We are thankful to God for such a faithful partnership with you at the Lord’s field. Thanks to your support, we were able to undertake a second pastoral tour to the most affected areas. Four of us [Revs. Ludner Cardichon, Eugene Gedeon, Joel Dorsinville, and Emmanuel Pierre] went on a pastoral visit to pastors, leaders, and churches from two different church districts located at the west and southwest regions of our denomination. 

During this second pastoral tour, we were allowed to accomplish the followings:

1.       Meeting with the pastors of the west districts of churches. This region includes the following churches: Port-au-Prince FBC, Siloe Delmas Baptist Church, El Shaddai Baptist Church, Martissant  Baptist Church, Damien Baptist Church, Carrefour Baptist Church, Duvivier Baptist Church, Blankette Baptist Church, Galette Chambon Baptist Church, Montrouis Baptist Church, La Gonave Baptist churches, Leogane Baptist church, Darbonne Baptist church, and Grand Goave Baptist church;

2.       Meeting with pastors and leaders of the Southwest [Nippes] district of churches. This region includes the following: Philadelphia Petit Goave Baptist Church, Croix Hilaire Baptist church, Carrefour Dent Baptist Church, Paillant Baptist Church, and Mussotte Baptist Church;

3.       Collecting data, stories, and pictures necessary to update our Relief Proposal;

4.       Sharing  thoughts and ideas with leaders on how to give an effective and sustained response to the challenges imposed to our churches by the impact of the earthquake;

5.       Partially implementing short-term actions by distributing limited financial assistance to the most cruelly affected ones, including widows and orphans survivors.

6.       Meeting with a Haitian American Christian leader in Port-au-Prince. During this meeting we have planned together the coming of a medical team at the CBH’s Hospital at Quartier-Morin, nearby Cap-Haitian, where many injured or wounded survivors are admitted;

7.       Planning pastoral visits to individual church and ritual of memorial services for comforting families and churches who are grieving the loss of their loved ones.

Subsequently to this pastoral tour, our action plan was updated. The attached pictures are illustrating the critical situation surrounding the communities we have visited. Most of the above mentioned churches now gather their members outside their collapsed or damaged temples for open air worship services.  Since all the church school buildings have suffered severe damages, it is not realistic to think about the re-opening or the ‘go back to school’ this soon.

During our pastoral visit, we have heard some great stories of solidarity and fellowship between pastors, churches, and communities. We praise the Lord for this spirit of kind solidarity between Christians within the family of Christ both from the inside and the outside of the country. We pray that this spirit will last over generations and will be an important ingredient in the effort of restoration of the Haitian Hope. Haiti, in the beginning was a cry for life through freedom, justice, and dignity.

ABOVE: The family of Rev. Venel Desciere, who was killed in the earthquake.

The Haiti Baptist Convention is calling her partners to join her in her ministry of restoring life where poverty, sickness, and hopelessness are taking it away. Our partners may plan to respond by:

1.       Sending medical team and medical supplies to our partially built hospital at Cap-Haitian or at other point in the south to meet with the need of survivors for healthcare;

2.       Sending work team to help rebuilding schools buildings, church buildings, parsonage buildings;

3.       Sending food supplies and materials necessary to provide provisory shelter to displaced persons;

4.       Sending professional counselors as guest speakers at our upcoming youth retreat, pastors retreat, family retreat, and women conference. Those retreats are aimed to provide emotional therapy and spiritual strength to depressed and/or traumatized persons;

5.       Funding specific programs such as: child development program, leadership training program, micro-loan opportunities for creating micro-business, youth development program, evangelism outreach program, and so on.

In other to give an effective and compassionate answer to the disaster, CBH has mobilized her network through: districts of churches, youth associations, women ministries, and crisis committee. And as in the past crises, our leadership will be always guided by honesty, integrity, and accountability. May God continue to lead you as you are reviewing our plan for a better future for the Haitian community.

Truly yours in Christ’s mission,

Emmanuel Pierre

General Secretary