March 24, 2003
Dear fellow partners,
Warm greetings to you all in his precious, holy and wonderful name.
I got a feeling that some of you have been investing in OFCB Ministries for quite a longtime, but not truly understand what it is really about.
Organisation de la Force Chretienne des Bayonnais (OFCB Ministries), is merely a Christian Institution which was founded in August 1993 about 15 months after I came back from Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) in Charlotte, NC, and 9 months after Yolande and I had been married. The Holy Spirit was the mother of that child, (OFCB) and still is. But that child was born in front of 5 eyewitness midwives who are Actionnel Fleurisma, Dimilsaint Mondelus, Lucner Saint-Louis, Saint-Victor Sejour and Firmin Saint-Louis.
OFCB, ever since it was born, has been a social-spiritual ministry, which believes that human beings have a soul for heaven or hell, an intellect to get educated and a body to take care of In order to meet its objective, OFCB has been dealing with Education since October 1993 with 105 students +3 teachers the 1st year. But 10 years later, in 2003, we have 913 students up to 13th grade and a faculty staff of 53 at least including cooks, janitors, teachers, and others.
Education and Evangelism are both in the same panel for OFCB. In fact, the school has been the main fields for evangelism as well as yearly crusade. Most of our church members today are over 70% young people that met Jesus Christ through the school. In our 13th grade class today, 77.7% are students who came to know the Lord at the school and now ready to go to college next August 2003, and back to the school and the church afterwards. Their options so far: Ms. Jesula Sylvestre, nurse - Mr. Kenold Decimus, science education - Valentin Sylvestre, theology - Faustin Charles, Medical doctor - Anilus Decimus, Agronomist or civil engineering - Monace Wallace, agronomist + Geology teacher - Lussamuel Sejour + Charles Villate, French + Philosophie and so forth.
We are saying all of this just to give you an idea of what OFCB is all about. However, it might be not clear enough for you to understand if we are talking about a real revolution in Bayonnais, Haiti. But, people like Mrs. Helen Hunter, Rev. Steve Caddell, Mr. Tom Harman, Mr. David Nichols, Mrs. Kay Dano, Mrs. Mma and many others will quickly understand what we are talking about. Samuel has just started his sixth 6th semester at the medical school in Port-au-Prince.
From January to March 23, more than 16 souls have come to know the Lord. - Praise the Lord! Marguerite Alphonse is no longer sick. She is as fine as she could be. Since the existing church building is getting smaller and smaller, we are grateful to God for each you that has contributed to make the 13mx30m = 390 m2 or 4472 square feet Church building become a reality. All the blocs are up and we are working on plastering the walls, floor next. Then the roof, which is a big step. Wherever there is a will, there is a way, Next September, we will probably have no classes under mango trees. What a blessing! For details or Picturess, go to www.ofcbministries.org or David Nichols at 704-847-3059 or Tom Harman at 704-543-4001.
OFCB Ministries was born in 1993. She started walking in January 1994 and she has been since then breast fed by each one of you, partners, through the Holy Spirit. Thanks a lot to you all in Charlotte, in Huntersville, in Gastonia, in Kings Mountain, in Boone, in Matthews, in Dallas, in San Ford, in Sterling. KS, in Atlanta, GA, in Calvary Chapel, NY, in Mooresville. Please never cease praying for us as we are doing so for you, for we have realized that some how you and we down here are in the same shoes.
Now let me introduce to you two of our students in 13th grade, Kenold Decimus and Valentin Sylvestre.
<<I am Kenold Decimus. I was born in a non-Christian family and very poor too. In fact, they have not lived together for quite a very longtime. I was raised to be a troublemaker for every body in my community. I would do gambling, go to cock fighting, rara and voodoo. I did not use to listen to any body. I had no respect for any body. My whole life was just a mess. While doing all of this, there was a man of God who came and told me about Jesus. He told that if 1 had accepted Jesus, my life would have been changed forever. Since then, I became Christian. It was in July 1997. While being in church, I could realize that the true life is found only in Christianity.
It was the time when I was going to College Classique de Bayonnais (CCB). I had just completed 7th grade. This last year, 1 took the 12th grade examens and did very well. I even was one among the 10 tops for the country. Now, I am in 13th grade-getting ready to go to College. After high school studies, I would love to get higher education in order to get something done for the community where I am living, Bayonnais. If I can go to college our university, I will study sciences of education, or civil engineering. For, I would love to become either a teacher or an engineer. Wherever I can get the chance to get myself educated to serve my community. I will do so>>
<<My name is Valentin Sylvestre. I was lost in the World for 20 years. I would go to Catholic Church, but I did not know anything about Jesus Christ. I was in 8th grade when, by having heard about Jesus Christ, I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my personnel Savior. It was a Sunday, the 30th of November 1997. That day, the Lord really caught me through a man of God and certainly my life has changed since then. I was in 8th grade when I became Christian at the age of 21 Now I am 26 and in 13th grade. There are a couple of things I would like to undertake this coming year. First of all, I would like to study theology and sociology, for my goal is to become a preacher>>
Bayonnais, a forgotten village in the state of Artibonite, whose main city is Gonaives, is now being raised up and keeps some attention by the effect of the living Gospel of Crucified the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's stand together, brothers and sisters, for believe it or not, we are just in the same boat. Let’s stay faithful until he comes back.
In Him,
Actionnel Fleurisma
E-mail – Actionnel@caramail.com