I first felt the call into mission service in 2006; I became involved in many different ways stateside. Soon after I felt a tug on my heart for international service, long story short… in January of 2011, I landed in Port au Prince, Haiti. I had been welcomed by two short term missionary teams, one led by Pastor Mike Smith from Ohio and the other led by Bill and Becky Ross from Pittsburgh. I had no idea what to expect, I just knew that God had a purpose for me in the service of others.
On this first trip I was busy learning about La Croix New Testament Mission, Pastor Pierre’s vision, and working on a team constructing a roof on the old school in the village of La Coupe, student desks, and repairs around the mission. I remember thinking… I had found my “fit”, and I thanked everyone as I left, feeling good about my contribution toward furthering the vision. I like many, now realize how naïve I was in my thinking. I thought if we all worked hard we could change Haiti, raise up and repair the damage from the earthquake of a few months before, and that in a few short years with all of the “ pledged aid ” that would pour in… well… a quality life would be available to most Haitians.
As I began to spend more time in Haiti I couldn’t help but notice a few things that began to trouble me. I would often see in building and other projects, that the measure of success was completing the objective we had been preparing for as a team over the last year. At first glance that seems logical and most beneficial. I don’t want to sound critical because I am so thankful for the dedication and leadership of the teams that have supported LaCroix over the decades. It is just all about continually growing in better avenues of service. As I came to a place where that no longer felt right, I constantly asked questions of my Haitian friends and read many books such as “The Big Truck That Went By”, “The Haiti Experiment”, and the DVD “Poverty Inc.”. I asked myself what was wrong with this picture?… and what should success look like? One thing I learned is that any of us who feel they have a true and full understanding of Haiti, its culture, and its struggle is probably sorely mistaken. The problems of Haiti and other “third world” countries that rely on international aid are very complex and often confusing, and these problems are usually decades, if not centuries deep.
I knew early on that I would prefer to partner with Haitian based and led organizations. Pastor Pierre, his family, and La Croix New Testament Mission are a bright spot in a dim and difficult situation. Using my experience in the construction field, and with Pastor’s permission and vision we developed a different approach which aligns with the second part of God’s vision, similar to an old Chinese proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” What is the end goal for us as short term missionaries? This is a good question with so many possible answers, for me it is simply to work alongside LCNTM to teach, support, and equip the Haitians I serve, yes, that I serve, to know complete responsibility for their own destiny. The end game would be a scenario where I still come… but only to visit my Haitian brothers and sisters, my friends.
I urge all of us to approach all that we do at La Croix and wherever else we serve in the world through answering a few difficult questions such as…
Am I doing for others what they could do for themselves? Are my methods and efforts thwarting the advancement, growth, and opportunities of the individuals I serve? No one wants to remain dependent for life.
How can I better train, support, and equip them to be successful in creating a new, abundant life for themselves?
Am I willing to be patient and redefine success knowing that changing lives, building new foundations, and creating growth take time, effort, and will continually present new challenges? Success will not always fit within a one or two week team schedule.
Most importantly, am I and the results of my efforts bringing glory to God while expanding His kingdom?
Over the last few years we have enjoyed great success and learned valuable lessons as some of us have begun to change the way we do our construction projects. Dave Errett, Tim Eaton and other’s work are good examples also. When we fabricated and installed the roof on the school Westminster had begun in Tet Bef the approach was simple. We supplied the materials, buying as much as we could in Haiti, as it is so important to continue to support the economy. We used carpenters on staff at La Croix as well as hired local carpenters on site in the mountains. We provided training and the introduction of new skills. Over the duration of the project we developed job site requirements in safety, basic work responsibilities, as well as beginning to introduce structure to what a work day looks like in terms of hours of work, breakfast and lunch times, having good drinking water available among other things that lead to a healthy, productive work environment. There were difficult moments but the outcome was a success on many levels, the greatest measure of this success may not be in the roof on the school but in the men themselves. They were paid a good wage, and they all had a great sense of pride in themselves and their accomplishment. I will always remember the evening we took the men to a restaurant in Gonaives, Haiti and recognized each man’s contribution. I will just emphasize here that those of us who serve continually over the years really should invest in learning the language, I think it is the greatest way we could improve our relationships, mutual respect, and the overall quality of our efforts in Haiti. Those of us who have served for years really should be fluent by now. I want to serve and communicate better.
This year we were connected with Leandre Monfort, a very qualified instructor of carpentry, masonry, and other aspects of construction. We worked with him instructing six students in job site / tool safety, construction methods, tool operations, and assembly. In keeping with “continuity of projects” we worked on the interior of the Tet Bef Residence. At La Croix we worked fabricating the beds, dining table, and prefabricating any shelving and cabinetry parts we could. Then we took it on the road and began installation at the Residence. As our time came to an end we had not reached our goal. Why?... because building trade skills, the foundation for their career just takes time. We left Monfort with what he needed to keep working on finishing the cabinets. We donated tools to the Construction Trade School class, and we were provided an area for a lock up to secure tools for their use. You cannot believe my surprise and joy when after a few weeks Monfort sent me pictures of some completed units. While we have a long way to go, these eager, hardworking, and dedicated young men and their instructor are the beginning of a new future. “Teach a man to fish”, Amen! We found that the younger men, the students were much more receptive to learning new methods, skills, and techniques than older men more set in their ways. I know this… Why? I am an old man!
In the documentary “Poverty Inc.” an African entrepreneur states…” I don’t know of any third world country that received so much aid…that they became a first world nation”. Our current model of aiding third world countries was developed after WWII to rebuild Europe it was never meant to be a decades long… one size fits all solution to third world problems. In fact as we examine the system it often creates more problems than it solves. That is exactly why the solution to Haiti’s problems lies in capable, intelligent, committed Haitian hands. La Croix New Testament Mission is a good example on many levels of how Haiti can be made whole. Those of us that give of our time, talents, and treasure to LCNTM can be assured that we are putting our resources in an organization that is led by the Spirit to minister directly to the people. After almost four decades of trusted service to seven communities, the lives of the people it serves have been changed for the better on so many levels. We praise Pastor Pierre and his wife Ermithe for being excellent stewards of all God has provided. God bless Pastor Pierre’s faithfulness to God’s call and purpose on his life!
I am excited as the annual “Haiti Summit” in Pittsburgh, PA is almost upon us. It is a blessing that all of us can come together in a singleness of purpose and continue to define and refine our supportive roles in the different areas of service. As I left Haiti on my first trip, Pastor said “I will see you next time”. I told him I thought I would probably serve in another location next time. He said, “you will be back, I see a heart for Haiti in you”. I thanked him and wished him well. But he was right like many of you… my heart has never left Haiti, every day I think of my Haitian brothers and sisters as well as those of you I have met in His service. God bless you all!