Haiti has reached the world news level again this month. Sadly, it is not to share all the wonderful things that are happening but news of more troubled times. If only the eyes of the world could see Haiti’s potential and the beauty of its people.

The media shares stories of Haitians succumbing to eating mud cookies to mask hunger pains. In no way do we want to diminish the serious condition of people’s lives; we do want to share the stories behind the cookies that you don’t hear. The mud cookies are not new to the Haitian diet and actually have nutritional value. The special soil they use has dietary minerals needed for nutrition. In recent months the price of food has exceeded many families.

Many of our kind hearted team members have asked what they can do to help. It has been amazing to see how we are all part of a solution, whether we are at the beginning, the middle or the end of the process. While OMS is not a disaster relief mission, nor are we equipped to feed mass populations, we do have access to and a working process for feeding 6000 needy children in Haiti through Starfish Kids. While we at OMS are not equipped to import massive quantities of food, we have built a relationship with an organization that is. While they are not equipped to daily cook a hot meal for our 6000 children, we are. This alliance is a win, win for our children.

Last week we got the good news that we had been chosen to share in the 8 million tons of food that the UN has just released to help alleviate the suffering from the recent price increases in Haiti. We now have 6 of our 31 schools entered into this government program that the Haitian government has arranged. We are thrilled to see the efforts of the new government, and how they are blessing our kids personally.

So how can you help? Many of the schools are still waiting to get into the hot meal feeding program and will not qualify because they don’t have the required food storage depot/room that is needed to securely store a month’s supply of rice, beans and oil. We would like to challenge you to get involved and challenge those around you to join the effort. Think about your families, Vacation Bible School, Sunday School classes. We have access to the food, the means of delivery, the cooking materials, the volunteer cooks and the hungry children but we don’t have the storage rooms. It will cost $2000 US to build each 10 x 10 x 10 room with a secure, locked door. Can you help? We can provide flyers, fact sheets and photos to help you share the need. Contact me at fishing@starfishkids.org to learn more about getting involved. The best part is, lives will be transformed as we work together to walk out the promises of the Lord’s provision.

Any gifts to this important cause can be sent to OMS Intl. attention USA project# 407200. For Canadian donors, please contact me at fishing@starfishkids.org as the project number is still pending.

May- Emmaus Seminary Progress

Tue, 13 May 2008 01:12:53 GMT

Well, it took two tries but the rain cleared and the guys got to work. They poured half of the second story of the men's dorm. The windows are in the library. The walls of the library and administration/classroom buildings have the finish coat of cement. Still, we look ahead at another year to finish roofs, ceramic, plumbing, electrical, painting +++.

Jesus Film

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 02:14:41 GMT

Let the little children come to me…

The Jesus Film has been presented world wide with immeasurable success in growing the kingdom and giving children a visual picture of the life of Jesus.

OMS-Haiti has been blessed with a portable video machine complete with its own gas generator. It takes 5-minutes to set up and can project a picture big enough for 100s of people to watch. Starfish Kids will be presenting the Jesus Film in 22 of our schools in the next 5 weeks. In our first school 70 children bowed their heads in a first time prayer to Jesus!!

25th Anniversary

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:13:26 GMT

April 23, 1983 - 2008. Today, Dan and I celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary! Who can think that far ahead and imagine what their lives will be like? In our wildest dreams we never would have thought we would be sitting in Haiti, empty nesters, and serving the Lord in full time ministry. God was not even our focus when we began together. God was so patient with us as we struggled through efforts to build our own material kingdom only to give it all up for Him in the end. How patient He was with us when we struggled through hard times and never asked for his help. “In good times and bad” is not just a traditional phrase you hear on your wedding day but a reality in every marriage. How glad we were when God put Christian people in our lives who boldly shared their faith with us. How glad we were when we finally put our trust in Him.

We have arrived at a new season in life, which includes a battle with gravity. Our cheeks seem to be sliding down our faces. We have discovered that the best face lift is a smile.

We praise God everyday for the blessings and strength that he gives us. We look forward to what He has planned for us for the next 25 years.

Love,

Dan and Gill

Is there ever a "good" problem?

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:17:06 GMT

A church leader came to the mission to share a "problem" our local Vaudreuil church is having. She shared that the church that seats 700 people is too small. "You see", she said, "Starfish Kids took on 75 students in our elemnetary school and now all those children are coming to church and many are bringing their families and there just isn't enough space. Entire families are coming to the Lord!" We celebrate with our brothers and sisters. This isn't the first time we have heard this and sure hope to hear this "problem" more!

A VIDEO FOR EVERY MOM TO WATCH:)

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:13:37 GMT

This is a real tribute to motherhood. Moms rock! Make your kids watch it, too. Maybe they will appreciate you more;)

This is a link to YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxT5NwQUtVM&NR=1

JAKE SAYS BYE TO HAITI

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:38:51 GMT

Our time as "24/7 parents" has come to an end. We now graduate to "distance parents" to both our boys, first Cody and now Jake, and wait to see if anything we taught them has stuck or if they will try the more painful...live and learn approach. We have watched Jake's excitement grows as he gets closer to his departure date of April 4th. Simultaneously, our sadness has grown and I, Gill, have had a hard time holding back the tears. It has taken me two weeks to start to write this letter. Today was our last day at church together. Our Haitian church leaders shared many words of encouragement and appreciation for Jake. Of course, that didn’t help my crying issue.

We had a fun day at the beach yesterday with lots of missionaries. See the “MARCH PHOTOS” photo box to the left for some “fun in actions shots”.

Dan will travel home (Elora, Ontario) with Jake to help him get settled. The Lord has already prepared a home for him with good friends. He has two job/apprenticeship interviews lined up. They will also look for a car/truck to buy, insurance, write his GED final exam, set up a bank account, cash out his savings, get his drivers license and shop for some warmer clothes.

Jake has made a commitment to visit Cody and Grandma every week…Grandma’s good home cooking might be an easy reminder. In spite of being imperfect parents and by the grace of God, our boys have turned our not too bad;) For some reason they have both followed after their father and are interested in mechanics…Cody-gas and cars, Jake-diesel and trucks. Like father- like sons.

With all our love, we have released our children to the Lord and pray they will live lives of honor for the Glory of the Lord.

Being an effective Missionary

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 14:21:16 GMT

One of the biggest struggles with effective cross cultural missions is over dependancy. Can we do too much? Can we say too much? Can we lead too much? We heard this poem and thought it was a perfect goal for us.

Poem

Go to the people,

Live among them.

Learn from them.

Love them.

Start with what they know,

Build on what they have.

But of the best leaders,

When their task is accomplished,

When their work is done,

The nationals will remark,

"We have done it ourselves".

Unknown Author

This is also a great little story that shows the dangers of good intentions gone wrong.

The Monkey and the Fish

Once upon a time, there was a monkey sitting high in a tree looking down at a stream. He could see a fish swimming up and down and up and down the stream. He worried about the fish and thought it was working too hard. He wanted to help the fish, so he climbed down the tree and scooped him out of the water. He carried him high into the tree and laid him on the branch. The monkey was so happy that he was helping his new friend. The monkey watch as the fish danced and flipped around, quite sure he was so happy to be in the tree. Soon, the fish became more relaxed and lay quietly, breathing, deeply in and out, in and out. The monkey was so happy to see the fish starting to relax and get comfortable in the tree. Soon, the fish fell into a deep sleep. The monkey was sure he had a new friend and that he had done a wonderful thing.

Of course, the fish had died in the tree. With all the best of intentions, the monkey had in fact made things much worse. We must always be careful to respect the cultural differences of our host country. We are not here to ‘fix’ anything or anyone. We are here to serve the Lord as we serve our Haitian leaders in the four OMS mandates. Evangelism, church planting, discipleship training and national partnerships. We have so much to learn from our brothers and sisters in Haiti and continue to learn each and every day.

Bye for now dear Jacques

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 01:46:56 GMT

It is with a sad heart that we say "good bye for now", to a long time OMS mission employee. Jacques Mathurin, age 70+, has faithfully guarded and welcomed visitors onto our OMS compound for over 40 years. He was killed while riding his bicycle on the road in front of the compound. He leaves behind many adult children and a sweet wife, Ma Jacques. With a servant heart, she has shopped for and delivered food to the missionary homes for countless years. We joke that she can carry more than her body weight on her head. They are members of the family at OMS. Please pray for Ma Jacques. I had taken Jacques' photo just the week ago for new security badges. His photo is below.

February Haiti Update

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:04:20 GMT

I write this letter bundled in track pants, sweater and quilt. Winter has arrived! We hear the reports back in the US and Canada that snow storms have closed roads and schools. We can almost feel for you…in our chilly night time 64 F / 22 C degree weather;) OK OK! That isn’t quite the same but it is cold for us.

Last Saturday night we had a cinema night at our church for the youth retreat and church members. This past week was Mardi Gras/Voodoo parties and so many churches run youth retreats to keep the kids off the streets and away from the bad influences. We played “Facing the Giants”. It was awesome! I sat behind Pastor Charlot and watched him cheer on the movie…not for the football games but every time a strong moral message was presented. He kept turning around and yelling, YES, YES, this is GOOD! We will look for other films we can share in the future. If you have any suggestions, please let us know.

The new year has brought many helping hands from Alberta, Oregon, and Michigan. Check out the Seminary pictures in the PHOTOS box to the left. We are seeing a lot of progress now. A tower was erected to put a wind meter on so we could monitor wind speeds to see if a wind generator is a possible energy alternative. That same tower gives us great birds eye view pictures.

Starfish Kids continues to grow. We have traveled to all our 30 schools and photographed over 2000 children. I love my life! The last school on the list was a bumpy 2 ½ hour drive…each way. I now know what a scrambled egg feels like. These photos will be categorized, labeled, printed in the US, returned to Haiti, sorted, stuffed in envelopes with the spring newsletter, addressed to each sponsor and mailed out in March.

We just took on our 30^th school. It was so sad to see the extreme cases of malnutrition…rotten teeth and frail bodies. We started the feeding program immediately, even before any of the children have been sponsored. We are trusting the Lord will take care of the details. If anyone is able to help this school in Tru du Nord, some of their students are listed on the website. www.starfishkids.org . Look for the blue and white striped shirts in the photos.

We are starting to look ahead to the fall and a time of travel and deputation. We look forward to visiting our supporters. We would love to come and see you!

Christmas Bags

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:41:22 GMT

Happy Birthday, Jesus! This December, the Lord's blessings were on all the children of the Flavil school. A Bible message was shared to almost 100 children about Jesus' desire for all the little children to come to him. In fact, over 30 first time commitments were made as a prayer for Salvation was offered! The celebration began as we distributed Christmas bags to all the children. We thank "Christmas Bags for Haiti" for their partnership in preparing and shipping these bags. Each bag was full of creative learning materials, colouring book, crayons, toothpaste and brush, candy, note book, soap, John and Romans Bible books, and a substantial toy. 750 bags will be given to the Starfish Kids school children. See the link to Starfish Kids for more information about this OMS Intl. child evangelism ministry.

All about Starfish Kids

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 17:20:32 GMT

Starfish Kids is a child evangelism ministry that uses education and student sponsorship as a means of sharing the Gospel to 6000 students (grades kindergarten – grade 6) every day. We currently work in 40 of our OMS church schools.

We believe the future of the church, and Haiti as a whole, depends upon the investment in this new generation of youth. Starfish Kids desires to evangelize, mentor and lead 6000 students to the Lord before the end of grade 6.

Starfish Kids maintains a balance of responsibility between the parents, school and church, and Starfish Kids in an effort to be sensitive to Haiti’s culture and the problem of over dependency.

Parents

~pay a small fee towards tuition
~donate time and labour to help in the school in areas such as construction, yard clean up, meal preparation.

Churches
~pastors lead weekly Bible classes and Saturday “Kids Clubs”

Teachers
~are trained to be mentors and evangelists in their classrooms
~attend academic training sessions lead by Starfish Kids

Students
~must maintain a good grade average
~are required to attend Sunday school and church

Sponsors
~pray for their student’s education, physical, and spiritual health
~send sponsorship fees as God supplies

Starfish Kids
~provide shoes, books, tuition, and a breakfast feeding program
~hold a high level of accountability through regular school visits and financial tracking
~send three newsletters per year to sponsors

If you would like to see photos of students available for sponsorship, please visit our Starfish Kids website at www.starfishkids.org . Each sponsorship coses just $20 US or $25 Canadian per month. You will be providing your student with shoes, books, and tuition. You will also be feeding three children in the breakfast feeding program. You can even register on-line!

Check out the PHOTOS box to the left under "Starfish Kids".

For any further questions, please contact Gill Shoemaker at fishing@starfishkids.org .

Emmaus Seminary Construction

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:27:09 GMT

The Emmaus Seminary construction project is a 3-year plan to replace our delapitated existing facilities at a new location. It will be bigger and better than the 40 year-old, mud block structures we are currently using on the OMS campus in Vaudreuil. The new 11 building campus is just 5 miles down the road in a community called Saccenville. The Shoemakers and Wallaces live on site already. OMS - Haiti hopes to have the project done in 2009.
Calling all brick layers, plumbers and electricians! We are looking for specialized trades people to come to Haiti for a week to a month to help with this monumental task. We currently have the shop, generator building and two missionary houses done. The men’s dorm first floor walls are up and the second story floor will be poured soon. The library walls are almost finished. The classroom/administration building walls are finished. The chapel, ladies dorm, dining room, and 3rd missionary house floors are poured and waiting to be blocked. All the underground plumbing, electrical and septic lines are done. With many hands and lots of sweat, great progress has been made already.
See the progress unfold before your eyes in the photos under "Photos" on the left - Emmaus Seminary Construction. Watch from week to week as the photos are updated. You can also go the Emmaus Seminary site at http://leaders4lifehaiti.spaces.live.com/ for more infomation.

OMS International- Missionaries to Haiti

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:41:17 GMT

Dan and Gillian Shoemaker arrived in Haiti with OMS International in 2000 for a one-year term. In 2007, they see no end in sight.

Dan and Gill came to the Lord later in life. It all started when two Christian women witnessed to Gill over a two-year period. Gill started to go to church, and Dan followed later. On a -Men for Missions- trip, Dan went to Colombia and had a Holy Spirit experience while on a tour of the prison ministry. Over the next year, they both went on a mission trip to Japan, and Dan also visited Haiti for the first time. The Lord confirmed in them both that Haiti was His plan for them.

They brought their two boys, Jake and Cody, then 10 and 13. Now, they are grown. Cody is living in Ontario, Canada, and working in mechanics. Jake is studying in Haiti for his GED exam and working on the seminary construction site. He will return to Canada in the spring of 2008.

Dan is part of a strong leadership group that manages the Haiti field. He is also the project manager for the Emmaus Biblical Seminary construction project. This is a two-year plan to build an 11-building complex. Good progress has been made already. Check out the following site to keep up-to-date: www.leaders4lifehaiti.spaces.live.com. Dan is also responsible for vehicle and generator maintenance. He is active with the many Men for Missions short-term teams that come each year to help in construction, with the medical clinic and in evangelism. If you are interested in participating on a work team, you can find out more at www.menformissions.org.

Gill is the director of Starfish Kids, a child evangelism ministry that uses education and student sponsorship to help children go to school and thus hear the Gospel as shared by their teachers and pastor. You can read about Starfish Kids at: www.starfishkids.org.

Dan and Gill give God the glory for calling them to His service in missions. They didn't think they fit the stereotype of missionaries, but they have been blessed to see that God can use anyone that is ready and willing to obey the call to do, go or give as the Lord directs.

Missionary ID #803682 USA - #8000 Canada