God’s Grace (and Subwoofers)

Exuma's speakers ready to pump out the Gospel.

Exuma and his friends study the TLT manuals at Bethel Christian Assembly

Two things that rarely go together for most North American believers are God’s saving grace and subwoofers.  But in Haiti, they are like two sides of the same coin.  Why?  One way churches can attract non-believers is through engaging and animated worship.  In Haiti that means electric keyboards, microphones, guitars, and, above all else, big speakers.  Just like non-believers in the pews, good quality sound equipment is hard to find during Sunday morning services in Haiti.  Evangelical churches are known as much for deafening speaker-feedback as they are for their ear-piercing hallelujahs.

Enter Exuma Exinord and Timoth Leadership Training (TLT) in Haiti.  Exuma recently worked through the TLT manual “Caring for God’s People” and was convinced that God gave him and his fellow church members at Bethel Christian Assembly the task of visiting three lapsed members whom no one had seen for many months.  Exuma quickly learned good pastoral care practice from the manual and began the visits with his friends.  Two of the lapsed members responded positively and re-engaged with their faith.  Moreover, in the process of the pastoral visits, five acquaintances of the lapsed members came to faith in Christ.  The love and care shown by Exuma and his friends convinced them of Christ’s gracious love for them as well.

God, however, was not finished using Exuma and TLT for the good of Bethel Christian Assembly.  While studying the second manual in the TLT series “Christian Stewardship,” Exuma and his friends became convinced that God was calling them to raise money to purchase new speakers for the sanctuary.  After many months of hard-nosed saving, Exuma’s church purchased a new set of speakers for 37,000 Haitian Gourdes (about $600 USD).  This may not seem like much to a North American, but for a Haitian this is a princely sum.  Eighty percent of all Haitians live on less than $2 USD per day.  That means that Exuma and his church saved the equivalent of nearly a year’s worth of income to enhance the worship of Christ at Bethel Christian Assembly.

It is truly a blessing to see how the TLT material that we use in Christian Reformed World Missions’ ministry in Haiti can bring both spiritual and material blessings to God’s people.  Pray for Exuma and the many young people like him whose lives are being transformed by the Gospel they encounter in the TLT program.

God's Surprising Result

Abel's group of aspiring taxi drivers and mechanics

Cars and trucks need a lot of TLC from Haitian mechanics because of harsh use.

For the last six years we have been busy with a training called "Street Psalms" in Haiti.  The vision of Street Psalms is to engage church leaders in a biblically-based series of training modules that will help them to develop a heart for the "least, the littlest, and the lost" in the sprawling cities of the Developing World.  In Haiti, the focus is especially on youth who are at-risk for joining gangs because of crime, violence and poverty in their communities.  In Haiti, at-risk youth are often scorned by the evangelical churches because of their dress (sagging pants, earrings, tattoos, etc.) and their habits (smoking, drug use, sexual libertinism, etc.).  While this attitude is not uncommon in Christian communities around the world, it is especially strong in Haiti's conservative evangelical churches.  Street Psalms is trying to change that mentality so that evangelical churches will show the love of Christ to those in greatest need of it.

Abel Joseph (in the tan suit in the picture above) has internalized the vision of Street Psalms.  Abel noted that his congregation struggled to connect with troubled young men who often loiter outside its gates in an underprivileged area of Port-au-Prince.  So after prayer and reflection, Abel developed a creative form of ministry to engage these young men.  He taught them to drive cars!  Many young Haitian guys long to get their driver's licenses, but can't because they don't have money to pay the fees or access to a car to practice with.  More importantly, many Haitian young men can make a living on Port-au-Prince's congested streets by driving taxis or camionnettes (light trucks converted to haul people on designated routes).  Many other young men learn mechanics and service Haiti's aging and decrepit fleet of public transport vehicles.  Several young men in Abel's group have succeeded in receiving their licenses.  Hopefully work as a taxi-driver and/or mechanic will come soon.  All the young men enjoy the reflection, prayer and bible study that accompany the driving lessons.  Thank God for Abel's creativity and the Street Psalms material that inspired him to connect with Haiti's struggling youth!

A Bright Spot in Haiti's Election Problems

Participants study the "Choosing Good Leaders" material last fall.

Today Pastor Jacky Chery, the coordinator of the Perspectives Reformees (PRIHA) radio program, reported that one of the candidates for deputy (the equivalent to what Americans would refer to as a member of the House of Representatives) called on July 11 and asked for a copy of the CD program entitled, "Choosing Good Leaders."  This candidate admonished PRIHA to continue playing this program on the radio because Haitians need all the wisdom they can get as they vote again on a new slate of candidates this coming fall and winter.  "Choosing Good Leaders" is a material developed in the Timothy Leadership Training format that goes through biblical teaching on leadership and the responsibility we have to choose good leaders for our churches, communities, and nations.  Pray that God will use the "Choosing Good Leaders" material for his glory during this fall's rerun of the elections.