That’s because For Haiti With Love’s Christmas in August banquet is coming Monday, August 7. This 35-year-old tradition gives donors a chance to connect with one another, catch up on what For Haiti With Love is doing, and even contribute to the organization’s other festive tradition; a Christmas party for kids in Haiti every December.

Christmas in August Banquet (Photo Courtesy For Haiti With Love)

At the party, “we have the Jesus Film for children in Haitian Creole, so they get the full gospel story and a full meal, then they get a brand new gift before they head for home,” Dehart says. The Christmas in August banquet encourages attendees and even supporters who can’t make it to the fundraiser to donate small toys, toiletries, school supplies and more to give to more than 500 children come December.

It also allows For Haiti With Love to update fellow believers on the work they’re doing across Haiti.

“We’ve got some new programs down there that are pretty exciting, and we will be sharing with the people so that they’ll understand that we’re expanding our outreach and touching more neighborhoods and more people,” Dehart says.

Christmas in Haiti (Photo Courtesy For Haiti With Love)

Want to help? Dehart says For Haiti With Love only exists because of the passion of believers who have come alongside the organization to reach Haiti, and it’s not too late for you to join that crowd. “You can get involved by sending money for us to buy gifts or by sending small gifts that we can include in the shipment to Haiti.”

Even if you can’t commit money, pray that “we can touch the people who come to the party on Monday night to understand the importance of what we’re doing and show them that through For Haiti With Love they’re helping be God’s hands to touch the sick and the hurting in Haiti.”

You can get involved with Christmas in August at their website.

(Photo by For Haiti with Love)

Haiti (MNN) — The guests came in laughing and shaking the water off their clothes from the downpour outside. They weren’t going to let the weather dampen their mood or keep them from coming.

The event is called Christmas in August. It’s an annual dinner and auction put on by For Haiti with Love to raise money for another Christmas party on Christmas day. Christmas in August took place on Monday.

We spoke with Eva DeHart of For Haiti with Love about the results of the dinner. She said local merchants had donated gifts for door prizes. They auctioned off wood carvings, jewelry, paintings, and other items from Haiti. Some people donated quilts they had made.

“It was an interesting start to the evening, but everything else just went off like clockwork. It was a fun evening, it was productive evening,” DeHart says, “[We] netted about 50% less than last year which simply means that we’ll have a smaller party in Haiti on Christmas Day.”

In the same way the crowd shook off the rain from their shoulders, For Haiti keeps a positive outlook about this year’s Christmas party despite the decline in financial support.

“The whole purpose of the evening is gifts and food and sharing the Gospel with the children in Haiti on December 25th,” DeHart says.

While many of the kids will come because they know they’ll get a hot meal and they know they’ll get presents, there is something much more important to be shared with them.

“You’re sharing the real purpose of Christmas Day. You’re celebrating Messiah’s birthday.”

The children will receive coloring books of the Christmas story in their language. Christmas hymns in their language are printed in the back of the coloring books.

When these children are hungry, often sick, and living in families with no prospect to provide for themselves, you might be wondering, “Why is a party so important? Shouldn’t you be focusing on their food?”

Aside from the fact that For Haiti does address these needs on a regular basis, Christmas is a significant time to remind the children–and often their parents–of the hope in Christ despite their hardships.

(Photo by For Haiti with Love)

The reminder is good. DeHart explains that when her husband first started working in Haiti, the country was 80% Catholic, 20% protestant, 100% voodoo. That means that despite learning about Christ, the people held on to their old beliefs, creating a synthetic religion.

“In the early days, they didn’t ask people to make a choice between their voodoo-following and their Christ-following. Modern day Christians do ask them to make that choice.”

DeHart says that they pray for the Haitians to accept the whole truth of the Gospel and to surrender their old beliefs.

But, she explains, with the constant health problems, it becomes difficult.

She says, “Voodoo has a medicinal side to it. And when their children get really sick, no matter how much they believe and have accepted the Gospel, they’re still apt to grab their pigeons and go to the voodoo priest if the medical situation is really, really bad.”

DeHart says until they have proper medical care, it is likely there will be entwining of religions.

Pray that Haitians will learn to lean fully on God and His eternal promises.

DeHart explains her favorite part of the Christmas party: “No matter how poor they are, no matter how little they have, their goal is to come to that party making their very best presentation of themselves. So if they don’t have any clothing that doesn’t have holes in it, they will have relatives that they can borrow things from. People ask us for pictures of the poor little kids that we serve at the Christmas party. Well, none of the children look poor at the Christmas party.”

The kids have their neighbors do their hair, and they borrow dresses and shoes.

“They want to make their very best presentation to God and to For Haiti with Love for that party. It’s just a joy to watch the preparation that they go through and the enthusiasm that they reflect for what Americans would consider a pretty basic, simple party.”

The decrease in funding from this year’s auction echoes the type of year For Haiti has had. In February, they had to temporarily shut down their food program because they were not getting food.

Now things are up and running again, and they’ve had two containers delivered. But to keep it open, they need at least one more container to be delivered by the end of the year.

(Photo Courtesy of For Haiti with Love)

It costs $10,000 to transport this food to their distribution center in Haiti. To contribute, click here (donate tab on upper left of page. Purpose: transportation for food program).

The donated items for the Christmas party also need to be transported. If you’d like to support that financially, click here (donate tab on upper left of page. Purpose: transportation of Christmas Party goods).

Or you can send a check to this address if you prefer to do it offline:

For Haiti with Love
PO Box 1017
Palm Harbor, FL 34682-1017

Please pray for protection and perseverance for the minitry. Pray that they would be a light of truth for these people still look to old religions during times of uncertainty. Keep DeHart’s daughter in your prayers, as well, as she is addressing health issues in the States and longs to get back to work in Haiti.

Photo courtesy of Orphan Outreach

USA (MNN) — If someone wishes you Merry Christmas next month, chances are that person is part of For Haiti With Love’s fundraiser program known as Christmas in August.

For more than thirty years now, FHWL has held a Christmas party for children in Haiti. The kids have a chance to receive a full hot meal that includes dessert, which in itself is a rare treat, as well as participate in a program that tells the story of Christ and His miraculous birth. They will even get a chance to sing Christmas carols in their native language, Haitian Creole.

In addition, what’s a Christmas party without gifts? The children will receive toys and other presents during the event, making this one of the only times they receive something they want. Food and clothes are important, true, but only a few times a year are the kids actually allowed to enjoy themselves. At the party they receive coloring books, dolls, cars, card games, and more. In fact, FHWL even produces a special coloring book written in Creole that tells the story of the Messiah’s birth.

Even the adults receive a few gifts. Guests to the Christmas in August dinner can donate watches, sewing kits, toiletries, and more, and teenagers can receive soccer balls and school supplies as well. However, on a lighter note, they won’t accept blunt scissors; the Haitians think they’re funny and won’t ever use them!

FHWL needs a way to fund the party, raising money to purchase food and toys for the event. So, every year, they throw an event called Christmas in August. This takes place in Florida and consists of a dinner and an auction. Guests are updated on FHWL’s activity in Haiti, learning about the struggles and triumphs of working with the Haitians, then are given a chance to give to the cause of the Christmas party. They can also donate gifts for the children to receive, as well as money to fund the program.

Sadly, FHWL has had some struggles with their food supplies. In fact, the normally well-stocked food warehouse ran completely dry in February. The empty stores forced FHWL to shut down their food program temporarily, which in turn meant some Haitians died from starvation.

However, FHWL’s Eva DeHart thinks the crisis won’t have a serious impact on the Christmas program. According to her, “At the Christmas party they know there will be food, and they know they’ll get gifts.” Kids really look forward to the party, she adds. “The children are really excited to come and celebrate Jesus’ birthday with us.”

DeHart wants to be careful to keep Jesus as the center of attention. “It’s important to not only give them something to look forward to. It’s the hope, the all-encompassing hope.” According to her, the party draws people that may not have any other contact with the Gospel. “They’re over and above our food program, over and above our clinic outreach. This is a poor segment of Haiti that doesn’t get the opportunity to hear Jesus’ message, and we invite them to come and learn about Him and celebrate His birthday with us.”

Click here for Christmas in August details!

(Screen grab courtesy For Haiti With Love)

Every August, the ministry begins making plans for Haiti-side of the December 25 celebration of the birth of Christ. For Haiti with Love’s Eva DeHart says, “The kids get fed and they have praise and worship service where they are renewed with the story of Christmas from the Scriptures and then they get brand new gifts, and we’re hoping, a whole lot of God’s love that day.”

But it takes cash to put that kind of party on. Planning ahead is key to a successful celebration-that’s why they hold the fundraiser in August. The event includes Christmas dinner, Christmas music, door prizes, and silent and live auctions. Its purpose, aside from the obvious, is “It involves stimulating some interest locally, in the needs of children in Haiti, particularly.”

Everybody knows Haiti is poor and people need help, but DeHart says their US-side event clarifies what ‘need’ is. She explains, “The worst you see here is among the best you can find in Haiti. Things have not happened after the earthquake that could have or hopefully would have happened. People are suffering, and if we can share God’s love and help that suffering, I think that’s our job.”

FHWL brings items up from Haiti, and local companies and individuals donate articles for the auction portion of the event. Many people also bring an item to donate, to add to the gifts which will be distributed to children and families in Haiti. This year, they raised “… a little over $6,000, and that should be a pretty good party for the kids. We’ve got two pallets all boxed up and ready to go.”

The timing couldn’t be better. “We have a container of food going down, so, these gifts can get over to Ft. Lauderdale and have a free ride down with the container of food that’s going in.” Gifts include the things kids and their parents WANT, not so much the things they NEED. “We’ll be sending down another supply of toys and gifts at the end of October to have them in there in time for Christmas. They like dominoes, playing cards, all kinds of games, small dolls, and small trucks.”

For a quarter century, For Haiti with Love has been hosting these parties, and word has spread. On Christmas Day, everybody shows up in their prettiest best clothes. There’s a good hot meal with dessert, and that’s BEFORE the presents. Because the party is for the poorest of the poor, most of them cannot read. That’s why coloring books are much more effective at communicating the Gospel than providing them with a full Bible.

Last year, DeHart summed it up perfectly. She said, “In a land that is starving to death and crumbling under earthquake damage, it’s really important to have something hopeful”, adding that the party opens the door for Gospel opportunities down the line.

Planning ahead for hope–that’s kind of the Gospel in a nutshell, isn’t it?

Every August, the ministry begins making plans for the December 25th celebration of the birth of Christ in Haiti. Eva DeHart with For Haiti with Love says, "The kids get fed, and they have praise and worship service where they are renewed with the story of Christmas from the Scriptures. And then they get brand new gifts and, we're hoping, a whole lot of God's love that day."

But it takes cash to throw that kind of party. Planning ahead is key to a successful celebration, which is why they hold the fundraiser in August. The event includes Christmas dinner, Christmas music, door prizes, and silent and live auctions. Its purpose, aside from the obvious, is "stimulating some interest locally in the needs of children in Haiti, particularly."

Everybody knows Haiti is poor, and people need help. But DeHart says their U.S. event clarifies "need." She explains, "The worst you see here [in the U.S.] is among the best you can find in Haiti…. People are suffering, and if we can share God's love and help that suffering, I think that's our job."

FHWL brings items up from Haiti, and local companies and individuals donate articles for the auction portion of the event. Many people also bring an item to donate, to add to the gifts which will be distributed to children and families in Haiti. This year, they raised "a little over $6,000, and that should be a pretty good party for the kids. We've got two pallets [of items] all boxed up and ready to go."

The timing couldn't be better. "We have a container of food going down, so these gifts can get over to Ft. Lauderdale and have a free ride down with the container of food." Gifts include the things kids and their parents WANT, not so much the things they NEED. "We'll be sending down another supply of toys and gifts at the end of October to have them in there in time for Christmas. They like dominoes, playing cards, all kinds of games, small dolls, and small trucks."

For a quarter century, For Haiti with Love has been hosting these parties, and word has spread. On Christmas Day, everybody shows up in their prettiest best clothes. There's a good hot meal with dessert, and that's BEFORE the presents. Because the party is for the poorest of the poor, most of them cannot read. That's why coloring books are much more effective at communicating the Gospel than providing them with a full Bible.

Last year, DeHart summed it up perfectly. She said, "In a land that is starving to death and crumbling under earthquake damage, it's really important to have something hopeful," adding that the party opens the door for Gospel opportunities down the line.

Planning ahead for hope–that's kind of the Gospel in a nutshell, isn't it?

Co-founder Eva DeHart looks at that story ruefully. "God is laughing at me again with 'O ye,
of little faith!'" In the
30 years of For Haiti With Love's work in Cap Haitien, they've had 26 Christmas
parties (held on December 25) in Haiti. She says, "This is
for the poorest of the poor, so this has become–celebrating Jesus' birthday–
the highlight of the year."

However, parties for hundreds of
guests are expensive. For Haiti With
Love feeds the crowd with a hearty meal that often includes beans and chicken
or beef, a treat (usually a cookie), Creole Christmas songbooks, and either a
toy or an appropriate gift for the adults like jewelry or playing cards.

Funds for a party like that would cost thousands of dollars, so how early
does the ministry plan for this shindig? August. "Christmas in August"
started in 1988. The reasons were twofold: a slowdown in donations, and trying
to get the second Christmas Day party in Haiti planned.

DeHart notes, "As traditions tend to do, it quickly became an annual
event. Now there are folks who look forward to seeing and visiting with
friends they have made and only see at the 'Christmas in August'
Dinner/Auction."

By now,
you're wondering how it ended up. DeHart
says they had a crowd of enthusiastic last-minute guests, more than enough to
make up for the drop in regular donors. Not only did they raise enough to get the party off the ground, but they
also exceeded last year's giving by $200.

Those funds were immediately put to use. Right after this year's party, For Haiti
With Love sent four pallets totaling 2,097 pounds off to Ft. Lauderdale,
FL where they will be loaded into a container with the Feed My Starving Children
donation of 43,000 pounds of food packets.

The pallets also
contain uniforms, a donation of more than $34,000 worth of toys from Marathon Ministries, party
cups, powdered drinks, plates, spoons, and other supplies for Christmas party as
well as the gifts from this year's Christmas in August party. Donated
funds will also help purchase the calf and spices for the dinner in Haiti
Christmas week. The container sails to
Cap Haitien on August 27.

There's a
deeper meaning aside from the celebrations, too. While the people they serve know it's the
time to mark the birth of Christ, the party opens the door for Gospel
opportunities down the line. DeHart
says, "In a land that is starving
to death and crumbling under earthquake damage, it's really important to have
something hopeful."

Here's one thing charitable groups agree on: while it seems donations are recovering a little
as the economy heals, it could take years before they get back to
pre-recession levels. 

For groups like For Haiti With Love, the people they help don't have "years." They're focused on the day-to-day
survival. Eva DeHart says the shift in
giving means "we're trying to focus on getting the next generations of
Haitians prepared for the fact that America is not going to be able to help
them. The tighter those things get here,
charitable giving is the first thing to go out of the budget."

For example, tonight For Haiti With Love holds an annual fundraiser called "Christmas in August." It's
geared toward defraying the expenses of the major Christmas party they throw
in December for hundreds of kids and their families. This year, however, "We've got less than two-thirds of the people coming who
normally indicate that they're going to be there. It's going to be really down,
and that will have the snowball effect of less Christmas for the kids in
Haiti."

Donation rates are severely declining, and that could eventually mean
cutbacks elsewhere in the ministry. DeHart notes some of the Barna Research
Group studies point to a generational gap in principles of tithing and
charitable giving.

For example, the financial global crises have hit stock markets,
and that means portfolios are suffering. As a result, Barna says since Spring, 41% of all U.S. adults say they
have reduced giving to non-profit organizations as a result of the poor
economy.

Americans are also
cutting back on tithing. In the same Spring
study, one-third of Americans admitted to cutting the amount donated to
churches, and 11% admitted to cutting tithes altogether, making these figures
the highest drop-off since 2008.

There have been indicators that this slower-paced economy could be
the "new normal," much to the Baby Boomer generation's dismay. However, for their grandchildren, it's been "the new normal" for most of their lives, says DeHart. "Most of the interest we're getting in
teams right now is coming from kids, and I'm talking about pre-high school kids
who really want to serve, who really want to get involved."

As a result, there could be a re-think on how For Haiti With Love
does ministry. "It looks like that's where our hope is going to have to
come from. In the meantime, we're going to have to figure out how to survive
and how to help people survive until that generation gets functioning."

What it really boils down to, she says, is godliness. "We've
strayed too far from God, and we've got to get back to God and God's
principles. The giving will automatically come with that because God places the
giving on your heart, and if He is not in your life enough, you're not going to
listen to that. "

Ultimately, this could be the path to helping the ever resourceful Haitians toward that
self-sustaining outreach goal.  "You've
got to get them into the position of not looking at the people bringing the
message, but at the message. If their relationship is directly with God and not
with the missionaries, then they start turning to Him for their guidance and
they start looking for the ways that they are supposed to work with God to
provide."

It turns out the old adage is true: "The charitable give out the door and God
puts it back through the window," but both have to be open.

See our Featured Links Section for details on For Haiti With
Love's ministry.   

For Haiti With Love is already getting ready for their 25th annual Christmas in August fundraising party. The event will take place on August 13 at First United Methodist Church in Dunedin, Florida.

The cost to attend is a $25 donation, and guests are asked to bring an unwrapped present for someone in Haiti. All gifts to For Haiti With Love are tax deductible.

Gift ideas to bring include jewelry, digital wrist watches, UV sunglasses, t-shirts, toiletries, or playing cards.

For Haiti With Love takes all the gifts and donations from the Christmas in August fundraiser and uses them to throw a celebration on Christmas day for families in Northern Haiti.

Each Haitian family member gets food and a gift at the Christmas celebration. But most importantly, the Gospel message is shared–the true meaning of Christmas.

It’s no secret that Haiti is a country of extreme poverty. Around 80% of the population lives on $1 a day. One donation of $25 to attend Christmas in August is nearly one month's wages for an average Haitian family.

The opportunity for the Gospel is evident, and attending the Christmas in August fundraiser can have an eternal impact with the gifts you give.

Christmas in August will start at 6 pm and feature dinner and an auction. Local Florida merchants have also donated door prizes to the event.

But you don’t have to go to the Christmas in August fundraiser to donate. You can send a contribution for the event’s cause either by mail or online donation.

Meanwhile, please be praying for the success of the Christmas in August fundraiser. Pray that the Lord would be preparing hearts in Haiti to be receptive to the saving message of Christ—the true reason for Christmas.

Click here to make a reservation for Christmas in August or learn more about donation.

Monday marked the 24th annual "Christmas in August" fundraising event with For Haiti With Love. Despite an attendance of just over half of what it was last year, the ministry raised only $300 less than in 2010 and was able to gather 1 1/2 pallets of Christmas gifts for Haitian children in December.

The Christmas celebration that will come on Christmas Day 2011 in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, will be deeply appreciated. Conditions in the region have hardly improved since the January 2010 earthquake struck.

"There hasn't been that much done since the earthquake," confirms For Haiti's Eva DeHart. "There still are no jobs. There are a lot of mission groups that are just totally pulled out of Haiti now. And so the challenges are really growing."

With an added layer of cholera which became a severe epidemic across the nation over the last year, many kids have been forced to deal with more than any child can reasonably handle. This Christmas party gives them a brief oasis to rest and rejoice.

"To give these kids something really exciting to look forward to is important," explains DeHart. "And to be a beacon of God's love and hope in that setting is even more important."

With this year's current giving, the Christmas party should be able to include about 1,500 children, each of whom will receive a variety of gifts from soccer balls and baby dolls, to much-needed toiletries.

Because there are so many needy children in the region, For Haiti alternates the children who are able to receive gifts each year. This not only allows many more children to receive gifts, but it widens the scope of those who are able to hear the Gospel.

The more funds that are raised, the more children who can celebrate Christmas 2011. Gifts can be accepted through October, when the last shipment will go out for the December celebration. If you would like to participate in spreading the joy and hope of a Savior born to even the poorest of the poor, contact For Haiti at forhaitiwithlove.org, or head to their Facebook page.

In the meantime, pray that God would be preparing the hearts of those who will hear the true Christmas story and the Good News it produces in Haiti.

For Haiti's Roseline DeHart coordinates the event. The downturn in the U.S. economy has stretched
their resources. "The challenge now is
that our contributions now are lower. We do whatever we can do with what we
get."

That requires a lot of creativity. DeHart explains that it begins with a fundraising
auction and dinner about four months before Christmas. "We have Christmas
in August here in Florida, and then with that money and the toys that people
bring, we have a party for about 500 children on Christmas Day in Haiti."

Since 1988, For Haiti With Love has been throwing the party for the
poor in the community, and it's been growing
steadily each year. At 500 kids, there
are also parents to feed and gift. Why
so many when the budget keeps shrinking? It's simple. "We can't tell them ‘no,' so we keep bringing in more."

The logistics of planning the party are overwhelming.
Getting items cleared from customs in time, as well as getting food prepped and
distributing presents requires a lot of organization. The Gospel
program means rehearsals. After the meal
is finished, the children are given a gift: they get to select a stuffed animal
from the pile. The mothers get to select a piece of jewelry from For Haiti's donated
jewelry store. The fathers get a T-shirt and playing cards or dominoes, either of
which is a favorite pastime.

DeHart says this aspect of their ministry is just one small
part of their outreach. "Whenever we
can, we tell them about Jesus, especially in the clinic. We tell them that the
medical care we're giving them is free, that they don't have to pay, that Jesus already
paid for them."

From the building to the feeding programs to the free burn
clinic, every facet of For Haiti is meant to reach out to the poorest of the
poor in Cap Haitien in the name of Christ.

Some respond to the hope of Christ, but
not all. There is a lot of spiritual
warfare still going on throughout the nation. The country remains heavily influenced by
voodoo. "Pray that For Haiti With Love
can be able to go on 40 more years, and that the contributions will continue
coming in."