Is It Really More Blessed to Give than Receive?

We've all heard that well-worn phrase, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." During the last month we have put the cliche to the test. We received Katrina Schaafsma, a Calvin Theological Seminary intern from Ridgetown, ON, to our team from May 31 to June 30. For a month, we exposed (or subjected) Katrina to all different aspects of Sous Espwa's work from long-term CRWM/CRWRC ministries to CRWRC earthquake relief projects. We drug Katrina from Thomassique (the Central Plateau) to Jacmel (Southern Coast) to participate in training, videographing, and meetings with local church leaders (see left). She cheerfully put up with a bout of the famous Haitian stomach flue, some pretty infamous Haitian latrines, and even a two visits to the beautiful Haitian beaches with her new friends and colleagues. We give thanks to God for her profitable visit and we pray that God will guide her in present and future ministry. It was truly a blessing for our team to receive Katrina this summer!

Post-Earthquake Family Life

The earthquake on January 12, 2010, has brought about new realities for our family. After the quake, it became clear that our family would not be able to remain in Haiti. Our house was damaged, our childrens' school was closed for the rest of the year, and banks and businesses were closed for four weeks. The decision to send Sharon and our children to Grand Rapids, MI, was made. Since then, our family has been together only seven weeks in the last six months. This situation has been very difficult. We give thanks for friends and supporters who have mobilized to support Sharon and kids in Zach's absence. Volunteers have made meals, washed clothes, and helped with house cleaning. On May 20, Zach and Sharon celebrated their tenth anniversary with a trip to Holland State Park with Esther (right). A few days later, Zach boarded a plane and headed back to Haiti where he continued to support our Haitian colleagues in their ministries. On July 14, our family will be reunited again (hopefully permanently!), and, Lord willing, we will return to Haiti as a family on July 30. Please pray for Sharon as she manages the needs of our four children. Please pray also for our family's transition back to life in Haiti. School will be starting in mid-August and Sharon will be returning to her role in our ministry.

One of the best things about life in Haiti is the constant barrage of the unexpected and inexplicable. If nothing else, it keeps life from being boring. This morning on the way to do a Timothy Training event in Leogane at CRWRC's project headquarters, the front end of the car fell into a hole in the middle of the road. A burly gang of young men just happened to loitering nearby and available to lift out the front-end of our full-size SUV out of the hole for (of course) a small fee. I wonder how the steel grating covering the sewer drain disappeared? A few months ago, a CRWRC photographer, John Deckinga (who was staying at our house in Port-au-Prince), captured a shot of a new advertisement in Leogane (the epi-center of the January 12 quake). It reads in French: "Grand Opening: Paradise Morgue Enterprise. Sincerest Regrets for Victims of January 12." Whoever it was that came up with the proverb, "One man's feast is another man's famine," must have consulted with the proprietor of this upstanding mortuary enterprise. Finally, it is very common among Haitians to find a distrust and dislike of the military arm of the United Nations here in Haiti called by its French acronynm, MUNISTAH. Two of the largest military contingents in MUNISTAH come from Brazil and Argentina. Zach got a picture of the festive World Cup display hung across Autoroute de Delmas, one of the busiest roads in all of Port-au-Prince. Guess what World Cup teams the display celebrated? Brazil and Argentina. Go figure.

April 11: A Day of Celebration

The earthquake struck just as the last bucket of wet cement was poured on the roof of Bwa Kayiman CRC. Bwa Kayiman is the fourth church construction project undertaken in Haiti in partnership with SON-BEAM International. Despite all odds, the steel jacks and fragile two by fours held the wet cement roof in place and the building was successfully finished a few weeks later. For many years the Bwa Kayiman church has been a hub of ministry in its community. The church offers the only theological and biblical training in its region in addtion to to a literacy and environmental awareness program. On April 11, Zach, Chris Meehan (a journalist from the CRCNA denominational headquarters) and a deligation of pastors from the CRC of Haiti participated in the Bwa Kayiman buiding dedication and the graduation of thirty-four participants from the literacy and environmental awareness program. During the service the literacy and environmental education graduateds read Scripture publically for the first time and were presented with sapling trees to plant. It was amazing to hear God's Word proclaimed by persons who had lived over fifty years unable to read a single word. After graduation, the pastors on hand participated in the dedication of the building, which is a very important event in the life of the church. Because of the presence of Haitian Voodooism (a religion based on the invocation of spirits and the possession of human hosts and other objects), the pastors prayed that the Holy Spirit would claim the building exclusively for the worship of God and the teaching of the Gospel. Zach preached a sermon on Ezra 3:1-13 in which he encouraged the congregation to "found their lives on obedience to God." Please see Chris Meehan's article on the CRCNA web-site for more information.

Starting a Blog in Haiti

It would seem that people like us would be the first to establish web-logs. After all, we are the first "computer generation," growing up with Vic-20, Atari, Macintosh, etc. But, alas, we live and work in a country where the Internet is not exactly easy to come by (neither is electricity for that matter). It is very hot here too (over 100 degrees F. as I write this), which makes sitting with a hot lap-top a little clammy. Finally, we have four young children, which means that, after changing diapers, cleaning up pudding on the wall, and doing dishes, there probably will not be much time for blogging. But we live in a country that has been ravaged by hurricanes and earthquakes, and which has the lowest caloric intake of any other country besides Somalia and Afganistan. So that means that we, and the people we serve, certainly could use your prayers and support. We hope that this blog will allow you to gain some insight into how you can pray for us and the Haitian people. We hope also that it will be a blessing to your faith to see how God works in a place and with a people so different from your own. Bondye Beni Nou! (God bless you!)