News – Page 73 – Haitian Island Ministries

Friends of Haiti:

Time moves on. It sure doesn’t seem as if it has been two months since Joe’s death, but his is like any other death of a close friend or a family member. It never seems real.

Some have asked us what this does to the ministry there. All of us miss him. But really nothing has changed except the way we go about things. Joe’s role in the ministry was that of Paymaster. The salaries of all the teachers and monies for the nutrition programs and pretty much everything else went through him to distribute to where it was intended to go. Obviously, we have had to rearrange things to get the money to the different areas in a different way. He was also the one we put with new people coming to help, because he was so fluent in English as well as speaking Creole, French and Spanish.

Beaubrun Beaubrun and family

has stepped into that role as we knew he would. He has been a very big help to Joe’s family, helping them with all that goes with the funeral, and then with counseling too. Beaubrun has his own school and family to look after, but he has been an invaluable help during this time. Actually, he has been working with HIM longer than anyone, and some may remember we helped put him through four years of Bible school.

We want to express our thanks to everyone again for helping, for your prayers for us, but mainly for the help and prayers for Joe’s family. They are still going through a very rough time, especially his 14-year-old daughter; she doesn’t want to accept that this has happened. After a two week break his school is now back in session and everything else is as it was.

Terry and I thank all of you for being such giving and caring friends. The ministry is just not set up to handle things such as this. Without your involvement, we don’t know what we could have done. You help and prayers for everyone made a very difficult situation much easier to get through.

Serving HIM together,

Steve and Terry

Hi, everyone:

Joe Edmond‘s funeral was held at 7 am the morning of January 18th. It would have been sooner but his wife, Wislande, wanted Steve to speak, and the 17th was the earliest he could get there.

Joe would have been very pleased. Steve spoke about their relationship, Joe’s work with HIM, and the time the two of them and Beaubrun had spent together. Beaubrun preached the message and sang with some of the others who work in the ministry. Joe’s oldest son (17) also spoke. He said he would like to take his Dad’s place in the ministry when he finishes school.

The love for Joe was certainly evident by the number of people who were there. The church was full and a large crowd was outside listening, They were also there for his wife and family after it was over. We buried him very near his Dad who died last January.

Joe was such an integral part of Haitian Island Ministries, and such a good friend. It is going to be very hard to move on without him and Haiti will never be quite the same for us. But move on we will, and his memory will always be with us.

Thank you to everyone who helped with his funeral expenses and to those who sent for his family. They appreciate it more than you will ever know. As a ministry, we could not have done the things that were needed without your help.

This was so different than anything we have ever experienced in Haiti. To know you care as you do was a blessing to us, and to his wife as well.

Thank you for being the caring friends you are.

Steve and Terry