'Just read the scripture ...'

Service is going really well. Recently I called on a young man, Louinel in his early twenties, at his families local store. Although he was quite busy and couldn't stay, some of his family members raised a question concerning Jesus role.  So I stayed to address their questions.  After showing that prayers were never addressed to Jesus and sharing a few key scriptures, two women in his family agreed that Jesus could not be God.  Soon another relative, his aunt, stopped by at the tail end of the conversation. She was so pleasant, curious, and humble.  I asked her to read and explain how she understood 1 Cor. 15:23-28 and she too came to the right conclusion.  I began to get a little concerned as I wasn't sure how Louinel would react when he came home to find his relatives had changed their view.  Having taken philosophy in school he was a proud young man, but did show some signs of humility and respect for the scriptures on my last visit.  While I was planning to leave he returned.  I listened to him express why he thought Jesus was God and allowed the bible to answer.  As I anticipated he was a little combative, but one of his relatives told him 'just read the scripture and tell him what you understand'. After firing out that the scriptures can't be understood without the help of the holy spirit, he read the verse and then paused.  He seemed like he was pierced through and a little distraught.  I asked him if he believed what he just read and he replied, 'if it's from the bible I believe it'.  I was relieved as he asked me to come back again to discuss other questions he has.  I was accompanied by a study, who just started preaching and we were thrilled to see how powerfully the scriptures impacted the family.

I also met on another young teen named Jeff Blaze.  When following up he was running late for school which starts in the afternoon. So we spoke to his mom, who was very welcoming, and interested in the scriptures.  She would always tell us to greet all the friends in her behalf, although she had not met them.  She encouraged us to return and we put her in touch with a sister who began her study. After stopping by to see her son one day she seemed troubled and explained that she received a reprimand from her church, as they were aware that she was studying with witnesses. They threatened to remove some of her privileges, such as teaching Sunday school.  Sadly she succumbed to the pressure and believes that her pastor was chosen by God to make decisions for her.  I asked if she would allow me to visit her periodically to say hello if that was permissible.  She chuckled and encouraged me to still visit her son since he ironically attends another church.  She still sends greetings to all the friends as I call on her son.

The C.O. Brother Roche and his wife are both from Guadeloupe and had to learn Haitian creole.  He admits that being immersed in the culture and hearing it spoken daily made it easy to learn. He highlighted in one of his talks that we shouldn't focus on peoples flaws, such as big ears, but see people the same way Jehovah does. Overlooking minor imperfections to see the person as a whole.  We were able to share a few meals with them and host them as a service group.  It was good seeing them in a relaxed setting.  They are both learning English although a little shy about their pronunciation.

The Congregation is spirited and warm.  As the meetings conclude walking down the aisles can be  a challenge because of people clustering together.  Young ones will sometimes run up to me and call me "frere wo" (tall brother) as they hug my knee caps.  The majority of the friends in the congregation have learned the truth in the past 3 or 4 years.  Many are skillful at recalling scriptures and have a zeal for the ministry.

Last week Monday around 4 am we lost power and shortly after we received a phone call that a sisters house caught on fire. We got dressed and departed immediately.  All the elders and a few others drove to the sisters home about 20 minutes north in Domond.  We were glad to find out that the sister and here children made it out safely.  She explained that around midnight an power line (13,000 volts) fell on the home and set the roof ablaze.  She quickly woke the children and exited the house at the rear in the drizzling rain.  As she was leaving she touched something that enabled the current to throw her face forward to the ground, burning her arm and leg. As others ran out of there homes to help the light rain on the street carried the electrical charge, throwing others to the ground.  We are glad that the burns Sister Odette suffered were minor as she, void of emotion, watched her dress shop and home burn to the ground.  The neighbors began to praise God because they all escaped with their lives. We did our best to comfort the family and provide them with breakfast and jackets as it was cool and rainy.  The children were appreciative and the sister was still shocked by the turn of events. We left for a few hours as she waited for city officials to arrive.

We returned with material support and words of encouragement as we worked into the evening framing doors onto a near by residence that was under construction.  Pillows, blankets, foam mattresses, food and clothing caused the humble young boy David who escaped with his family and a pair of shorts to praise Jehovah.  A few days later and with continued support Sister Odette was out in the ministry, inviting others to the memorial.

Mango season is about to start and I've been enjoying all the fresh fruits and vegetables, especially the pineapples and avocados.  I'll be leaving early next month as the rainy season begins.

Service with John Dave

Br. Roche and his kind wife

Jude - new special pioneer

Bassin Zim

Ivon, Godson and Pierre-paul

Fr. Brignolle and Keegan

Manoah and his study Iganov

Jude leaving for his assignment

Service in Domond - sur plateau

Phanel (one of my studies)

Papaya

Volleyball at Bethel

Memorial invitations

Castel, the congregation clown

Johnson, Frantz & Dieusel

Odette's former house & dress shop

Zone visit

On February 3rd we had the Zone visit streamed live to our hall.  A projector was set up and congregations from nearby towns were invited to attend.  Some families traveled over 4 hours to arrive the evening before. There were six locations throughout the country, Cap Haitien, Au Cay, Carrefour, Saint Marc, Mirebalais and Santo (where the bethel is located).  All missionaries in the country were invited to attend at bethel, while the talks were streamed to all other locations.  Haiti has approximately 18,000 publishers and 12,855 were able to attend at the various locations.  Although the sound at our hall was barely decipherable at first, it was resolved in time for the main discourse. Mirebalais had 765 in attendance.

The talk was entitled 'Increase your praise for Jehovah'.  Happily the talk was given in English and translated into creole. He began by mentioning what makes Haiti truly beautiful is the spiritual paradise. The speaker asked if it was an exaggeration for David to want to praise Jehovah for all day long even forever.  He then highlighted four areas that merited our attention, our thoughts (Psalm 139:1,2; Phil. 4:8), conduct (1 Pe. 2:12), speech (Eph. 4:29), and preaching with zeal (Ro. 1:16; Mt. 9:36-38)  Then he concluded by mentioning that Haiti has 1 publisher to 545 people. It was said that we have tools, yet need more workers, and that the kingdom increase shows that we are workers.

Benz, Nadine, Stevenson, Carlos & Lubentz

Vicky

Dusty & Linda

Time flies by

It's been nearly a month now since I arrived in Haiti. Where has the time gone? It seems as though I've only been here a week.

As anyone who has visited Haiti will confirm the ministry here is amazing. Each day starts with a quick simple breakfast and 10 min. walk to the service group.  Each weekday excluding Mondays we meet at 8:30 am and 3:30 pm. The heat usually reminds everyone that at 10 am we should head off to studies and return visits.  Comfortable shoes, a hat and a water bottle (partially frozen) makes service enjoyable when the heat is intense.  Many people are catholic and have a profound respect for the scriptures, yet the belief in the trinity is often an obstacle for the haughty.  As you call out "honore, gen moun" or knock on the door you are sometimes greeted by a stoic expression. After a brief intro you wait to hear the words "W ap chita" (will you sit). Then 20-30 minutes later after answering questions from the scriptures we are inviting people to the meeting and being sincerely thanked for coming by. Often times you'll see a grandma sitting on her front porch, who is delighted when she is greeted. She replies with a big smile saying "cheri pitit mwen an komen ou ye" (darling my child how are you?). It's great to see that a simple hello can still brighten someone day.

Ironically with little means financially most people seem very happy, especially the children.  It becomes clear really quickly that true happiness is not linked to what we possess, yet to who we are.  A lot of misconceptions about Haiti and apprehension is usually quickly forgotten as you meet the humble and kind people.  The children wear perfectly pressed uniforms in an array of colors as they attend school in the morning or afternoon sessions. In the evenings you will often see men playing dominoes as the boys gather in the street barefoot to play soccer.  The people generally are industrious, especially the women as some of the modern conveniences of the states is not so readily available.


The congregation I'm attending has about 120 publishers and averages over 200 in attendance.  The second week I was here we had 255 at the meeting. With only two elders the brothers are quite busy, though some more permanent help will soon arrive.  Every week since I've arrived has involved reviewing questions with prospective publishers for approval and shepherding.  Many of the publishers and newly baptized are great at using the bible in the ministry. Starting bible studies here is easy, although much work is involved in maintaining the study.  The highlight of the service week is usually Wednesday, when we drive twenty minutes north to Domond, to preach. Since cars among the brothers are scarce the record is 18 people into one SUV. Happily me and my long legs didn't arrive yet when this happened.  Our congregation supports a group that meets there on Saturday afternoons, so we help in conducting the meetings.

Sunday morning I was invited to play soccer at 6am!!! We carpooled to the huge soccer field in an old stadium. We warmed up with penalty kicks, as I played goal keeper.  As more people arrived and the game started a retired pro player shouts out to one of the elders "ki bo ou te jwenn gwo Alman sa?" (where did you find this big German?) referring to me. It was hilarious and it's still a running joke among the brothers.  We stopped at about 7:30 and all the brothers who played that morning showed up for service.

There were some friends visiting from my circuit in California when I arrived in Mirebalai. We visited waterfalls in Saut D'eau, and went to club med with the missionaries and special pioneers. 

Whoever said or whatever movies depicted roosters as only crowing in the morning lied terribly. As the first few weeks has been tough to sleep, crowing at 1, 2 and 3am are not considered to be dawn.  I scowl at roosters in the ministry as if they all were the culprit for interrupting my sleep. 

We had the zone visit in Haiti last weekend and the C.O. visit is this coming week, so I will try to write again soon.

Life here has been simple and rewarding.  The ministry is truly the best way of life.

Drinks and Cards at Nadine's

Fish for sale

John Dave and his study

Indigo beach, Club Med

Puigs & Dolmans visit

Robin & Terrie

La Chute de Saut D'eau

Service group
Marc-Allen, Jean-Dave,
Gertrude, Nico, Alexandra

Arrival

My arrival and first night at bethel was great. David Vincent, a new member to the bethel family, picked me up from the airport. I managed to get to the car without paying anyone to carry my bags, despite constant pleas. 

After enduring slow traffic where patience and traffic laws seem nonexistent, we arrived at bethel. I ran into some local brothers from Mirebalais as they were concluding a sign language seminar. I was taken to my room which was a shipping container converted into a studio.  My room mate was Br. Higgens, a tall and generous person. He was kind enough to have gleaned food from lunch knowing that I would be hungry. I barely slept the night before so after a quick nap was off to dinner.  I saw some familiar faces at dinner, Dusty Carlson a sister from my circuit out west, and a few people who knew my family. I was glad to have been invited to play volleyball that evening and managed to play basketball as well.  Playing sports was a perfect way for me to end my first day and we all had a great time. 

Service the next morning lead to my first piggyback ride on a motorcycle.  At the group for service near bethel I met several couples that were serving as international volunteers.  Service that morning just seemed to have one good conversation after another.  My creole is quickly returning, though people are patient yet amused by my accent as I struggle to utter the next words.  I'm really going to enjoy preaching here, as I am amazed that people often will offer you a chair to sit prior to knowing who you are. 

A few hours later my ride to Mirebalais would arrive.