Medical team visits Pillatre and Lory Churches
Special Thank you to Christine Garner for this update
I’ve always said, when you go to Haiti you leave behind a piece of your heart, yet come home with a full one. This year was no exception for our team from Crossroads Church. We had a fantastic trip complete with ideal weather.
Our week started with a trip to stock the pharmacy on Saturday. We never know if we have the right medicines, but God seems to always work all things out. With the pharmacy fully stocked we were ready for the week.
Worshipping alongside our brothers and sisters in Haiti is always a highlight of the week. We appreciated all the warm welcomes and opportunity to hear God’s Word preached. God is alive and moving in the church at Pillatre!
Our team served at the Pillatre Medical Clinic on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This year, our team took a product called Dri-Butts diapers to be handed out through the clinic. What a joy it was to see Suzanne eagerly accept the gift of 100 cloth diapers developed for Haiti. She proudly handed them out during the week and instructed so many moms. We were all amazed at the programs she has put in place to help provide health and education for moms and babies. Our clinic days were filled with patients young and old and thankfully we had much of the medicines needed.
It was a special time on Tuesday and Thursday when we headed to the Lory Church to set up a clinic. We didn’t know what to expect, but when we pulled in families were waiting and the church was quickly converted to a clinic and we all went to work. It was amazing to be in one room and see everyone on our team using their unique gifts to work together. God was so evident in the Lory community and in our time there.
As Pastor Jacques took the time to pray a blessing over our team, we were all humbled and so thankful to be a ll part of the ministry. There are so many special times in Haiti, but most on our team found it a blessing to be invited into the homes of our interpreters one day. Their gift of hospitality and vulnerability revealed so much about the hearts of our brothers and sisters in Haiti and the opportunity to pray over them was special to us all!
Close to 500 patients were seen by our team over the week. Each one is created in the image of God. Each one is loved by God. Each one is valued deeply by God. And each one is forever in our hearts.
Discipleship at Haut-Dehaine, Camp-Louise
Special Thank you to Pastor Bob Lucceus for this update
Early in January 2017, Pastor Bob sat down with two Theology students (Joane a fourth-year theology student at Emmaus Biblical Seminary and Phito a fourth-year theology student at North Haiti Christian University) in order to inspire them with the three main focuses of HCM: Preaching and Teaching God’s Word, Planting Churches and Meeting the Physical Needs of the People. To start with this campaign of evangelization, each of them has chosen an area to make disciples.
On January 11th, Phito and Willeme, a Deacon at the Pillatre Christian Church and school teacher, went to Haut-Dehaine, a small and poor village of 2000 inhabitants at Camp-Louis (the first section of “Acul du Nord”). During the first day at Haut-Dehaine, three young men accepted Christ and around fifteen people who had previously abandoned church came back to Christ. On the second visit on January 20th, two other young men came to Christ and another fifteen who previously abandoned church came back to Him as well. During the third visit, Pastor Bob, Geneus Janvier (president of the Church committee), Ricardo (Pillatre church secretary), and Edson (second-year Theology student at Emmaus) joined Willeme and Phito. Pastor Bob was surprised to see more than one-hundred people attend this gathering. During that day, five young kids accepted Christ and nine other adults came back to Christ. Pastor Bob talked about the importance of being born again and the vision of HCM to bring more people to the Kingdom of God. As the executive members, Pastor Bob and Pastor Jacques from Lory decided to accompany Phito alongside the way and worked on a plan to disciple the new believers at Haut-Dehaine. There is now a Bible study every Wednesday at 4:30 PM and a short service on every Sunday afternoon at 4:30 PM to keep the new believers in training and get ready to be baptized soon.
In the first week of February, one of the new believers offered his land temporarily to build a tent to gather and worship. Since that time they started collecting trees from their gardens to start building the tent. The numbers of the people are increasing day by day. There are currently 147 who are really motivated to serve Christ and need a place to worship.
Prayer request for these needs:
1. A temporary tent to gather/worship - $350
2. 50 Bibles and some Book of Songs - $600
3. Transportation for Phito (Pastor) – Motorcycle $900
4. A generator of 3500 watts - $500 US
5. A sound system - $350 US
Prisca Laguerre Sabbatical
Prisca is taking the six months (January 8 – July 8) to recharge, refresh and rest from the work of HCM. She will be in Bloomington, IL with her daughter Judith for the first part of her sabbatical. If you are around Bloomington, you might see the Laguerre family around Eastview on Sundays, attending events and overall connecting into the life of the church.