BHM B A P T I S T CANADA OFFICE Box 11 602 Wellington Ave. Wallaceburg, ON N8A 4L5 bhmcanada@bhm.org H A I T I M I S S I O N US OFFICE 13420 Eastpoint Centre Dr. Louisville, KY 40223 bhmus@bhm.org Winter 2015 HAITI FIELD OFFICE Unit 2019 - BHM 3170 Airmans Dr. Fort Pierce, FL 34946 bhmhaiti@bhm.org
THE WIDOWS MITE Giving out of our poverty and our excess. And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. And He said, Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on. 1 Haiti is a country where the reality of poverty cannot be avoided. Its bony fingers have worked themselves into the very fabric of Haitian society. It cannot be hidden. It refuses to be segregated to some area that can be easily bypassed like so many cities in the first world. Around every corner one comes face to face with another soul that is struggling to just make it through the day. In a place such as this, it is easy to fix your eyes upon the ugliness of poverty and become blind to the people to which it is bound. The demons of poverty scream for your attention and taunt you into action against them, all the while distracting you from that which is most important, the people afflicted. My experience with poverty was limited to short bursts of outreach before coming to Haiti, but as it began to extend beyond the boundaries of mission trips and into every day encounters, I began to see a different side of it. I got to know the people rather than their www.bhm.org impoverished conditions. As a result, I have witnessed the miraculous way in which God redeems the direness of poverty for the sake of His love and His glory. Just like the the woman in Mark 5, God uses desperation to draw people to Himself and establish a deep faith within them. There is a reason that Jesus said It is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, it is because the rich do no realize their own spiritual desperation because it is masked by their comfort in material things. Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith
There is a certain beauty that only emerges from the deserts. A system of value that is otherwise disregarded. A glass of water becomes a sacred lifeline, and to share it is the ultimate sacrifice. A simple gift becomes a great demonstration of selfless love. A wise man once told me Everyone has something to contribute. When we realize that God has equipped each and every person to contribute something solely unique unto themselves, and that the value of that contribution is not based upon the contribution of others, then we begin to see the sacred place that person holds in the eyes of God and within the body of Christ. When we consider the unique life that God has constructed for each person, our eyes begin to be opened to the great value of their giving, whatever it may be, especially if it is out of their own poverty. I am reminded of the people of Portneau, a small community nestled within the marshy rice fields of the Artibonite valley. I had the privilege of working alongside them as they constructed their new church building. The remoteness of their location and nature of their situation left them with little more than the clothes on their back, and yet they gave. They gave their time and energy to haul bricks and rocks for hours, in temperatures that often reached 120 degrees (F). The joy in which they worked was contagious. There was a celebratory atmosphere that the heat could not quench, as heavy stones passed from hand to hand. At the end of it all they presented us with a bucket of mangos to say thank you. To me those mangos were simple fruit, but I knew to them they were a much more than that. They were a food source, a currency. These people were giving to us out of what little they had, and I am sure that bucket of mangos was worth more than the thousands of dollars provided to build that church. Among the waves of misery I have seen a steadfast joy, and in the gardens of despair I have seen a hope blooming. There is a deep faith that God cultivates among those who have little, and it is characterized by an active reliance on His steadfastness. As I engage and struggle with the material poverty around me, I have realized that in many ways I too live in poverty. In the book, When Helping Hurts author Brian Fikkert defines poverty as being rooted in broken relationships with God, self, others, and the rest of creation. There are many aspects of my life that are impoverished, just like the lives of millions of people in Haiti. The beauty of this sad reality is that through God s redeeming love for us, He gives more worth to the gifts of our poverty than to the giving of our riches. In the poverty of our sin our lives were found without value, but God s great love has given the greatest value to the gift of our broken lives. He has considered it worthy of salvation, although it is only by His grace and the life and death of Jesus that we can even offer Him our lives. As Christmas, the great season of giving, quickly approaches consider this; that God gave His only son out of His unfathmomable love for us. Jesus was born into impoverished conditions, and gave His entire life for the redemption of mankind, even unto death. He gave the ultimate gift, what gift will you surrender to Him this Christmas? -Colton Manley Colton came to Haiti in 2013. He works as BHM s Cross-Cultural Engagement Coordinator, and on-staff designer. 2
Crossings Dedicates New Lodge To Wallace & Eleanor Turnbull 1,080 is the approximate number of people this summer who will stay in the new Turnbull Lodge at Crossings Ministries Jonathan Creek Camp and Conference located in Western Kentucky. Why does this matter? There are lives that hang in the balance and future Gospel opportunities that are at stake. It is our prayer that the Lord changes the lives of those who are exposed to the Gospel while at Crossings through the power of the Scriptures, and testimonies of others who have committed their lives to the spread of the Gospel. Lives like that of Wallace and Eleanor Turnbull. Through a lasting friendship with BHM and the Turnbull family, Crossings has sought to honor the legacy God has established in Wallace and Eleanor by sharing their story with the thousands of people that will stay in this new lodge for years to come. A special tribute to the Turnbull family has been placed in the lodge, consisting of photos from their years in Haiti as well as a brief biography of the Lords call on their lives to the people of Haiti. We cannot set ourselves up as examples of what to do, as we are simple Christians doing what the Lord has given us to do. But, we can share the joy of and thank Him for the privilege of following His leading without question. In obeying we have found joy even through sorrows as we have seen that He has always had a hidden testimony or blessing that has overcome every sorrow. -Wallace Turnbull The Turnbulls were true pioneers in the country of Haiti. Beginning their life together with very little material and a handful of supporters, they lived in conditions that many of us could not imagine, all for the sake of proclaiming the Gospel to a mountain people steeped in folklore and tradition. Through their influence, endurance, and patience the Gospel spread through the countryside. To this day they are still seeking to help give tools and resources to the Haitian people to be both educated in the things of this world and the Word of God. It is hard to find a mountain peak in Haiti that has a church standing where Wallace and Eleanor were not a major influence. I see that as we give Him our heart and our mind, He gives one ideas and opens doors leading through a wonderful life of service. We have terrible times of testing because we have Satan as the most terrible adversary against us. But, we face him without flinching because He who is in us is greater than the prince of this world -Wallace Turnbull Our prayer, along with the Turnbulls, would be that hundreds of students and adults would be influenced by their story and compelled by the Holy Spirit to step out and serve in a full-time mission capacity. The Harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Would you join us in this prayer? 3 www.bhm.org
FIELD NOTES A word from the Field Director. My staff and I have been studying James lately. Every week we take a short passage and study it personally, and then we come together to study and share as a community. It has provoked both encouraging and challenging discussions. I have been particularly challenged by James teaching on faith and action. The life of our faith is manifested in activity, James says, faith without deeds is dead. God calls us to trust in Him actively and not passively. This has never been so real to me than in the last few months. The recent circumstances of BHM have been extremely difficult and seemingly impossible, and solutions have been nowhere to be found. In the midst of all this God continues to ask Do you really have faith in me? Even when you cannot see what tomorrow will bring, will you trust and follow me? Amidst the storm of difficulty, I have been particularly touched by the faith and joy of two new families that have joined the missionary staff of BHM. They were not dissuaded by the difficult times but trusted in God s call for them. After talking with them, I truly believe that they, like Abraham, answered the call to leave your home... and go to the land I will show you. They put their faith into action, and in doing so became a witness to all. The core of our ministry is to make disciples. However, in order to do that we need to be IT IS EASY TO GIVE! Go to www.bhm.org and click on the give tab. Choose how you would like to give this Christmas season, and fill out the required information to complete your gift. Donate today and begin making an impact that will last long past tomorrow. disciples ourselves. We need to be driven by faith that produces joy, and continue to press on even when we do not know what tomorrow may bring. God had a long-term plan of redemption, and it started by sending His Son in human form as a baby through the miracle of the virgin birth. Jesus then spent years developing His disciples before His death and resurrection. Making disciples is a long-term effort of individuals. I call it the dirty work of discipleship. It is a messy process of connecting two lives together to mutually grow to be more Christ-like. Spreading the gospel through our actions and reactions and sharing our lives with others is a long process, but when done in faith, it yields great joy in one s life. We are asking you to be in this for the long haul with us though prayer and support. It is God s model and God s command. You cannot microwave the process. So many wonderful discipleship opportunities are happening today. Let us, by active faith, continue the work of spreading the good news together. I want to thank those of you that have given so generously. Please know that there is still a great need, and we are prayerfully moving forward. I pray that you have a Merry Christmas that it focused on the reality of the season. - Chris Lieb WE WANT YOU TO BE A PART OF THIS MINISTRY... Sponsor A Child We have over 68,000 children in nearly 350 schools. You can help one of these children continue in their education for $25 a month. Support A Project We are continually involved in relief and development efforts. You can contribute to projects such as church builds, school repairs, or food provision. Donate To A Cause Your donations can help strengthen education programs, provide jobs for local families, establish medical care in remote areas, and encourage development in local churches. 4
MERRY CHRISTMAS Are you looking for a great gift this season? Mountain Maid has a variety of beautiful handmade products that are crafted by local artisans. All proceeds from purchases go towards providing income opportunities to the people of Haiti. g Ever y pie c Ever e has a s t y pur chas ory, has a e purp ose. Christmas Coconut & Clay Nativity Set Metal Nativity Scene Made From Recycled Oil Drums $20.00 $23.00 Please visit our website and check out our holiday products WWW.MOUNTA INMAID.ORG BHM has some new faces on campus! WELCOME TO THE JONES FAMILY For years, Matthew and Stephanie Jones have been involved with through short-term projects and missions. Last November, God began calling them to full time work in Haiti. For the past year the Jones have been preparing for this international move. This past October, Matthew and Stephanie along with their two children, Lucas and Rebecca, arrived in Haiti. The Jones family is from Kentucky, where Matthew has been a Pastor for the last fifteen years, and Stephanie has been homeschooling the children for the last four years. The entire Jones family feels blessed to serve alongside the Haitian Christians and other BHM missionaries. They look forward to the work God will do in and through them to strengthen His Church, and share the gospel of Jesus throughout the country of Haiti. They ask that you would pray for them. So God would open their minds and ears to be able to learn the language and glorify God in all they do. 5
CHILD SPONSORSHIP Christmas is Coming! As the hustle and bustle of the holidays gets underway, don t forget to send a Christmas card to your Sponsored Child in Haiti. Take a couple minutes to jot down some encouraging words and remind your child of the reason for this joyous season. Slip in a picture or two of your family, snow, or your family in the snow. After flying thousands of miles, your card will arrive at our office. There, it will be translated into Creole and sent out to be delivered to your child. Your Christmas card will finally arrive in the hands of your child, who will be so excited to receive this great Christmas gift. Send A Christmas card today to: 13420 Eastpoint Centre Dr. Louisville, KY 40223 Don t forget to like us on Facebook 6