THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A GREATER NEED FOR HOPE!

The dictionary defines the word gift as “something bestowed or acquired without any particular effort by the recipient; something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation.”  The greatest gift of all is the One we celebrate at Christmas – the gift of Jesus, our Savior; unmerited, undeserved…yet lavishly given.

This has been a year of unprecedented back-to-back calamities. Hope Force International (HFI) has served those in need across the USA (including Puerto Rico), Mexico, Nepal and Haiti.  Together, with your prayers, generous donations and hands-on participation – hurting people have been helped…and hope has been inspired in many. Our HFI Reservists and volunteers have conveyed the Good News through selfless, hard work and sacrifice as they have demonstrated God’s love to those confronted with life-altering hardship.  This is our gift:  not only to the disaster survivor...but also an expression of love and devotion to Jesus, our Savior and role model.  

Merry Christmas to you from all of us here at Hope Force International!

With hope and heartfelt appreciation,

Jack & Cherie Minton, Founders

• In Haiti, we hope to see the completion of the ECCA School rebuilding project -- a school lost in the 2010 earthquake. Once completed, the children will be afforded an opportunity to have a safe and conducive environment for learning.  Ongoing teams from around the globe will continue to serve our adopted village that lost 90% of its housing in the earthquake, and the Houses of Hope and Child Sponsorhip Program will continue.
• HFI will be returning to Nepal again this year to serve with our wonderful in-country partner that suffered greatly in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake. Our medical and construction teams will be building housing and bringing much needed healthcare to remote villages.
• We are excited that HFI Mexico is underway, and we will continue to train and deploy more Reservists for service, and offer healthcare in needy locations. 
• We will continue rebuilding efforts in Texas (post-Hurricane Harvey) as well as relief efforts in Puerto Rico (post-Hurricane Maria) -- while remaining vigilant and prepared to respond to disasters in the USA and around the world.

For this to happen, HFI must end the year on a solid financial footing.

Would you please consider including Hope Force International in your year-end giving? We know that it is important to be a good steward of hard-earned resources. We can assure you that any gift made to HFI will increase in value as it combines with thousands of hours of donated labor and a staff that raises their own support. Overhead costs are kept to a minimum, while maintaining a high standard of operational excellence and meeting the most stringent financial and governmental requirements.  Hope Force International is also a member of ECFA – the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability.

A gift of any amount will help make a world of difference.  Thank you!

The magnitude of damage produced by Hurricane Harvey engulfed an area of 22,000 square miles. Hope Force International [HFI] teams were on the ground in Texas directly after Hurricane Harvey’s fierce rains drenched the coastline and beyond. Some areas received over 50” of water from the slow-moving storm system, creating a secondary issue of standing water — not receding for days...and in some cases, weeks.  HFI teams spent four weeks in the greater Houston area, providing much needed relief to those overwhelmed by their situation.

A leading component to HFI’s response post-disaster is to find the areas that are overlooked and underserved.  We seek out those places that haven’t been highlighted by news coverage, and often do not receive immediate assistance…if any at all. HFI’s search led to a church in the small community of Vidor, TX.  We were amazed to see the massive number of homes that had not yet entered the initial stages of cleanup.

HFI is looking for volunteers to join us who have construction experience and a willingness to serve others. In particular, those with carpentry, electrical and plumbing skills. Work will entail insulating, minor framing repairs, repairing drywall, painting and laying floor tile.*

Dates** :

• December 3rd-9th -  Houston, TX
• January 14th- 20th -  TX

*If you are interested, please contact Joey Stoltzfus at 518-728-4440 for more details.  Being a trained, HFI Reservist is NOT required for involvement.

** We will possibly be adding additional dates after the New Year. 

Come join us as we take steps to do the most good possible – as quickly as possible. Together, we can make a world of difference!

Mexico was shaken on September 7, 2017 by an 8.2 magnitude earthquake. Hope Force team members in Mexico, led by HFI Mexico Director Zalathiel Rodriguez, were quick to form an advance team and lead the way for others to join them in Juchitan, Oaxaca (one of the municipalities most affected by the earthquake.) Here, they established the base from where our teams worked and coordinated support to the Damnficada population.

While the HFI team was treating patients in Juchitan de Zaragoza, another earthquake of 7.1 magnitude shook Mexico again in Morales/Puebla. This earthquake had major consequences for Mexico City, where several tall buildings and a school collapsed, leaving many buried in the rubble. A HFI Reservist team from Pachuca – led by HFI Mexico’s co-director, Ricardo Hernandez – was on the ground within two hours, providing emotional and spiritual support to family members and relief workers while waiting for loved ones to be pulled out of the rubble.  Other HFI responders helped to remove rubble that trapped earthquake victims; the teams remained for several days.  Only weeks earlier, these HFI Reservists participated in a HFI Disaster Responder Training Intensive, which equipped them for such a time as this.

We are excited to announce an upcoming training in beautiful Pachuca, Mexico -- just outside of Mexico City.  This Hope Force Reservist Training Intensive is scheduled for January 25-27, 2018.  Come join our ranks!

While Hope Force remained heavily involved in Texas with post-Hurricane Harvey efforts, HFI Reservists also converged from across the country to respond to Hurricane Irma in the state of Florida. The teams served in the greater Orlando area, applying tarps to properties that were wind-damaged, and then moved on to the greater Jacksonville area where they conducted flood remediation for several families in the Black Creek area.  In both of these communities, sensitive emotional and spiritual care was offered.

HFI Reservists from several states made a huge impact on the lives of those who suffered great loss in the hurricane aftermath.  For most of our responders, this meant sacrificing their time with families…some even giving up vacation time to serve their “neighbors” in Florida. We are truly grateful for their love of God — demonstrated through compassionate action!

The beginning of November marked a memorable moment for HFI Founders, Jack & Cherie Minton. For the first time in the nearly eight years that HFI has been serving in Haiti (since the 2010 earthquake), several of the HFI Board of Directors were able to converge upon our adopted village of Sous Savanne. The weekend was spent touring the different project initiatives that HFI Haiti oversees as the country continues to recover from the devastating earthquake. We celebrate the hope that so many of you -- our dedicated partners and volunteers -- have helped to spread to our Haitian friends!

To date we have:

• 170 children enrolled in the Child Sponsorship Program (CSP) – providing education, food supplementation and healthcare
• 67 Houses of Hope built, & more under construction
• 2 of 3 classrooms funded & built for ECCA School; (3rd classroom is under construction, and more funding is needed)
• 13 Hope Shelters errected following 2016's Hurricane Matthew devastation
• Ongoing teams from around the world bring medical care, VBS, seminars and "the Ministry of Presence"
• Stay tuned:  A more detailed HFI Haiti update coming in January!

On September 20th, 2017, Hurricane Maria slammed into the island of Puerto Rico, creating a huge swath of destruction. The U.S. government and other non-profit organizations have worked hard in their initial response (and continue to do so) – but the magnitude of the devastation, coupled with the fact that the island of Puerto Rico is 1,000 miles away from the mainland of the U.S., has caused relief and recovery efforts to be slower than usual. The pain is great amongst those whose lives have been turned upside down on the island; many still have no electricity, water…and have yet to receive aid. Hope Force International is honored to be able to come alongside communities such as this, bringing responders from across the U.S. and partnering with local community leaders -- specifically in the Isabela communities of Poncito and Cero Sombrero. Hope Force International is repairing the homes of the most vulnerable, delivering hygiene kits to the elderly and bed-ridden and distributing home repair kits – all the while bringing the "ministry of presence."  Many have expressed, over and over, their gratitude that Hope Force International came to their community.  We, in turn, want to thank all who have made this response possible!

We are truly grateful for the honor of being chosen by our friend and former board member, Dr. Timothy Browne, as a recipient of all profits from the sale of his page-turner book, "Maya Hope" for the months of November and December. BE WARNED: once you start...you will not be able to put this book down! Dr. Browne has utilized his experience with Hope Force International (and other agencies) to create a suspenseful and authentic story. Please check out this book on Amazon.com & see how you can get this book for yourself -- and others as a Christmas gift -- while helping the work of Hope Force International as well!