Hard situations in Haiti become holy opportunities for Christ’s church

Christ’s church has tremendous potential in Haiti, a nation of 11 million with many struggles.  

That power is clear to Mullery Jean-Pierre, the senior pastor of Beraca Baptist Church in New York City. The Converge Northeast pastor served in Jérémie, Haiti, with the church’s executive pastor, Joseph Emmanuel Jean, mission pastor Lesly Milord, worship pastor Edzer Elie and Daniel Plaisival.  

When their car was damaged in an accident, they met Jinau* (name changed), who fixed it.  

To show their gratitude, the believers bought Jinau a tool kit. But when they brought the gift several months later, Jinau had been wrongly arrested and, like Joseph in Genesis, had little chance of release.  

In the worst situations for people and even countries, we might wonder, ‘Where is God?’  

Haitian believers have much to offer during the country’s struggles   

Haiti’s hardships after a 2010 earthquake motivated Beraca Baptist Church to do more. So they extended their Community Development Corporation, directed by Plaisival, to do the P.E.A.C.E. plan to aim at achieving five goals:  

• P = Promote reconciliation by planting churches to overcome spiritual darkness. 
  
• E = Equip servant leaders by training pastors and leaders.   
  
• A = Assist the poor by creating jobs by offering micro-loans  
  
• C = Care for the sick by doing mobile medical clinics in churches  
  
• E = Educating the next generation through the Haiti One By One Student Sponsorship Program.  

Jean-Pierre recently gathered Haitian leaders from business, government, nonprofit and community sectors to meet with federal officials connected to the U.S. Agency for International Development’s work in Haiti. These leaders have connections to 10,000 Haitian churches that can wisely steward USAID funds.  

“The church becomes an answer to the problems that Haiti’s facing,” he added.   

Isn’t it amazing how much God’s people can do together?  

Lives stay broken until God’s people show up with God’s resources  

Back in Jérémie, Jinau’s first problem was jail. But Jean-Pierre and other Haitian believers found him and paid his bail.  

But neither that nor the tool kit compared to what they were about to give him. They shared the gospel, and Jinau received eternal, abundant life.   

His new identity appeared minutes later when an accomplice in Jinau’s arrest walked by. The accuser saw Jinan and ran.   

But Jinau stopped him and said he’d been pardoned twice, once from jail and once from sin. After hearing the gospel, that man went from unjust accuser to fellow believer.  

“We’re transforming communities,” Jean-Pierre said.