Our flight landed in the "land of many mountains" on the eve of the Haitian Carnival finale. As we left the airport, our first view of the Haitian culture was a fight that erupted right in front of us! By the time we made our way through the throng, one of the fighters had bitten off part of the other's ear. We could sense the spirits controlling the people of Haiti that did not want to let them hear the Good News of freedom in Christ.
Looking like bandits with our bandana-covered faces, we traveled the several hours bus ride from the Haitian Capital, Port-au-Prince, to the village of Saintard. We weren't wearing bandanas over our faces as a fashion statement; the dust in Haiti is said to be 35% contaminated with diseases from the human and animal waste. The same ditches that they often use for restrooms are also used for bathing. Although this was my (Brennan) first trip outside of the contiguous United States of America, my dad had been in a third world country before. The realities of the "haves" versus the "have-nots" was eye-opening for me, to say the least. Hearing and seeing news stories does not convey the understanding you get when you also feel the oppressive heat and smell the stench of true poverty. Our family lives a somewhat simplified lifestyle compared to most Americans but many things we take for granted, clean water for example, the Haitians consider luxuries.
We arrived at the mission house in Saintard as the many Haitian pastors arrived from their villages. Many had walked several days to get there, having slept in ditches along the way each night. God had brought them and us all there safely, a definite answer to prayer.
Unpacking our equipment, we found that God had protected all of the power supplies, lighting, sound and video equipment from damage or confiscation. As we connected to our sole power supply - a small gasoline generator - everything worked as designed, another answer to prayer.
Joining our Haitian brothers in Christ, we set about our mission to film the Spiritual Warfare conference they had come to attend. The Word says that, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20). Jesus Christ did indeed join us. His presence was there anointing the messages of Dean Sherman, His presence was with us as we filmed the sessions without any glitches or technical problems and Jesus was with the Haitian pastors as He increasingly revealed His Word to them as the week progressed. This was a prayer answered with "more than we could have ever asked or imagined".
The Kids Room
March 2009
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On the bus ride to the village, one of the Haitian brothers who had come to pick us up from the airport asked that we pray for rain. The second evening, before going to bed on the roof of the building complex, we gathered for prayer. The rain of the Holy Spirit began to fall, as did the water from the heavens to quench a thirsty dry ground! On the trip into Saintard, a river we passed was dry - on our way back it was flowing and people were washing their clothes in it. Praise God!
Something that the conference speaker,Dean Sherman, shared was, "To the degree and by the specificness with which we pray, God works in the affairs of man". Another prayer was answered almost as soon as we arrived. We had been specifically praying for cool breezes so that the technical equipment wouldn't overheat and the tired, travel weary pastors would not be too hot to pay attention. The regularly hot, still and humid air of this tropical climate was unusually breezy and thus kind to the equipment we had set up in the small concrete meeting room with low ceilings and wall to wall people.
God answered our prayers for protection as well. The U.S. Department of State warns Americans to enter Haiti at their own risk. They tell of the "chronic danger of violent crime, especially kidnappings" and that "Some kidnap victims have been killed, shot, sexually assaulted, or brutally abused". We were protected by the Hand of God everywhere we went - even when we went to bed! One morning one of our team awoke to find that he was face to face with a tarantula. I killed it. My dad had to clean tarantula guts off of his good flip-flops...
One of the Haitian pastors shared a testimony of his life that shows the awesome power of Almighty God to save those who trust in Him (Jeremiah 39:18). The tall, thin pastor had solid, determined eyes and a serious face showing the effects of many sweltering Haitian summers. He is the only surviving son of a now deceased village witch doctor. His siblings, he said, were all "eaten by the devil." The man's Christian mother also died several years ago, leaving him without a blood relation in the world. "But that is okay," he said with no shadow of regret, "because I have God." He shared how his mother believed in Jesus and that Jesus spared this man's young life from being sacrificed. This Haitian related that as a Christian adult, he had lived in a village where a witch doctor (not his father) made money by charging people who needed to cross a certain section of the road. The witch doctor had set up a row of wine bottles where the people had to pay to cross; whoever did not pay was cursed by the witch doctor and died. God gave this pastor a dream one night that he was to dress in a white sheet, go outside and break all of the wine bottles. He obeyed. Gathering around his house, the whole village waited to watch him die because of the witch doctor's curse. He did not die and because of his holy boldness and unwavering faith in his Father's protection, the witch doctor and the entire village came to believe in the saving power of our Lord Jesus Christ! He now oversees 26 churches and travels into remote mountain villages, crossing "big rivers" to minister to these precious brothers and sisters in our family of God. "I love Jesus," he said, "I love to work for Jesus!".
After a successful week, we traveled back to the airport. The view of half-naked little kids along the streets and completely naked deforested mountains were in stark contrast to the lush banana fields and azure blue waters of the Caribbean. Our trip back was much easier than the pastors who had to walk the several days' journey home to their villages - now carrying with them large bags of rice. With thankful hearts that God had accomplished His will through us for this project in Haiti, our team flew out over the mudslide streaked mountains. Landing in Florida safe and sound, equipped with the video footage and audio recordings of the week's conference, our job had only just begun.
Now that our prayers have been answered concerning the trip we are praying once more for the long road ahead of us. The editing process begins. After completing the DVD's they will be sent to the Haitian pastors (along with special DVD players) to
share these Biblical Truths with their churches in each of their villages. We know that God's Words spoken through the prophet Isaiah are true, "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
