Fall 2007 Newsletter
“We need help! We have Voodoo Temples—but NO Gospel Churches”
Pastor Dieupie received this impassioned plea for a church-plant from community leaders in the small village of Mont Flueri shortly after the 2010 earthquake. Very quickly, canvassing was organized along with door-to-door visitation by Hosanna leadership. A tent was erected (on donated land) and the first service was held. By the grace of God, over 120 individuals attended and 15 accepted Christ as Savior. The Evangelistic Baptist Church of Hananeel was born that day.
As the church grew, they left the tent and built a simple wooden structure that would accommodate both church and a small Christian school that would follow. Over the years, termites have ravaged the building, making it unsafe. A cement block building has now become a necessity.
However…funds are needed to accomplish this worthy project. Haitian masons are doing all the block work and American volunteers will finalize the building with the roof.
Finding Christ through Hosanna Radio
Recently a young man and five of his buddies became obsessed with winning the lottery, causing them to seek out a powerful witch doctor to help them achieve their goal. (It’s not uncommon in Haitian culture to seek satanic help to attain a goal.) Their search led them to locate one near Jacmel. After his buddies conferred with the witch doctor, this young man realized that this was a setup and that he had been chosen by his buddies to be the required sacrifice. Rapidly fleeing, he escaped into the night and ended up in Jacmel. He providentially started listening to Hosanna Radio on his phone and decided to visit the church service Sunday morning. When the invitation was given, he couldn’t get down the aisle fast enough! After accepting Christ, he shared his story with the deacon who prayed with him. Obviously, his life is in danger. Please pray for him.
Packed-out Camp in Charles
Pastor Mike Knight and 24 young adults from Community Baptist Church, Garner, North Carolina, provided a dynamic camping program in a rural area of Pignon in August. There were over 300 in attendance, 92 professions of faith, and 74 other decisions. This group ministered through song, testimonies, challenges, and messages. We offer our deep thanks and appreciation to those of you who supported this camp.
VBS in Mont Flueri
Jean-Maxis Rejouis, a recent graduate of SBTH, is the pastor of this rural church. Under his leadership it has grown to be a solid congregation of over two hundred.
This past summer Pastor Rejouis organized a VBS to reach the unsaved young people in the community. There were 20 who accepted Christ as Savior and many who made other decisions. Please pray for the growth of this church and the construction of their new building.
Nineteen Graduates – Class of 2017
May 19 was the fourth commencement ceremony of Baptist Theological Seminary of Haiti, and we were blessed to have 19 graduates. One of them, Pastor Jackson Salomon, is taking the leadership role in La Montagne at Baptist Church of Jerusalem.
Our seminary students come to us from many avenues of life. Most already have small congregations but have never had the opportunity to get any pastoral education. These men, along with their congregations, are grateful to be receiving this training. Some have large families and are trying to balance a job, a church, and seminary classes. Others are supporting elderly parents while working and studying. Very often education in Haiti is attained with much difficulty, but this makes it more valued and appreciated. Thank you for supporting and keeping our seminary students in prayer.
A Bit of Trivia
Two years after our parents (the Bells) came to Haiti in 1947, Daddy received a separation check from the navy for $50. He decided to use this money to build our home in Pignon, and also purchased a small Firestone propane gas stove for Mother to do her baking and quick cooking when necessary. (We used a charcoal stove in our outside kitchen for everyday cooking.) The stove you see here is about 68 years old and still functional!! This stove was used for years by Mother to bake 15+ cakes every January 1st to send to all the officials in the village since that’s the Haitian Independence Day. Each cake was two-layers with a 7-minute icing beaten by hand in a double boiler. Mother used these cakes as an evangelism tool. Because of them, she could walk into the home of any official in the village and be welcomed with open arms.
Again, she used this stove to bake cakes every Friday morning for the 4:30 Bible institute class for training pastors. Friday was the dreaded quiz or test day and students were known to skip. However, when Mother started serving a warm piece of cake at the end of class, there were no more absentees on quiz days. (Cakes were considered a delicacy in those early years.)
Helping Hand Scholarships
This is a gift from heaven.
Please thank the angel who has helped me pay this school bill.
It’s impossible for me to express all the gratitude that’s in my heart.
This gift shows me that God is watching out for me.
These are only a few of the remarks we hear from the lips of parents who benefit from this “Helping Hand Scholarships.”
This fund is helping families who desire a better education for their children but struggle with the overall cost. Since the Hosanna High School opened, its accelerated educational program has already promoted two classes of exceptional graduates. Many unchurched families who value high moral principles have been attracted to the school and have come to Christ as a result. Thus the school continues to be a wonderful tool for evangelism, for which we praise God!
MFH is extremely grateful to all of you who have responded to this plea. We trust and pray you will continue to assist these disadvantaged families in this worthy and eternal investment.
In Loving Memory – Mrs. Ann Galusha, Greenville, South Carolina
The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26
We are powered by your prayers and enabled by your gifts.
Thank you!
Tom, Sarah, and Pastor Dicupie
