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.

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!

Five days later...

Hurricane Isaac made its presence felt in Haiti last week resulting in intense flooding wreaking havoc in the tent cities where over 400,000 still live, making roads impassable, and causing a harrowing outbreak of cholera, which had already killed over 7000.  Twenty inches of rain is devastating for Port au Prince and its outlying areas.

With Isaac threatening the Florida coast, our trip in and out of Miami was cancelled, and Gilbert reluctantly agreed that with the deteriorating conditions in Port au Prince our seminar and small group training had to be postponed.  Doug Stevens and I, primed and ready to go, were disappointed, but more heartbroken for our Haitian brothers who continue to suffer one setback after another.

Gilbert, our wonderful liaison in Haiti, needs our prayers and encouragement.  My schedule is flexible enough that I will be flying to Haiti with a friend, Mark Hays (he has gone on a work trip to Haiti) September 1-6 with the goal of being an encouragement to our brothers, meeting with some pastors and small group leaders, and seeking to discern what kind of special help we can offer the pastors and churches in Haiti in the aftermath of this storm.  I am excited about looking for creative ways to match churches from the USA with needy Haitian churches through work projects and other ministries that will build sustainable relationships as we move forward with our work with TLC Haiti.

We need your prayers.  I look forward to coming back with a challenging report of opportunities available to us to expand our partnership with Haiti.  Stay tuned.

Five days and counting...

Five days and counting.  It's Wednesday and Sunday Doug and I will be flying through Miami to Port au Prince where we will arrive at noon Monday and then rush to our first teaching and training session.  It is supposed to be 93 degrees there--cooler than usual--though the accompanying 93% humidity will probably make it feel a whole lot warmer!

Welcome to summer in Haiti, where every day feels like summer.

Five days and counting.  For me it is making sure all are materials are in place, all arrangements have been coordinated with our faithful  hard-working Gilbert (we would be lost without him), and that I pack clothing that is appropriately cool and comfortable.  I am always amazed at the well-dressed Haitian pastors in their white shirts and ties while I am trying to wear "sweat-proof" clothing (which doesn't exist).

Five days and counting.  What we really need from you is prayer.  Would you join with us as we prepare to work with small group leaders and conduct leadership seminars at two locations in five action-packed days.
Our motto--"EnCouraging Kingdom Leaders Worldwide"--is what motivates me as we go to Haiti.  These five days will pass quickly and we will, Gilbert has told me, interact with about three hundred pastors.  We will have an opportunity to share our hearts with them, and to share the life-changing truths of God's Word.

Paul wrote about a similar experience he had among the Thessalonicans and this is my prayer, too.
"And we also thank God continually because when you received the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the Word of God,, which is at work in you who believe."  I Thessalonians 2:13.

Five days and counting.  Can we count on you for your prayers?







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My friend, Gilbert

Gilbert is a special man.

He is God's man.

He is my friend.

Gilbert and I were introduced to each other through Michelle Lacourciere, head of an organization that has helps Haitians establish small businesses.  Her work was heralded in a recent issue of World Magazine (Sirona Fuels).

Gilbert and I visited several times on the phone before two friends joined me in our first trip to Port au Prince in May of 2010.  I will never forget the smiling face--a face that has greeted me every time I have flown to Haiti--welcoming us into the 100 degree humidity outside the airport.

The purpose of our iniital visit from Grace Fellowship Church was to determine what we could do that would make any difference in Haiti following the devastating earthquake.  Gilbert answered--"Come and teach my pastors".  He was referring to the 9-10 men who pastored the four churches he had started several years before.  And we accepted that challenge because it represented the thing we desired in our hearts to do most!

We have now sent five groups to Haiti and Gilbert has traveled twice to meet our congregation in Amador County.  We have grown to love him and rejoice in the partnership that exists between our chuch and the four chuirches he pastors in Port au Prince, Carrefourpoy, Desca and Ballenger.

Gilbert is the key contact for us as we join with TLC in its burgeoning ministry in Haiti.  He is the one who publicizes our seminars, encourages the pastors and small group leaders, and facilitates every detailed part of our traveling back and forth.  We simply could not do what we do without Gilbert.

The joy of our ministry in Haiti is seeing how the Haitians respect Gilbert and how he continues to effectively and humbly allow us to participate in the process of teaching pastors.  In the beginning it was 9-10; now it is nearly 500.  Little did we know the influence of Gilbert in reaching his countrymen.

Gilbert is God's man in Haiti.

Join with me in praying for him as we travel to work together with him in Port au prince and Le Cayes later this month.

Water in Carrefourpoy!

Several months ago a member of our church provided the funds for the drilling of well in Carrefourpoy.  we have been waiting for that day and recently learned that there were some people there who would drill it for nothing, allowing us to designate these funds for other work under the umbrella of TLC Haiti.

The drilling began a week ago, after much waiting.  unfortunately, there was no water to be found drilling down to 120 feet and then the drill broke and a part had to be ordered.  It seemed like this worthy project would continue to be stalled indefinitely.

However, yesterday, Gilbert texted me the wonderful words "We have water at 165 feet!"  This is a wonderful answer to prayer and will be a huge blessing the people and children of Carrefourpoy.

Carrefourpoy

One of the churches we serve in Haiti is in a small town in Carrefourpoy, about two hours from Port au Prince.

Grace Fellowship Church, one of our supporting churches, has partnered with the church there and had engaged in several projects including a VBS, a repair of a roof over the sanctuary area, the building of a roof over the school classrooms, providing clothing and shoes for children, the establishment of a matching program for needy children in the school and families form the Grace Fellowship congregation--forty of them-- as well as support for the pastors and school teachers.  Over 300 children attend the school and are a part of a very needy village.

Recently we have partnered with the church in Carrefourpoy for the digging of a well.  This is a much-needed resource for the area and your prayers are appreciated.  Just today as I am writing this article, they have dug down 140 feet and but have still not hit water.  Pray today that God will open the waters to them so that the village can be blessed by clean water.

It is exciting to partner with a congregation in Haiti.  If you're interested in the Grace Fellowship Church story--a mid-size congregation--contact this website for more information.