Growing in the Desert

We did our training at the Nouveau Kiskeya Guesthouse, a facility perched on the sea-cliffs near Jean Rabel.  Nothing but cacti and thorny scrub-brush grows this harsh environment.

Pastor Bellizaire holds up his "action plan" for the rest of participants to make comments and suggestions.

Timothy Training participants pray and sing before a training session.  Nearly half of the expected participants could not attend because they were stricken with chikungunya fever, a mosquito-borne illness that has reached epidemic proportions in Haiti.

It is amazing how God has designed plants, organisms that typically rely on regular rainfall, to grow in areas in which there is almost no water.  The Jean-Rabel area, a place where we have been doing Timothy Training for the last three years, is such a place.  The plants growing in the parched desert soil have two characteristics: thick rubbery foliage (to keep the water in the leaves from evaporating in the hot desert sun) and thorns (to protect the water inside from thirsty animals).  Timothy Training is very effective at helping church leaders grow and prosper in spiritual deserts.  It teaches leaders the importance of developing key ministry skills and allowing the Holy Spirit to use them to water the dry ground of human hearts.  It teaches ministry leaders to avoid being scorched by spiritual laziness and instead use what they have learned for God's glory.  Most importantly, Timothy Training encourages church leaders to remain faithful for "long-haul" so that they will grow daily, even in difficult conditions.  In fact, to fully complete all six core Timothy Training materials, it will take most participants two-and-a-half to three years (every material requires two months of weekly training sessions and another two-to-four months to implement a ministry plan based on the training the participants received).  In Haiti, many training sessions last one or two days, during which free books and literature are distributed and a certificate is given to each participant at the end.  In contrast, Timothy Training requires participants to pay for their own training and materials and demonstrate what they are doing with the training they have received.  Needless to say, the long-term results of Timothy Training have been very encouraging.  We give thanks to God who sends nourishing spiritual rains just at the right time.  We give thanks to God for how he is using Timothy Training to help churches and Christians grow in difficult spiritual environments!