THE BRAAK FAMILYLast weekend Shirley and I made a 2.5 hour trip to Grand Haven, Michigan to help fellow Haitian missionary Tom Braak of Faith in Action International celebrate his organization's ten years of work in Haiti. Tom actually has been in Haiti since 1997 and took several years of traveling and working in different areas of Haiti before he was sure of where and what God wanted him to do there. He eventually ended up in the Artibonite valley at a place called Verrettes. Tom's ministry focuses on helping and training Haitians in agricultural endeavors to be able to support their families by using environmentally friendly technology , introducing new improved crops and livestock. They also have started schools, capped springs for safe water , built cisterns and evangelized. Tom has a goal to build an experimental village where new ideas can be put to use in construction technology, agricultural practices demonstrated and alternative energy systems tried out.
Tom and his wife Fecilta recently (Sept. 1st) welcomed little Ryan Curtis into their family and hope to return to Haiti in late October. Almost 100 people turned out at the beautiful Grand Haven Community Center to celebrate with the Braaks and the FIAI board members ten years of wonderful work in Haiti. In God's love, steve
