Six months after being evacuated following the January 12 earthquake, our entire family is once again living in Haiti. We give thanks to God for allowing our family to have a home to return to! Our return trip went relatively well despite the intimidating task of surviving the sublimely chaotic temporary arrival terminal in the Port-au-Prince International Airport (the main terminal was heavily damaged by the quake). On August 17, our three oldest children began the school year at Quisqueya Christian School (QCS). Hannah is in second grade and our twins, Vivian and Isaiah, are in kindergarten. Since the earthquake, QCS has undergone a lot of transition in teachers and students. Over half of the students in the school are new this year. Please pray for the transition to the school year for our twins and all the students at QCS. We give thanks for Esther’s first birthday (July 5) which we celebrated in Grand Rapids with our family before leaving for Haiti (see picture above). Please join us in giving thanks to God for allowing us to continue life and ministry in Haiti. By God’s grace and strength, so many things are possible. Thanks for your prayers!

God is Able to Make All Grace Abound

Since arriving in Haiti to work as church and leadership developers, we have observed the General Assembly (i.e, an annual synod or national assembly of all churches) of the Christian Reformed Church of Haiti (CRCH). During the last four Assemblies, the vote for president of the CRCH has been tabled or delayed because of conflict about status of the former president of the CRCH who immigrated to Florida in 2006. During the Assembly in 2008, the conflict was so severe that all three candidates for president withdrew their candidacy before the vote was taken! That is why many churches in the CRCH had been praying for the month preceding August’s General Assembly where a vote for president was to be taken. This year the delegates of the CRCH’s General Assembly experienced the abundance of God’s grace. Although all the delegates were “expecting fireworks,” the vote for the president of the CRCH was relatively peaceful. Pastor Elihu Metallus (above right) was elected by a healthy majority. Pastor Bellazaire (above left) was elected vice president. This new attitude of cooperation was evident also in the CRCH’s national women’s spiritual conference in June, held in the Ministry Center. At first the participants insisted on sleeping outside in tents because of fear of another earthquake. After the conference began, the participants felt encouraged enough to sleep under the cement roof of the conference building. We give thanks that the participants were able to share food, fellowship, and biblical teaching about the role of women in their families. We also give thanks that our colleague Lesley Toussaint and Katrina were able to assist the CRCH in the organization of the conference in Sharon’s absence.

The Eight-Hundred-Pound Gorilla in the Room

People frequently ask us what is the biggest post-earthquake challenge that Haiti faces. Is it adequate housing after the destruction of so many buildings? Is in income after the loss of so much economic activity? Is it food to eat or water to drink? In our opinion it is none of the above. The "eight-hundred-pound gorilla in the room" is that many Haitians have been unable to heal emotionally after the earthquake. We North Americans are so quick to suppose that we can solve all the world's problems by application of logic, good planning and adequate resources. But the reality is that those who experience loss are the ones best able to help themselves. But they cannot help themselves if they cannot heal emotionally and spiritually. This week we are helping to plan and host an assessment of the Strategies for Trauma Resilience and Awareness (STAR) program from Eastern Mennonite University. This is a program used to provide emotional and spiritual healing for survivors of civil wars, violence and natural disasters. After the assessment, Christian Reformed World Relief Committee will decide whether or not to fund the use of this program in Haiti. Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit would work through programs like Timothy Leadership Training (TLT), STAR and others to help heal the Haitian people so they can work together to rebuild their country.

Putting the Heads Together

The Apostle Paul calls the church, "The Body of Christ," and compares it to the human body which is made up of many members (arms, legs, head, feet, etc.). In many Protestant churches, the leaders of individual congregations or collections of congregations meet together annually to do the administrative business of church. Some denominations call these meetings synods, assemblies, councils, etc. This week, August 3-5, the Christian Reformed Church of Haiti (CRCH) is holding its General Assembly (a meeting of delegates from all thirty churches and eleven church plans). But what happens when you put so many church leaders together, or, in Paul's language, so many "heads?" Well, the result is often . . . interesting. Delegates air strong feelings and convictions while others respond equally strongly. This week the CRCH will be choosing a new president for a four year term. Please pray that the heavenly Head of Church (Jesus Christ) will guide the leaders of the CRC of Haiti to choose the right earthly "head" to give leadership to the church.