Thoman is the home of Pastor Mathurin, the Haitian pastor who has been with us from the beginning of our work in Haiti. He works with us full-time and has been to the States three times, having stayed in my home and spoken at numerous churches in America. Pastor Mathurin is a trustworthy friend and loyal partner in the gospel. I have preached in his church countless times and most of our visiting teams have been to Thoman.
I returned from Thoman last night (May 16, 2014). The poverty in this village is often overwhelming. The needs are beyond anything we can imagine here in the States. The following photos were taken this week:
Little boy in filthy, torn shirt at site of new Hope Center in Thoman
Lady cooking lunch in her kitchen in Thoman
Elderly lady for whom we built a new rail this week at her house in Thoman
Precious little girls at the site of the new Hope Center in Thoman
We met this lady at the river below Thoman washing clothes for herself and others. She had started walking to the river at 4:00 that morning and would not get home until 5:00 in the evening. She will be paid a grand total of $3 for her work.
Features of Thoman Hope Center
The new Thoman Hope Center will be similar to our current Hope Center in Galette Chambon. The new Hope Center will contain:
-medical clinic
-dental clinic
-pharmacy
-house for an American medical missionary family
-four dorms for visiting mission teams (beds for 28)
-kitchen
-laundry facilities
-two rooms for visitors staying for extended periods
-eating/meeting space for teams
-enclosed parking for bus and truck
While the new Hope Center will enable us to provide medical care for the people of Thoman, it is much more than a clinic. From the new Hope Center, we will be able to work with the Haitian people to provide:
-new housing
-jobs
-increased educational opportunities for the children
-clean water
-enhanced agriculture production
-the Good News of the gospel
Below are renderings of the new Hope Center created by students and professors from the Auburn University College of Architecture, Design and Construction.
Aerial view of Hope Center
Front view of missionary house (r) and dorms (l
Inside dental clinic
Kitchen
Living quarters of missionary house
Inside dorm
God’s People and God’s Timing
Over the last three years, we have seen God repeatedly provide the right person at the right time. And now He has done it again! A wonderful couple has committed to join our team and move to Haiti full-time to run the new Hope Center. This couple has already led short-term mission teams to Thoman 15 times. The wife has many years of medical experience and will operate the clinic daily and host medical-dental teams throughout the year. The husband will be in charge of operations at the new Hope Center, will host teams, organize construction of new houses, help create jobs, enhance educational opportunities for the children of the village, and much more.
Stan Buckley
Executive Director
But God Ministries