Segaar-King February Ministry Update

Dear Friends and Family:

What are the attributes of good leaders?  According to Jesus, “The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves (Luke 22:26; see also Mark 10:43-44 and Matt. 20:26-27).”  Zach has been working for almost two years on assisting several Haitian pastors to develop a Haitian theology of servant leadership.  The project started when Zach was told by a very influential evangelical Haitian pastor that “servant leadership doesn’t apply to Haiti.” Servant leadership is just as counter-cultural in Haiti as it is in North America.  Leaders expect to take advantage of and be served by those they lead.  Pastor Jacky, one of the members of the servant leadership group noted that if Haitian church leaders truly lived out Jesus’ servant-leadership teaching, they would be seen as weak and ineffective. The goal of the servant-leadership group is to show how, in the Haitian context, an effective and respected leader can embody a service-orientated perspective.  Pray for this initiative as it seems like we are “swimming upstream” against the currents of Haitian culture!

Please join us in giving thanks for:

-Sharon’s 38^th birthday.  We had 40 people to our house for a breakfast brunch!

-A successful visit from several teams from the US and Canada.  The roof was poured and interior concrete finishing work was started on the Ministry for Christian Development conference center.

-A great opportunity to train 25 students of the Reformed Theological Institute.  We taught two classes, Congregational Music/Worship and “Panorama of the Bible.”

-Our ministry team completed a three-year strategic plan in which has several foci: helping our Haitian partner organizations to become self-supporting, training youth leaders, and transformational development in communities.

Please join us in praying for:

-Rain for Haiti.  We had our first measurable precipitation in 3.5 months last week.  Dry conditions are making it impossible for farmers to plant.

-Our spiritual retreat in March at Barahona with our Dominican ministry colleagues.  James Schapp (formerly of Dordt College) will be leading us.

-Sharon’s trip to Le Cayes on the southern coast of Haiti to work with the women’s ministry and prepare for the June Women’s Conference which will be held at Villa de Wòz Church.

-The Savannette church construction project.  All the funds have been received to complete the project and only the walls and windows/doors remain to be finished.

Thanks for your prayers and support,

Zachary, Sharon, Hannah, Isaiah, Vivian and Esther Segaar-King

Missionaries to Haiti

Christian Reformed World Missions

Sharon celebrates her 38th birthday with our family

Happy 38th!

A few days ago (Feb. 24) Sharon celebrated her 38th birthday.  We didn't go out to eat at Olive Garden.  We did something much more special.  We invited 40 people to breakfast! .  Zach contacted a number of Sharon's friends and their families and invited them to a breakfast brunch party.  The menu included "This Aint Your Mother's Quiche Birthday Cake," "Wicked-Good Hash-Browns," "Hungry-Guy Hotcakes," fruit salad and a flood of coffee and tea.  Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun.  We realized after about 4 hours of cooking (starting at 5:30 a.m.) that "Never in the course of human history has so much breakfast been cooked for so many by so few."  Although it was a lot of work, Sharon's Birthday Breakfast Brunch was a lot of fun.  For Sharon in reminded her that she is "surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses."

Cruising in Style

Royal Caribbean cruise ship on its way to Labadie Beach

A boat being constructed in the traditional Haitian style near Labadie

During Zach's recent trip to the the Jean-Rabel area off the northern coast of Haiti for pastoral training, he saw a four or five of Royal Caribbean's cruise-ships off the coast between the Haitian mainland and Ile de Tortue.  The ships were heading to/from Labadie, a beach that Royal Caribbean has leased from the Haitian government for 50 years.  Labadie, according to the Royal Caribbean website (http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ports/group/home.do?portCode=LAB) has zip-lines, roller-coasters, large inflatable swimming toys, para-sailing, and a number of other amenities.  However, the landward entrance to the Labadie is permanently closed to the Haitian public, and any courageous Haitian attempting to land a boat on one of Labadie's three beaches will be immediately met by very grumpy armed security guards.

Labadie beach, leased from Haiti by Royal Caribbean

 One interesting aspect to the story of Labadie is the contrast between how Haitians and Royal Caribbean clients travel the seas.  Above is a picture that we took in 2006 of a traditional Haitian sail-boat being built from hand cut palm planking and tropical hardwoods outside Labadie.  The spaces between the planks are stuffed with oily cloths and the whole thing is painted.  Usually it takes one or two people (out of a crew of four or five), bailing almost constantly, to keep these boats afloat.  Of course, there is no GPS, radar, generator or diesel engine.  On the other hand, the Royal Caribbean ships accommodate up to 4,000-5,000 (several thousand paying customers and a large crew/staff for their care).  They are powered by generators, guided by modern navigational equipment, have cellular and internet infrastructure, etc.  They have swimming pools, water slides, many restaurants, and first class accommodations.  One thing that both the Haitian boats pictured above and cruise-ships have in common--the possibility of getting stranded (Carnival's "Triumph" which got stranded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2013), running aground on reefs ("Costa Concordia" which partially sunk on the Italian coast killing over 30), and crew/passengers suffering epidemics (Royal Caribbean's recent experience with norovirus on the "Explorer of the Seas").  What is the benefit to Haiti of these visits from Royal Caribbean's cruise-ships?  Other than the souvenirs sold on the Labadie Beach and the employment of local security guards, there is very little since everything for the guests (food, snacks, etc.) comes from the cruise-ship itself.  Nevertheless, Labadie gives a positive image to Haiti, which is beneficial!

Segaar-King January Ministry Report

Dear Friends and Family:

The desert is a very harsh place.  During times of struggle, the people of Israel often felt as if they were wandering in a parched desert apart from nourishing rains of God’s presence.  Last week, Zachary and two other trainers went to the most “desert-like” area in all of Haiti, the North-West Department around town of Jean-Rabel, to do Timothy Leadership Training.  We found the land and the people suffering dry wells (most of Haiti has been enduring a terrible drought), crop failure, and poverty (the North-West is the least economically-developed area in Haiti).  The low-places (where water should have been present at this time of year), were nothing more than salt-encrusted deadpans.  Only some of the hardiest grass and cactus were growing, allowing the goats to eke out the most tenuous of existences.  We are reminded of Isaiah’s prophecy to Israel’s exiles, “Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.  The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.”  Pray that the “living water” of the knowledge of God will flow in the North-West Department.  Pray also that the rains would fall on Haiti’s thirsty soil again too!

Participants in Timothy Training study Scripture together.

Please join us in praying for:

-The ministry of Timothy Leadership Training in the Jean-Rabel/Nouveau Kiskeya area in the North-West.  We trained 25 pastors in four practical ministry materials last week.  Pray that churches would grow, the rain would fall, and the area’s residents can make a living in this harsh environment. 

-The ministry of the Christian Reformed Church of Haiti.  The Church is behind 3 months on paying its salaries because of several factors, one of which is a lack of visiting teams to occupy the Ministry Center Guesthouse.

-Theological training with the 21 students of the Reformed Theological Institute next week.  Sharon will teach Congregational Music/Worship and Zach will teach “Panorama of the Bible.”

A participant in Timothy Training prepares his Action Plan.

Please join us in giving thanks for:

-Successful Timothy Leadership Training in Jean Rabel/Nouveau Kiskeya.  One of our trainers, Pastor Maisonneuve, had some pretty severe stomach problems while there, but we finished the training well.

-The participation of two of our colleagues, Jean-Marc Cassamajor and Jacky Chery, in last week’s Calvin Symposium on Christian Worship.  We look forward to their safe return to Haiti.

-Graduation of 19 students from the Thomassique theological training center in January and the baptism of 13 members of the Palmis Ba Church.  Please see blog for more details.

-The Savannette Church construction project has made good progress.  The floors, columns, beams and roof have been finished.  Pray that the a key donor, Victoria CRC, can complete its fundraising for walls, doors and windows.

The Nouveau Kiskeya shore.

FOR MORE PICTURES, STORIES, AND INFORMATION ABOUT OUR MINISTRY AND FAMILY, PLEASE SEE OUR BLOG AT segaarking.blogspot.com

Thanks for your prayers and support,

Zachary, Sharon, Hannah, Isaiah, Vivian and Esther Segaar-King

Missionaries to Haiti

Christian Reformed World Missions

More Goats than People: Beauty and Promise of the Nouveau Kiskeya Project

Though much of sea-shore is rocky, there are several sandy bays perfect for resorts and hotels at Nouveau Kiskeya.

 During our presentations to supporters and churches back in the United States, we often would say of Haiti, "There is no place where you do not find people."  However, during a visit to the area of Jean-Rabel, which is in the North-West Department of Haiti, we learned that we were mistaken.  We came to the Nouveau Kiskeya Guesthouse to lead three days of Timothy Leadership Training for 25 area pastors and church leaders.  Nouveau Kiskeya is a large piece of property on the sea-shore between Port-de-Paix and Jean-Rabel which, around 2005, was chosen as the location for a property development that would have seen the construction of hundreds of homes, two resorts, a port, an airport, and numerous commercial properties.  The idea was to have a place where expatriate Haitians could "come home to" and which would conform to the expectations for public services which they had come to know while living abroad.  Several individuals, including Pastor Robert Ulysses and Ted Boers, had lined up funding to begin the project.  After many years of struggles to obtain the concurrence of the Haitian government, Rene Preval's administration issued a "stop-work" order for the property (which was originally owned by the Haitian government).  Since 2008 the project has been at a standstill while only the Guesthouse (one of the first stages of the project) has been functional.

The rocky sea-shore of Nouveau Kiskeya

 Zach's first impression was "Where are all the people?"  In fact, the area of the Nouveau Kiskeya project is a harsh desert with only cactus and scrub-brush and a handful of human inhabitants.  There were more goats than people by far.  Soon, the participants arrived and training got started.  The training went very well despite the illness of one of our facilitators, Pastor David Maisonneuve.  The vision of Nouveau Kiskeya is a spiritual transformation of the area which will walk hand-in-hand with the physical construction projects.

The dry salt-pans of the Nouveau Kiskeya area where desert predominates.

Early in the morning and late in the afternoon, Zach got a chance to go hiking and take pictures.  Much time was spent extracting thorns from Zach's arms and legs due to the hostile vegetation.  Zach learned that the Martelly administration has lined up behind the Nouveau Kiskeya project and, Lord willing, the work will move forward!  Hopefully, in a few years the area of Nouveau Kiskeya will be full of people learning to live in the Grace of God.