Harvesting Hope

08/21/2013

Here is the third video from this Summer's Harvesting Hope Coast to Coast bicycle trip. This video focuses funny and unusual things that happened on the trip. The trip was designed to raise awareness and funds for what Harvesting Hope is doing in Haiti.

08/21/2013

Here is the second video from this Summer's Harvesting Hope Coast to Coast bicycle trip. This video focuses on the people we met during the trip and some of the animals the animal lovers among us "adopted" while on the trip. The trip was designed to raise awareness and funds for what Harvesting Hope is doing in Haiti. This video is a summary of the trip and the experience of our riders.

Some of the people and pets we met and stayed with on the Harvesting Hope Coast to Coast bicycle trip. Summer 2013.

08/20/2013

Here is the first video from this Summer's Harvesting Hope Coast to Coast bicycle trip. The trip was designed to raise awareness and funds for what Harvesting Hope is doing in Haiti. This video is a summary of the trip and the experience of our riders.

Summary of the Harvesting Hope Coast to Coast bicycle trip. Summer 2013.

08/16/2013

Last night I mentioned the dry season irrigation project and have had a couple requests to talk more about it. While Haiti has temperatures conducive for growing produce year around there is a wet season and a dry season. The dry season is bascially a portion of late Autumn, Winter and early Spring. Irrigation is the only way to support fresh produce during the dry season. Large volumes of water are not available as creeks and rivers slow to a trickle and cisterns and shallow wells go dry. The key is to conserve water by mulching for moisture retention and w**d suppression and very accurately pinpoint water to each plant with a drip line. We are experimenting with what is termed as a "wet garden" with 50 tomato plants being fed with a 55 gallon drum elevated to six to seven feet above the garden to provide needed water pressure through 1/2" main line to the 1/4" lateral lines with .5 gph (rated at 8 psi, we'll be less than half that psi as we are gravity fed) drip emitters. Each plant will receive approximately two quarts of water over a two to three hour period each day. Frequency is dependent upon the need of the plants. Our goal is to perfect this "wet garden" and have one at every JBM church and school. This is part of our renewed commitment to Farming God's Way with practices used by the ministry of the same name. The principles are simple but we as humans must pray and discipline ourselves to abide by God rules. There are many scripture verses to back up the priniciples but I have put down the ones that come to my mind.

Be on time - Ecclesiates 3:1
Without waste - John 6:12
Done with High Standards - 2 Timothy 2:15
With Joy unto the Lord - Psalms 65:13

With these principles, Haitian farmers will succeed in raising bountiful harvests, feeding their families and neighbors and earning a profit rather than just sustainance.

08/15/2013

We are a week a way from another trip to Haiti. God has assembled a large group to go this time. A group of ladies are going with us to minister to the Haitian women, a group of men to install fencing at the farm and I'll be helping with the corn harvest and set up of the dry season drip irrigation project. Mike and I are so excited we can hardly stand it. - Larry

06/04/2013

Status Update

By Julie Marshall

Would love for my friends on Facebook to lift Donnie and I up in prayer. We are going to Haiti in August with Harvesting Hope. Donnie went this April. I was asked to come down and lead a women's Bible Study, so we are venturing out on another Mission trip. This will be my first trip to Haiti. After 4 trips to the jungle in Peru, I am looking forward to what God has for us to do in Pignon, Haiti. If we are willing, God is able to use ordinary people for His purpose.
The Marshall Family

05/20/2013

God is at work -- I am reposting this story from the timeline of one of the women from our church. This is the most recent incident of God's wonderful precision when it comes to planning. --This is what happened today to remind me how good God is...
On the way home from church today I saw a sign at the entrance to very nice a sub-division...
I thought it was Garage Sale, soooo if you know me you KNOW I HAD to stop.
It was one better than a Garage Sale, it was a sign that read "FREE STUFF"
WHAT!? FREE!? I am all over that.
In the back of my mind I REALLY hoped there was a bike rack that slides into our hitch so I can take all 4 kids bikes for riding this summer. I have been looking for a good deal for one for 2 yrs.
WELL! Would you stinking believe that that is EXACTLY what was there!!!
I was in disbelief and went up to the door of this house and talked to the man that was sweeping the garage and asked if the rack was really free?
He said it was. He hardly ever used it. It it was very expensive, but he had no use for it and it was more bother than it was worth to do the work of selling it. I asked if I could at least give him $10 bucks for it, since that was all I had with me.
He loaded in my car for me and took the $10 bucks.
I thanked him and felt an air of sadness about him. It made me feel bad the things he was selling and how he spoke about the bike rack. I don't know his story, but felt heavy hearted for him.
Anyway, Jer was not with me and the rack was heavy so I left it in the car to take out until later.
I had to run some errands tonight. One of the errands was to drop off a bag of stuff we had for a team at church. I had left it next to the door this morning on the way to church and they are leaving Tuesday to ride across the ENTIRE country, from California to New Jersey on bikes to raise money for Haiti!!!!
So I pulled up at church, gave Steve Kennedy the supplies and told him I would be praying for him and the team and asked how the last minute preparations were going. He shared that there are a ton of little details that are starting to pile up and unexpected stressors that were making him a little crazy. He then said, now he found out the bike rack they have will not work on the back of the RV and that it would likely vibrate too much and break on this long trip and now he would be required to by another bike rack. More money out. More time out. UGH!
I remembered the rack in my back seat.
"Really? What kind of rack do you need?"
He said he wasn't sure but it needed to be heavy duty and fit into a hitch.
I said, "Well, I have a heavy duty rack in the back of my car i got today."
He was FLOORED! I am sure he thought I was kidding.
I drove over to the RV, we plugged in the rack, and he was SO EXCITED!!
It was EXACTLY what he needed!!
I was so EXCITED!! I was exactly what I needed!!
He got the perfect bike rack for the trip!
I got to see what happens when I listen to a prompting and allow God to use me!!
He is SO good! He lavishes us with His constant love and kindness.
He continues to blow me away! You would think I would stop being surprised at how He cares for us, but I am never unimpressed.
Thank you God for your provisions for us. You are always sufficient. Always right on time.
Please pray for the team from Community Bible Church and Harvesting Hope while they ride for the next few weeks. They are riding 80-100 miles per day! I know that God is already watching over them! This is a enormous journey. I can't wait to hear what else God does on this adventure! --
Take a minute to follow the rest of this great adventure at http://snkennedy.tumblr.com

Steve Kennedy's BLOG for the Harvesting Hope Coast to Coast bicycle Trip. Spring-Summer of 2013.

05/02/2013

Please lift-up our brothers and sisters to our Lord...

04/16/2013

Meet Daniel,
By God’s grace he will be one of the thousands of children who will be benefiting from this year’s crop we planted. Daniel is raised by his grandma and is always one of the first kids to great me when I arrive at Pastor Jephthe’s house. If we go walking out in the evening, he’s right there holding one of our team member’s hands. Pray for this young boy, that God will use him in a mighty way for His glory.

04/16/2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlLnco9RWb8

Traveling by motor cycle is a luxury in the back hills of Haiti. Just make sure you use your horn around every turn.

04/11/2013

The team Harvesting Hope lead down to Pignon, Haiti. We all had a great time as we flew over this beautiful country. We landed in Pignon Saturday afternoon excided and ready to work!

04/11/2013

On Wednesday, April 3rd a team of seven of us traveled down to Pignon, Haiti to teach the local farmers how to grow more food to feed their families. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, the average family lives on less than $2 a day. Our team planted over 75,000 seeds that will be harvested in late August. In the picture above we are praying over the seed before we planted. Please continue to pray for this effort. Harvesting Hope is a one of a kind ministry focusing on teaching others to “fish” rather than just giving them a “fish”.