Haiti Update

On March 1st I landed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and as cliché as it may sound, I really can’t believe it’s already been a month.

As an always-busy American, one of the hardest things for me to adjust to any time I enter a third-world setting is the lack of ability to get anything done quickly. This is just as true of Haiti as it has been anywhere I’ve been. But despite all of my workaholic frustrations, I still believe that things  are getting done exactly as they should in God’s sovereign timing.

The HGIM-Haiti orphanage is still going through the government’s bureaucratic process for certification, and because it is a lot of inspections, meetings and paperwork, there has not been a lot I have been able to do yet as far as assisting and equipping the staff in daily administrative work. Unfortunately, even the church planting work has been put on hold until the government certification work can be resolved.

In the mean time, my month has been filled with making various connections with other Christian ministries and NGO’s working here, many of which have come through the guesthouse where I am staying. I have also had the opportunity to share my faith with many people I have met around the area, both Haitian and American. I am also hoping to begin finding some preaching opportunities as I continue to meet other missionaries and pastors here.

 Personal Update

The biggest challenge I’m facing is the Creole language. Most places I have been to before have had a fairly large English speaking population. In Haiti, though, the problem is that even many people who can speak English will not do so as a matter of pride. This means a large part of my free time is being spent in language study, and it certainly isn’t as easy of a language to learn as everyone keeps tells me it is.

Also, I have been working on video editing and article writing for a forthcoming discipleship website being developed by HGIM. This site will be a great “equipping” tool for us and our ministry partners as we continue to expand our evangelistic efforts, and hopefully for yours as well. Be watching for the site’s release later this year.

Prayer Requests

“Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers.” Sidlow Baxter

• Pray for God to send revival; that salvation and healing will come to this nation.
• Continue to pray for the orphanage certification process, a speedy completion, and for our staff to stand faithfully against frustration and fear of man.
• Pray for my ability and dedication to learning the language.