Category: Cayette 2017

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2017 Year End Fund Drive

As your family or organization look for giving opportunities to close out the year, think about this…

Can you imagine not having a roof over your head or the luxury of a bathroom?

Probably not. But there are many people in Haiti and Mexico TODAY who are living without these basic necessities due to recent hurricanes and earthquakes.

Your 2017 Christmas donation will go directly to putting roofs on homes in Haiti and building latrines for displaced residents in Mexico.

Give Me Shelter Ministries partners with churches and pastors in Haiti and Mexico to meet the direct needs of their congregations and members of their community who are in dire need.

There are few giving opportunities where your entire contribution will go directly to those in need. Thanks to our supporters throughout the year, we have the operating costs and expenses covered… your Christmas donation will go DIRECTLY to a roof and latrine.

Please prayerfully consider donating to help our current missions in Haiti and Mexico. You can see examples of roofs and latrines we’ve already completed at our website. You will be able to see the direct results of your gifts at work in the next few months.

Give Me Shelter Ministries is a registered non-profit and all donations are tax deductible.

Thank you, God Bless You, and Merry Christmas,

Kenny Phillips
Give Me Shelter Ministries

Please share with your friends. You can see your offerings at work right here on this site!




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Productive Trip, Much More to Do

Can’t stop time and it has run out for this trip. We have much to continue doing here in Cayette and the surrounding area. We feel we are starting to make some good relations that will only help us to share more deeply with these folks. The pilgrimage to Port starts today. I will stay the night at Harry’s house and spend time with his family. On the way we will stop at a small fishing village in St. Louis de Sud. This is the place where one of our first roofs went on. It’s a small community of about 4 families communally living together. We will bring them some food supplies which they will share with each family.

I will leave Harry’s house in the morning and head back to my family in Fort Walton Beach. It will take a couple of days to get my thoughts together but my mind now will turn back to Mexico, PR, Cuba and planning for the next return trip to Haiti to continue Raising Roofs. Thank you all for making this ministry possible through your kind gifts. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Kenny

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21 Roofs This Trip!

After a good nights sleep we got breakfast and headed to Cayette. Today will be the last day on the mountain. I have scheduled a meeting to reenforce our vision and plan to make sure that everyone is still on board. Mostly I wanted to give the people an opportunity to speak their concerns and get their input on how they feel the project is moving. I also let them know that we will start using an agreement signed by each home owner before anymore roofs are started. This will help with less confusion, hold them and us accountable and generally help us in the long run. Today was also another payday. We also set up a time later this afternoon to have a small program with the children. The sewing ministry at First Baptist Church FWB has made more pillow case dresses for the little girls. Pastor Harry will lead the program and distribute the beautiful dresses. We have to come up with a plan for the boys. The past two trips it’s been just for the little girls. Next time the boys have to be included. We head back to Port in the morning. I will spend a day with Harrys family before flying back to mine. We surpassed out goal of 20 roofs. We were able to do 21 roofs PTL.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Kenny

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Getting the Ox Out of the Ditch

Sunday, a day of rest and reflection. I used to have a neighbor that would always tell me ” when the ox is in the ditch you gotta get it out”. That was the day for us. The bosses had completed 14 roofs and they wanted their jack (money). I don’t blame them at all. So we meet them in the ravine before you head up the mountain. We thanked them for their hard work and encouraged them to keep the faith. They always want to give us all the credit but we quickly tell them we are only the messengers and all praise and glory goes to God. By the time we had squared away with the bosses it was past noon and most churches had wrapped up for the day. We decided to go up to Camp Perin. This was the first area we came to a year ago right after Matthew had a direct hit on Haiti. The town was completely destroyed. I was curious as to what it looked like a year later. When we crested the mountain ridge I could not believe my eyes. Although most of the structural damage was still there the vegetation was coming back ten fold. It was starting to resemble what the locals had told me it looked like before the storm. We ate lunch in Camp Perin and relaxed and had a nice talk about many things. The ox was out of the ditch and we were rewarded with a few hours of nothing to do but relax and reflect. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Kenny

Oct 2016 two weeks after the storm.
Oct 2017 a year later. God is good
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Heavy Metal!

Just another day of delivering the materials and putting out fires in the community. Seems as long as you are very clear with these folks all goes well. So once someone try’s to deviate from our vision and plan we have to deal with it asap. I won’t say that’s part of their culture because we deal with the same stuff at home. It just can be a little more difficult here. All is good though. The roofs are coming along well and it looks as if we will reach our goal easily. With that said, we still have three days to go but I do have faith that things will continue to move forward. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Kenny

Metallica and Iron Maiden eat your heart out, this is real Heavy Metal!
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Haiti Raise the Roof Project

Hit the road early as always and headed to the mountain to check on the progress of the roofs. The rain is making it difficult but the bosses are doing a great job considering the weather. I am totally not prepared for the rain which is my fault. As much traveling as I do, I know the rainy season of most regions and should have been prepared. When we arrived at the base of the mountain we headed upstairs. We went all the way to the top today which is the furtherest that I’ve hiked yet. A very long hard,dangerous climb. Going up is not so bad but coming down can be very hairy, especially after a rain. The rocks and mud get very slippery. A young man who always helps us was their to assist me as I climbed back down. He was very helpful. Once we got to the top they were working hard on five roofs. This is the end of the Cayette region before you get to the Port Salute territory. I never knew how big Cayette was until today. I wish we would have started up here first and worked our way down instead of in reverse. Oh well, live and learn. It is pretty cool to look down across the region and see all the silver hats (roofs) that now dot Cayette. YOU have made it possible through your donations and Gods grace to make this possible. We will start this afternoon gathering the materials for more roofs. The goal is for 20 roofs to go on and even with the on and off again rain, I believe we will meet our goal. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Kenny

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Haiti Raise the Roof Project

Up fairly early and headed to Cayette. We stopped at the depot and purchased roof supplies for 10 houses. Unfortunately the rainy season has started and that could complicate things. When we arrived the people were so happy to see us. We are blessed to have found this small area. Harry and Finder made a recon trip ahead of me and Harry has a list of the 20 names and homes of roofs that will be installed. This way there is no question about who gets what. As part of our agreement they must have their house ready for the metal. It has worked beautifully to this point and I do not expect it to be any different. The only way we deviate from our list is if an individual has not done their part. Then we will bump someone else up and give them their spot. We have much to do and we need to have a pow wow with the elders but not today, perhaps tomorrow. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Kenny

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Haiti Raise the Roof Project

By His grace and His provision we are back in Cayette, Haiti getting the roofs on 20 houses in this small village. With the efforts of Conscience International and Give Shelter Ministries we are able to continue this re development project which is now a year old. As always I met Harry and Finder at the airport, secured the rental and took off to Les Ceyes. Once we arrived we found a room. It’s at least a 4-5 hour drive from Port au Prince. We hit
the rack for some much needed rest. Starting tomorrow it will be busy for the next 5 days. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Kenny

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Tin and Tarps – Do You Have a Roof Over Your Head Today?

We are in a tumultuous season with the recent storms, earthquakes, and other tragedies. Please continue to sacrifice and  give to help others in serious need. Realize that there are people within several hundred miles of you who do not have a roof over their head as a result of a hurricane or earthquake.

If you would like to see your gifts make a direct impact on the lives of others, please consider supporting our current missions in Mexico and Haiti.

This week, we return to Cayette, Haiti, to add 20 more roofs that were destroyed almost a year ago in Hurricane Matthew. (Thankfully, Haiti did not get hit by Hurricane Irma.)

We have pastors on the ground in Oaxaca, Mexico. They still need tarps almost 3 weeks after many people lost their homes. These tarps are greatly needed today, and we are sending the resources directly.

We buy all supplies on the ground in Haiti and Mexico (it is more cost-effective than shipping from U.S., and supports the small business communities we serve.) It takes about $500 for each metal roof in Haiti, and only $60 for a large tarp in Mexico.  Any amount you donate is greatly appreciated!

Please share with your friends. You can see your offerings at work right here on this site!


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June 10-11, 2017

As I approach the end of this trip, I can reflect on how Gods hands were truly on us and the village. As we left Les Cayes and headed east we stopped in St. Louise de Sud a small coastal village were we helped re build a house last October on our first trip post hurricane Mathew. We saw some fishermen pulling in a net and wanted to see the catch. We ended up buying some fresh shrimp and fish. The shrimp was cooked immediately and devoured but the fish went home with Harry for later use.

We hung out for a short while and talked to the people then blasted off east and then north over the mountains to Port au Prince and then on to Harry’s home in Croix des Bouqette. I stayed with Harry’s family for the night and half the next day until time to head to the airport. Once I did get to the airport to head back to my family and home I realized how much our Father had allowed us to do. This could not have happened without your help. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!