“We are extremely anxious to resume construction as soon as we can safely travel to our compound in Gressier!” – Jacques Merine
I am thankful for every person who has contributed toward our future Guest House!!! This project is very close to my heart. Once it is completed, visiting ream members will be able to be housed on the SLM property, making it possible for them to spend more time with the children. The Guest House will be an added source of ongoing income for the ministry and it will give the children an opportunity to learn additional skills as they serve there.
Work officially began on the Guest House during 2016:
- June, 2016: the area was marked and ground prepared.
- November, 2016: the stone foundation was laid.
- June, 2017: the rough plumbing was laid.
- September, 2017: the cement slab was poured.
- September, 2018: the walls were erected.
- July, 2019: the rough electrical work was started & preparation for roof trusses.
Construction projects are often not a rapid process anywhere in the world with common challenges like rising material costs, labor woes, delayed cash flow, etc. In Haiti, all the common construction challenges are experienced and more! Sadly, violent political demonstrations and gang activity during the past year and a half have greatly hindered progress on our building. We have been unable to safely welcome work teams to travel to our children’s home. This is not exclusive to Source of Life Ministries; very, very few people have been able to do short-term mission work for any ministry in Haiti.
In the interim, Source of Life Ministries is preparing to be able to move forward as soon as the door opens again for work teams to travel to Haiti. All donations that have been designated for the Guest House are being held on account and are not being used for any other purpose. We are continuing to raise additional funds since we will need approximately $45,000 more in order to complete building and furnishing the Guest House.
Our building contractor, Vince Liples, and I are both extremely anxious to resume construction as soon as we can safely travel to our compound in Gressier! Next steps will include:
- erecting roof trusses,
- completing rough electrical work
- welding bars over the windows
After that work is completed, concrete will be added to the walls inside and outside the building. We build with 4-1/2” foam panels because they are designed to withstand strong earthquakes and lower the inside temperature by approximately 10°.
Please pray for peace and safety in Haiti. We had hoped that we would be able to safely return to Haiti after the political rioting ended this past fall. However gang activity and an outbreak of kidnapping for ransom in recent weeks continues to make it unwise to schedule trips to Haiti.
I am eternally grateful for everyone who is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our ministry in Haiti. Without your prayer and financial support, we would be unable to continue raising our children and ministering in Gressier, Haiti!!!
God bless each of you,
Jacques Merine, Founder