As the tiny and poverty-stricken nation of Haiti continues to struggle from the effects of a devastating earthquake earlier this year, a team of Warrenton-area residents returned to the island of La Gonave, Haiti, to put a roof on a new school that is part of a thriving mission campus started nearly a decade ago by an Innsbrook couple.

Pastor Sonja Dickherber and her husband Jerry, who lead the Celebrate Jesus of Haiti mission program, assembled a group of volunteers to travel 1,800 miles one-way in mid-August and spent the next 14 days working to improve the lives of Haitian children.

The group —  which included Todd Banze, Debby and Kevin Boedeker, Danny Kalbrier and Jason Toebben, all from the Warrenton area — installed a roof on a newly built high school and helped organize medical supplies at the mission’s health clinic. They also spent time ministering to the people in the area.

“We have fabulous volunteers from our area and they generously give their time and talents to make life better for children who have so little,” said Dickherber.

The island of La Gonave is situated 20 miles off the mainland of Haiti and west of Port au Prince. The island’s dependence on Port au Prince for food and other supplies has been well documented in stories covering the earthquake.

When the earthquake hit Haiti, food and other supplies that normally would be delivered to La Gonave came to a halt, and today, Haiti continues to struggle with bogged-down relief efforts from other countries.

Through the mission — located on 5 acres — the Dickherbers have a food depot and meals program that helps feed 600 children daily. They also have established a church, medical clinic and an elementary, middle and high school through 10th grade that are staffed by professional educators.

Warrenton-area volunteers put the finishing touch — a roof — on the new high school during their trip.

All of the mission’s services are provided free. Major volunteer and financial support comes from the Faith Christian Family Church (FCFC), friends, family and community, as well as from a large church in Tulsa, Okla., pastored by the Dickherbers’ son, Bill Scheer, who also is from Warrenton. 

‘Grabbed Hold of Our Hearts’

The Dickherber’s association with Haiti goes back many years. After their first trip to the area with Warrenton dentist Jerry Paz, the couple revisited the country every year for seven years, staying 10 days at a time.

When Jerry Dickherber retired from the construction industry, the couple headed to Haiti to live for a year.

“I wanted to spend a year teaching the Bible, but as time went on, God put us to work to start a feeding program,” Sonja Dickherber said. “Haiti and La Gonave just really grabbed hold of our hearts. We wanted to help the people there at every level — spirit, soul and body.”

Today, the  mission started by the Dickherbers is a community where people can send their children for a good education, healthy meals, clean water and medical care. It also is a place where children and adults can worship in a Christian church.

“Voodoo is the national religion in Haiti,” said the pastor. “We saw so much despair and wanted to give people hope that’s at the heart of our faith. In the midst of these terrible living conditions, the fact that so few Haitians were able to hold on to some kind of hope was too much for us, and we had to do something.”

The Dickherbers began preaching hope through faith in Jesus, she said. They also took on educating and feeding kids and tending to their health so that this and other generations to come can have a more hopeful foundation for themselves and their nation.

Poorest Country

Pastor Dickherber describes what life in Haiti is like as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.  Some 100,000 people live on the island where there is almost no jobs, no electricity and no running water.

Food supplies have more than doubled in cost since the earthquake, making it even harder than before for families to feed their children.

Dickherber says that people walk for miles to get water brought back in 5-gallon buckets, which they use to wash dishes, bathe and cook a basic diet of rice and beans.

“Our church’s full-time pastor says he will know there is hope for the area when he no longer sees women carrying a 5-gallon bucket of water on their heads,” said Dickherber.

The mission’s work in feeding, schooling, clothing and caring for children and adults has grown over the years, but Dickherber says that more and more, the emphasis is shifting to empower Haitians to successfully manage on their own.

While spending a lot of time on La Gonave during five or six visits each year, the Dickherbers say they want to stay deliberate in living in Missouri so that the people of the island will take on more and more responsibility for the program, learning to grow food, educate new generations and conduct business that will lead to a sustainable life.

“We’ve instilled an expectation for excellence in everything the mission has set up, so we have complete confidence when we’re back home here,” said Dickherber, noting that a full-time pastor and administrator from Haiti keep things running smoothly year-round. 

‘The Promised Land’

A new 20-acre garden that residents have named,  “The Promised Land” is taking hold, and a paid staff member is helping families learn about growing their own food. Families have a garden plot and participate in bartering for different types of food.

Six women are paid to cook meals and two are dedicated to cooking and serving at the schools. Each day, children attending school receive a generous bowl of healthy and nutritious food.

The Dickherbers’ mission also distributes school supplies and books, uniforms and shoes for each student at no cost.

“There are other schools on the island that charge families a monthly fee,” she said. “If the family can’t pay it, the child is sent home. We don’t do that; no one is turned away for any reason.”

The Dickherbers point out that every penny donated goes directly to the mission to serve the people of Haiti, with emphasis on its children. Money is raised in part by special fundraising efforts, including an annual golf tournament here.

Sonja Dickherber says she would love to get other local churches involved in the mission and invites them to travel along on a future mission trip.

“God gave us the inspiration and will to do His work in this poorest of places,” said Dickherber. “We’re confident that things are in place to keep this going for generations to come.”