How we work
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RestorE​
DeveloP​
Empower
​​These three words largely summarize our work here on the Plateau.
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Restore:
In Lemuel, we seek to bring restoration to the people of our community - to recover what has been lost. We work to restore hope, dignity, the sense of meaning and purpose that God has instilled in each life, as well as the relationships with God, others, ourselves, and creation that have been broken.
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We also work to restore the land itself. This land, now so barren and depleted, once sustained dense forests and productive gardens. Deforestation and the pressure of human survival have wreaked havoc and left a wasteland. Lemuel seeks to bring life back to this land.
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Develop:
Development goes beyond restoring what has been lost - it builds on what we have and takes us to new and better places. It is dreaming of new possibilities and working hard to realize them. We seek to develop our community into a place we are all proud to live in and our land into something that can sustain life. This work, however, will be lost if we do not simultaneously develop the people of our community - providing them with the knowledge, skills and experiences vital to their personal growth.
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Empower:
This word captures our goal to help people develop to where they can help not only themselves, but others as well. Development, then, is not an end in itself, but rather the process through which we help those around us to no longer need us. As C. S. Lewis put it, "The proper aim of giving is to put the recipient in a state where he no longer needs our gift."​​​
What does the word "Holistic" mean to us?
In Lemuel, we believe in "whole person" development. We believe that for positive change to happen in the world around us, positive change must first happen in us and in the people around us. We believe that addressing one aspect of human need while ignoring the others is to ignore the way in which God created us. We believe that poverty is deeper than a lack of money or material possessions. And we believe that Christ's message of redemption must be lived out in all aspects of our lives.
When we say "holistic," we mean that we address all aspects of human need: social, physical, psychological, and spiritual as we seek to improve lives and living conditions in one small corner of Haiti. ​
What does the word "Poverty" mean to us?
​​Life on the Plateau is difficult and often feels like a vicious, downward cycle. But treating the people of the Plateau as pitiable and in need of people to do for them and give to them is unhelpful at best and, more often, harmful. A young lady on the Plateau once described poverty as someone with no land or livestock and no one to care for them. “Do you think anyone on the Plateau is poor?” she was asked. “No,” she replied, “we are not poor.”
Yes, the people of the Plateau are in need, but that need is not purely material. We are in need of people who will walk beside us, show us our value and potential, and, at times, lend a hand of support and assistance when we cannot cross the next barrier alone. Most of all though, we are in need of the forgiving and saving power of Jesus Christ, who is able to regenerate and renew all things -- from peoples’ hearts, to their relationships, to their land. In His name we walk.​