ELLINWOOD —Star of Hope of Ellinwood is a Christian-based group that provides assistance to second and third world countries, including Haiti. The Rigaud, Haiti church, which was destroyed by the 2010 Haiti earthquake has been replaced by a church campus that will be used extensively by the community.
The funds provided by the donor family made it possible to build a structure and campus that brought great joy to the people, according to Barry Borror, president of Star of Hope.
The earthquake had turned the simple church building they had built decades ago into a mere shell of a building. The church placed the reconstruction priorities on the school, not the church, as they felt it was important to get the children back into school as quickly as possible.
Construction once possible went quickly and efficiently. In less than six months the old building was razed, the property cleaned, fenced and construction completed, all by hand labor. The only power tool the more than 125 local workers had to use was a gasoline powered cement mixer. The jobs that were had meant much to the families in the area who subsist on meager day wages and gardening.
During the dedication service, Pastor Sampson Pierre used a passage from Exodus where God had seen the plight of his people, heard their cries, and had the power to deliver them. The pastor reminded the people that the same happened in Rigaud. God saw, God heard their cries, and in his time, he provided.
Eglise de Dieu de Rigaud serves as a church home to some 500 people. In addition, the church hosts the school of 900 students, supported by Star of Hope donors around the world. They provide services for all from children though the aged. The people take their responsibility within the community seriously and the church is an important influence.
The new complex was made possible because of a family in Kansas. Bessie DeWerff of Ellinwood traveled to Haiti to represent the donor family for the inauguration on Sunday Dec. 2, 2013.
The entire church congregation asked Bessie DeWerff to carry back word of their appreciation and thankfulness to the LD & Marilyn Davis family for making it possible.
Borror said, “God always provides in his timing. Star of Hope is humbled to be used to connect people who want to help with those in need.”
For more information or to discover how you might help with the next church construction project, contact Star of Hope, (620) 564-3355.