Who Said Haiti Was a Crater?

Quite often those who are not familiar with

Haiti have the impression that Haiti is nothing more than a hurricane and earthquake-plagued disaster zone. But in reality Haiti is actually quite a beautiful country. Back in the seventies and early eighties, Haiti was a regular destination for cruise liners and resort-goers. In fact, Haiti was long called the "Pearl of the Antilles" for its beautiful beaches, forests, and friendly population. In the 1700s and 1800s, Haiti was actually the most prosperous of all the Caribbean colonies. The mid-eighties saw the beginning of thirty years of political instability and economic decline capped by the disastrous earthquake in 2010. But, here and there, the old Haiti, the Pearl of Antilles, shows its colors. One such place is the seasonal lake called "Twou Kayiman" or "Crocodile Hole." While the Crocodile Hole no longer has crocs, it does have migratory birds including a colony of beautiful pink flamingos. We made our second trip to see the flamingos a few weeks ago in very old and very leaky boat. In fact, each boat needs a staff of two: one to push the boat with a pole and another to bail out the leaking water. Those willing to risk getting wet are rewarded with a extraordinary view of the surrounding mountains and the gently waving reeds of the lake. We hope to be able to take some smaller visiting teams to Twou Kayiman. Maybe if you visit, you will be one of the lucky ones!

Why Do We Insist on Building Up Haitian Leaders?

Public speakers are routinely roasted for speaking in cliches--old worn out phrases so overused that they cease to have meaning. Well, we have a cliche of our own and it has something to do with "building up Haitian church leaders." Well, perhaps we do use this phrase a little too much. But we do so because building leaders is the most strategically important job anyone who is committed to seeing systematic change in a society can do. Leadership is about helping people to develop and own a vision for their existence. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, there is literally no limit to what a motivated, prayerful and humble leader can do both inside the church and outside. Leaders don't mobilize material resources (budgets, equipment, etc.), they mobilize the people who mobilize those resources. So, one competent and compelling leader can bring massive resources to bear on a problem. Maybe this is what Jesus meant when he said that if the seed of the Gospel lands on fertile soil it can produce a crop "one-hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown (Matt. 13:8)." The Timothy Leadership Training Institute (TLTI) is just such a program that seeks to grow leaders. We provided certificates to the first four leaders to graduate from the TLTI program (see above). Why only four? We insist that leaders demonstrate the ability to prayerfully discern a vision for change with their colleagues, implement it with the Spirit's help, and report their progress to the people of God. Of the hundreds who have participated in this program over the last two years, only these four have demonstrated mastery of such skills. Four is not a lot. But four motivated leaders who are passionate for the Kingdom of God can mobilize more resources than we can imagine. So, cliche or not, we will go on talking about "building up Haitian church leaders." Through them, the Holy Spirit will change this country!

Saying Goodbye to Friends

We have mentioned on a few occassions that our colleagues Ad and Coby de Blaeij will be departing Haiti in June. Ad and Coby are Dutch nationals and have been living in Haiti for over 29 years. We often joke that Ad and Coby have been living in Haiti longer than most Haitians (since the average age in Haiti is 17 or 18). Ad has worked as CRWRC's Country Coordinator and Coby has taught our children in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten at Quisqueya Christian School. Ad is an agronomist by trade (i.e., an agriculture specialist). Ad really enjoyed agriculture programs like the ones in Batist (pictured above) where he and Sharon visited some years ago. Besides being handy with plants, Ad and Coby have a wealth of information and contacts here in Haiti. Ad spent most of his career working for a Dutch NGO, "Word and Deed." He joined CRWRC when Word and Deed was turned over to Haitian nationals. Lunise Cerin Jules will be taking over for Ad in June. Lunise is a Haitian woman who has many years of experience working in the micro-credit and education fields. Most recently she was consulting for the Haitian government on an education project. Please pray for our team as we make this transition. Pray also that God will provide for all of Ad and Coby's needs.

Pulled in a Hundred Directions

It seems like life is pretty much defined by the experience of being pulled in at least two different directions at once. As children, we want to grow up quickly and yet we have a sentimental desire to retain our youth. As adults we are pulled between the need to make a living and to provide care and nurture for loved ones. In Haiti churches are constantly pulled between the poles of proclaiming the Gospel and providing for the physical needs poor and suffering. The Cayes Jacmel Christian Reformed church is a textbook example. In the midst of the reconstruction of the church building destroyed by the earthquake (above right), the church undertook a project to rebuild damaged houses in the neighborhood by giving grants of building materials to affected persons. Recently, the church has begun a project to provide micro-loans (small loans designed to recapitalize small businesses which buy and sell in the local market) at a favorable interest rate for needy businesspeople in the community. Andrenord, the pastor of the Cayes Jacmel church, was forced to take leave from his work of ship-building a few weeks ago to participate with the gathering of micro-loan beneficiaries (above left). In the midst of all of this activity, the church must still proclaim the Gospel, do evangelism, educate its youth, and carve out space for prayer and worship. Talk about being pulled in a hundred different directions! Please pray that the church construction project (funded through SON-BEAM International) could be brought to completion. Pray also for the microcredit project (funded by CRWRC Disaster Response). Pray also that church leaders won't get too tired to faithfully proclaim the Gospel by actions...and words when necessary!