ThirstySouls Provides Seed Money
ThirstySouls Ministries provided the original $5000 to launch the ministry to begin rescuing children from the streets of Port-au-Prince Haiti. With this “seed money,” Jacques and his brother Jean Erol were able to establish Source of Life Ministries, paying the first year’s rent on a house in the Carrefour area and paying all the legal fees and documentation required by the Haitian government. A decision was made that the children’s home would be established as a “safe home,” not an orphanage. Adoption of Source of Life children is not permitted; rather, the children are being provided a good life in their own country and being raised to love their nation and its people. The goal is that their influence will help lay a path toward change in Haiti. On February 6, 2009, Source of Life Ministries opened its door to ten children. Jean Erol directed the home in Haiti with a staff of five, and Jacques took the responsibility of speaking in churches and raising funds for the home here in the United States.
There were significant setbacks in the early years of the children’s home. Eleven months after opening the safe house, a 7.0 earthquake on January 12, 2010 made the building not habitable, and the children were moved to a temporary facility until a permanent location could be found. In late 2010, a rural piece of land became available in Gressier; the construction process was not rapid or easy, but the greatest struggle the young ministry faced was when tragedy struck. In early 2012, Jean Erol was fatally wounded by a gunshot and died the next morning; he had been literally targeted for his faith.
As Jacques began to experience the overwhelming grief of the shocking death of his brother, he questioned his ability to move forward without Jean’s co-leadership. He quickly came to the realization that either the ministry would need to be closed, or he would need to singly take on leadership, and that thought was overwhelming. Prior to Jean’s death, Jacques’ role had mainly been here in the United States with regular visits to Haiti. Jean had always kept Jacques informed, but Jacques had no personal experience with the laws and processes in Haiti. Concluding that God was calling him to press on, Jacques and Pastor Vern went to Haiti and worked through the process of refiling all the legal documents required by the government. Jacques has been strengthened year-by-year to meet every obstacle and to persevere through every situation. His trust and respect for God’s will have only grown, and he has found within himself a deeper love for Haiti than he ever thought possible.
Source of Life Expands and Continues
Today Source of Life Ministries continues to operate under the TSM network but is completely supported through the donations of individuals, churches, and organizations. (No percentage of any donation to SLM goes to TSM, and there are no fees paid to TSM for their services.) Eighteen children have been rescued from the streets of Haiti’s capital city and suburbs and are being raised in a safe and loving environment where they benefit from a Christ-centered spiritual foundation, receive a good education, emotional support, life-sustaining food and modern conveniences on a 2 acre compound. An additional 2+ acre lot is set aside for future projects. Fifteen godly men and women work either full-time or part-time to care for the children and property. Every one of the staff members have families who are being financially supported through the income of that one staff member.
The ministry of Source of Life has been extended beyond the gates of the children’s compound into the surrounding community through Legliz Christienne de Jovin, the church that was built on the grounds in 2017. A full time pastor was hired who is leading the congregation and outreaches in the surrounding neighborhood. A goal is to strengthen the community and break the back of Voodoo in that area. When that happens in a community, those people begin to influence people outside their own community, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues to spread.