CAMP HOPE 2024
As Haitian teens navigate the difficulties of daily life, Camp Hope continues to provide a place where students grow closer to God and find rest, community, truth, and hope. This summer, over 200 teens from eight different schools attended two sessions of Camp Hope 2024, which were held in Port au Prince and Dubuisson. Campers at the Port au Prince location joyfully competed in games and events at a local soccer stadium while many campers at Dubuisson reportedly “slept great!” on their overnight adventure.
Throughout the turmoil of the last year and the rise of gang presence and influence in almost every community throughout Haiti, our Camp Hope Leadership Team recognized the critical need for this summer’s campers to hear the truth that God alone is Sovereign. The Camp Hope 2024 theme “You are the Only God” was indeed timely and relevant, with the Bible lessons and discussion groups focusing on four main movements: Lesson 1 – The Authority of God; Lesson 2 – The Deliverance by God; Lesson 3 – The Salvation from God; Lesson 4 – The Kingdom of God. The key Scripture found in Psalm 86:8-10 provided a firm Biblical foundation for students: “Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. 9All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name. 10For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.”
We rejoice that 39 students gave their lives to Christ in baptism at Camp Hope, while many others encountered Jesus for the first time or renewed their commitment to following him. Several campers who received special recognition as talented student leaders at last year’s camp attended this year as mentors and embraced responsibilities like facilitating discussion groups, participating in worship, serving lunch, and helping with clean-up. Similarly, students who received leadership awards this year will have the opportunity to participate in leadership activities throughout the upcoming months and can return as mentors for Camp Hope 2025.
As the success of Camp Hope continues, we are dreaming about what comes next! How do we help teens remain connected with each other and with Christ throughout the school year? How do we provide mentorship and consistent Biblical teaching for all students? How do we ensure they have ongoing opportunities to find and follow Jesus?
BEYOND CAMP HOPE
To address these needs, HFHC is piloting a new initiative that will provide each of our ten schools with a Spiritual Director who will facilitate Biblical instruction, servant leadership training, and Christian fellowship activities. Roolite, HFHC’s Haiti Liaison and Spiritual Formation Advisor, has been instrumental in launching this endeavor and casting vision for the Spiritual Directors’ plans.
The primary focus of this program for the 2024-25 school year will center around Biblical instruction, as we are working diligently to provide Spiritual Directors with a comprehensive curriculum as well as training sessions and structured cohort groups. Secondary students in HFHC schools will enjoy a survey of the New Testament, while elementary students will journey through the Old Testament. Additionally, secondary students will take pre- and post-course assessments, as well as quarterly examinations, in order to evaluate academic progress and embrace data-driven decision-making. Spiritual Directors will receive monthly virtual instructor-led training from Roolite and the HFHC team, covering topics such as Establishing a Biblical Worldview, Spiritual Formation of Adolescents, Effective Classroom Management, and Helping Students Take Next Steps in their Faith. The cohort groups will also remain connected in real-time, with Roolite moderating the conversations, inviting feedback, and providing resources and encouragement.
In Roolite’s estimation… Spiritual Directors are critical to the spiritual development of our students in Haiti. The kids need local mentors who know the Lord and will walk with them through daily life, helping them stay safe and out of trouble. They need encouragement to remain connected to a church family and Christian friends and to flee from worldly temptations like gang activity, sexual immorality, and bad decisions. This team of adults will be present in the students’ lives to help them shine the light of Jesus and grow into Godly young adults.
We are very excited to inform you of this new project and to solicit your prayerful support for our entire student body,
for our team of Spiritual Directors, and for Roolite. Our hope is that as we pour into the next generation, they will embrace opportunities to become Christian leaders in their homes, churches, and communities. We are confident that this renewed focus on Christ-centered teaching, at CAMP HOPE and BEYOND, will truly help young people in Haiti
find and follow Jesus.
