Meat and Potatoes

It has been a long time in coming, but the end is finally in sight—the end of our part in the reconstruction effort. Since the January 12, 2010 earthquake, much of our time and focus has been on projects and programs to rebuild and reconstitute the churches and communities that we assist. As you read this, the roof on the final church that we plan to rebuild (Cayes Jacmel—see above) is being assembled. Of course, there still is rebuilding to be done. A vast amount of rubble lays untouched and hundreds of thousands still live on the streets of Port-au-Prince. So why not continue indefinitely in reconstruction? After only six years in Haiti, we understand the that natural disasters will come and go. But the long-term work of building up churches and communities in Haiti must go forward. The Apostle Paul writes in Eph. 4:11-12: “It was he [God] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” The biblical model of development is to build up people who themselves (with the Spirit’s guidance) rebuild their own churches and communities. In contrast, many believe that the liberal distribution of material aid is the best way to reconstitute communities. But, like a chocolaty sugar-high, distributed material aid is quickly absorbed leaving the community in the same impoverished circumstance. However, when community and church leaders are trained and empowered, there is no limit to what can be accomplished. The difficulty, however, is that building up leaders is like cooking “meat and potatoes.” It is time-consuming, tedious, and unglamorous. The result, however, however, is a balanced diet that can support long-term growth and prosperity. Pray for patience and solid encouragement from our network of supporters as we try to get back to the “meat and potatoes” of ministry.

Every conscientious church must ponder the question, “What does God want for our ministry?” This question is especially difficult for Haitian churches as there is a constant tension between the spiritual and physical needs of their communities. Pastor Andrenord of the Cayes Jacmel Church is facing this very challenge. A recent report from the United Nations singled out Cayes Jacmel as the recipient of the least aid of any Haitian community affected by the earthquake. For this reason, members of Andrenord’s church have applied for and received grants from several CRC agencies to rebuild homes, recapitalize small businesswomen (see picture below), and to rebuild the destroyed Cayes Jacmel church (through a partnership with SON-BEAM International). But what about worship and the church’s verbal witness to Jesus Christ? Andrenord says it is tough to keep everything in balance, but the church’s physical assistance to the community has provided many opportunities to verbally witness of God’s love.

Here Come the Graduates!

There are two kinds of graduates in the world: those that stuff their diplomas in the drawer and those that frame their diplomas and hang them in their office. Haitians generally fall into the latter category. Haitians love diplomas. In our training programs, we believe that what training you have completed is not as important as how you can use the training you have. For example, after three years of Timothy Leadership Training (TLT), we recently graduated our first four participants (normally TLT participants should graduate every year). Why? Because only these four demonstrated the ability to use Timothy Training in their ministries. We hope that our choice will encourage the other TLT participants to use the training in their ministries as well. In June we graduated the first fifteen students from the Reformed Bible Training Institute (out of a group of 21). These fifteen students were required to demonstrate ability to train other church leaders before they could graduate. In the Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25) Jesus congratulates the servants who invested their master’s principle and received interest. We hope that the Master will receive interest from the investment we make in Haitian church leaders!

Segaar-King May Update

Dear Friends:

On Saturday we will celebrate three years of efforts invested in fifteen Haitian church leaders. These leaders will be the first graduating class of the Reformed Bible Training Institute, a bible school created by the Christian Reformed Church of Haiti to train local church leaders around Haiti. For the last three years, these students have attended four three-day-long seminars and completed numerous assignments from their homes. During the seminars, the students learned everything from leading marriage ceremonies to the different covenants in the Old Testament. What is truly amazing is that these seminars took place in spite of hurricanes, earthquakes and political instability. Take a look at the picture of some of the key leaders that we have been training for the last three years.

Please join us in giving thanks for:
-A successful Timothy Leadership Training conference in May. Over forty leaders who had been successfully using this training in their ministry were further trained in the materials.
-A successful visit of Lakeside CRC of Alto, MI. Lakeside is interested in developing a project in the Thomassique area of Haiti.
-a successful completion of the school year for our three oldest children, Hannah, Vivian and Isaiah.
-Our eleventh wedding anniversary on May 20.

Please join us in praying for:
-The completion of the Kay Jakmel church. We have hit a hitch in finding the appropriate materials for the church’s roof. Pray that the project can be finished soon.
-The upcoming visit of two churches to Haiti: Calvary CRC of Holland, MI and Fuller Avenue CRC of Grand Rapids, MI. Pray for safety and profitable projects.
-Success for the Women’s Spiritual Retreat being planned for June 23-26 in Thomassique, Haiti. Sharon, along with the pastor of Fuller Ave. CRC, will participate. Don’t forget to arrange a visit to your church during our upcoming home-service from Aug 3, 2011 to Feb. 10, 2012. We will put you in contact with our scheduler!

Thanks for your prayers and support,

Zachary, Sharon, Hannah, Isaiah, Vivian and Esther Segaar-King
Missionaries to Haiti
Christian Reformed World Missions