Back To School & Merlain's Testimony

Greetings from Pignon, Haiti!

It's hard to believe how quickly time flies, but PCMP remains hard at work as we prepare for the return of our students in September. We are grateful each day for God's continued faithfulness and blessings through the many challenges and triumphs. Your faithful prayer and financial support allows us to do the work God has called us to do and is having a major impact so many lives! Thank you! A huge praise for our team this month is that PCMP has received the official documents from the IRS approving our 501(c)3 status!

SCHOOL UPDATE

Kindergarten Building Construction:

Construction of the new new Kindergarten building is progressing well! The building is expected to be completed by the start of the academic year in September. We look forward to welcoming 100 new students and we praise God that we will be able to accommodate every one of our new Kindergartners. It is a joy to be able to welcome these precious children and guide them forward in their Christ-centered education.

CHURCH UPDATES/YOUTH ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVES

Since the start of summer, PCMP and I have led several forums to help spur engagement with the youth of our community. We have had open discussions with the youth to foster new programs and initiatives that will meet their needs. Our approach is to meet them where they are in hopes that this will encourage them to grow in their faith and continue attending church services. There is also a separate ad-hoc engagement team that is developing initiatives that will target young non-believers within our community. Our hope is to maximize these two endeavors.in order to attract and encourage youth engagement and membership within the church community.

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Youth Ministry: Please pray for direction and wisdom for our youth as they develop these new initiatives. We ask that God places the desire in the hearts of the youth to be involved with our church and our growing youth ministry.

• School Lunches: Every day many of our students come to school hungry and dehydrated. It is a well-known fact that students who come to school hungry cannot focus on their studies in the classroom. Adequate diet and nutrition positively impacts a student's academic performance and is essential for full intellectual development. Being able to provide daily lunches is a top priority for our school. We are meeting with several organizations to find tangible solutions for how we can meet this critical need to help our students be able to learn and function to the best of their abilities. Please pray that we will be able to find funding for school lunches.

• Teacher Departures: 3 teachers have decided to leave PCMP due to disagreements on salary increases. The cost-of-living continues to rise and as such, teachers across the country continue to request increased salaries to offset these rising prices. PCMP was unable to accommodate these requests and unfortunately, the three teachers decided to part ways with the school. This is a highly sensitive and difficult situation to navigate and so we ask for prayers of guidance as we attempt to fill these vacant positions and manage these salary concerns.

STUDENT TESTIMONY

My name is Merlain Audate. I would like to thank PCMP for the opportunity given to me to be able to share how PCMP has changed my life, among countless number of students and other people in the community of Fontaine. I am fortunate and blessed to be one of the beneficiaries of the life changing work PCMP is doing in the community.

I was born and raised in a poor family of 7 brothers and sisters. Life was very tough for us. My family did not have much to put all of us in school and the idea of going to school was not so important to us. When Philadelphia Christian School, the first ever Christian school, came in the community, it was a “let it be light” moment for the entire community--including me. The importance of sending kids to school was explained to many of the people in the community and the school administration of Philadelphia Christian School started gathering kids and providing a Christ-centered education to them. I was privileged to be one of those kids. It was at that time that I felt as if I belonged to a greater family.

My best time during those years at Philadelphia Christian School was when we had VBS. It was at VBS where I was taught to be a blessing and how to be a good citizen of my community. Most Importantly, I was taught that I was created for a purpose. I am one from the first class to graduate from Philadelphia Christian School of Fontaine. PCMP not only helped me through graduation, but through other goals as well. I am currently in my fourth year as an IT student with many dreams of continuing on as far as I can. I am grateful to PCMP and I am happy PCMP allows me to currently volunteer there.

Giving Options for PCMP

As mentioned in our May Newsletter, PCMP is transitioning to a new donor giving platform called "Continue to Give". Thank you to everyone who has completed transitioning their recurring monthly donor account from "Modern Day" to "Continue to Give." If you have not yet made this transition, we are asking that you do so as soon as possible. Below are the links to begin your donations to PCMP using the "Continue to Give" donor platform.

Please note: we have added an ACH option to the donor form. The ACH option allows you to give a one time or recurring donation directly from your bank account to PCMP. You can find that option on the PCMP Donor Form (see options below) under Bank Account/Online Check. If you would be interested in this option for your donation, we would be happy to help you with any questions you may have.

We appreciate your timely attention to changing your recurring and one-time donations to the “Continue to Give” donor platform.

Please click on any of the options below to make a special donation to PCMP or to sponsor a child's education for one year. Just add a comment on the donation form that you would like your donation to sponsor a child's education and we will send you a picture of your sponsored child!

Direct Link to Donor Form:
https://www.continuetogive.com/Donate_to_PCMP/donation_prompt

Text to Give Option:
Text the word "PCMP" to: 715-803-4772

Mail a check:
PCMP
9212 Timberwood Dr.
Johnston, Iowa 50131

A current urgent need is to increase our teachers salaries for the upcoming school year. If you would like to give a special gift towards this need please leave us a note on the donation page when you make your donation to PCMP. Thank you!

Thank you again for your faithful support of PCMP!
God Bless,
Jude