Mission Lines April 2012 Touching Haiti with the love of Christ Evangelism by All Means Every great organization is inaugurated under a general manifesto. Luke 4:18-19 outlines the manifesto of Christ's ministry in four principles: preach good news to the poor, proclaim freedom to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, release the oppressed, and proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. It is evident that in third world countries we cannot escape this principle. Haiti is a convincing example. Independent since 1804, Haiti has not been on the pedestal of a liberated country. It has been torn by political factions that caused the American occupations in 1915-1934 and 1991-1994. Today Haiti is experiencing a never-ending multi-national occupation. In addition, the country has been under the control of evil spirits through the voodoo belief that keeps the people hostage to a fatalistic worldview of dependence, despair, fatalism and fear. In this situation, a gospel of liberation under the freeing forces of Christ's spirit must be preached. This is why HCM has taken multiple approaches- evangelism by all means. Evangelism by way of church planting Church planting started with the establishment of the First Christian Church in Port-au-Prince and then other congregations were started across the country through Bible studies and the training of Christians. Also, a number of existing congregations were accepted into the fellowship of the mission. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. ~Acts 26:17-18
As the churches became more numerous, we divided the churches into districts, naming a lead pastor for each area. Each lead pastor meets with the leaders of the churches in his district, visits each church and teaches there, and also serves as the key contact person for the mission. Thanks to our wide web of outlying churches, the good news is being preached to people who would not have the chance of hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ otherwise. We take preaching the gospel and training leaders very seriously. At present, we count 57 churches in the fellowship. No one person could do it all. We enlist workers who live in remote areas to preach to the people in their own communities. That was God's strategy in choosing Paul (Acts 26:15-18). One exception, Monace Fils, trained at the Port-au-Prince church and then moved to Simonette to preach after the church had been founded. The people there had been kept in fear by the influence of witch doctors. Pastor Monace pacified and befriended the witch doctors and then preached Christ to them. The people, even the most belligerent, became friendly and docile. Most of them became Christians. Now Simonette is liberated. Kingsway Christian Church built them a church, HCM built a school, and Compassion International enlarged the capacity of the school. The people escaped the power of the devil and are now covered by the blood of Christ. A village that was saturated with witch doctors is now free and is saturated by the gospel of Christ. It is a tremendous story. Evangelism by all means. Evangelism by way of a university Seventy acres of land have been purchased. Our son Kerby has drawn up plans and preparations are being made to construct a university. It is only a matter of funding that's holding us back now. This university will host from 10,000 to 12,000 students. The mission has already proven it is capable of turning young people into professionals. Former HCM students are working for the mission as doctors, nurses, professors, pastors and so on. They saturate the government and are making a change in the society. They are changing the Haiti view into a Christ view. Education in low, medium and high levels is a means to evangelism. Evangelism through teaching trade Most children drop out of school during elementary years of study because their parents have no way of supporting them. Some of them see no use in continuing due to lack of opportunities, incentives and goals. In 1999, we established the school of translation and interpretation to open new avenues to students. Today our students are serving in many organizations with competence and with the influence of a Christian point of view. In order to continue teaching trades in a Christian
environment, Bill Lance and Kingsway Christian Church helped us build a woodworking shop that was furnished by IDES. Evangelism by means of medical work Maude used to attend our church in West Palm Beach. She moved to Haiti to help after the earthquake. In the meantime, she joined a government organization and has become the second top person in that organization managing a wide range of ambulance units for the government. The HCM hospital has two ambulance units that could not cover the mountains and rough roads. On March 17, an accident took place in the mountain causing 8 deaths and wounding 16 people. As a result of the accident, Maude and my wife Betty got reconnected and Maude became advocate of the mission and saw to it that an ambulance unit was dedicated to the service of our hospital along with six employees (one driver and two nurses per shift). Paul wrote, I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God to save. (Rom. 1:16-17) A couple days later, On Monday, March 19, a group from FAME went to the village of La Croix Perisse to hold clinic. The prior Saturday, a 23-year-old pregnant mother by the name of Nathacha died from eclampsia. The baby, Marie Esther, was delivered by C-section. Dehydrated after days without milk or water, she was feared to die. Betty and the FAME group brought her to Fonds- Parisien to be cared for. Now she is alive enjoying her sweet milk with the other children in Wholehearted Orphanage. We thank God for FAME that built the original clinic building under Dr. Robert Reeves and for Project Haiti Heart under Drs. Geffrard and Young who are about to build a larger hospital to save lives and give people a chance to hear the gospel of Christ. We are also thankful for the other medical groups and work teams organized under the leadership of Wendy and Edwens to change lives for eternity. Medical work is a tool for evangelism. Evangelism by providing water for a village In building the Village of Hope for people displaced by the earthquake, a major concern was water. Fortunately, Bella Vista Christian Church gave the funds to drill a well. Now water is pumped from underground to the surface and the villagers and other people from the neighborhood can use the water. The next step is to build a reservoir to store the water for use all the time. The plan is to build a church, school buildings, and a playground in the area. When this work is completed, it will be a complete satisfaction to see people come to see Christ for eternity while they are enjoying life on earth. With the KINGDOM in mind, the best is yet to come. -Etienne Prophete
Jonas Dorlus Reports The core purpose of Haitian Christian Mission is to evangelize the lost for Christ. Through evangelism we have seen the development of churches, schools, nutrition centers, a hospital, and an orphanage. This is why one of our mottos is "Feeding the mind, the body, and the soul." Since the earthquake, the HCM churches have been growing numerically. Seeing that growth, the mission would also like to ensure that these churches grow spiritually which is why we provide regular training and support for our pastors and the leaders of the churches. Dr. Etienne Prophete, Edwens Prophete and I have come up with a quarterly training plan for these leaders. The leadership believes that if we train them, they will be able to train others, including those people that live in very remote areas. We are also persuaded that it is a good way to develop sustainable leadership in the churches. We had a wonderful seminar put on by one of our supporting churches, Bethel Christian, on How to use the Thompson Bible, Chain of References." Dr. Prophete taught a group of pastors this January on Church Administration and Conflict Resolution." Empower International will hold a seminar for pastors and their wives this February. The church leaders are very motivated to attend the seminar we are holding this month. As HCM's new Director of Evangelism, I have been visiting various HCM churches over the last couple months. In January I was invited to speak on Children's Day at the church in Nan Plaisir. There were 150 people in attendance and the children's choirs sang. Pastor Omilus continues to work with the community and welcomes teams that are willing to help him evangelize. I recently had the chance to visit Pays Pouri, an extremely remote village. After driving, we had to abandon our car and start to walk up, up, up. After almost two hours of walking, I asked the local pastor if we were getting close. He simply replied, "No, we are only halfway!" I told him I could not walk anymore and so the pastor commissioned a mule to help me finish the trip. When I finally arrived, I was amazed by the building which was built totally by the people of the church. The pastor explained how they had raised funds from within and then walked the 3-hour trek to the city to buy the cement. They carried it bag by bag. Men, women, and children all participated. What a beautiful building! What a joyful act of worship! I spent two days enjoying the community and the church. When I asked what I could do to support them, the pastor asked for something simple. "So many of our people cannot read. It would be wonderful if we could pay a teacher to teach and train the young people to read. Then we can raise leaders to continue the work of the Lord." Seventy dollars a month would fulfill this simple request. Each church, each community has its own story. Each story speaks to the survival of the church and the great need to evangelize the lost. Fifty-seven churches serve Haiti under the umbrella of HCM and several others are being planted. "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me." The pastors of HCM are doing just that. I thank God for blessing HCM tremendously and also our supporters for their contributions which make HCM what it is today. Continue to help by praying so that we can keep on doing God s work in Haiti. -Jonas Dorlus, Director of Evangelism
Port-au-Prince Churches Jonas Dorlus, Director of Evangelism, with his wife Bruny The damaged First Church following the earthquake After repairs had been made First Church Pastor Etienne Prophete founded the first HCM church in Port-au-Prince in 1974. That church's building was heavily damaged in the earthquake and since that time the congregation has been meeting under tarps in a lot across the street. Today, thanks to HCM and Compassion International, they are worshipping in their newly repaired facility! A dedication service for the building was held in February and longtime friends of HCM, Len and Suzette Clevenger, were there to take part in it. The service was filled with praise and glory. Betty Prophete also attended and helped with the beautiful reception that followed. Primitive Church Pastor Brousseau, who has been with the mission since the early 80s, pastors HCM's second church in Port-au-Prince, Primitive Church. This congregation has continued to stay steady and grow. The earthquake not only caused damage to their building, but also tore apart the lives of their leaders. Pastor Brousseau and his wife lost their lovely 19- year-old daughter, Stephanie who was attending one of the nursing schools that was totally destroyed. Despite their own personal tragedy, this pastor and his family continued to serve and to be a steady and solid rock for the community and HCM. We praise God for his leadership and loyalty that helped us make it through those days. The Primitive Church congregation repaired their building and then raised the funds from within their congregation to expand its walls. Hundreds worship there each week and the Brousseau family continues to raise the banner of Christ to their lost community. Community Church A third church in Port-au-Prince, Community Church, still is without a building since theirs was destroyed by the earthquake. Pastor Joel has been with the mission for 26 years. He directs a wonderful school and has been meeting with his congregation outside every Sunday. They are in need of benches and a building.
29 out of HCM s 57 churches turned in reports in June and had the following totals: Number of people attending church: 5952 Baptisms: 531 Kids presented to the Lord: 346 New converts: 402 Weddings: 125 Other Tidbits: Play It Forward started a new basketball league this month with the help of Loganville Christian Academy in Georgia HCM hosted four medical teams in March A new ultrasound machine was donated by Circle of Health International Etienne returns to Haiti after Easter to teach translation and lead a seminar for pastors Renovations to the midwives' housing was completed by Labor of Love and Dr. Cheryl Fogarty
A New Dream to Fulfill Haitian Christian Mission has many activities enriching the Haitian people s lives. These projects include: A rich ministry of evangelism that has established 57 churches, A school that offers education from kindergarten through high school, and a translation institute. In the works now is a trade school and university project. A hospital and clinic providing preventive and curative medicine. School lunch programs, feeding the children one hot meal a day. Mountain reforestation. Child sponsorship program to enable poverty-stricken children to attend school, learn about God, and produce responsible citizens. The medical director for the hospital, Dr. Maxine, was once a sponsored child in our program. Ongoing training of leaders to continue the work. God has blessed HCM work through you, through your financial contribution, your time, your knowledge, your concern, and your prayers. Now is the time to fulfill new dreams with Sisters Helping Sisters. Haitian women are hardworking, talented, and very business minded, but too often they lack opportunities to earn an income to support themselves and their families. Sisters Helping Sisters is a women s ministry to provide such opportunities to women in the cities, mountains, and remote areas. Sisters Helping Sisters will also support the ladies in their parenting, marriage, and community life. You can be a Sister, Helping a Haitian Sister, as an individual, Sunday school class, or a women s group, and provide the financing for a low-rate loan for a Haitian woman to start a small business. The typical startup cost is $250.00 (10% will go into HCM's general fund and 10% will cover administration fees. Loans will be repaid at a rate of 2% monthly. Loan payments will go back into building the payer s business or, when the business becomes self-supporting, will sponsor another lady. Every woman deserves an opportunity to have a decent life. Jeremiah 29: 11 I know what I m doing. I have it all planned out- plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. The Haitian ladies need your prayers and your help for this project to become a reality. Together we can do it. May God bless you, Betty Prophete
Ways You Can PRAY Peace and wisdom for Etienne and Edwens Prophete as they continue to transition into their new roles A great start to the Sisters Helping Sisters ministry that Betty and her partners are starting VBS 2012 Please consider these projects: Creole Bibles - $7 each Schools Desks $85 each Church Benches $95 each 20 lb. bag of rice $23 each Connecting Students to Missions one Project at a Time!!! This year help your students make a personnel connection to Missions. HCM can help with materials and planning. God s blessing on all the preparations for the annual HCM convention in July Your children s VBS could set a goal and make a difference! HCM will be happy to provide 2-3 minute videos or send a representative to speak. Contact Wendy Zehner at 678-787-9555 or wendy@haitianchristianmission.org Protection and blessings for all of HCM s pastors Praise for the growth and impact of HCM www.haitianchristianmission.org Haitian Christian Mission PO Box 910705 Lexington, KY 40591 Return Service Requested Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Lexington, KY Permit No. 707