March 2008 Haiti Mission Trip
March 21-28, 2008
This is a short recap of our mission trip to Haiti in March giving some of the highlights:
Saturday- Our entire team spent the day with the 20 girls at our orphanage, AFCA Home for Children, which we started 4 years ago in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It is always a real joy to visit these girls who have been rescued from the streets where they were without hope or any chance of enjoying a safe and fruitful life. They all attend school every day and are in the top of their class. They attend AFCA Village Baptist Church every Sunday where they are taught the Bible and learn praise songs The “home parents” reinforce this by helping then learn songs and memorize Scripture at home. In fact, the children quoted 4 or 5 chapters without error from the book of Psalms for our team while we were there. Ann Low led our team in some VBS crafts. The children learned to make purses for themselves. The children and team members really enjoyed the process. As usual we carried clothes for the girls because they love to dress up. The three teenagers on our team (Katie Beach, Laura Schmitz and Joshua Lyons) gave each girl a teddy bear which they receive with great enthusiasm. In turn our three teenage team members each received 20 hugs and kisses from the 20 girls.
Pastor Walt Cooper and Butch and Betty Heaton left Saturday afternoon to spend the week with Melinda (Nannie) Hester, who is one of our fulltime missionaries from Edisto Island, at the hospital in Bonne Fin. Part of their work there was to paint the church at Bonne Fin. They also presented another small rural church a communion set which they brought with them from the USA. It was received with great enthusiasm and appreciation. The people of Haiti are a loving and thankful people. It is always very special for our mission team members to visit Nannie, our missionary who God has chosen and called to minister to the poor people of Haiti. She is very compassionate and loved by the people in Bonne Fin.
Sunday- We attended Pastor Maxeau Antoine’s church named Eglise Evangelique Vallee de l’espoir or Valley of Hope Gospel Church in the middle of nowhere. God called Pastor Maxeau to start a church in this area of rural Haiti. Last October, while I was in Haiti, Pastor Maxeau and I met some local people under a group of trees next to a banana field. They asked Pastor Maxeau to help them start a church. On this Easter Sunday morning (5 months later) our team had the privilege of worshiping with them in this new planted church. We met in a borrowed 17’ X 37’ building with borrowed home made benches without backs.
The church was packed with over 100 people praising the Lord and worshiping together. The church service continued without electricity, air conditioning or water in 90 degree weather for 3½ hours. They sing and worship with great enthusiasm. Since everyone has to walk great distances to worship, they plan for church to go on for many hours. Laura, one of the teenage girls on our team, made the profound statement that “in my church back in Savannah people worship with their mouth but here these people worship with their heart.”
After the church service we went about two miles down to a concrete irrigation ditch which provides water for the banana fields. It was about five feet wide and the water was about 18 inches deep flowing very rapidly. The people dammed up the ditch so the water was about 24 inches deep at that time. Pastor Maxeau baptized 9 adults by immersion as the congregation and our team watched from the bank. It reminded me of how it must have been as John the Baptist baptized in the Jordan River. What a wonderful and meaningful way to celebrate Easter Sunday as we remembered the resurrection of our Lord Jesus, knowing that we will all spend eternity together with Him. “From every tribe and language and people and nation. You will make them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God and they will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10).
Monday- Our team painted the school at Cite Soliel, which is the worst slum in all of Haiti and one of the worst places on earth. People live in conditions you would not want a pig to live in. We used 45 gallons of paint to paint rough concrete walls to lighten up the very dark classrooms. Our team worked along with their new Haitian friends to brighten up the school while the children were on spring break.
Tuesday- Pastor Maxeau and I conducted a six hour evangelism training seminar where 12 pastors and their church leaders attended at Pastor Maxeau’s new church. There were almost 100 leaders who were eager to learn how to share the gospel with a lost world. Many had walked for over two hours to get to the seminar. In the church parking lot were two bicycles, one motor bike and two donkeys. Everyone else walked. We trained and equipped them with our EvangeCubes and taught them to share the gospel with their own people. We then sent them out into the countryside for over an hour to share the gospel, using the EvangeCube, with everyone they met. They returned with great enthusiasm and joy as they reported that 54 people had accepted Christ in a little over one hour. God is always faithful when we are faithful to witness for Him. “Go therefore and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19).
Also on Tuesday- Jim Murray and my son Joshua build new benches (with backs) for Pastor Maxeau’s church. We wanted to leave them with something they could continue to use and enjoy. Jim and Joshua delivered them to the church that afternoon along with Creole Bibles. Many church members do not have a Bible of their own and we try to see that everyone gets a Bible. The benches and Bibles were joyfully received.
As part of our mission team entertainment Paul, our Haitian driver, bogged the big truck down in the banana field. It took about 1½ hours to get the truck out. We received much advice and a little help to finally get us back on the road to Port-au-Prince.
Wednesday and Thursday- Our team took a three hour ride north to Verrettes where two other fulltime missionaries form Edisto Island, Ray and Trisha Comfort, have started a orphanage for AIDS children. The name of the orphanage is HaitiComfort. They have taken in children who are HIV positive that have been abandoned by their parents, or their single mother has died. They now have 12 boys and girls, most less than five years old, which they are taking good care of. They care for these kids in a very small house under limited and cramped conditions. With proper nutrition, vitamins and medications they can live a normal life for many years. Without Ray and Trisha’s obedience to God's call all of these children would not have survived this long. This is a powerful commitment especially under such adverse conditions. Then our team went with Ray and Trisha to LaChappel about 45 minutes across the valley to the new building they have under construction. They have purchased 8 acres of land that is bordered by a beautiful creek. They hope to move as soon as the building is complete enough for them to occupy. They have presently run out of construction money and are praying for God to send additional funds to help complete the new orphanage. They desperately need to move from where they are to the new property which will give them room to take care of as many as 50 children in the future. Please pray for this ministry. Howard Fogle, another first time team member, was pushed to the limit physically during the week but was a real trooper not missing anything. He really tuned to the children at AFCA and HaitiComfort. He had a revelation from the Lord on Friday morning that made his trip very special.
Food-Through the compassion of Butch and Betty Heaton part of our mission work is providing thousands of meals for schools, orphanages and churches throughout Haiti. Malnutrition is common to most Haitians but especially to children. Without feeding programs many children are very malnourished and will not live a normal life. Children are eager to go to school because they know they will receive one hot meal that day. Many times this is the only meal they will receive that day. Life expectancy in Haiti is less than 48 years old.
If you would like to help the people of Haiti or are interested in joining us on a future mission trip you may contact us.
Haiti Under God Ministries
Email: dlyons@haitiundergod.org
Haiti Under God, Inc. (HUG) is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) charity established as a South Carolina non-profit corporation
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