Train up a child in the way he should go
“Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.”
(Proverbs 22:6)
We find our hearts growing more eager for the effective work of the Gospel to be accomplished in our beloved Haitians. Christian education has always been one of the best tools in Haiti to carry the Gospel into homes where otherwise we would have no access. For every dollar invested in evangelism, Christian education returns more sustainable rewards in that we have more time to disciple the children, reach their families, and establish Christian homes.
However, Hosanna Schools are not satisfied with only an evangelistic emphasis, though that is paramount. In most Haitian Christian schools, academic quality is terribly inferior, thus affecting the students’ opportunities in life. Therefore, Hosanna has strongly majored on academics over the years, and because of this big effort, the scholastic reputation of Hosanna Schools is now tops and has gained the attention of the community. Many unchurched families are enrolling their children because they are concerned about their children’s future success in a nation that has an 80 percent unemployment rate. This scholastic/evangelistic combination is producing powerful results, and our momentum in the Southeast to become an even stronger influence for the Gospel is growing.
For this reason, MFH wants to make a way for those families who covet a better education for their children but struggle with the overall cost. What a blessing it would be if we could provide a scholarship fund to help the most needy and deserving families. We will call this project “Helping Hand Scholarships.”
One reason that Hosanna Schools has a strong evangelistic influence is that God has blessed us with outstanding teachers who impact our young people spiritually. One such person is Haitian pastor Evends Monfiston, who teaches in both our Bible seminary and our high school. Professor, counselor, and church planter, Pastor Monfiston came to us three years ago after completing a master’s degree in Bible Exposition from Pensacola Theological Seminary, Pensacola, Florida. The students find him to be a tremendous blessing and spiritual challenge. For instance, his presentation of the Gospel in a high school Bible class one day brought such conviction that ten young people stayed after class to accept Christ as Savior. The following testimonies show how the young people are responding spiritually.
– “I am learning about the evils of pornography, and how to resist temptations and avoid sexual sins that enslave me. I see that a high school cannot teach only academic success, but soul success through the Word of God must be taught also.”
– “I had never been exposed to the Gospel until I came to Hosanna. To me, Bible now has a capital importance in my life.”
– “I was not a bad person before I came to Hosanna, but I didn’t have discipline in my life either and did not understand the Gospel. Slowly, my understanding is coming and now I realize that I have to walk according to the will of God and I have to learn wisdom.”
We want to praise the Lord for a total of 371 professions of faith this year throughout the entire ministry of Hosanna, including sister churches, the schools, Good News clubs, VBS, the camp, and the radio outreach. Sixty-one new converts have been baptized this year. We praise God for all the blessings in the ministry!
With gratitude and thanks to God for each of you,
Tom and Sarah Bennett
