It was also great to have the chance to participate in our third annual golf tournament at Cottonwood this year. The day was full of excitement, good fellowship, great weather, good food and mediocre score. We had a fabulous time and it was great to see so many show up to support a great cause. With the money raised (proceeds of $61,690.68), we will be able to purchase a property in Port-Salut. The property will be used to construct a multi-function facility which will be used for worship and educational purposes. We are grateful for the dedication of Lowell and Lori-Lynn Nicholl and their team who worked so hard to make the golf tournament a reality for three consecutive years. Thank you friends for helping Heart for Home’s work in Haiti become a reality and not a distant dream. God works through the efforts of all of us to get his great work done.

Mandy and I took a couple of weeks off in a cabin on the Shuswap Lake at the beginning of August to retreat and refresh ourselves. I never would have thought being away from work could ever feel so GOOD…it was relaxing! We had the chance to read few books, worked on a puzzle, boating, kayaking, ATVing, and made lifetime memories…
Please keep us in your prayers as we are making plans to return to Haiti next week to start our third year of work. We feel strong because you are standing strong with us, God bless you all.

God bless you all.

Under the coconut trees, behind our house, beneath a tent, around a table sit two eager men.  Patrick and Ednar, the first two to join our weekly bible study, can not get enough theology talk with Ricot.  It is a blessing to see the excitement they have to learn and the joy it brings Ricot to be a part of it.  Please pray as the study continues to develop.

Fourteen children, one teacher and a yard make up a preschool a few houses down from ours.  With our arrival the students sang us a welcome song and were happy to have us visit their school.  We watched as they told us the days of the week and the months of the year.  We played games with them and handed out backpacks filled with supplies.  It’s encouraging seeing how much the teacher loves children and is happy to be doing what she’s doing.

The country has had a problem with fuel.  Since the 14^th the gas stations have rarely to none been giving gas, diesel nor propane, for reasons we can’t say for sure.  So, we have been cautious about how much we drive and how long we have the (propane) stove on.  We received electricity yesterday for the first time in 5 days, which, as usual, is not here full time.   Running the generator is not something we do often so living with the musical symphony of mosquitoes around our heads and candlelight have been our evenings.  The excitement in the neighbourhood is uplifting when they turn on the power!!  People cheer and yell, it really is a good feeling!!

Next week, with a team of six men from Vernon, we will work with the orphanage we have been helping since the earthquake.  They will build a shelter for the 80 plus kids, and workers who have been sleeping in tents and under tarps for 3 months.  If that’s not tough, it started raining and flooding their yards, the kids have been getting wet and spending some nights awake.  We are eager to get these buildings up and running.

Being in this country comes with its share of troubles and setbacks, but it also comes with major blessings and joy.  Seeing people live in community, and ready to help loved ones opening up their home with no question is an amazing testimony of unconditional love.  Preneze (no photo available) is a lady who is always there to help out people in need.  She has opened her house to many relatives over the years, adopted a child who needed help, she goes to the hospital with family and is the one people call when in trouble.  I praise God for her! Please pray that God continues to help and guide her and that more can learn to love like she does

I want to thank you for being there for us!  God Bless!

The Leon’s.

A van was donated to us.  Since Ricot’s parents have been out of Haiti for a few years, due to health problems, they have decided to give us their van.

Besides the van, they have donated items such as, couches, beds, chairs, tables, tools, kitchen wear, sheets, blankets etc.. After the earthquake, the house that Ricot grew up in did not fall to the ground; however, it would not stand on it’s own for very long.  Many things Ricot and a group of people from the neighbourhood were able to save.  It’s amazing to know that the house did not fall and the people inside were safe!

We experienced our first aftershock last month.  Ricot and I were sitting in the living room when the house started shaking back and forth fast in small rapid movements, but softly.  We looked at each other and without talking we went outside.  Our hearts were beating fast and adrenaline was high.  This was a tiny aftershock miles away from the source.  After feeling the little thing I felt and feeling the way I did, I cannot imagine what it would have been like to be in the center of the earthquake when it happened.  Wow!  I thank God that we personally did not have to be a part of that!

Easter this year was spent with the missionaries in Aux Cayes.  Their tradition is to have a sunrise service at 6am, 5:30 to see the sun rising.  We had the service on the roof of a missionary family’s house.  It has an amazing view of Aux Cayes, the ocean and many trees! It is breath taking!  After the service all the families had a big breakfast together, celebrating Christ’s resurrection.

I want to thank you for supporting us; only together can we make any kind of  positive indent in the lives of broken people.

It’s been a blessing to have people come into our yard every Friday evening to watch a movie with us.  We have been setting up a screen and projecting different films and Christian music videos for the neighbours to watch.  Each week we have between 30-50 people.  We are happy to give people something to do with their time, there are many nightclubs in the town, and that is the only evening entertainment.  We pray that God blesses us with new and creative ideas to keep these evenings entertaining while teaching them about the love of Christ.

I have been putting a lot of miles on my parents’ van bring food, clothing, tarps, and toiletry items to hundreds since I got back from the Dominican Republic two weeks ago. It is hard to see the reality of the country I love so dearly. A broken people and the stories make you want to scream. There are numerous organization on the ground but many needy people are still falling through the cracks. That is where Heart for Home has been helping.

Driving from Cayes to Port-au-Prince is about a 4 Haitian tiring hours drive. So far, I have managed to make at least 3 trips a week visiting and sharing food to churches, orphanages, and communities that don’t have a connection with big organizations to get food.When we can’t find donated food to share with the people, we purchase it from stores and drive it to the people.

Nearly a million people are now homeless, living under tents made out of sheets, rags, and tarps. Sanitary is a issue and they are in desperate needs to get out of this temporary style housing. Most of the people are panicking and are hoping that it will not rain for a while although the dust is making them sick. They fear that if it rains, they will have no where to go.

So far, I have shared and prayed with orphanages in Ganthier, Croix-des-Bouquette, Pastors in Jacmel, Mariani, Leogane, and Cote-de-Fer. I trust the items to the pastors and orphanages in the communities, and they share it with the people around them. Such way of doing it differs Heart for Home greatly from the big organizations who choose to share it directly to the long lineup of people.

The most requested things from the people now are tents and tarps. If you have any or can purchase some, please do so and send the to us and we will make sure that they get directly to those who are in most needs of them.

Using the tarps.

You may also contribute financially to help cover the cost of food, water, and other necessities.

I have not been feeling well over the last two days, pray that I will recover quickly so I can continue to share and travel. Pray for my wife Mandy as she is in Canada now. Pray for a bigger vehicle that will facilitate us to get across the mountains with less stress possible. Pray for more helpers and better managers on the ground. A lot of money has come in to Haiti, but almost a month, yet we are seeing much being done in term of helping with basic needs.

Send tents and items to Haiti:

Ricot and/or Mandy Leon

c/o Agape Flights CAY 21696
100 Airport Avenue
Venice, FL  34285

Phone Haiti: 011-509-3769-6101

Send Cash or Checks to Canada:

Heart for Home c/o Oakpark Church of Christ

11263 Oakfield Dr. SW,

Calgary, AB T2W 4M2

Phone Canada: 403-251-5150

Ricot and Mandy's Truck

Since our house and vehicle in Port-au-Prince got totally destroyed, and most of our friends were afraid to sleep inside their own homes, we decided to play it by ear before returning to Haiti. After four days of waiting for our next move, we ended up connecting with a missionary team who have been working in the DR since the early 1990′s. They had plans to drive to Haiti to take some medicine to one of the World Vision’s camps who helping with the relief effort so we decided to ride with them and would have a friend waiting for us on the Haiti side to take us to our destination.
We made it to the border around 5pm and by then it was too late and too risky to continue the journey across Port-au-Prince, so the World Vision Team invited us to join and help them take the medicine to one of the nearest Haitian communities by the name of Fond Parisien, we ended up crossing the border without any immigration delay. To God Be The Glory.
The border was sad and emotional it was like an exodus; scores of people were walking in one direction toward the border with there bags on their heads. They were trying to escape the catastrophe of Haiti to enter the land of the Dominican but to their disappointment had to be denied entrance by the border patrol. We made it to the camp where we were suppose to drop the medicine and once again our hearts started to ache as we saw the amount of sick and injured laying in tents and under tarps on foams mats on the green grass.

Medical Camp at Fond Parisien

While there I decided to call some friends and family and was told that our niece, who had a broken femur, was at the exact location we were at. After a few minutes of searching I was able to locate her and her mom in one of the tents. She was in extreme pain but since there we so many sick people laying there, it was impossible for her to get a one on one attention. We helped them out with some money to get food and water, they were very happy as I reminded them that God was in control. I was also relieved to hear many who were there singing loudly in Creole, My God can do everything, He is Alpha, Omega, Beginning and the End, so my God can do anything for me.
After a long and emotional two weeks, we decided that it would be best for Mandy to go to Canada for a while and I would return to Haiti to help out in whichever way I can. Please pray for us for this is a hard time both of us but we know and trust that God is in control. Continue to keep us in your prayers.

Traveling Team

Mandy and I continued as planned for the wedding which went great, but we are on our way back to Haiti on Wednesday morning. We don’t know what we will be going back too since the roads are damaged, many friends died, and hurt. Our truck is completely destroyed, food is limited and clean water is a big issue. since the people are hungry, there will also be an increase in violence… Please pray for wisdom as we re-inter Haiti on Wednesday. we will try to send you some updates of first hand information As soon as we are able. Thanks for your prayers and please continue to pray and help financially as much as you can.

God bless you,

Excitement, joy and laughter filled the air as 500 children participated in an unforgettable Christmas party held in a M.E.B.S.H church in Port Salut.  Thanks to the help of our supporters we were able to hold a party for any child that wanted to come.  Hundreds of toys were brought to Haiti with a team of 3 men from Cold Stream Church in Vernon, B.C.

There was singing, a bible story (How Christmas began), games, prizes, food, and excitement.  It was precious to see little boys walk into the church in their three-piece suits; this was a big event for the town and surrounding areas.  Imagine, that many kids, and we still found order.  Children sat and waited in their seats for the party to begin.  Many came a great distance, on foot, some living in the surrounding mountains.

Thanks to the help of an amazing group of youth that attend this church the party was able to be a success.  They were there to serve in anyway needed, and worked together.

From early in the morning, 6am, woman gathered at the church to begin cooking the 400 pounds of rice, 100 pounds of beans and 500 pieces of chicken.  All day they cooked.

Again, just as last year, there was a part in the party that didn’t run as smoothly as we wanted it to.  When the food was being distributed we lost control of the crowed and a mini riot broke out.  We were handing out toys to go with the plate of food and after twenty minutes we closed the toys because people were not listening and many were trying to take more than once. I was amazed to see the people who were handing out food and pop; no matter what went on around them they never gave up.  They kept handing out what they had until everything was gone, so the innocent kids wouldn’t miss out.  This was a huge lesson for me.

At the end of the night all the 600 plates and 550 drinks were gone.

Mandy Leon