We Will Not Be Deterred

Two months ago the we set a date for three days of Timothy Leadership Training with our Haitian partners: October 24-26. Little did we know as we chose this date, that we were making an appointment not only for training but also with a hurricane, Sandy. The plan was for us to receive groups for the materials, "Caring for God's People," "Christian Stewardship," "Teaching the Christian Faith," and "Violence in the Family." Based on our work on the phone, we planned for 60 participants. Honestly, when we found out that Sandy would strike Haiti on October 24, Zach was a little discouraged. All the money for food was distributed and preparations had been made. All of this would go to waste if the participants didn't show up. On the day first day of the Timothy training (the 24th), Zach noticed that the rain was falling horizontally due to a 40 mph wind. A number of the participants that he planned to pick up on the way were no where to be seen. When Zach arrived at the Ministry Center (where the training was supposed to be held), the room was pretty much empty. However, by 9:30 am people started trickling in and by 10 am we had over 50 people! This was a real miracle as Haitians basically don't leave the house in a hurricane, for obvious reasons. On the night of the 24th, the heavens broke loose with a deluge that would have distressed Noah himself. Thursday morning, Zach was crossing water up to the doors of the Toyota LandCruiser (at least 2.5 feet). Amazingly, by 9:30 almost all the participants had returned and were thoroughly soaked since they mostly arrived by motorcycle-taxi (the normal public transport was not running). Again, on Thursday night, the heavens let loose. Friday morning, the entire environment around the Ministry Center was a lake. It would have required a canoe to arrive safely! Astoundingly, the same 45 people who made it on Thursday showed up on Friday. We graduated 4 participants from the first level of training and 2 from the second level. One of our graduates was leading Timothy training for over 135 people in his village every month! We give thanks for the Timothy training and the blessing of all those participants who were undeterred by Hurricane Sandy.

An Unwelcome Visit from Sandy

The pictures that we have seen coming out of New York and New Jersey have been evidence of the destructive power of the Hurricane Sandy.  Our prayers go out to all of those affected on the East Coast.  In fact, Zachary was to fly through the JFK airport on October 31st on his way to Amsterdam for consultation on his Ph.d. work at the Free University.  The flight was cancelled and rescheduled for Saturday.  Very little discussion has made the press in the US, Canada and Europe about Sandy's first victim, Haiti.  Sandy basically passed in between Jamaica and Haiti on October 24.  Although, Sandy didn't score a direct hit on Haiti, the storm brought an unprecedented amount of rain to Haiti.  In fact, it rained almost non-stop for three days straight throughout the entire country of Haiti.  On Oct. 24-25, 300 millimeters of rain fell in Port-au-Prince (12 inches) and probably another three inches fell on October 26.  This unbelievable amount of rain caused massive flooding, over 50 deaths, 300 homes destroyed and over 10,000 people made homeless.  The flooding hit the area of Jacmel (a city on the south coast of Haiti) especially hard.  The Jacmel River, normally a lazy stream easily crossible by truck turned into a raging torrent resembling the Mississippi at flood stage (see above).  The river and its tributaries spilled into Jacmel carried away trucks, cars, homes and people out to sea.  In Port-au-Prince, a number of the normally dry washes exploded out of their banks, flooding and cutting off sections of the city.  Many people in the municipality of Tabarre had to be evacuated in canoes and makeshift boats.  The town of Aquin in the southern coast of Haiti was completely isolated for four days as the main road was devoured by swollen rivers.  It is being claimed that in the southeastern area of Haiti, seventy percent of harvest was destroyed by Sandy's torrential rains.  The destruction comes after eight months of severe drought.  In the end, we realize that like the wise man who built his house on the rock, only our obedience to and trust in God can keep us solidly planted in times of natural disaster.  When you pray for the people of New Jersey and New York, don't forget to pray for the people of Haiti as well. Since Sandy's destruction in Haiti was not reported in the press, there will likely be no appeal for relief funds from international relief organizations and no opportunity to give to this need in Haiti. 

A Welcomed Surprise

Zach's first trip outside the US/Canada was to the Dominican Republic during his first year at Calvin Seminary to work on a building project for a church damaged in one of the hurricanes that often hit the island. While there, Zach met Haitians living in the "batays" or sugar-cane plantations. These Haitians were the underclass of Dominican society--without immigration status or legal rights--they were forced to live and work in the cane fields for nearly nothing. Those of us who know anything about the island of Hispaniola have heard that Haitians are generally treated as second-class citizens in the Dominican Republic. However, a few weeks ago, Zach saw with his own eyes how the Gospel is changing this perception. Pastor Camelus Anger (the "g" in "Anger" is pronounced the same way as the "g" in "giraffe," NOT "g" as in "gaffe"), a pastor in the CRC of Haiti, has built a relationship with a pastor from an international Baptist church in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. Zach participated in a worship service which was the dedication of church (see top) built with the assistance of the Domincan Baptist church. Zach was shocked to see a bus full of Dominicans, about 25 in all, debark and start shaking hands, hugging and laughing with the Haitians in attendence at the church. The service was a celebration of how God is removing the "dividing wall of hostility" between Domincans and Haitians (Eph. 2:18) who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This experience was a tremendous encouragement to us and a demonstration of how powerful the Gospel is to change the hearts and lives of us all.  We pray that the new church at its pastor, Dieuseul Lacroix (pictured above standing next to the pastor of the Domincan Baptist Church).

Segaar-King September Report

Dear Friends and Family: In Eph. 4:4-6 Paul writes, “There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” We give thanks for your prayers and support for our ministry in Haiti. These are concrete examples of the connection between God’s people in North America and Haiti. In Christ we are all one (regardless of race, culture and language) just as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one! Please pray for: -The Ministry Summit that we are organizing for October 11-12 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Ten representatives of ministries that we are associated with in Haiti will spend three days with their colleagues in the Dominican Republic discussing and praying over our common ministries. -The Timothy Leadership Training event that is planned for October 24-26. We will be digging deeply into Scripture and teaching principles of preaching, teaching, Christian stewardship, and how church leaders can help their congregations and communities address domestic violence. -The Luth family who will be joining us in Haiti on October 4. Larry will serve as “Youth Leadership Developer” to help us address the millions of young people entering positions of responsibility in the Haitian church and society. - A number of visits from our partnering congregations in the USA: Lakeside CRC of Alto, MI and Calvary CRC of Holland, MI. Please join us in thanking God for: -The beginning of the construction of the Jacquet church in Petionville, Haiti (see picture above). This congregation has been praying and working to purchase land and build since 2007. With the support of a number donors and lots of hard work, work on the church’s foundation is underway. -Sharon’s successful participation in an evaluation of the ministry of the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Port-au-Prince. Sous Espwa supports a community development project in the Seminary’s economically deprived neighborhood. -A surprising partnership between several congregations of the CRC of Haiti and an independent Baptist church in the Dominican Republic. Often Dominicans are seen as disliking Haitians because their different culture (Haiti is one of the few non-Hispanic countries in Latin America) and considerable presence in the Dominican Republic as immigrants. -Continued good health and safety for our family in the new school year. Thanks for your prayers and support, Zachary, Sharon, Hannah, Isaiah, Vivian and Esther Segaar-King Missionaries to Haiti Christian Reformed World Missions

Church leaders often scratch their heads and wonder about the level of faith commitment of some of the people they are trying to help. But sometimes they don’t. Especially not in the following circumstance. Last June 22-24, Sharon participated in the annual Spiritual Conference of the CRC of Haiti, held this year in Savannette, a small, isolated agricultural community in the central plateau of Haiti. Sharon learned about two women who had walked eight hours over the mountains, guided by their pastor, to participate in the conference. One of these women was carrying a nursing infant! Despite the hardship of the voyage (or maybe because of it), these two women were touched by the Holy Spirit during the weekend’s events. Sharon and the other leaders spoke to the approximately 70 participants from the perspective of Galatians 5:16-26 about the fruit of the Spirit that God was creating in them. However, Sharon felt led during the conference to address how God calls us to “control our tongue” as there were some unkind words exchanged among some of the women. We give thanks for the way God has blessed the Women’s Spiritual Conference over the years. Pray that this great event will continue!

Post-Isaac Report

On Friday, August 24, Tropical Storm Isaac struck the southern coast of Haiti with 70 mph winds and large amounts of rain. While human life has, for the most part, been spared (only 24 people reported to have lost their lives in the storm), there has been a large loss of property. For example, many domestic animals were lost to flooding, many farms washed away, and many homes lost their roofs. Pastor Joel’s church (see left), Mochil CRC in Jacmel, was heavily damaged (part of the roof was torn off) and the La Montagne Church (in the mountains above Jacmel) was completely destroyed. Sadly, both these churches were heavily damaged and repaired after the 2010 earthquake. Currently, World Renew (formerly CRWRC) is in the process of evaluating what kinds of disaster assistance can be provided. Please pray strength and patience for those affected.

Segaar-King August Update

Dear Friends and Family: The internet is just now functioning again for us in Port-au-Prince after Hurricane Isaac struck the southern coast of Haiti on Friday, August 24 (unfortunately, city electricity has not been restored to us). Isaac hit Haiti with winds of 70 mph (just below the strength of a category 1 hurricane) and massive rainfall. We were actually surprised by how powerful a storm Isaac was! Many people living in Port-au-Prince’s open air camps lost their tents and belongings. Many structures with roofs of wood-trusses and tin were damaged. According to government estimates, twenty-four people were killed in Haiti. We give thanks that despite the power of the storm, more of our Haitian colleagues were not affected. Please pray for: -Pastor Gregory Brutus (a former staff member of Perspectives Réformées) and his family. The hurricane tore the roof from Gregory’s house and forced his family to flee. -The Mochil and Lamontay churches of Jacmel: The hurricane tore off the roof and pushed over a wall in the Mochil church while pretty much destroying the Lamontay church. Both of these churches were destroyed in the earthquake and were recently rebuilt! -The people of Jacmel: Many homes lost roofs in Jacmel because of the direct hit from Isaac. -Ongoing food crisis in Haiti: The massive rains further destroyed crops already suffering from a three-month-long drought. Pray that the price of food will not increase anymore in the short-term. Please join us in giving thanks for: -Successful theological training in August. We taught the Major Prophets to a group of pastors and other church leaders -The beginning of a new school-year in August for our children at Quisqueya Christian School. -Our colleague Lelsey Toussaint (and her family) who was able to make it to Canada for the delivery of her baby. Thanks for your prayers and support, Zachary, Sharon, Hannah, Isaiah, Vivian and Esther Segaar-King Missionaries to Haiti Christian Reformed World Missions