What is Normal?

There's always something to talk about in Haiti, insomuch that its a regular thing that a news-worthy event takes place, but does it always make the news? Are the Haitian people just used to these strange things happening?

There is still a sense of war on the streets here in Arcahaie. Last week the group of rebels blocked the road (normal) near our home. A news reporter showed up to video tape the action, but she must have forgotten that they would not appreciate there photo being taken. The camera was confiscated and the reporter executed. Earlier this week, the president of Haiti drove through on his way up north, on his way back threw Arcahaie, the rebels were waiting. They riddled the convoy with bullets and soon a shootout proceeded, The shooting could be heard clearly from our home. The president finally made it out, but is not happy. He has sent many secret police to our town trying to round up the culprits, and many innocent people have been arrested in the process.

We've had a couple of groups visit us recently; Barry's sister and her husband from Kansas, and John Lengacher and his children, from Utica, Ohio.  During the downtime from working on the house, the weeks have been filled with preaching and Bible studies again.

 One of the services on the schedule was at seven in the evening, when the sun has already set over Barbancourt, and the occasional solar powered light is all that breaks up the blackness. We crossed the blacktop and ventured a ten minute drive down the rocky dirt road that runs eastward into the countryside. We weren't headed for a church building, but rather found the congregation gathered practically on the road. They had left a break in the seating large enough for vehicles to pass through, which we did in order to find a place to park the truck. A make-shift stage with a tarp roof actually looked quite professional in the dim lighting.  Pastor Bazalet was there waiting for us. The speakers blared the strums of the electric guitar, the melody of the piano, and the enthusiastic praises by the pastor leading the singing.  All the men, women, and children were dancing, shaking, and chanting along with the repetitious lines of the song. We couldn't help but notice the two women in the back who were so engulfed in the rhythm that they seem to forget they were holding little baby bundles, wrapped tightly in thick blankets in the "chilly" night air.  After a half hour or so of this festival, the pastor opened the mic to anyone who had a testimony to share. A middle aged man quickly came to the front and began relaying a dream he had in full detail. Our translator tried to interpret, but couldn't really make out what the man was saying and soon gave up. It wasn't long before everyone was lost on the story, so the pastor thanked the man and kindly cut him off. 

Barry has preached to this particular group several times. They typically seem receptive and the pastor is thankful for the message, reiterating in his follow-up what Barry shares during the sermon. It was the same the same this time. The music fired back up after the message, and included a Creole rendition of "Power in the Blood." At the end of the service, about half of the people gathered there climbed into the back of a large tap-tap to head to their own neighborhood.

Another stand-out service was two Sundays ago, when, thankfully, the Lord struck me with a reminder.    We were thirty minutes north of home in the town of Mouri, where we had been in February as well.  The tightly packed, unfinished church was bursting at its seams again, and we squeezed to find a sturdy bench to sit on. The drums banged. The people danced. It was a real party, and I was struggling to watch it.  Just when I had started to "get used to" church being this way and was learning to sit through it. Can we ever become comfortable sitting through vain worship? As soon as the music ended and the pastor got up to mediate the service, everyone lost interest. The young people chatted and giggled, the old people leaned their heads and started falling asleep. When he was finished and the pastor returned to the pulpit, I had a squirmy, hungry baby to tend to, and I finally decided it was time to find a place to take care of her.  As I was about to exit, a young man stretched his arm across the doorway, and surprising me with his English, asked, "Where are you going?"

After a brief explanation of my need to tend to the baby, he reluctantly let me pass. I found a small, homemade chair inside a charcoal-dusted cooking shack that's used by the church's orphanage. When Bethany wasn't quite half-finished, the young man came out to where I sat and boldly declared, "Excuse me, but, your time is up. You are only allowed five minutes and that time is up."

"Excuse me?" I asked more than once, confused. He repeated himself twice. I got up and hurried back inside to ask Barry what was going on and why this boy was telling me I can't be outside.  Apparently, people are so "squirmy" at this church that they have patrols at every doorway to keep people inside during the service. When "Pastor Barry" told the boy to let me go, I was able to go back out and finish what I had intended to do. I had to fight back tears while I sat back down on the little homemade chair. The whole morning worship service had already been a struggle watching the way people behave, and a young boy telling me I can't be outside while I tried to feed my baby was almost too much.  

While this particular Sunday morning was a challenge at the time, I'm thankful for the Lord's reminder.  What is normal?  I am so certain that God is pleased when we can truly worship in Him in sincerity without the emotional highs that come with the blaring instruments and rhythmic drum beats.  I also don't plan to ever have a comfy rocker to sit on in an air-conditioned nursery while we're here, but maybe someday soon I'll figure out just how to modestly tend to a baby without stepping on the natives' toes while I do things our way. I pray that God gives Barry patience as he travels, preaching in these environments throughout the week!

Anyone's welcome, but nobody's leavin'

This past Sunday service was perhaps a little more uplifting. Pastor Oscar invited us down the road to his church again, and Barry is always very willing and thankful for the invitation. This large church in Barbancourt is where most of the people in our village go, so it's always a chance to preach to lots of friends and neighbors together.   They usually like to give us the comfortable chairs with the choir at the front of the building, a few feet from the speakers that can be heard a half-mile away. For the sake of the children's hearing, we thankfully declined and asked to stay on the benches toward the back.  We soon found out why they like to give us those nice chairs. At the start of the service, Katie and I and our three children shared the bench with just one older lady, and had plenty of room. Over the first fifteen minutes of the service, more and more people kept packing into the benches. The children were all on laps, and we were squeezed leg to leg with other women and their children.  On a warm day in Haiti, it doesn't take long for 200 people, most of them dancing and waving their arms, to really bring the temperature up in a building. Most people bring a rag to church to keep the sweat from dripping. Regardless of the heat, I thought it was nice to sit back with our neighbors and be "regular" people at church.

When Barry posed the question, "Do you REALLY believe in Jesus?" to the congregation and explained what that meant, it was well-received. Pastor Oscar, who sometimes disagrees with the Anabaptist vision, followed up with total agreement. He even told them, "the ax is already at the root of the tree, and every tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

Inside Pastor Oscar's church, with not room for one more person on the benches.

Bethany making friends with Frido, our close neighbor and a deacon at the church.

May God keep working in this village, and in this whole country!

We Wrestle Not Against Flesh and Blood...

The team recently had another mountain "adventure," but thankfully this time it was much more peaceful and accident-free.  The trip began at six in the morning, with nothing more than a piece of leftover bread to fuel the journey. The terrain of the mountain road became impassable by vehicle, so the team had to set off on foot in order to continue. They hiked for several miles down a narrow path that crossed several streams and small rivers. Holes have been worn through Barry's shoes, so his feet were wet while they hiked. What a blessing to reach the church building, after several hours, that was found "in the middle of nowhere!"

Each day holds something unexpected while they typically travel to preach six or seven days out of the week. Most days there is at least one person, but often more, at our door asking for different things. Many want money for school, some want money for food, and sometimes they just want to sit around. We pray for discernment as Barry tries to do the Lord's will with each case.

One recent Sunday in particular held something that was quite unexpected.

The truck was finally "fixed" very late Saturday night, after waiting for the usual mechanic to run to and fro while he went to get parts and tools.  When he disappears for hours at a time, it starts to look like there's no chance the truck will be put back together, but somehow, he manages.

We left rather early Sunday morning for services at a church an hour and a half north of us. However, when we were under halfway there, we pulled into a gas station after noticing the truck was not acting right.  It was evident that something had been done incorrectly the night before, so once again we waited for our friend the mechanic.  Several times we called him, and like always, several times he said he was on his way, but wasn't. When he finally arrived, he already had another part to replace the one he had just put in the night before, apparently already knowing it was bad.

It was a quick fix, so we were on our way again, but behind schedule. After an hour or so on the blacktop, we turned onto a dirt and rock side road. We bumped along and saw many rice farmers out working with their hands and simple tools to harvest their crops.

The church building, like many, was only partially finished. It looked as though it had been started many years ago, and was done with a vision of a very large meeting place. Only the walls were in place, and the hundred or so people who were there this Sunday were all gathered on one side of the "building" under a tarp roof that was supported on one side by crooked tree limbs, and the unfinished church wall on the other. They were all out of their seats when we got there, singing with great volume that could be heard when we climbed out of the truck. As our family, the team, and another pastor we had picked up on the way all entered and found our way to the front, Barry couldn't help but notice the unwanted presence in the second row of benches.

As he passed by, a young man forcefully sat down in his seat, and began shaking his arms and sort of growling and hollering. He didn't sit for long, but soon plowed his way through the crowd and was out in the open, uncovered side of the church, now turning about aimlessly and making obscene noises. His veins bulged as all of his muscles seemed to be flexed at once. Soon all of the pastors, Barry, and Josnel were trying to restrain this man, who clearly had inhuman strength. While the demon was rebuked, the song leader did her best to keep the singing and praises to God at ample volume. The battle went on for some time, and the other men stepped aside while Barry stood face to face with this evil. His eyes were completely white. The demon was commanded to leave in the name of Jesus, who has already won the battle. The demon had the young man tossing himself all over the ground, rolling around on the rough, dirty ground. . He said he couldn't leave, because his "mission" was not yet finished.  However, at some point, the young man stopped, stood up, and seemingly in control of himself, started asking what happened and why he was so dirty.  Seconds later another demon took over. This happened several times before he finally seemed delivered. He gathered himself and went home to shower.

After Barry began preaching, the man returned. Cleaned up and in a change of clothes, he came and stood directly in front of Barry, his eyes were back in his head and all muscles flexed. Barry continued to preach. When this demon saw that he wasn't going to stop the message, he put his fingers in his ears and walked away. Barry went to look for the young man after the service, but no one seemed to know where he went, or even care to bother finding him. Interestingly, the pastor said that he had been converted the Sunday before. God help that man's soul!


Given to Hospitality

After an unusual stream of events that morning and a service with some rather friendly church members, the pastor and his family stopped us as we were headed for the truck and invited us to their home. What we expected to just be a quick visit turned out to be a fine display of hospitality like nothing we've seen yet in Haiti. They sat us around their dining table, and soon brought out their nicest plates, and dish after dish of their finest Haitian cooking.  We were surprised but blessed at the warmth they showed as we enjoyed the meal and fellowship.

The work continues this week after a visit from Barry's parents and some time seeing other parts of Haiti, where their church and family has been working over the years. We are praying for strength both physically and spiritually to accomplish all that is asked of us on the mission field.

The Value of a Soul

The days go by much too quickly when people come from home to stay with us. We were blessed to have our elders and their families here from late Thursday evening to very early Monday morning. Two days of travel time left just three full days to do all that everyone wanted to do while they were here. Despite the short visit, Barry enjoyed taking some time off to fellowship and we were both very encouraged through their time here.

Meeting the men who are working on the widows' house and visiting on the front porch.

Matching new friends

We enjoyed the fellowship and singing

together...in English! :)

Friday, Barry took the men with him to a discipleship meeting in nearby Williamson. It was a blessing that they were able to be there for one of these and later offer their feedback on how things are going at these meetings. We returned to the same church for Sunday morning services and invited some of our friends from another Williamson church to come along. It was one of the more mild services we've been to as far as the music and worship time goes, which we were glad of. After the congregational singing, our youth that were along went up to sing a few songs for the church. Although the congregation couldn't understand the words, it seemed they were blessed by the spirit of praise our young people had in singing to the Lord. Barry then brought the main message, feeling led again to share a salvation message and expressing the need to be freed from sin. It was followed by an alter call, and several people came to the front after seeing the need to get rid of sin they had been living with. Praise be to God for calling men and women to holiness!

Sunday morning service at Williamson

Saturday's plans were tossed around for some time after we waited to hear how much it had rained in the mountain and if we had time to make trip. After taking care of some errands in the morning, we decided to head out, leaving a little later than we'd typicallly like to start the long trek up to the

Stopped for a break

village. With two truckloads full of people, it was expected to take three or four hours at a slow and steady pace. When we were about two-thirds of the way to our destination, it was past lunch time and we decided to stop and have a light snack. After a half hour or so, we were packed up and on our way again. Up another hill and around a sharp left turn, we could see a small crowd gathered along the roadside about a half mile ahead of us.

A group of people along the roadside isn't uncommon, as they are often there trying to sell things, waiting on rides, or just congregating for social purposes. It didn't take long, though, to see that something different was happenning here. When our truck stopped right next to them, where we could see that a young man was lying on the ground with a bloody arm wrapped loosely in a shirt. It was apparent he had been bleeding a lot, but we had no idea how much since his shirt was covering the wound. We knew enough Creole to ask if he had been hurt by a machete, a common agricultural tool in Haiti. Barry was quick to tie a strip of the shirt tightly around his upper arm. It appeared that the bleeding had stopped. I could see that he was starting to pass out, so my first thought was to grab some water. He was still conscious enough that he guzzled like he hadn't drank in days as I poured it in his mouth. Brother Solomon prayed over him as we all asked the Lord what we should do next. There were a couple of men that looked very concerned, and their desperate countenances were enough to see that they were pleading for help.

Pulling away from the place we found the injured man

He was quickly and carefully loaded into the back of our truck, where some of his friends rode along trying to help. We turned our caravan around and headed back down to try to make the 15 mile trek to the hospital, knowing half of those miles would be at 10 or 15 miles an hour. We thought, with Barry picking up the pace, we would surely make it in time. As we bumped along the rocky trail, I was constantly turned around trying to check on him while we continued to pray inside the truck. It was only 20 or 30 minutes after we had picked him up that I noticed the faces of the man's friends change to be even more concerned. They were rubbing his face with cold water, and moments later asked us to stop the truck.

The man had stopped breathing. I was still crying out to God to save him, knowing that the chances of him ever knowing his need for Christ were slim. Barry performed CPR, but it was of no use, as he was completely depleted of blood. More crowds gathered and started shouting "Ki mouri! Ki mouri!" Which is something like, "he's dead."   They soon asked us to back up to the small village we had just come through, where they wrapped his lifeless body in the blanket he had been on in the truck and laid him back on the side of the road.

There were now many people gathered around, so it was a prime opportunity to share with them about the seriousness of death and eternity and explain that not everybody goes to heaven. We did not have Anouce with us, so only a handful of men who were sobered by the recent loss of life gathered around to hear what Barry shared through the soft-spoken Haitian we had along who was trying to translate. There were others around who carried on as if nothing unusual had happened.

When we determined we had done all we could do, we decided to continue on and head for home with heavy hearts. It's easy to say we could have done this or that differently, but God has a plan and design for all things that we don't always fully understand. This 20 year old man was out working in the field with his brother, as we understand it, and they broke out in a tussle. It started with swinging sticks at each other, but the anger escalated enough that one actually hit his brother with a machete. The strike to the arm severed his major arteries. With a wound so severe it was likely he had done most of his bleeding before we found him.

Last Saturday was a day I am certain that none of us will soon forget. It has led us all to further ponder how quickly life can end. How important it is for our hearts to be ready to stand before God! How important it is for believers to share this need with others before they take their last breath! This man never expected that when he went out to work in the fields, it would be hours later he would be coming to the end of his life.  Let us always be ready!

Realizing what just happened.

Witnessing to a group who were sobered by the loss of life.

We are thankful for God's protection while Barry is out daily doing the work he's called to do. His plate is always full; there was one week in particular that he preached at eight churches in five days. Just this evening, he called us on his way home from Port-au-Prince to tell me he may not be home for a long time, as there were riots and road blocks in Archahaie and traffic wasn't moving. The Lord is always faithful. I called him an hour later to see how things were going, and he was somehow moving right through everything. As he approached our road, people were telling him to turn back. He told them he just needs to go right here, and went ahead and made the turn. He arrived safely at home after passing through a situation that could have been quite hazardous without God watching over him. Again, thank you all for your continual prayers!

Preaching, Teaching, and Little Learning Adventures

The early part of the week was again full for Barry with lots of running and taking care of necesary paperwork. The simple task of getting insurance to drive is not so simple here. There are so many people to go through and so many people wanting a slice of the pie, it took seven trips in six days to Saint-Marc, talking to an estimated 50 people, and a bit of a headache to finally get the job done. One thing Haiti will certainly teach us is patience. That's one of our first lessons about this country; everything takes longer here than in the U.S. Expect it and be prepared for it.

Last Thursday evening, we welcomed Katie Yoder from Remnant Christian Fellowship in Utica, Ohio. We are blessed to have her with us, Lord willing, for about two months. I can see her heart for the poeple of Haiti already, and her zeal for the gospel. She'll do well here as she isn't afraid to get her hands a little dirty.

Katie's brother, Rueben flew down with her, and they experienced their own set of difficulties with their journey. They flew out of Columbus early Thursday morning, but shortly after takeoff it was announced that they were turning around to go back to Columbus due to complications with the plane. After some reconfiguring and switching flights, they made it to Port-au-Prince around seven o'clock, but it was without their luggage. So, Friday morning, Barry and Rueben returned to the airport to get them as they came off the expected flight. Reuben got a full dose of Haiti as he and Barry drove around Port-Au-Prince for several hours trying to find a certain store to do some buisness. They also saw a man that had been run over, laying dead on the road. It quickly reminded them how short this life really is! As for the luggage, the Lord seemed to bless their efforts as they had to go "backwards" through customs and were able to pull them directly off of the baggage claim. Rueben's flight home was scheduled for Saturday morning, so back to the airport they went.

We are pleased to finally be wrapping up some of the running to and fro for business and getting on to the real mission. Friday afternoon, Mart, Nate, Dennis, Cory, and Barry, as well as our translator Aneuse, and a few others, went to Arcahaie during the busy market time to witness and preach to the crowds. It was quite different from what often occurs at home in the U.S., as people stopped to listen and many were interested in taking gospel tracts. They returned to the market on Saturday around lunch time with similar results.

A door was opened for Barry to preach at a fairly large church nearby on Sunday morning. A young lady from the area, Rodeline, had shared a recording of Barry's sermon from the previous Sunday with the pastor, and he asked Barry to come share with his congregation as well. The service was led off by a time of loud, amplified singing, complete with drums and keyboard. Unfortunately we could not understand what was shared after the singing to help offer discernment about the state of the church, but Barry's fiery salvation message seemed to be well received. After the service, the pastor asked if Barry could conduct a Bible study on Friday evening with them.

It's a blessing that the Lord is opening doors for Barry to share in various places with various groups. Yesterday evening, we walked a short distance down the road and ended up at a prayer meeting in the front yard of our neighbors. Nearly 40 people were gathered to pray for a young lady who is having kidney problems and is scheduled for surgery on Friday. It was an opportunity to express the need for one's heart to be right with God when we ask for healing.

Today we answered a call to go to an orphanage that is experiencing some management and financial issues. It seems as though the place, in dire need of many things, will probably have to shut down unless the Lord has someone step in and make drastic changes. There are nearly 80 children who would be taken and relocated by social services. Although the children at this orphanage may not have the best living conditions, they are hearing the gospel and receiving some love and Bible teaching while they are there. The places they end up are likely to be just as bad as, or worse, physically as where they are now, but without any biblical teaching. There are a group of men and women who have a great burden for this orphanage. Pray for them as they seek answers in how to handle the situation.

The coming weekend holds more "adventures" and open doors for ministry. Saturday we plan to head out on a boat for a small island, stay the night, and Barry will preach there Sunday morning. Pray that the Spirit will lead and God's will may be done as he shares with a new, unfamiliar group.

Meanwhile, we're starting to enjoy cold showers, learning to check our rice a little more closely,  and we've begun the language lessons in high gear. Aneuse spends time with Barry each day teaching him Creole. It's been a struggle for him, and the rest of us are trying hard to catch on as well. What a blessing if we can break down the walls that a language barrier creates!

We are continually thankful for your support and prayers. Remember, we love to hear from you!