Haiti (Port-au-Prince)

Elsie Lherisson grew up in Haiti, but once she came to New York, she never wanted to go back to her homeland. She had a successful banking career in New York when she got saved and began attending Brooklyn Tabernacle. In only a few years, she began to feel that God was calling her back to Haiti, but she initially resisted the idea. However, as the Lord continued to work in her heart, she went to work as a school administrator at Christian Haitian Outreach from November of 1988 until 1994. After returning briefly to New York, Elsie returned to Haiti in 1996 to start a children's ministry in Port-au-Prince. On July 5, she had her first children's ministry meeting starting with 25 children. Now, there are close to 500 children and young people attending her ministry.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere with about 80% of the population living in abject poverty. The unemployment rate is estimated at 70% and the malnutrition rate is 75%. Children are regularly infected by worms, malaria, typhoid and other diseases. Infant mortality rates are some of the highest in the world. 10% of all the children in Haiti will die before the age of 4.

Elsie's ministry meets on Sundays for Sunday School, prayer meeting on Wednesdays, Bible club on Thursdays and Bible classes on Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Elsie and her staff prepare meals for all the children in the ministry. These are their best meals of the week as most of the children barely get one meal a day. However, because of the political instability and runaway inflation, food supplies are becoming harder to find and more expensive. Despite the challenges, Elsie knows that God will always provide.

Tessa Garnes was saved in 1994 and in 1999, she began attending the Brooklyn Tabernacle. Originally from Barbados, she began hearing about the ministry of Elsie Lherisson in Haiti and she began to have a burden for that country. She went to Haiti for the first time on a mission trip in 2002. She subsequently returned to Haiti on mission trips for several years as the Lord began calling her to go to Haiti on a long-term basis. In 2005, Tessa resigned from her job as a social worker and left to volunteer with Elsie in Haiti.

Tessa assists Elsie in all areas of the ministry, primarily as a teacher of the young children. She has learned conversational Creole, which has enabled her to minister more effectively. In January 2006, she began a sixteen week discipleship program for young girls ages fourteen to twenty four with an emphasis on purity. At the conclusion of the program, she organized a graduation ceremony where the girls publicly consecrated themselves to live a life of purity. Tessa plans to hold more discipleship classes on topics such as courtship for young men and women in the ministry.