Preaching the Gospel

Last night, we were able to go to an evangelistic meeting at the church of one of the pastors who attended the training we had last week (he also happens to be a lawyer who helped with the purchase of the Saut d'Eau property for Pastor Riccardo last year). His church is outside of the capital city of Port au Prince in a region called Cabaret. This place is beautiful! It is North of the capital about 45 minutes but South of National 1 (the main highway throughout the country), which puts it right on the coast.



You can see from the pictures that it is about 700-800 feet in elevation but the ocean is still visible. The second picture is a shot taken back toward Port au Prince at night with the city lights visible. We enjoyed the hospitality of our hosts, along with the cool breeze in the evening that is different from the higher temperatures in the city.


The reason we went to this church was to take part in an evangelistic meeting they were having this week. Sunday through Tuesday night (all night) is Carnival here in Haiti (like Mardi Gras in other places). It is a big party and was held this year outside of the capital in Cap-Haïtien (pronounced Cape Haitian) on the North coast. As with Mardi Gras elsewhere, it is a big party and lots of music (the night clubs in Port au Prince last night were blaring). Many churches hold these evangelistic meetings at this time in contrast to what the rest of the world is doing.

I was able to preach at the meeting and chose Ecclesiastes 10:19 as the text. It is about the world's view of life which is all about doing whatever I need to do to be happy. Parties, wine, and money solve all of our problems. In the book, written by the wisest man on earth, King Solomon, he chronicles the plight of seeking to live life without God (using the phrase throughout the book, "life under the sun"). If you are living life without God, it certainly is all about doing what I need to do to make myself happy. After all, we should "eat, drink, be merry" (Jesus references the rich man in Luke 12:19 who has the same outlook on life).



However, Solomon corrects this misperception of reality in the final two verses of the book in which he states that our duty as humans is to "fear God and keep His commandments." I related this to what Jesus calls us to through the gospel. In John 3:36, Jesus says that "whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life" but the parallel is that "whoever believes in the Son has eternal life." Believing and obeying are linked together. Jesus calls us to believe in him and obey his commandments.

On advice of Galen Currah who is part of our team on this trip, I then referenced the gospel as Jesus declared it. In Luke 24, just before he ascended into heaven, he reminded his disciples of the essence of the gospel. It contains five points.

1. Jesus died


2. Jesus rose from the dead


3. We are called to repentance from our sin


4. We are then called to obey his commandments


5. He gives us the Holy Spirit to enable us to obey

Then we did something at the meeting that I have never seen at such a meeting (again, on advice of Galen). I asked those present to turn to their neighbor and ask if they believe in Jesus and then recite these five elements of the gospel to one another. This was a great exercise since many who attend such meetings are Christians and this was an opportunity to show these believers that they can easily share this gospel with others they know so they can be rescued from the trap of the world in which they seek their own pleasure rather than seeking to obey God's commandments. It was fun too!

Please pray with me that this church will be strengthened and that many will come to believe in Jesus through their testimony.

Location:Haiti

Of Tires and Transmissions

OK, so not transmissions, but it helped me alliterate the title. :)

Today, we were able to engage in service to our brothers and sisters that often is often unexpected as we travel. Today, we were able to help fix a serpentine belt on the van that Pastor Riccardo uses.


I was able to bring some parts with me to Haiti for these vehicles since some are difficult to find here. They had some mechanics replace the original belt but they apparently didn't do it correctly as it "fell off" on our way back to Pastor Riccardo's house several days ago. We were able to get to the house and then park the vehicle until it could be fixed properly. I guess we are defined now as "properly"! As often happens in developing countries, there is some knowledge that is extrapolated to other applications but sometime the extrapolation is flawed. We were able to assist them by correcting the problem and teaching these mechanics (who later replaced the struts on the van) what they did incorrectly so they would not do so again. We were also able to negotiate a lower price on the replacement of the struts due to the previous error. Who would have known that the rest of the world doesn't understand the concept of a guarantee for services.



We were also able to assist with the purchase of a used tire for the van. That wasn't part of the original plan but God has provided what we need so we could assist our friends in this way. We thank Him for His provision and for allowing us to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ in this practical way, in addition to our training and teaching.

Tonight, we are to attend an evangelistic meeting in which the gospel will be presented. Please pray for those who hear to understand and respond in repentance as God sees fit.

Location:Haiti

Tale of Two Cities (Properties)

Today, we took a trip to Saut d'Eau where we again saw the property that Pastor Riccardo was able to purchase last year for future ministry in rural Haiti.


They have had a fence installed around the property now and plans for planting mango, avocado, lemon, and orange trees around the property in March so they are planted in time for the rains in April and will take root well. These trees will produce fruit that can be used by those living on the property in the future and the excess sold at the local USAID station for export to the US which will help fund the ministry for the future.

Speaking of ministry, there is a vision to add a church building on the property as well as a training center for church leaders and local residents (the latter would likely receive training on agricultural practices and other economic development opportunities). There is also a desire to build an orphanage on site and grow crops for the needs of those living on the property.

A relationship with the director of the USAID station has developed who desires to see the local farmers improve their yields and promote economic growth in the region. They recently installed a well at the station and I have spoken with the director about his desire to partner with Pastor Riccardo to help install a reservoir that can be used to irrigate the local properties with well water to increase their yield. This summer, another joint trip between Grace Baptist Church in Newberg, OR and Great Commandments Ministries is planned to help with some of these plans—hopefully to help install pipes for this reservoir and/or construct a caretaker's house on the property for security purposes. We will keep you aware of plans for that trip in case you might be interested in partnering with us.

As you can see, there are many plans for ministry at this new property. Plans that we submit before God to direct as He sees fit. There will be opportunities for many people to participate as He directs as well. We took time to pray about those opportunities while at that property today, that God would use this location to spread His gospel to many others who still need Him.

Next, we took the opportunity to travel a bit further down the road to the actual city of Saut d'Eau. This region is noted for a beautiful waterfall with mountain springs as its source. We travelled up the mountain (which is far too steep by US road building standards) and came to a place where you can enter the path to the waterfall.


First, we complained to the local people running the gate since there is a very public "white tax" they charge for foreigners (yes, greed is present in many different forms all around the world). The charge for locals is 25 Gds (about $0.60 USD) but is 200 Gds ($5.00 USD) for "foreigners." Needless to say, this process isn't fair but such practices exist all over the world.

More significant, however, if what we found out about this location. It is told that there is a witch doctor temple near the falls and that this area is used for Voodoo practices. We took an opportunity to pray here as well for these people that they would be released from the power of the devil and that God would manifest His power here.

We saw two different properties today—one with plans for good and one for evil. The reality is that God is in control over both and will use His people to accomplish His purposes at both locations. Please pray along with us that the gospel will be clearly communicated in the power of Jesus' name and that He will build His church to manifest His kingdom throughout Haiti.

Location:Haiti

Visiting the Duvivier Church

Today, we were able to attend church with Pastor Riccardo at Duvivier. Paul Goodner preached this morning and I get to do so at an evangelistic meeting at a church in Cabaret on Tuesday. Some may remember that the Duvivier church used to meet in a tent on the property.


However, the tent was damaged beyond repair in a storm last year. Several churches, including my own church, Grace Baptist Church in Newberg, OR, helped to contribute funds to the replacement of a more permanent structure. They are still seeking to build this structure and have plans for that this summer with another organization, called Construction for Worldwide Evangelism to construct the building. For now, they have been able to use some of the funds to repair the original building on the property (picture above) and are using that for the school and church meetings.



We had a joint team from Grace Baptist Church and Great Commandments Ministries go in 2011 and operate a VBS at this property. Some of the Haitian adults who we assisted and the kids who participated in that VBS are shown in the third picture.



Thanks for your continued prayers for this trip.

Reid

Location:Haiti

Church Multiplication Workshop—Day 3

Today, we began by addressing the needs of a trainee who is leading others in the formation of other small groups. As we mentor other leaders, it is important to address their needs rather than follow a strict training schedule as we might in a formal educational setting. We address training needs as they arise which is more significant for the trainee's learning than a rote schedule.

We also addressed the key items that should be covered in every mentoring session:

1. Pray to begin


2. Listen to reports (of what the trainee has been doing or what the flock is lacking)


3. Plan ministry (plan together with the trainee what he or she will do with the flock over the next weeks)


4. Assign reading (Bible readings and other studies that correspond with the plans)


5. Review studies already done (what learning was gained from prior studies assigned at previous mentoring sessions)


6. Practice new skills (if you introduce a new activity, show him or her how to do it)


7. Pray for each other (pray for the plans and for each of your flocks and for each person by name who was mentioned in the mentoring session)

This seems very easy but it is amazing how often these things don't happen. Speaking from my experience, I don't know how often I was intentional about my own mentoring to insure that these intentional training steps were followed. From my viewpoint, we often mentor or disciple others in the same way that we ourselves were mentored or discipled. If that mentoring or discipleship was not intentional, it is unlikely that our trainees will be intentional in their own mentoring or discipleship of others (or whether they will do it at all).
The workshop has been very good and we received good feedback. However, it was not without its challenges. As I was discussing traditions that may hinder church planting and specifically mentioned allowing other leaders to have authority to baptize and serve Communion, there was a lively discussion on whether only pastors have the authority to baptize and serve Communion. It is a significant issue here in Haiti as well as in large churches in the U.S. Our authority as pastors comes from Jesus (Matt. 16; 18) and that is also given to others who gather in Jesus' name. God has also given various people with specific gifts to the church that includes but is not limited to pastors (Eph. 4:11). Needless to say, we can continue to pray for Haitian pastors (and pastors everywhere) that they would share their authority so the church can be empowered to grow to the glory of God.
Reid
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Our workshop participants on the last day.

Location:Haiti

Pictures!

Here are some pictures of the guys giving and engaging in the training workshops.

Church Planting Workshop Day 2

Today we again had around 20 people present (which included a few new church leaders). We started by presenting biblical models for church planting (Peter and Cornelius and the church started with Cornelius' household—Acts 10; Paul and Barnabus sent out from Antioch—Acts 13-14; Aquilla and Priscilla who were self-supporting and held a church in their home—Acts 18, Rom. 16).
The church leaders then considered Acts 1:8 and where Jesus told His followers where they would be witnesses for Him. What is their Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. In their groups, they considered what criteria they should use to determine where to start new churches. The basic principles are to go to people who are neglected, who are receptive to the Gospel, and who are easy to reach (whom God has opened doors for the work).
Probably, the most powerful activity of the day (and likely the whole workshop) is when the participants developed maps of their locations where they live and minister in their churches right now. The leaders met in groups of 2-3 based on those who work together or who are in similar geographical areas as they work together and support one another. We then asked participants to pray about these maps and ask God to show them where he would have them plant new churches. In addition, we asked them to identify people within their churches who would be able to start this work now or who they could mentor to begin this process.
Galen and Paul delivered a skit (which is an integral part of the delivery of the workshop material so it is not all lecture) on what a mentoring session could look like. These pastors and leaders were presented with seven key things to do in each mentoring session. The question arose about how mature must believers and a church be to reproduce. As we see in nature, reproduction happens easiest in youth and this is the same in church multiplication. We mature as adults often as a result of our raising children. Church leaders also mature as they lead others to grow as disciples of Jesus. We as church leaders should intentionally mentor these leaders so they can continue to grow as they serve the body of Christ.
We thank you for your continued prayer for us workshop leaders and for our participants.
Reid