These thoughts will be primarily a bullet-point list of observations and decisions related to our corporate ministry efforts in Haiti stemming from my recent leadership coordination and planning trip April 5-10.
Re: general impressions of present conditions
- Haiti is now beyond the immediate urgency of saving lives. There is and will continue to be need for qualified medical workers to come alongside. Our group has formed an ongoing relationship with “Viscaya” as the centralized dispatching service for medical workers through us. Any medical personnel, particularly those experienced in wound treatment, orthopedic rehabilitation, prosthetics, etc. would be welcomed. They/We have first option to accept or decline dispatch requests based on our ministry purposes; i.e. – if we are not allowed to share the Gospel in a particular place, we can decline and ask for a different posting for the day/week.
- The base house in Port-au-Prince is a great blessing. Praise God for this provision. It provides a safe center of operations for all our people.
- The principles of When Helping Hurts (Corbett & Fickett; Moody, 2009) are very helpful at this point. Haiti has survived the relief crisis and now must move to rehabilitation and development. The key to rehabilitation and development is a change of attitude, mindset, and heart, leading to participative solutions. Anything less would be enabling deeply engrained negative and even sinful behavior. We know that such a transformation from a stereotypical welfare-entitlement-corruption culture to one of responsibility and positive change can really only come through the transforming power of Christ through the Gospel.
- It is my perspective, that our North American churches should NOT gear up to do scores of work-project short-term missions to build buildings for Haitians. No project should be undertaken without assuring the cooperation and co-laboring of Haitian recipients. It may be best, in most cases, to send funds to be administering through our reliable DR brothers and trusted like-minded residents in Haiti to pay Haitians to do the hard work of demolition, debris removal, and rebuilding. That accomplishes two things: one/ it provides meaningful work (we were told that unemployment is presently 85-90%); two/ it instills a responsible ownership of the task and the results. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are idly living in tent cities covering most parks and open public areas waiting for the next food distribution, while pancaked shells of buildings remain untouched.
- There is a place, though, for very specific and useful projects when the above criteria are met. These can be coordinated through Josue, Angelita, and the consortium work of IBSH and IBG.
Re: finances and financial needs
- Please see the link (on the right sidebar in this blog, or on the left sidebar on the Faith Bible Church Haiti Relief web page) for the most up-to-date posted status. To date we have received approx. $75,000 and dispersed half of that to Haiti Relief. We continue to have utmost confidence in the people and ministries stewarding those funds on the ground in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
- After the initial wave of donations, the flow of funds has dwindled. We still need two reliable 4WD vehicles for the work. The road conditions are abhorrent. Traffic makes travel in and around Port-au-Prince a time-consuming trial.
- We praise the Lord that several larger external relief agencies, through the advocacy of several key people working with us, have deemed our group worthy of receiving and reliably dispersing whole container loads of goods and materiel in those communities to which God has led us to be committed. Recall, in the early weeks after the earthquake, the U.N. provided armed escort fore and aft of “our” supply convoy to communities to insure that relief foodstuffs, etc., arrived safely at their intended destination. We pray that such good relationships and favor would provide for efforts in those communities we have selected for longer term partnership and training.
Re: Key decisions
- It is notable that a number of our dear, like-minded Dominican brethren had already established long-term ministry relationships across Haiti for years prior to the earthquake. These relationships and connections form a continuing channel for ongoing ministry post-earthquake. The Gospel-saturated nature of the teaching and proclamation ministries continues as well. There are many testimonies of God grace through the Gospel have already accomplished amazing things. We are grateful to God for both the men, the principles, and the connectedness of this legacy.
- Iglesia Bautista de la Gracia (in Santiago) and the IBSH consortium (in Santo Domingo) continue in sacrificial ministry to Haiti, often with other sympathetic ministries and NGOs providing resources far beyond the capacity of our corporate efforts through this fund. A number of North American churches related more directly to those DR ministers have entered the arena as special partners in the work. Notably the tireless labors of Jean-Pierre Cawas and connections through Childrens Hunger Fund and Esperanza have been a blessing to many.
- We clearly decided that we want to have large, longer-term impact on a handful of communities receptive to our teaching/discipleship ministry in, to, and through willing Haitian pastors. The training will include both practical life skills (personal & community health & hygiene [e.g. latrines], literacy [for Bible reading], “up-to-code” building practices) and pastoral training (using a modified “Bible Training Centre for Pastors” curriculum) over the next couple of years. This is an area in which adoptive churches in our FIRE Fellowship might take partnership responsibility and even aid in the teaching, training, translation of materials, etc.
- While larger “pastors conferences” may continue at a rate of 3-4 per year, these are acknowledged to be a shotgun approach and should be viewed as a screening event to determine who among those that come for free training and a free lunch are really serious about studying the Word, leading their people, and growing in the doctrines we hold dear.
- The key activists we are partnering with continue to be Josue Raimundo and Angelito Castillo, and those fellowships of churches and church leaders with whom they work and lead in this Haiti ministry.
