Joel Joseph’s Story: The Beauty of Interdependency
At only 43 years old, Joel Joseph is a father of four, principal of the Frere Joseph de Glacy school, and a pastor in Haiti. When the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck his country in 2010, Pastor Joel’s church was destroyed, and ever since he has been searching for the money needed to start the rebuilding process.
In May 2019, three groups of the Ministry of Saving and Credit (a 410 Bridge and HOPE International partnership program) reached the end of their loan cycle and decided collectively to donate 123,000 Gourdes ($1,351) to Pastor Joel so he could buy construction materials and start rebuilding his church. Pastor Joel was overjoyed:
“I am grateful. That’s the best I can say. I am grateful to the people of Piatre and grateful to 410 Bridge and HOPE International for the Ministry of Saving and Credit. I’ve knocked on many doors for the last nine years trying to find the funds to rebuild the church. And when I least expected it, I received a donation from the community to start the construction. This is a model of application of the teachings of Christ. This is a testimony of the love of our brothers and sisters in Christ. I thank 410 Bridge and HOPE International for this initiative. The Ministry of Saving and Credit is an inspiring program. It inspires hope, support and sharing. It helps the community trust its ability to move forward and build development.”
Pastor Joel’s story is a beautiful picture of interdependency – a mutual seeing and meeting of needs. Interdependency provides a firm foundation for healthy societal, relational, spiritual, and economic development. We at Homes for HOPE are privileged to be a part of stories like this one…rich in examples of “loving one’s neighbor as one’s self” (Mark 12:31). Please join us by praying, starting a Homes for HOPE project of your own, or introducing us to someone who can.
To learn more about how the building industry is partnering with Homes for HOPE to accelerate the end of global poverty in all its forms, please contact Matthew Baehr at 717-719-0313 or mbaehr@homes4hope.org.
