Our time in Haiti is nearly over. It’s been a tremendous couple of weeks of service. Our team had the opportunity of participating in many different types of ministries…
For our first few days in Haiti, we served in a village in the mountains called Gros Morne, or Big Mountain. We were to work with the local Nazarene church. Our team helped with their youth service where we performed skits, taught them “I Love You Lord” in English, and shared a testimony. At the end of the service, we invited any who would to come to the front of the sactuary for prayer. Almost every person stepped forward. Prayer requests ranged from help in their studies to physical healing to the need for their families to find salvation. I was so moved by the concern these young people had for their families to know Christ. One girl that I prayed over confessed that she had an issue with respect toward her elders. She didn’t have a mother of father, but she somehow recognized that she had this struggle with submission. I thought that was incredible coming from a teenager! Also while in Gros Morne, we worked on a banana farm owned by the pastor of the Nazarene church. We spent a few hours pruning the banana trees and then raking all around the trees of fallen leaves, exposing the soil so that more can be planted. A few women from the church prepared all of our meals, and what feasts they served us! The women that took care of us as well as people from the church were so gracious and giving toward us. Their kindness and hospitality went above and beyond. I can only hope that we were half the amount of blessing to them as they were to our team.
Back in Gonaives, we labored under the sun removing mud that had collected due to the flooding in the city from the storm that hit the island last September. Our team, equipped with a pick ax, shovels, gloves, buckets, and our Nalgenes filled with water dug out mud a foot-and-a-half deep from a widow’s yard. In the midst of the digging we found shoes and articles of clothing. I did wonder if we’d unearth a body in the process, but, fortunately, no body was discovered. In addition to shoveling out the mud, we also helped with the construction of the third floor on the YWAM base where we are staying to allow for more classrooms. They hired professionals to lay the bricks but we sifted the sand used for the concrete mix and then carried it by buckets to the third level. We also carried the cinder blocks that were too numerous to count from the street to the top floor. I definitely worked on my muscle definition this month!
The evenings were primarily spent doing ministry. For a few nights we helped at a crusade where 40-50 people came to know Christ. One late afternoon we went to the city’s public square to evangelize. University students would hang out at the public square to study because, as Pastor Maula (our ministry partner) explained, the students do not have a place to study at home. We didn’t need to approach anyone because the people would gravitate toward us out of curiousity. Outside of the UN forces patrolling the city, there were very few pale-skinned people in Gonaives. Some of the people that did approach us wanted to know why we were in their country, some wanted a chance to practice their English on us, some wanted our watches or some food, and then there were those that, by no coincidence, needed to hear about Jesus. Through Pastor Maula’s translation, one boy wanted to know why our group didn’t bring anything to offer them. I told the boy, Danielson, all I had to offer was Jesus Christ. Danielson knew who Jesus was and what He came to do 2000 years ago. “If you already know all about Him and that you need to be saved, what’s holding you back?” I asked him. He replied that he didn’t have the proper attire to go to church. At this point Pastor Maula told me that Haitians, even those in churches, are very caught up in outward appearances. If you’re not dressed according to some unwritten code then you are not welcome in some churches. It struck me as funny that this third-world country was so concerned about what clothes they had on. I tried to convince him that Jesus loved Danielson for who he was, not for what he wore. Jesus wanted Danielson’s heart. After further discussion, Danielson decided that he wanted to have his sins washed cleaned and for Jesus to reside in his heart. Danielson’s cousin, Jessme, was standing next to him during the entire exchange and decided that he too wanted Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior! Not too much later, another young man, Wavely, also joined into the fold of believers. What an incredible night for the Kingdom! I wanted to get the boys plugged into a church where they could be discipled so Pastor Maula invited them to his church for that next Sunday’s service. None of the boys showed up that Sunday, but I continue to pray that the seeds planted will continue to grow and be fruitful.
One late afternoon, we went to a church that was close to the voodoo hub for the country of Haiti. After visiting the voodoo compound, we huddled up in the church to pray for the Christians in that community. We prayed that the Lord would strengthen the Haitian believers as they’re heavily surrounded by evil. We asked that they would be living testimonies to their neighbors, showing by example that there is a better life in Christ. Our team also prayed that God would reclaim His people in this country. It was an amazing and intense time as God’s presence filled that small church. As we pulled away from the neighborhood, I was overwhelmed by what I had seen and what I had felt from the past hour. It was evident that these people were made to worship something. They had been convinced that they would find fulfillment in witchcraft and voodoo. Thankfully, God has not forsaken the country of Haiti and He is making His presence known more and more through the obedience of His children who believe in the one true God. Our prayers also carry power. Will you help in remembering our Christian brothers and sisters in Haiti in your prayers?
It was awesome to be apart of the work that God had already started in Haiti. There were times when I felt overwhelmed by the enormity of changing the hearts and the traditions of so many people. But, then I’m reminded that the devil has already been defeated and we have won! I also remember that with God all things are possible and nothing and no one is greater than our God! I look forward to the updates on what God’s hand is doing in Haiti.
