Our History

Our founder Ebenson Verdule spent four (5) years of his life on the streets of Port-de-Paix, Haiti. "Misery and a lack of the necessities for life were the factors that drove me to the streets", said Ebenson Verdule. "Sometimes, I went many days without food, but God had a plan for my life, and He kept me from starving to death. I would have to say that my experiences do show me why God had me going through all of the dark times – simply, He had a plan. For a long time, I tried to forget my past; the pain I endured and struggles that no child should ever experience. The more I try to forget, the more I would remember. After many years, God has candled a fire in my heart, a fire of compassion, of devotion and of mercy to those children living on those same Haitian streets."

His parents got divorce when he was just four (4) years old. With his father disappeared, his mother had to find ways to support four children. It was a struggle from the start. While the others three siblings stayed with relatives to alleviate the struggle on this now single mom; Ebenson stayed with his mom (after few years of mistreatment of living as a restavek with others).

At the age of seven (7), Ebenson was living on the street of Port-de-Paix, Haiti where he had to fend for himself after his mother could no longer provide. He remained mostly on the streets until the age of eleven (12); at that point an aunt got news that Ebenson’s father was living in the Bahamas and asked that he consider helping. He responded positively to the call to help. He then moved from the Bahamas to the United States and quickly started the process to bring Ebenson and two of his siblings to the United States. In 2003, at the age of sixteen (16), Ebenson enter the United States and lived in Delray Beach, Florida.

In 2006, Ekaterina was looking for a place to worship and stumble on a small Haitian church where Ebenson was attending. He translated for her since the service was done in Creole. They soon started dating. They got married in 2008.

They wanted children right away, but after two horrifying miscarriages all hope seem to have been lost. “Why wouldn’t you bless us with children God?” was their plea. God’s answer to them in a dream was, “you have more children than you can count, why you asked me for children?”

From that point a bell was ringing in their hearts as they understood that God was calling them to a ministry of caring for children in need. Knowing the immense need and misery of streets children in Haiti, they knew that God was leading them to make a difference in the lives of these orphans living there. “Barren or not, we will go to Haiti to minister to the need of children living on the streets”; that was a vow they made in early 2010.

Just a week after they committed their lives to work with orphans in Haiti, a devastated earthquake strikes the country killing more than 230,000 people and sent a huge wave of new orphans to the streets. Since then, they had taken many mission trips to Haiti to minister to the needs of children living on the streets.

In 2011, they became certified foster parents and started making an impact in children’s lives here in the United States while preparing for the mission field in Haiti. Soon after becoming foster parents, God looked upon them, and Emilina their first daughter was conceived and came into the world in June 2012.

In early 2013, they founded Mercy Land Orphanage, Inc. (which was later changed to Mercyland Christian Mission, Inc. because God had bigger plans) in an effort to rescue orphaned children from the streets and provide wholesome care to all that God would have them minister to.

In 2015, they started taking children from very vulnerable situations to a rented property where they were cared for 24/7. Also, they started the “Victory Scholars” program through which children who would otherwise never go to school are provided the opportunity to go to school.

In 2018, they moved to Port-de-Paix, Haiti to oversee the ministries of Mercyland Christian Mission.