Friday, August 13, 2010 - Email sent to Maine Friends of Haiti from Rev. Randall Burns of the Military Street Baptist Church in Houlton, Maine:

Good AM, Brian and Mary:

 

My name is Randall Burns, Sr. Pastor of Military Street Baptist Church in Houlton, ME.  A parishioner of mine relayed to me the article which was in the newspaper last weekend regarding the Maine Friends of Haiti coalition.

 

Military Street Baptist Church (MSBC) has been assisting two missions in Haiti for 25 years.  We have worked with Pastor Apolyon Noel in Terrier Rouge, and most recently, Pastor Payot Jacques in Caracol, both villages east of Cap Haitien.  We have recently partnered with a congregation in Sedalia, MO, the United Methodist Church, to build an orphanage in Caracol, called, “Strong Tower Orphanage.”  This is a work being developed, and we are looking for partnerships regarding well digging, the securing of building materials and the shipping of them into the country, and the need for medical supplies and school materials for the kids.  Pastor Jacques has seen Caracol swell in numbers of people who have been displaced from the Port au Prince earthquake, and many are children with no family and nowhere to go.

 

The MSBC Children’s/Youth ministries recently raised $2400 for 3 mos. worth of rice for the school in Caracol.  Our congregation also sent dozens of flashlights to Caracol, since there is never any electricity there, and the villagers LOVE having a little light after dark.  We hope to be sending a team down in late 2010/early 2011 to begin building the orphanage.

 

Just wanted you to know that Haitian mission work and assistance is very strong and alive and well from northern Maine.  It is our joy to partner with the dear ones of Haiti in making life more liveable there.

 

May God bless your efforts in bringing together a greater networking in Maine regarding who is doing what, when, where, with whom, etc.  We will be most interested in partnering with anyone who has experience in orphanage development in Haiti.

 

Sincerely,

 

Rev. Randall Burns

Lead Pastor, MSBC

Houlton, ME 04730

207-532-2783 (ch); 532-0635 (hm)

www.houltonmsbc.org