As most of you know, Jeff & Cindy Payne and my wife Alison and I spent a week in Haiti back in September – I apologize for the delay in getting this out, but I’ve been looking forward to sharing a few stories, photos, and videos with you!
I’m going to do something a little different this time – to the greatest extent possible, I’m going to let our team members share their experiences with you – starting with my wife Alison, who was, of course, a first time Haiti traveler…
Upon our return to the U.S., Alison’s son Jacob asked her how she felt about the trip. Alison’s response was, I think, profound in a lot of ways, and I think it will resonate with many of you who’ve been to Haiti with us before.
Here’s what Alison told her son:
“It’s funny Jacob…honestly, within the first hour of being in Haiti everything was so shocking, and I was thinking, ‘Yeah, this is my first trip to Haiti and my LAST trip to Haiti.’
“I don’t know what changed, or when it changed, but Haiti got inside me. The people. The smells. The food. The worship. The way I cried when I heard them sing, and the way I cry when I even think about their singing now.
“I bought a Haiti bandana at the Cap Haitien airport this morning and I’ve been wearing it ever since. So going through the Fort Lauderdale security line a little while ago one of the officers asks me what I have around my neck so I tell him it’s the Haitian flag and he tells me he recognized it right away, and that he was actually born in Cap Haitien. And immediately I feel this crazy connection with him.
“I don’t know, Jacob. There’s just something about Haiti. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It really does get inside you.
“And honestly, I can’t wait to go back again.”
So with that as a start point here’s a quick rundown of our week, along with some photos and a few stories shared by our team members…
Day 1 – Teaching at the CBT (Center for Biblical Training), the preaching school in Haiti we’ve been working with since 2021.
From Jeff and Cindy: “We enjoyed a great day with this group of young men as they train to preach and teach – please join us in praying for these men as they serve the Lord in the churches here.”
Day 2 – Preaching and teaching in the village of D’osmond, a small village in Haiti right next to the border of the Dominican Republic.
I always say…there’s no sweat quite like Haiti sweat. 😊
From Jeff and Cindy: “Such a great day of worship and teaching with the church in D’osmond, Haiti! Their joy and love for the Lord is so encouraging. Please pray for this church and the lovely people who are members there.”
Day 3 – Preaching and teaching at the Peltan Church of Christ, a congregation of about 350 members in a small remote village in northern Haiti.
From Jeff: “In Haiti today, we met some “heroes in the faith” in the village of Peltan. These people encouraged us with their love for the Lord, their longing to learn God’s word, and their joyful singing. Please pray for this church in the mountains as they grow and share the good news of Jesus with others.”
From Cindy: “Such beautiful women in this church! Listening to the Word, getting chickens out of the truck for dinner, and taking good care of one another. We also visited the Christian school that is run by this church, and we met some of the teachers as they were preparing for the 400+ students who will be starting school next week. Please pray for the children of Haiti to come to know Jesus.”
From Alison: “What a great day of singing – so joyful!” (Video links at the end of this post)
Day 4 – The Baudin Church of Christ in Cap Haitien – in the morning Jeff and I worked with a small group of church leaders, and in the afternoon Cindy and Alison worked with a large group of about 65 children.
From Cindy: “Jeff and Greg taught leaders in the church in Baudin, Haiti. It was encouraging to watch them take notes while listening intently, to hear their voices lifted in singing, and to witness their dependence on God through prayer. The men who came were all ages – the youngest, 15. Please pray that God will bless this church and its leaders.”
From Alison: “LOVED listening to these men, lifting their beautiful voices in praise!” (Video link at the end of this post)
From Jeff: “64 precious children from toddlers through 8th grade came to sing praise songs with Greg and Alison, to hear Bible stories, and to play games. The competition was fierce! Time with these children was absolutely delightful and joyful. Please pray that God will protect these kids, help them grow in their faith, and, most of all, remember that they belong to Jesus.”
Day 5 – Back at the Baudin Church of Christ for Sunday morning worship, led by me and Jeff – Sunday is always my favorite day in Haiti!
From Cindy: “Sunday morning worship at the Baudin church. Greg led singing in Creole, Jeff preached. We have been so blessed by our time with this church. They have asked that we pray for them to grow, to be unified, to be a light in their city, and to glorify God.”
From Alison: “One word description of Sunday morning church – Joyful!” (Video links at the end of this post)
On Sunday afternoon, Cindy and Alison worked with a large group of women who had come back to hear them speak.
From Cindy: “On Sunday afternoon Alison and I shared women’s Bible stories with the women. It was encouraging to see women of all ages, from a precious 3 month old to women my age. Their singing is so joyful and such a blessing. ‘Our cup is full!’ Please remember this church in prayer.”
Day 6 – Morning – Preaching and teaching in the village of Birel, a tiny remote village in Northeastern Haiti.
Birel is about 10 miles off of any kind of road, and can only be accessed with a 4-wheel drive, high clearance vehicle via a long, muddy, deeply rutted jeep trail (it was quite an adventure getting out there, and we seriously thought we were going to either bottom out or flip the truck at multiple points along the way…!)
From Alison: “You cannot imagine how remote Birel is – basically a jeep trail in, that today was a deeply muddy swampy mess. None of the 4 of us North Americans thought we would get through it. We got stuck once, stalled out once, and Sonel got out once to survey the area.
“When the rest of us thought we were turning around— Sonel gunned it and we went right through.
“I sorely wish I had taken a picture of our mud covered truck! Today Sonel was our hero of the faith. NOTHING would have been possible today except for him. And not a speck of mud on any of us!
“Oh! And remember the well that many of you helped The Haiti Fund get drilled for this village? It’s not working right now. Please pray that it can be repaired quickly and immediately and cost effectively.
“Our church family here needs that water desperately.”
From Jeff and Cindy: “Today we traveled to a very remote village called Birel. This is the place where many of you, through The Haiti Fund, helped get a well put in – a well that provides water for two entire villages. The people are thankful, but, currently, the well is not working. People are having to walk long distances for water from a stream, water which may or may not even be safe. Please pray that this can be fixed quickly and easily, and pray for the people and church in Birel. Life is so hard for the Christians there.”
Important addendum re: the well: Thanks to the generosity of our Haiti Fund donors, we were able to make the necessary repairs and get the well up and running again in less than two days!
Day 6 – Afternoon – Preaching and teaching in the village of Gras, another tiny village in Northeastern Haiti – not quite as remote as Birel, but close to it!
Because of some travel delays on our end the Christians there had been waiting close to four hours for us to arrive, and yet they greeted us with overwhelming love and enthusiasm.
From Jeff and Cindy: “What an honor to visit the church in Gras! We didn’t realize until we arrived, but these special people had waited for us for 3+ hours. They had no idea we were also bringing food for them. Such a lovely gift they gave us! Their singing was beautiful, and their appreciation for God’s word was very encouraging. We prayed over them, and they prayed over us. We got to meet the older minister who planted the church and the younger minister, Samuel, who is taking good care of the church. Please pray for the church and people in Gras to continue to find their joy and strength in God and to live with hope in Him.”
From Alison: “These people waited for us for 3+ hours, not knowing we were bringing them food. They were amazingly gracious and loving.”
Part of our Food Distribution efforts in some of the most impoverished churches we work with in Haiti – thank you SO MUCH to all of you who funded this effort!
Photos below: Jeff hard at work, hauling bags of rice; our dear friend Sonel, who has become like a brother to many of us; and all of us praying together over these precious, sweet Christian brothers and sisters of ours.
Epilogue – from Alison…
“I’m sad to be saying goodbye to Haiti.
“At the Cap Haitian airport I purchased a Haitian flag bandana which I started to wear immediately. When we were going through security at Fort Lauderdale I was asked by a Security Guard about what was around my neck, and I said it was the Haitian flag. He said ‘I know! I was born in Cap Haitian!’ I felt this crazy immediate connection with him! He had to inspect my backpack because of the coffee I purchased, but we just chatted like we had known each other for years. ‘Twas the coolest thing ever.”
Last but not least – a few short singing videos from the week (‘cuz I know you guys love the singing videos!)…
(Descriptions provided by Alison)
The men at Baudin, lifting their beautiful voices in praise: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1776282393699949
A joyful day of singing at Peltan (1): https://www.facebook.com/1419969691/videos/1685876256666628/
A joyful day of singing at Peltan (2): https://www.facebook.com/1419969691/videos/1588766513261343/
One word description of Sunday morning church – Joyful! They love to sing best of all: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1813995523128424
My personal favorite – it’s longer, but OH so beautiful: https://www.facebook.com/reel/2331116414390522
Thank you again to all of you who prayed for this trip, and thank you – tremendously – for all your support of this ministry, and all your love for our Haitian brothers and sisters.
