Banana Church

Sunday,we ministered in a new church that is located in a field of banana plants. It is surrounded by channels of water that carry the waste water to a river so the odor at times can be pungent. A group of about 40 believers gathered to worship in the simple structure in a plot of land the pastor purchased and gave to the church after his other church was destroyed by the earthquake on January 12 in Haiti. His desire is to build a structure and purchase more land to expand the church. It was a privilege for us to be a part of what God is doing here amidst people who have suffered greatly yet are willing to sacrifice to see his Kingdom advance in their nation.

Outreach to Haiti

We were able to finally show the entire Jesus film, children's version on Thursday night to a crowd of 300! We simply hung a bed sheet on the wall of a business and used the PA system to announce it. We were delayed about an hour due to some technical problems but the people patiently waited and the longer we waited, more people came. At the end of the film we wanted to give an invitation but as soon as we started speaking the generator used to power our system rain out of fuel. It got real dark fast and the people scattered but at least they saw the entire film which is a very powerful took in presenting the life of Christ. We pray that hearts were ministered to by the message of the film and that the Holy Spirit completed the work of bringing conviction of sin, righteousness and the judgment to come.

Haiti Outreach

We are continuing to share the gospel by going to homes in the area. The people are open to hearing the message and many are responding to receive salvation. We have also been hosting a Bible study for some people who we have met and shared Christ. They have been rejected by some of the churches because they do not wear the right clothes and some have tatoos. Not all the churches are legalistic as these but the ones that are have a very negative impact on people who really want to know the Lord. We will be showing the movie on Jesus to the people tonight. It is the shorter version for children but it has been very effective in reaching all ages and it is in the language of the people. We are working with a Pastor to help start a church with the people who are coming to Christ through the ministry we are doing. Please continue to pray for us as we labor together in the harvest field God has placed us for the next 2 weeks.

Haiti Outreach

I am currently in Haiti with our DTS students for the next 5 weeks. We arrived on October 17 and spent our first week ministering in Port au Prince. I was overwhelmed by the extent of the damage from the earthquake of January 12, 2010. There are countless buildings and homes that are damaged and some reduced to rubble. I saw very little work being done to clear the rubble as there seems to be few machines available to deal with the problem. It will take years to clear and rebuild everything that has been damaged at the rate of progress that is currently happening. One of the most telling signs was the condition of the National Palace that is totally damaged and nothing has been done to remove it and rebuild. It is a symbol of the state of the government here, broken and in need of major repair. We came along side of a church called "The Body of Christ" and ministered in 3 different churches as well as several school. We also visited an orphanage that is in great need of funds to fix what has been damaged and finish the construction of the building. It cares for 47 children who have been orphaned. It is a very simple facility and the children have very little. The food was being cooked over a fire because they did not have gas in the propane tank. The children sang the National Anthem of the USA to us and they really enjoyed the ministry the student conducted for them.
Our second week was spent north of Port au Prince in Babancourt. We stayed in a camp that was set up to house the people whose homes were damaged after the earthquake. There were about 1500 people originally living in tents in this camp but many have left or return to their homes. We worked with the church on the grounds and also conducted ministry in several public and private schools. We had around 30 receive Christ as Lord. It has been very hot in Haiti and it has taken our team a bit of time to adjust to it. Electricity was scarce in our first home we stayed in and in the camp we only had electricity when the generator was started at night. The church treated us well and we did not mind living in tents for the week, it was actually cooler than staying in the home the first week. While we were at the camp there was an outbreak of cholera in communities around us. We know of 2 people who died near us.
We are now at our 3rd ministry site in Fonds Parisiens for the next week. We will be doing a lot of evangelism in the community.
God has used our students in a marvelous way and even though the conditions are harsh at times they have stayed strong and focused on the mission. Please continue to pray for them.