Segaar-King November Update

Dear Friends and Family:
During this time in which we remember the blessings that God has given us, it is good to hear the words of Psalm 100: “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever, his faithfulness continues through all generations.” In Haiti we have often observed that the less material belongings people have, the more they are thankful for the basics of life that people in places like the US and Canada take for granted: school (we have yet to hear a single Haitian child complain about going to school), the support of a church body, food and shelter, and most of all, the promises of Jesus Christ signified by Christmas. Let’s all take some time to empty our hearts and lives of our preoccupations and look anew at the blessings God has given us all.
Please join us in giving thanks for:
-A successful seminar on the Poetic Books of the Old Testament in November. Sharon had to teach the whole seminar on her own because Zach was in Amsterdam for his doctoral studies.
-A powerful spiritual retreat for the staff and families of Sous Espwa held over the US Thanksgiving holiday. Over fifty people (both staff members and their families) focused on “Building a Solid Team in Christ” for four days. Sharon, who had the primary responsibility for planning and running the retreat, is tired but thankful for God’s blessing on the event.
-Zach’s trip to Amsterdam was successful. His doctoral project on New Testament theology of the inclusion of the Gentiles was approved by the faculty. Now Zach just has to find time to work on it! -Good health and safety for our family during six weeks of intensive ministry and travel in October-November.
Please pray for:
-The availability and price of food in Haiti. A drought (which coincided with the drought in the Midwest USA) and two hurricanes have wiped out a huge percentage of local food production in Haiti. In the coming months, Haitians will face a full-fledged food-crisis with prices of staples expected to double.
-An effort to bring two of our ministry partners together which have experienced some painful conflicts lately. Reconciliation is an ongoing part of our ministry in which we need your continual prayers.
-God’s blessing at an upcoming meeting of the board of the Christian Reformed Church of Haiti on Dec. 10-11. The church must decide some difficult questions about the leadership of one of its “zones” which is made up of six or seven churches.
Thanks for your prayers and support,
  Zachary, Sharon, Hannah, Isaiah, Vivian and Esther Segaar-King
Missionaries to Haiti Christian Reformed World Missions

Something You Don't Want to See in the Middle of the Road

In a recent trip to the town of Savannette in the Central Plateau area of Haiti, Zach and a delegation of representatives from the CRC of Haiti and Christ Community Church in Victoria, B.C., ran into a problem on the road.  The road to Savannette is perched precariously on the side of a deep gorge which was carved out by a tributary of the Artibonite River (the main river in Haiti).  The trip to Savannette went well, though the ride was long and tiring.  We had good meetings with pastors of the CRC of Haiti churches in Savannette in which we identified a number of exciting possibilities for sharing.  We enjoyed a prayer service with one congregation in the area as well.  However, on the return trip, we were confronted with an excavator removing a large pile of rocks from the road.  After waiting several hours for the work to finish, we finally managed to make it up the slope and to the other side of area where the rocks fell.  We give thanks to God that the excavator and its crew were working that day.  If not, we would have been stuck in Savannette for a long time!

Renewed Together in Christ



Sous Espwa children pictured on the ruins of a 17th century French fort guarding the harbor of St. Louis de Sud, one of the oldest towns in Haiti (top).  Sous Espwa Team pictured during a worship service at the retreat (middle).  The exterior of the fort near St. Louis de Sud.

For some time now we have not only served our Haitian ministry partners, but we have also served our own ministry team as well. Our team, called Sous Espwa in Haitian Kreyòl, is made up of World Renew, Christian Reformed World Missions, and Back to God Ministries International staff members. To keep ministry moving forward, we have to put a lot of focus on our unity in Christ (especially since our ministry team is made up of Dutch, Americans, Canadians and Haitians). For this reason, Sharon undertook the organization of a spiritual retreat in November in which we focused on the theme of “Building a Solid Team in Christ.” Sharon invited all the employees of Sous Espwa and their children (see picture below) to go to a retreat center near Aquin (on the southern coast of Haiti). Over fifty people participated in the retreat which was lead by Rev. Octavius Delfis, a Haitian missionary and Presbyterian Church of America pastor. In addition, Sharon and other Sous Espwa staff members organized learning opportunities for children, small group activities for the teens, and team building activities for the adults. God blessed the retreat tremendously and we look forward to stronger relationships as our whole Sous Espwa team serves together!