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“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants You have ordained praise because of Your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that
swim the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8 NIV)
“…whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (II Cor. 3:16-18 NIV)
“…we know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in His presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (II Cor. 4:14-18 NIV)
September 2018
Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings once again from the beautiful country of Haiti! We are awed by God’s greatness and power, majesty
and wisdom, and humbled in His presence. God is above all and man is so small, yet God has chosen mankind to
enjoy His vast creation. He allows man to be crowned with His glory, to reflect His glory on earth, and to gain
eternal glory! –Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Thanks to all of you who have prayed for SIF ministry and us in the past and continue to pray for us! All that is
accomplished of lasting value is largely due to your prayers!
Our last Benson newsletter ended in early March! Here’s what’s been happening since then:
March/April
March 9-16. Hope UMC Team from Port Trevorton, PA. Michele Keller led this construction team of 7 (6W/1M).
They built six houses in Lafferonney. One man came to Christ. Also, at one house built on Saturday, the wife was
a Christian whose husband had previously told her he would NEVER go to
church. However, the next day, he did! Hearts are opening!
March 17-24. Sunbury UMC Team (OH) had 10P (3W/7M) and was led by Brad
Ropp. They built houses out toward Gallete. On their first workday, they
finished two houses. When they went back to dedicate the first one, the mom
of four children had already moved in and set up everything, including curtains.
She was so overjoyed! She invited all the team and others in the community to
come in and see her new home with everything in place. Before long, they
were singing the familiar Creole worship song “In my Father’s House, there is
joy, joy, joy” in praise to the Lord.
The Sunbury UMC Team from central Ohio
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The next day the team went to put a new roof on Bruno’s block house, with new rafters, sheeting, and tin.
(Bruno and Mac are the two Haitian gentlemen who usually help build the small houses alongside teams.
They’ve helped since the beginning of the first tent city we assisted, Montreal.) Bruno’s wife fixed a full Haitian
meal (including goat) to show the team their gratitude. The team wrapped up the week by building four more
houses, for a total of six.
Midweek, our daughter Cheryl (also SIF home-office manager) flew down to spend two
weeks with us. She assisted with set-up for upcoming mobile med teams and shared
her SIF office expertise. It was great to have her here and spend Easter Sunday
together with us, too.
Just after Cheryl’s visit, Greg’s sister Cindy and her husband Ron flew down for a week.
It was Cindy’s first time to Haiti. It was another great week! We showed them
around some of the areas where we’ve worked as well as downtown PAP. We went “up the mountain” to the
lookout (Boutilliers) and BHM (Baptist Haiti Mission). We also took them to Croix des Bouquets to see Faith
Academy, tin shops, and Val’s fish farm (now called Caribbean Harvest). In 1997, Val and his friend Bill spent
three months at our guesthouse while starting a tilapia farm in Haiti. It’s grown into a large production, now
supplying income for some 400 farmers from
various locations. Farmers raise the fish from
fingerlings to market ready, then return them
to Val’s to be processed and sold (with the
help of 60 more workers). Besides providing
a good income to these farmers, a big part of
the profit also goes back to the farmers’
communities to improve schools and provide
medical care and houses.
April 22-29. Univ. of Buffalo School of Nursing (UBSON) NY team of 18 came to do a mobile medical clinic. Molli
Warunek, the team leader, had come on a team years ago as a nursing student under Mary Rappole. Now as a
clinical professor herself, she brought her own team of co-workers and students. They were a very energetic,
motivated team! Dr. Greg Collins and the 17 women provided medical care for 631 people in the village of
Gallete, working from Benito’s house (his porch and former classroom area). Two on the team also provided
fluoride dental treatments for 150 children.
While serving on the team, our good friend, Michele Harms, received the hard news that her dad passed away.
We’re so glad he walked with the Lord and she knew he’s with Jesus now! Thank You, Lord, for Your promises!
Also that week, Cathie was able to “attend” a bridal shower for Linette via Skype. (We’re sure thankful for Skype
and other technological advances that have improved communication over our years in Haiti!)
May/June
May 5-12. Reynoldsburg UMC (OH) 12P (6W/6M), led by Elizabeth Wise,
came as a construction team. Kris Kemp also joined us that week, to assist
with construction. Their first two days they built four houses for four families
near Gallete. Then they went up toward Kago (to Meyotte) and built a
house/office next to the church for a discipler. They also built ten pews for
that church. Returning to the Gallete area for their final two days, they
completed three more houses. One woman accepted Christ. A man, whose
wife was already a Christian, was willing to come to church after a house
build. We enjoy seeing how God’s love in action softens hearts.
Cheryl & Cathie on Easter.
Greg with Cindy & Ron Val explaining the tilapia farm to Ron, Cindy, and Fanfan
The Reynoldsburg Team talking to the family after building their house
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May 18-26. Hyde Park Community UMC (OH), led by Diana
McHenry, came with 20P (11W/9M) to do both mobile med and
construction. Kendra Kemp flew down to join us for the week and
assist with the medical clinic. The mobile med folks worked out of
Faith Academy’s chapel. Over five days, with 3 doctors on the team
and a Haitian doctor, they saw 1,044 patients! Meanwhile, the
construction folks sanded walls at the pastor’s house and made a
lot of desks for the school. Sixty new desks! (20 for the new 9th
grade class added this fall, and 40 for the younger grades.) It was
another very full week!!
We appreciated Kris and Kendra coming down to help with the May teams. Colin Zimmerman, who helped us with
February and March teams, returned to assist with June teams also. Thanks to you three—and the many others
(donors, pray-ers, & teams) who help make great things happen in Haiti!
Having a little space between teams and a daughter getting married in July, Cathie seized the opportunity to book
a trip to Ohio with frequent flyer miles. She spent a week with Linette (5/29-6/5) working on wedding details. It
was a special week for both! Cathie also got to see the rest of the family and celebrate Melissa’s birthday with
them all. (Praise the Lord for arranging unusually super flights and connections—with no overnights for the days
needed!)
Meanwhile, Greg kept busy in Haiti preparing for the June teams and getting Faith Academy ready to host the 9th
grade national exam for their region. (Nationwide, students must pass this 3-day test to move on to 10th grade.)
It’s an honor for Faith Academy to be selected each year, but involves lots of work getting rooms ready,
gathering and arranging enough desks for all the students, then setting everything back to normal afterward.
Rather last-minute, Fanfan was told they’d host many more than last year—665 students!)
June 9-16. Heartland Team from Lexington, OH (led by Joy Cochran) was
joined by Cathie’s Florida cousins, David and Sam (plus Sam’s girlfriend,
Laura). The 20P (9W/11M) experienced an early church service at Faith
Academy’s chapel followed by the kindergarten graduation program
and celebration there. (Kindergarten graduations are BIG in Haiti. The
girls graduating wore frilly white dresses with yellow ribbons and the
guys wore matching yellow shirts.)
During the week, the team did both construction and VBS in Lafferonney.
They built a total of 9 houses there and saw 15 kids from VBS pray to have Christ as their Savior! The team also
helped with Faith Academy’s post-exam clean up and the rearrangement of desks and classrooms.
June 21-28. Daughter Linette’s team of 5 came from Ohio. Linette and her fiancé, Andrew were able to
experience Haiti together (before the wedding) along with two of her
former 2nd/3rd grade students, and a mom/friend. One day they worked
on the parsonage for Faith Academy’s church (varnishing cabinets,
hanging doors). One day they built the 2nd rooftop classroom at
TeachHaiti (to accommodate high school students this fall). One day
they built a house in the Montreal area.
Linette spent 5 years in Haiti (8th-12th grade), so we toured the school
she graduated from, Quisqueya Christian School, and the church she
attended, Quisqueya Chapel. We went up the mountain, to the
Boutilliers lookout and BHM, and to grocery stores and tin shops. Also,
Heartland guys: We Greg
Hyde Park’s Team worshiping at Faith Academy church. There are over 300 attending weekly now!
Linette, Andrew, Sarah, Meg, & Abigail enjoyed the cooler temps up the mountain!
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we stopped to see the sight of our old guesthouse/home on Delmas 62, which had been badly damaged in the
2010 earthquake. (It has since been demolished and a new building is being built on the property, now adjoined
with the lot to the north of it.) Haitian Father’s Day occurred that week, so it was special to have family with us
for that!
Immediately after the team left, Greg and Colin went to Croix des
Bouquets to put the finishing touches on the parsonage. On June
30th, Pastor Henrico Roman, his wife Sofoni, and their daughter
Erika moved from Port Au Prince into the house. It is great to
have them living next to the church as part of the local
community, rather than having to make the long
commute from the far side of PAP.
June was also the month solar panels were installed at
Faith Academy—for the school, church and parsonage.
How timely, as the government hiked fuel prices (with
resulting riots) soon after. It’s such a blessing not to
have to rely on the unreliable EDH (expensive Haiti
electricity) or on large amounts of generator fuel. Thanks to all who gave funds to provide for the solar system!
(Just a side note, our solar at the guesthouse is working very well. We only need the generator if it’s overcast a
lot or there is high usage with teams.)
July/August
On Sunday, July 1st, we were thrilled to attend the high school graduation of
Angeline Antoine. She’s known as Angel to us. Years ago, some folks from “our
ravine” (behind us on Delmas 62) came to us and said, “Come! Please, can you
help? —No, not us, but someone that really, really needs help!” Angel’s mother
had died at childbirth and people in the ravine knew she needed help to
survive. A woman in the ravine volunteered to raise her. With financial help
over the years from some folks in the US, Angel was raised in her own
community by this dear lady, Virginia, and was able to attend school—and to
graduate! Angel is a sweet young lady and hopes to begin studies this fall in the
medical field.
The next day, we flew to the US for our furlough (7/2-8/13). In the first week alone, we celebrated
Cheryl’s birthday, 4th of July with the extended Benson family, and a bridal shower, and we
began a slew of doctor appointments.
Of course, the BIG event this furlough was Linette and Andrew’s wedding, July 21st!
We’re thrilled the Lord brought them together—and that almost 300 people were
able to celebrate their special day with them. Mom and Dad can’t help but say,
“What a beautiful bride! What a beautiful wedding!”
Julie, Melissa, and Cheryl (maid of honor) were 3 of
the 5 bridesmaids. Melissa’s two oldest girls were
flower girls. Julie’s two girls were greeters. The Lord
minimized the storm clouds and threatening rain
which left us with a beautiful afternoon for the outside
reception— a bit of sun and even a rainbow at the
close of it all.
June 30th, Pastor Henrico and his wife moved into the new parsonage,
located next to Faith Academy.
Celebrating with Angel at her graduation
Linette & Andrew headed to Colorado for their honeymoon.
Linette and our new son-in-law: Mr. & Mrs. Morris
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One of Linette’s desires for the reception was the father-daughter dance. And it was very special! Perhaps just
as much or more so for Cathie, as she relates here:
“I didn’t know if Greg would even make it to this day. He had lost so much weight and was so sick with his
CLL/nausea by December last year. I knew Linette had waited so long for a husband—and for this day. This is the
time I shed some tears (joyous, praise ones) because of the dream realized, in that today, not only did Linette’s
long wait to marry become a reality, but the Lord kept Greg to walk her down the aisle and be there with her
this day—and for this dance. It was an answer to lots of prayers to see them together enjoying these moments!
(Maybe I enjoyed them more!) Thank You, Father!”
A few days later we went on a road trip to KY/Cincinnati area
with our daughter Julie and her daughters, Alayna (12) and
Jenna (9). First stop was Newport Aquarium, then the Creation
Museum, then the Ark Encounter. Our God is so amazing! How
great to spend a few days marveling in God’s creations and the
ways of our Lord with them. Lastly, we went to a superb dinner
theatre and saw an excellent rendition of “Annie”.
The next week, we babysat
Melissa and Ian’s girls, Bethany
(6), Mikayla (4), and Nora (now 23
mo.), while their parents enjoyed
an anniversary get-away to North
Carolina. We’re not used to little
ones 24/7 for four
days/nights straight, but we all survived—and made some great
memories! Each summer, they collect tiny caterpillars, feed them
milkweed, and watch them turn into chrysalises and then into
Monarch butterflies—and then release them to fly away. While at
their house, we watched 25(!) chrysalises turn from green to black,
then watched Monarchs emerge and expand their wings—ready to
fly away after about an hour! Amazing!—and beautiful—and fun!
God’s detail in each of His creations is so incredible! (“Be still and
know that I am God”—Just study any of His creations in great detail
and you will be in awe of Him!) And to think, we too are going through an amazing
transformation—turning into God’s likeness more and more!
Our grandkids are all such fun! We praise the Lord for them and their unique personalities and for the times we
had with them this summer!
August 6th was another day with special meaning. It meant we’d completed 22 years in Haiti—and began our 23rd
year of ministry.
During much of furlough, our eye doctor, dentist, family doctor and specialists all got us ready to go back to
continue on. The oncologist was very pleased with Greg’s lab values (and that his weight has been holding
steady), so he discontinued Greg’s chemo meds for 2 months. The two months have now passed, so we’ll know
with the next lab work whether Greg’s time off meds will be extended. We’re hopeful for that, as Greg’s nausea
didn’t subside much at all until the last few weeks.
We limited our furlough speaking because of the busyness with the wedding and all, but we had another great
face-to-face SIF board meeting (now an annual gathering with monthly Skype calls in between). We are so
At the Creation Museum with Julie, Alayna, & Jenna
We marveled at God’s creation with Bethany, Mikayla, & Nora. Together we
released 25 butterflies!
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grateful for the 5 men and 2 women who serve on our board—and for their time and input. During this meeting,
the board spent some time with Travis and Erin Brubaker and got to know them better.
Travis & Erin (with their children Noah, Eloise, and Fitsum) are raising support to join us full-time in Haiti soon.
They have all of their one-time support raised. It covers cross-cultural training, airfare/moving expenses,
language school, and a vehicle, plus their rent and the school fees for Noah and Eloise which are required up
front. Now they are working on raising their monthly support. Currently they are at 73% of the needed 100%
before they move. By faith, trusting the Lord will supply, we’ve scheduled their move to Haiti. Lord willing, they
will fly in with their belongings on a missionary plane (MFI) on January 3rd. Hurray!
In addition, Colin Zimmerman has prayerfully considered and accepted a 6-month internship, starting in January.
So he is raising some support, too. If you would like to provide any funds for Brubakers or Colin, you may contact
Cheryl at the home office or give online through the website: www.sifministries.org.
Thanks to all of you for your prayers (and God for Your answers!) for reinforcements!! Continue to pray for them
as they speak to raise support and prepare to come our way in a few months.
When furlough ended, we welcomed another team:
Aug.18-25. Lockport Alliance (NY) came with a second team this year. 14P (5W/9M) were led by Marcia Keller and
Dan Costello. Their first two days, they built 4 rooftop classroom buildings for TeacHaiti. Then, they worked at
Faith Academy, preparing it for the new school year. They divided a large room into 2 smaller rooms and
painted. On their last two workdays, they built four houses.
Though they wanted to spend all week building houses so they could interact with more Haitians in their
communities, we’re grateful they served where help was needed most. In the end, they still got to build some
houses—and realize their week-long efforts blessed a whole, whole bunch of people!
September
Nationally, Haitian schools resumed on Sept. 3rd, though some delayed opening until Sept. 10th. Often schools
postpone the opening because parents don’t have their money together yet. Unlike the US, parents here must
pay for school each semester and fees, books, and uniforms for each grade. This starts as 3 and 4 year olds in
pre-K. It is very expensive, in perspective to the parents’ income, so many kids can’t go to school. Often, parents
can only afford to send one or so and select those with the best chance of succeeding. Or a family may rotate
which kids go to school each year. That is why it is not unusual for those graduating from high school to be in
their 20s.
This fall, Fanfan added 9th grade at Faith Academy, completing the plan to have the school go through middle
school (preK-9th grade). The enrollment this year at Faith Academy is a whopping 515 students! Mezanmi! (“My
oh my!”) (Last year there were 438 students.)
We built 6 roof-top classrooms at TeacHaiti. They are already full of high school students!
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Currently, we are searching diligently for a house for Brubakers (and/or perhaps a big compound for us all). We
need to find a place and prepare it before our return to Ohio at the end of November. Most houses in Haiti are
FAR from “move-in ready”. Preparation means cleaning and painting the inside, most likely building kitchen
cabinets, adding ceiling fans, lights, plus buying an invertor and batteries for the back-up electric, etc. So please
pray with us that the Lord directs us to the perfect place for them/us all. We would like their house to be close
to the guesthouse and if a compound, not too far from QCS school. Noah (8) and Eloise (5) will be starting school
there in January.
During these next months, we also plan to find and hire an EBS (Emmaus Biblical Seminary) graduate. He will work
alongside teams, continue following-up with new believers, and provide discipleship (and further evangelism) in
the areas where we work. Pray for the right person, someone who truly has a heart for the people here.
FYI—it’s been one year since the four-man crew changed over our big trucks. Just want to report, the new
customized truck has worked very well—and so much better than the old, barely-get-up-the-driveway one!
Already a full year of teams have enjoyed it! Thanks again to all who made that possible!
As time marches on, so does time shorten before the Lord comes for His bride, the Church. Remember, there’s a
Grand Wedding coming! Beforehand, there’s a flurry of activity, with—much preparation—waiting—and
excitement, to bring us to THAT DAY. That day when the Father will tell the Son— “Go get your bride!”—and He
will come for us! Help us Lord, to be eager—prepared—beautiful— excited—when THAT DAY arrives! Truly that
will be a glory-filled day for Christians! Until then, we continue to remain steadfast in Him, shed His light and live
to bring Him glory!
P.S. We love how we can hear Haitians singing hymns on Sundays and during revivals in near-by churches and
gatherings. Often our house staff will sing hymns/choruses throughout the day. Here’s one we heard them
singing recently that is a favorite of ours, too:
For the glory of our Lord,
One Day! By J Wilbur Chapman
1.One day when heaven was filled with His praises, One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin, Dwelt among men, my example is He!
Chorus: Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever: One day He’s coming—oh, glorious day!
2.One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain, One day they nailed Him to die on the tree;
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected, Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He!
3.One day they left Him alone in the garden, One day He rested, from suffering free;
Angels came down o’er His tomb to keep vigil; Hope of the hopeless, my Savior is He!
4. One day the grave could conceal Him no longer, One day the stone rolled away from the door;
Then He arose, over death He has conquered; Now is ascended, my Lord evermore!
5. One day the trumpet will sound for His coming, One day the skies with His glory will shine;
Wonderful day, my beloved ones bringing; Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine!
Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever: One day He’s coming—oh, glorious day!
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Greg & Cathie Benson
September 2018
Praise the Lord with us:
1. For Linette and Andrew’s wedding and life together.
2. For good times with all our kids and grandkids during furlough.
3. For the good report from Greg’s oncologist in July.
4. For the Gospel being shared with many Haitians, and for salvations; for many team members challenged.
5. That the parsonage for Pastor Henrico and his family is finished; church is going well; Faith Academy is booming.
6. For the Brubaker family coming full-time in January.
7. For Colin Zimmerman coming as intern in January.
8. For the Lord’s mighty transforming power in every Christian’s life.
9. That the God of the universe thinks of us, gives us His amazing creation to enjoy, and beyond this, provides salvation to all who trust in Jesus, to share in His glorious kingdom and the unseen glory awaiting us.
Please pray along with us:
1. For the Lord’s strength and wisdom each day.
2. For the Lord to lead us to the right housing and vehicle for Brubakers, and even finding staff for them, so we can train them beforehand.
3. For wisdom on selecting the right Haitian young man to work for SIF alongside teams and to help evangelize and disciple in the communities we serve.
4. For Tisson’s salvation. He is one of our staff workers that still resists coming to Christ. He says his head is hard (“tèt di”) and he is not ready. Pray his heart and head will be softened soon. And for other hearts to open to the Gospel, too.
5. For health issues to resolve for both Greg and Cathie.
6. For Brubakers and Colin as they raise support and prepare to come in January.
7. To locate future projects for teams.
8. That we the Church resist Satan’s many deceptions. And boldly live to give God the glory for being the Creator of all things and humankind.
9. That we the Church/the Bride will be ready for our groom to come for us on that glorious day!
Contact us at: [email protected]
Website: www.sifministries.org 3170 Airman’s Drive #2125-SIF, Ft. Pierce, FL 34946
Contact the home office at: [email protected]
740.398.3082 PO Box 227, Fredericktown, Ohio 43019
Travis & Erin Brubaker and their kids: Fitsum (3), Noah (8), & Eloise (5)
