DEARFRIEND
H
aiti carries the unenviable badge of being the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with a shocking history of violence and political unrest. The U.S. State Department travel warnings are clear— avoid visiting there if you can. But if we always followed the State Department’s advice, we’d never visit many of the countries that are on our Global Mission prayer and planning lists. So Andrew King, a video producer for Adventist Mission, and I went. And we were blessed. Some of the stories we collected will be broadcast soon on our Hope Channel® Adventist Mission program. Talking to Pastor Theart St. Pierre, president of the Haitian Union Mission, I asked him about the many problems in the country. I wasn’t prepared for his answer: “We thank God for them.” He explained that the uncertainties of life in Haiti often make people far more responsive to the good news of salvation. The church now numbers more than 300,000 members. On Sabbath in Port-au-Prince, the capital, I watched as truckloads of baptismal candidates arrived at an open-air swimming pool. Adventist pastors lined up across the pool as person after person made public their newfound commitment to Jesus Christ. It wasn’t a spectacle organized for Andrew and I; it was just a typical Sabbath. And most of the people baptized had been reached through the witness of lay people. Lay people drive outreach in Haiti. I met many people who have day jobs, but conduct public evangelistic meetings every night for more than half the year. In southern Haiti, lay people have even formed an evangelism club with 80 members who regularly conduct evangelistic meetings. They meet for four hours every Sunday morning for Bible study, training, and fellowship. The church in Haiti is poor in materials and resources, but it is rich in spiritual fervor. Thank you for your prayerful support of Global Mission, which touches thousands of lives in even the poorest countries of this earth.
PRAYERCALENDAR o p e n i n g
P RAY E R R E Q U E ST S FEATURED STUDY CENTER Pray for the Buddhist Study Center based in Thailand. Study Center director Scott Griswold especially asks for prayer for the church planting movement in the central valley of Thailand. Please pray that God will touch people’s hearts in this region.
Prayer Journal Inside
Gary Krause Adventist Mission director
12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904
Yours in Christ,
d o o r s
t h r o u g h
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