Greater Things Are Yet To Come

In Isaiah 28 the Lord promises that the foundation of the church (Christ) will be unshakable. I’ve found that this best describes the church in Haiti. After the earthquake, an American man told a Haitian pastor, “I’m so sorry your church was destroyed.” The pastor responded, “No sir. You’re wrong. The church was not destroyed. God’s church stands strong.”  What we’ve seen and heard this week in Haiti cannot fully be explained. God is working in ways we could never have imagined. The pastors and missionaries we’ve worked with this week are being greatly used by God amidst some of the most difficult of circumstances.

Pastor Cenor was in his church building along a steep mountainside when the earthquake hit. His church, which met on a rooftop and was appropriately named Rooftop Baptist, came crumbling to the ground and Pastor Cenor was buried under tons of concrete. After several minutes, which I’m sure felt like hours, the ground became still and Cenor was miraculously able to crawl out of the rubble. To his horror, his mountainside, which was home to hundreds of his neighbors, was nothing but piles of concrete. He could hear the cries of people buried alive in their homes. With incredible bravery and strength he immediately ran to their aid. And as the sun set on that horrible January day, Pastor Cenor dug through the debris and pulled his people out. And one by one he placed the injured Haitians on his shoulder and carried them up the mountain to safety. He repeated this all through the night. One by one, he carried these dying people up the mountain. And as long as he had strength he climbed back down and saved one more. He recalls several who were alive when he rescued them but by the time he reached the mountaintop they had died. He also recalls countless others who were trapped under the rubble that he could not save. Their church continued to meet on top of the rubble for worship each week and just this year they were able to relocate and rebuild. As Pastor Cenor told me this story, I could see straight to his heart. This man loves his people and he would literally give his life for them. What a beautiful picture of the Gospel.

Pastor Leny & his wife Margery recall similar events. They were in their home in the city when the earthquake came, not far from the epicenter. Their home was almost completely destroyed. Pastor Leny, Margery, and their son just barely made it out of their house and into the street before it crashed to the ground. Pastor Leny described the street like an ocean wave. He said it was literally swaying up and down. As the quake ceased, Leny and his wife began searching for survivors. Margery, with tears streaming down her face, recalls seeing hands reaching out of the rubble and screaming for help. There was nothing they could do. They had no equipment that could lift tons of concrete. All they could do is pray with these dying people. Leny said it seemed like a warzone. Hundreds of people filled their church and into the street looking to them for help. For months, hundreds of people lived in their yard. For months, this sweet family sacrificed everything for their people.

Dorothy, a local missionary, held a flashlight all night long for surgeries happening in the parking lot of the hospital.

Sherrie, another missionary, opened her school and it became a hospital and a hotel. She went days without eating, trying her very best to feed her children and their families.

Francisco, a 16 year old boy, lost his little brother.

Jacqueline lost her son.

Charles lost his wife.

Everyone lost someone. The pain of their suffering is still very real. And yet, because of the grace of God in their lives, they stood back up, brushed themselves off, and said God is good. The joy on their faces, their love for Jesus, and their heart for their country is absolutely amazing. God is working here in ways we cannot understand.

It has been an honor and a privilege to minister alongside these pastors and missionaries this week. By the grace of God, we were able to see 34 Haitians come to faith in Jesus. We have 34 names. 34 people whose lives have been radically changed by the Gospel. 34 people that will be baptized and discipled. But that’s only a drop in the bucket for the revival that is happening right now in Haiti. That’s why we focus so much on pastors training and missionary encouragement. These pastors and missionaries are here day in and day out. They are the untold heroes. The ones whose only aim is to bring glory to their Savior. Not wealth, recognition, or fame.

It has been incredible to see those 34 people come to faith in Jesus. But how many more can we see come to Jesus through these 200 pastors, these dozens of full-time missionaries, and the thousands of church members who love Jesus and love their people? So we pray that our impact in Haiti would not just be from this one short week, but from a longer partnership.

Relationships built. Pastors trained. Missionaries encouraged. Churches strengthened. And the Gospel proclaimed. God has changed many lives this week. Not just the lives we’ve ministered to, but our lives as well. The Gospel changes everyone.

God was working in Haiti long before we got here and He will continue to work long after we’re gone. Greater things are yet to come.

- Jacob