Haitians Helping Haitians for Christ (HHH) will host its second chicken barbecue on Saturday, May 22. The event will take place at Mellinger Mennonite Church, 1916 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Presales must be picked up by 1 p.m. To prepurchase chicken, visit http://bit.ly/HaitiansBBQ. The event will be held rain or shine.

HHH was founded by Elage and Betty Metzler Estime. Elage grew up in the Haitian communities of Montrouis and Charrier. He was raised in a Christian family of eight children, who were still young when their father died. Through a sponsorship, Elage attended Mission Possible School, where he became involved with outreach efforts by using his small allowance to purchase bananas and bread for neighborhood children. After attending Youth With A Mission, Elage focused on serving in Haiti. Betty, a Lancaster County native, met Elage in 2010 when she was part of a medical mission team. They married in 2012.

Elage's ministry has grown and has become multifaceted. Initially, the Estimes self-funded the ministry, but a board of directors was formed to assist them and broaden the support. HHH provides food support for local schools, orphanages, and prisons and runs a feeding program for children. The organization offers English and music classes taught by local teachers. HHH holds yearly seminars for pastors, and it helped a local church acquire land and construct a building. During the summers, HHH hosts camps for children. Additionally, the organization brings North American medical teams to conduct clinics.

"All the proceeds (from the barbecue) support long-term solutions for Haitians," stated Betty. "The money all goes directly to providing jobs for Haitians and changing their lives. A dollar goes a certain way here, but in Haiti it goes a long way."

"We want to help people, and we believe the greatest help we can give people is to (help them) find Christ," said board member Joe Sherer. "The chicken barbecue gives us an opportunity to interact with the community so they can learn who we are and what we do."

"Although our organization is called 'Haitians Helping Haitians,' I love helping everybody," Elage said.

To donate or learn more about HHH, visit https://haitianshelpinghaitians.org.