Thursday, September 27, 2012

Desca...destination of opportunity

Desca is a small community that is am hour's drive from Port au Prince.  The road through the small village is rough and rugged and reflects the  hard times these people have faced.  It empties into an open area bordering a dirty brown river in which people bathe, wash their clothes and from which they secure their drinking water.

In the opened area at the road's end sits the little church of Desca which ministers to about 75-100 people each Sunday.  During the week a school is operated there servicing about 70 children.  Pastor Samuel faithfully leads his congregation and offers spiritual encouragement to those who are some of Haiti's most poor.

Right across the road from the little church is a vividly painted Voodoo temple, offering its mixed messages to the hurting hungry people of Desca.  It has a substantial group of followers who listen to the familiar strains of spiritism and animism that herald a cumulative message of fear.

The recent winds of Hurricane Isaac pounded additional fury on the walls of the Desca church, rendering them incapable of repair.  A section of the roof is open to the elements and the plastered walls are severely cracked fragile.  It may not be safe to even meet in this building much longer.

The Desca church needs to be broken down and rebuilt.  The cost of the project could be about $40,000 and would require some experienced volunteers to help coordinate the building.  Pastor Samuel remains committed to showing up each week to guide and teach those seeking the Lord through the church's Bible study and teaching ministry.  He is determined as well to see that the doors of the small school program remain open.to the needy children of Desca.

You can help.  Pray for Pastor Samuel and the people of Desca.  Pray, too, that God will provide funds to see that the church can be rebuilt and remainsa lighthouse of hope to the physically and spiritually needy in the village.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

I'm back!

I wish I could give you a more exhaustive  report than this but it will be a few more days before I collect my thoughts and assemble a few pictures so that I can reveal the true excitement I have about my recent trip to Haiti.

You can check out www.leadconnect.org/Haiti next week for a complete report on God's faithfulness and ongoing work in this needy country.  For now, let me assure you that God is at work .  Everywhere I traveled--Port au Prince, Carrefourpoy, Desca, Cabaret, Ballenger--though there were continuing signs of devastation in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac, there were concurrent signs of vital faith in action as people literally "picked up the pieces" and moved forward in obedience to God--pastors leading their congregations, Sunday School teachers faithful guiding their classes, Christians schools assembling their curriculum for the new academic year, construction workers doing needed repair work on a cave din church roof, etc.

Stay tuned..for more good news!