January 2010 began a season of sorrow for earthquake-stricken Haiti, but times of rejoicing are returning to this nation. During March 12-18, 2011, a four-member team from Baptist Mid-Missions visited Haiti to meet with believers helped through BMM’s World Relief funds. The team rejoiced with those assisted, and they sought the Lord’s guidance for remaining projects.
Earthquake ground zero
Port-au-Prince, the most devastated city during the quake, was the team’s first stop. Rev. Maxime Pierre-Pierre, a Haitian pastor and BMM’s newest Haiti missionary hosted the team consisting of Larry Beckman (World Relief Administrator), VW Peters (Field Administrator), Steve Brennecke (Field Administrator), and Lonnie Richards (Communications Supervisor). Pastor Maxime showed the team what had been done to repair his church and the church grounds. World Relief also helped rebuild the security walls at another Port-au-Prince church that Maxime formerly pastored.
Not only churches were helped but also church members. The family of Maxime’s church songleader lost their house, and the wife’s father next door was killed in the earthquake. World Relief has provided secure new windows as this family rebuilds their home. Another woman lost her husband and suffered injuries that left her an amputee. As she tries to support her family, World Relief and Maxime’s church are planning how they can meet her needs.
Grateful for a place to call home
Thirty miles from Port-au-Prince, in Grand Goave, the initial earthquake weakened the home/ministry center of BMM missionaries Roy and Ruth Shelpman, and aftershocks sent it toppling down early the next morning. A small tsunami wiped out two-thirds of the property’s sea wall. The Lord protected the Shelpmans and the orphans under their care, who had all been sleeping outside since the initial quake. The Shelpmans have already rebuilt the sea wall and are constructing a new home and ministry center.
The team also visited BMM-founded Maranatha Baptist Church and school. They viewed repairs made to the church and church property and viewed 12 rebuilt homes around Grand Goave. One grateful elderly woman could not stop hugging and kissing the team members. She had been living in a tent and had no means to rebuild her house. World Relief funds helped put her and many others into solid new homes.
Restoring body and soul
South across the mountains, the team’s next stop was the village of Cayes Jacmel. Dr. Louis Philippe provided a tour of Centre Medical Emmanuel, a BMM-founded hospital now led by Dr. Philippe. During the earthquake, patients filled all beds, and the remainder lay on the ground or in tents on the hospital grounds. For the first few weeks, surgeons worked from 7 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m. To help Haitians in their time of need, the hospital gave free patient care for three months. The Lord honored their sacrifice and faith and provided for staff salaries and supplies. Pastors and counselors worked with patients and those at local churches. BMM missionaries Dr. Brinson and Carol McGowan, who serve part-time at the hospital, estimated that 45 people made professions of faith in the first week alone.
Building on church revival in Jacmel
In the city of Jacmel, Rev. Dieupie Cherubin leads Hosanna Baptist Church, a congregation started by BMM missionaries. Pastor Dieupie gave an overview of victories since the earthquake. When Jacmel’s annual Mardi Gras was cancelled in 2010, Pastor Dieupie secured the mayor’s permission to hold evangelistic services. Thousands gathered each night, and 180 made salvation decisions. Hosanna’s campus houses a seminary started by BMM and Haiti’s Community of Independent Baptist Churches (CEBI in French). Seminary students have discipled the newly saved believers. Hosanna Baptist Church previously had 300-400 in attendance. Now 700-800 pack their auditorium during their two services, with the overflow crowd seated on the church patio. Click here to read an article written shortly after the revival.
At Hosanna Baptist, the BMM team inspected a new wall and sanitation facilities built by World Relief. Pastor Dieupie also led them around Jacmel to view rebuilt homes and meet the thankful residents.
A mountaintop experience
For their last stop, the team trekked up a nearby mountainside to the farming community of Armand. A church was planted there in 1941. As a single missionary Ruth (Yost) Shelpman later started an elementary school that now educates 210 students. The earthquake demolished the school, and World Relief funds enabled Haitian leaders to rebuild it. Construction workers had to carry metal roofing, roof trusses, and sacks of cement and sand on their heads or on burros to get supplies up the mountain. While the BMM team was there, the grateful staff and students held a special service to honor Ruth for founding the school.
Teamwork with Haitian leaders
Haiti’s association of Baptist churches (CEBI) has about 15 constituent churches. The BMM team held many meetings with CEBI pastors to plan how they can reach the final phase of a four-step recovery plan (Rescue, Recovery, Reconstruction …). We rejoice that phase four is coming into sight: Return to Normalcy.
In every place the team went, they saw deep expressions of thankfulness on the part of Haitian brethren for help they received from Christians in the US and other parts of the world who gave to World Relief. Because of the generosity of donors, many Haitians are in homes that are much better than what they had before the earthquake.
Baptist Mid-Missions also extends its sincere thanks. Your gifts are making it possible for not only physical needs to be met but also for the gospel to be given to people when their needs are the greatest and their hearts are open to God’s voice. Thank you.
To learn more about World Relief, click here.