Game Changer

My wife is a game changer. Most dentists would come to Haiti and say I’m gonna pull teeth because I think that’s what people need. But Anna listens to the local dentist, Dr. Benoit, and decided to do cleanings. In the morning, they pull teeth, and in the afternoon they do cleanings. And the people love it. It’s great service because it’s what they people want, not what we Americans think they need. 

Anna is beginning the process of expanding dental care in the community. She wants to work with and educate local dentists to improve their craft. If she can help them be more gentle, then more people will seek their care. They get more business and the community gets more care. Dr. Benoit improved his ability in just the four days they were working together. The goal is for people to have overall better health year round, not just acute care once a year. But acute care is good, too. Anna pulled 12 teeth on one lady. We met with the team last night and they shared their favorite parts of the week. One of our drivers, Owe Owe, shared that the woman had been seeking dental care all over the city, and could find no one who would pull her teeth for less than $800, money she did not have. His favorite part of the week was seeing her get the care she needed. I think that tells you about the impact we make, and also about the people we work with. They love their community, and they want to see it improve. 

We think that community thinking is a rare quality in Haiti. We have experienced a very individualistic culture, where people don’t volunteer and won’t work without direct benefits to themselves. The people we work with say that they love their country and their people, and they want to see life improve for everyone. Pierre expressed that he loves having work, and I am certain that he meant more than just making money. He loves having a mission, a purpose. In a life where most of the year he is simply trying to survive, he has a purpose that is bigger than himself when we come. He is part of an organization that is making a difference in his community, not just a part but a leader. Pierre, Jean, Santi, and the others are rare human beings. Their hard work, determination, and resilience show me Jesus in a way that I don’t experience much in the US. 

I went to Pierre’s house up on the side of the mountain. He doesn’t have a toilet, and when it rains, water runs through his house. He built a chicken coop, but has no chickens. I gave him $11 to buy 2 chickens. The stairs we are building will make the walk home shorter and safer for him, especially when it rains. It will really be a game changer, too. 

Fighting Demons and Pulling Teeth

The last two days have been great. Yesterday, we went to the Free Methodist church of Pastor Costume (kos-tu-ma). Cynthia and I were both offered the chance to preach, but she had a migraine and hadn’t slept. So I preached on Luke 15, the lost sheep. It is the passage we are focusing on for the Bible school for the children. Pastor translated, and I got into a pretty good rhythm of call and response with the church. I told them, “No matter what you have done, no matter how lost you are, Bondye benu (God loves you)!” Then I played guitar and we sang “Amazing Grace” us in English, the congregation in Creole. After worship, we had a fantastic afternoon on the beach. We sat on the sand and played and sang songs with Patrick, the Hertzes, and Anna. 

Today, Anna stole the show, rocking out her clinic. Everyone was impressed with her system, her skills, her bedside manner, and her leadership. Heather and Janice worked in with her, cleaning instruments and moving patients around like a well-oiled machine. Archibald kept things flowing and Dr. Benoit and Dr. Goldston saw 50 patients. In the morning they pulled teeth and in the afternoon they did cleanings. Cleanings are not Anna’s plan or desire, but all the Haitians she has talked to are sure that people want cleanings. People were lined up to get their teeth cleaned, so it must be so. 

In the meantime, I had possibly the best experience I’ve had in Haiti. Cynthia and I gathered with five Haitian pastors to study scriptures and talk pastoring together. We began with the easy stuff, Christ died for us and all that, and then it got really interesting. We bounced all around reading scriptures and talking about progressive salvation and sanctification. I would have thought that they would have been more about baptizing people and being done with it, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. They were very concerned about creating deep spiritual lives for their people, and building them into communities of love and care. Pastor Louisnar read Acts 2:41 about the early church and said he was teaching his people to give to the needy. Pastor Joshue agreed and told this story. One of his members starved to death. He brought the news to the church and they were horrified. They decided to do something about it, so everyone who can brings $1 Haitian (about 8 cents) every week. When they have enough, they give the money to the neediest member to use to buy some goods, sell them, and begin a business. Since this initiative began several years ago, no one has starved to death. That is an effective stewardship campaign. 

After this, several pastors asked me theological questions about once saved, always saved and about communion. At first, I thought they were evaluating my theology, but upon further reflection, I think they were using me as a resource to help them respond to difficult questions. The younger pastors were asking the questions, who likely had very little theological education or reading. Not a ton of books are translated into Creole. So, I was able to offer some theology for them. I say me because Cynthia sensed that they were uncomfortable with her as a female pastor, so she did not reply much. 

Finally, we shared testimony of God’s power. It was incredible to hear the miracles God was working in their communities. Just to share one, Pastor Costume testified that God sent him to serve in a neighborhood with a very small church. The church was weak because a voodoo priest set up shop next door and a demon had possessed her. Pastor led his church in a community prayer ministry to fight the demon. Long story short, the prayer ministry drove the demon out of the community, and the church is now thriving. Every story was that incredible. 

Not a Shithole

We made it to Haiti and had a good first day. It’s so good to see our friends and catch up with everyone. Patrick is very sick. He will be getting a new kidney soon, which will hopefully save his life. Everyone else seemed about the same. They all look skinnier, but I’m not sure if that is just my memory failure. They are all good men, trying hard to feed their families and to improve their community. 

Pastor Comeye invited me and Cynthia to preach at his church tomorrow, a Free Methodist church. I’m looking forward to sharing the Gospel with people who are hungry for good news. The next day, we will meet to discuss the scriptures together with the pastors that work with Empowering Haitians. I’m eager to learn from them. 

Anna got the clinic all set up and ready to go. Dr. Benoit, the local dentist, is great, ready to help people in his community who need dentist treatment. He helped us to know that people want deep cleaning as much as getting teeth pulled, so we adapted our plan. 

Tomorrow is worship and beach. This is a beautiful country with wonderful people that needs a lot of help. It is not a shithole.