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.