Mission
Trip February 2015
Christian Mission to Restore Haiti was once again
blessed by the Lord as we ministered to our friends in Haiti. On this trip we had two first time
missionaries go with us – my wife, Rosemary, and Craig Brown of Naples. They both were instrumental in the work the
Lord accomplished there. Also going,
along with Pastor Andre and me, was Melissa Shatney of Kennebunk, Maine. She left several feet of snow and subzero
weather to somehow endure the 80+ degree heat of Haiti. But, she was a tough soldier and held up
nicely. This was her fourth trip with
us.
We left Miami at 10 AM and arrived in Cap-Haitien at
12 noon on Thursday, February 19. For
the first time we flew on American Airlines which began flights there two
months ago. Upon arrival, we prepared
for our first medical clinic in Cap-Haitien which we held on Friday. We planned for a 9 AM start, but people began
arriving at 7:30, so we started early.
We had three doctors led by Manol and Billy – brothers who operate an
orphanage in Port Au Prince, but who travel to North Haiti extensively. Also there were three nurses and two
interpreters. There were more than 90 who
attended the clinic and received help.
$500
purchased these medications in Cap-Haitien
Melissa,
a massage therapist, is seen giving a massage.
(She has also massaged the most famous resident of Kennebunk – President
Bush 41)
Unfortunately, because of all day rain, many who would
have come did not. The Cap-Haitien
church has moved from its old location to this new one. Instead of being in the downtown part of the
city where it was located for years, it is now off of a dirt road that gradually
climbs a mountain. Then another road
with a 45 degree incline for about 200 feet must be taken. That road is rocky and covered with small
stones and has several pot holes. It is
also slippery when wet. It really is not
a road because no vehicle except a motorcycle can access it. It is a walking path. Walking it was a treacherous adventure. Then the path to the church runs off of that
path. But, it is the only church in the
area and the residents are very happy that it is there. They are supporting it with their
attendance. The church as grown in the
few months it has been there.
The church also is the meeting place for North Haiti
Bible Institute that I started four years ago.
We met on Saturday. I taught
briefly about the urgency and benefit of study.
We will be graduating our first class July 2016. I was pleased when one of the students told
me that he has learned more in our institute than he did in the seminary that
he attended. When we graduate that class,
we will begin a new class. We have had
many requests from pastors to enroll. These
current students all indicated that they want to continue with more and harder
classes which I will happy to supply. We
want to see every one of the students become preachers of the Gospel and begin
new churches or serve in their current ones as staff pastors.
My
students with their professor, Pastor Nemour (front row far right)
Following the institute, we all boarded our bus and
travelled to a local beach for a baptism.
Pastor Alexis of Cap-Haitien baptized five new converts in the
surf. Because he has not baptized many
in the past, he did not go our far enough and baptized most of them in less
than a foot of water. The final one to
be baptized had to be lowered three times before he finally pushed down on his
face to get him under. Everyone had a
laugh at that.
On Sunday morning we boarded our bus and headed upon
into the mountains to Bas Limbe for a church service at 10:30. Sunday School was still in session when we
got there. All the classes meet in the
main sanctuary so it is loud. All the teachers were talking at the same time
and the classes were responding.
As usual, there were several special music
selections. It is customary in Haitian
churches for singing to be a major part of the service. Since they had been holding revival services
for the week, I preached on revival, what it is and is not and concluded with
the results of revival.
The Bas Limbe church was the first church Pastor Andre
started 25 years ago. It is going strong
and has developed several leaders.
Pastor Jocelyn is doing a fine job there. For years it has needed much work done to
it. Thankfully we were able to raise
enough money within the past year to totally renovate it.
We returned to Cap-Haitien in time for the evening
service in which I preached. Once again,
everyone who wanted to sing a song had their opportunity to sing. In every service there is a special song of
worship that lasts for ten minutes or more.
Here is a partial video of the song that evening.
The service
lasted four hours, but no one seemed to mind.
Walking down from the church was an ordeal, but no one fell.
On Monday we travelled to Dubre for another medical
clinic. As we were getting close we came
upon this.
There was no way we could get through that. If we had tried, we would have sunk, so we
had to back away until we could negotiate a 5 or 6 point turn and then backtrack
for several miles and take another route.
We finally got there and people were waiting patiently for us. As the bus pulled up to the church, many more
people showed up.
Dubre is a very poor village with many health
issues. A couple of years ago we drilled
a well there that the village uses for drinking, cooking and washing. We also built a medical clinic, but lack of
financial support has forced us to close it for regular use.
A few months ago Pastor Lucien’s house collapsed
during heavy rains. He was able to
rebuild this house. When it rains, the
mud between the slats melts and he has to replace it.
His oldest daughter lives on his land and she was able to have this house built.
No one in this village has a house that solidly
built. They are all in danger of
collapse in any strong wind or hard rain.
Yet they keep on going, accepting the way life is there. They hold church services several times a
week for several hours at a time. We in
America get antsy if the service goes over an hour because we are distracted by
so many insignificant things. In Dubre
all they have is God, so they devote many hours at a time to Him. Who is better off?
There is a need for reading glasses in all the
villages, so I bought 100 pairs and took them with me. Here are a few pictures of them being
distributed.
We stopped at a convenience store that caters to
tourists to buy bottled water and a few groceries. I have been there several times. There is a man with a crutch who begs outside
the store. Dragging one foot, he hobbles
up to anyone he thinks will give him money and sticks out his hand. I have given him money in the past. This time Rosemary gave him a little money
and a young boy tried to take it from him.
Immediately the crutch was dropped and he chased after the running
boy. A few minutes later Melissa reached
out of the bus to give a boy some money and the old man immediately dropped his
crutch again and tried to wrestle the money from him. He had me fooled in the past but never
again. He has a pretty good gig going
there. See the blans and get them to
pity him and give him money.
On Tuesday our bus had a tire problem that had to be
fixed, so Rosemary and I stayed home for some rest while Melissa, Pastor Andre
and Craig took a tap-tap to a rehab clinic in Cap-Haitien to see about getting
a boy from Dubre into it for physical therapy.
He is teenager now, but when we first met him, he was young. He is confined to a wheel chair because one
of his feet is twisted 180 degrees. For
$67 we can get him and his mother into the facility for a month - with meals
included. Needless to say, it will be
done. He will be admitted on Friday,
March 6. He is only one of many children
who we need to sponsor. The bus was
finally fixed, so Melissa, Craig and her interpreter went back to Dubre to
finish getting information on the children for the new support a child
program.
It seems that every last night of our mission trips
something happens. This time our bus
driver got into a fight with another driver.
The other bus was parked wrong and our driver, Navior, asked him to move
so he could get by, but he refused and got belligerent. Navior tried to get by
and he hit the other bus and broke off a mirror. The other driver jumped in the bus and beat
Navior, injuring his shoulder. I gave
him $60 to buy a new mirror for the other bus which appeased the other
driver.
As always, we sensed that God is at work in
Haiti. The progress is slow; it will
take a few generations to bring the country to where we would like to see
it. We are training the next generation
of leaders and trust that God will encourage and enable them to do what needs
to be done.
As we leave America to go to Haiti, there is no other
place on earth that I would rather be.
When it is time to leave, there is no other place I would rather
leave. God’s timing is perfect in both
cases. Until it is time to go again in
July, “Orevwah.”
P.S. If you
believe that God would have you take a mission trip with us, please contact me
at pj2@comcast.net
and tell me your desires. Any
contributions can be made on our web site www.cmrh1.org
