Haiti

Preaching at Bon Berger (Good Shepherd) Church in Les Cayes, Haiti.  Glad I had Pastor Louis to interpret for those present, not to mention the radio and TV broadcasts said to reach 1 million Haitians. Yikes!

Days after returning from a week in Haiti I'm still processing all that happened. After making it through customs without any of our supplies being confiscated (yes!), a 5 hour drive brought us to Cambry, Les Cayes - in southwestern Haiti. Sunday was quite full.

2:00 AM - Get sick, then go back to bed.
7:00 AM - First 2 1/2 hour church service (pictured above)
10:00 AM - Same thing at another church, complete with performance by a deaf choir (not a typo)

That afternoon we got to play with the local orphans before sorting out our supplies for the coming week. I mostly worked in makeshift pharmacies in makeshift free clinics (sometimes all one room), filling prescriptions and learning phrases like "Un comprime, kat fwa pa jou" ("1 pill, 4 times a day"). Our team really worked well together, even as our bodies grew weary from the sometimes frantic pace and often oppressive heat.

Of the 5 places we went, the most rewarding might have been Thursday at Savannes. Apparently our presence got the attention of the local media (Notice the 2 video cameras in the picture above). A year ago this was a community with 100% unemployment that even other Haitians wouldn't go into. Local gang members had to be recruited to provide "security" and order so patients could be seen. But this time things were different. Peace and order prevailed. One medical provider commented on a particularly "sweet family" that she saw. Five months ago the husband of that family was the not-so-sweet gang leader whose conversion (on the day he was seen by the last medical team) led to a revival in that community. Back in February it was a church of 10 people. The next week there were 250-300 in attendance. We got to meet, treat, and pray for about 150 of them on Thursday. The lasting fruit of these trips will not be seen on the trip itself, but in the weeks and months that follow - by local pastors and their churches, and by other teams that follow. It was a privilege to see first hand what God is doing among "the least and the lost" in this country.

A few nights ago our Missional Community (pictured above) got the recap from the trip and took time to pray for Haiti. Would you join me in praying that God would make fruitful our labors there and lead others in our community to be part of the next trip in February.