“In July 2006 we started doing a bible study in our home. Many people came because they know me as a singer, and many accepted Christ in our house. After they accept Christ they become hungry for His word so we have more bible study. That is how the ministry started. We would invite friends and people we met to our home to watch Christian movies, and then talk about the movie and get to know each other.
Our little group grew to over 100 regular members and eventually we used the whole house for church. Now in 2018 we have more than 295 members. We have church in the mountains for 26 members. Mabale has 376 members and Cornea 200 members. We started a school for our friend’s children and orphans started arriving. Haiti is a very poor country and our members have very little money to give, but they could give their time to help with the school and orphanage. Soon we had almost 100 children in the orphanage and over 200 in school. We were constantly struggling to feed the children. For the school children, the lunch we provide is often the only meal they will have for the day.
“The Lord works in mysterious ways. In 2010 a terrible earthquake struck Haiti and practically destroyed our building. In the aftermath, my wife Gerta became terribly ill and I no dry place had to take care of her or my 4 children. So, we put ourselves in God’s hands and got on a plane. We arrived penniless in the US and I contacted missionaries I knew who reached out to others to help us. The Riggin family accepted us and welcomed my family of 6 into their home.
“The Lord worked through Dr. Mary Riggin to heal Gerta, and for the next year and a half Jerry and Mary housed and cared for my family. Though I longed to just stay with my family in the comfortable US, I could not leave all those children in Haiti. I traveled back and forth to Haiti to start putting pieces back together.
“With the help of many friends, brothers, sisters and members of United Methodist Church, we were able to restore some operations of the school, orphanage and church. Many of those brothers and sisters are Zamar Ministries, Inc. in the US and my brother Jerry Riggin is the US Pastor for Zamar Church, School and Orphanage in Haiti.
We had most operations back in place, although in severely damaged buildings, when the hurricane hit in 2016. Then there was more damage and our well went dry. We had to purchase water for the kids every day. We were again in dire need of help and the Lord provided. In 2017, Jerry and Zamar Ministries, Inc. drilled us a new well with both manual and electric pumps. Jody and Jamie Johnston of One Ball Village put a water purification system on it and now neighbors come from all over for clean, fresh water. The also get to hear about the Lord and so we just keep growing.
There are so many hungry children here, far more than we can feed in school. We have 125 kids in school in my old house in Croix des Bouquets, a town about 8 miles northeast of Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince. Today the schools have been partially rebuilt but the orphanage still needs a lot of work and can only house 36 orphans while hundreds must survive in the streets.
We have 115 children in Zamar School in Mirebalais, about 50 miles northeast of here, and another 335 in Zamar School Garaud.
Zamar is a community center where people come for water, food, help for their children, spiritual and general counseling help for parents, and care givers who will love and care for orphans and school children. And a mobile clinic when doctors come from US.
There is no way we can survive without the Lord’s help. Teachers, food, electricity, fuel for cooking, school supplies all cost money, and there is none here. We can make a little go a very long way and we are very used to doing without many things. But the ONLY way we can survive and care for these children is because the Spirit of God moves hearts to help us. I know He will help us rebuild the orphanage and care for all these children. I pray does so through you.
Pastor Guerry Lefranc
Zamar Ministries
Croix des Bouquets, Haiti