Page 34 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2015

PEOPLE on a mission
Long Beach church members are making a difference in Haiti
story by Lynn Lofton photos courtesy of First Baptist Church of Long Beach
T
eart
killed more than 160,000 people and displaced almost 1.5 million. The First Baptist Church of Long Beach is one of the organizations trying to make a difference in the lives of Haitians.
The church began taking groups of 12 to 15 members to the Caribbean nation in 2014 and will take three groups next month and a fourth in December. Everyone receives training before going and trips are coordinated through the Praying Pelican organization.
“Our purpose is to add quality, value and meaning to families in Haiti,” says the Rev. LaRue Stephens, Ph.D.,
who’s pastored the Long Beach congregation for 18 years. “People there are so grateful for anything we do for them.”
A large part of the ministry is giving free fruit trees
to Haitian families. The trees distributed are mango, lemon, cherry and coconut because these trees do not
get large enough for the Haitians to cut down for fuel to use for cooking. “We purchase the trees there to help the economy,” Stephens said. “These trees can provide food for families or fruit that can be sold at market.”
Hair stylist Angela Taylor went to Haiti last year and is committed to returning. She didn’t mind staying in the primitive style church building or the inadequate bathroom facilities, but she hopes to see these conditions improve for those who live there. “We were asked to bathe the children at an orphanage for handicapped children and young adults,” she recalls. “We had no gloves and very little soap and water, but we got it done.”
True to her profession, Taylor found one electric shaver
hqua
ke t
hat struck on Jan. 12, 2010. The disaster
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hink about it: how many American children do you know who’d be thrilled to get a haircut? Or how many American families would be content with an annual income of $1,200? Always a poor country, Haiti became poorer in the wake of the destructive 7.0
34 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • July 2015
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