A couple weeks ago five of us from the mission had the pleasure of going to Fonds-Verrettes to evaluate the new church building being constructed. I personally was stunned by the progress and by the extent of the work. In my mind, I was imagining a small building. Upon arrival, I got a big surprise. It is a gigantic church building, 42 feet wide and 80 long designed to seat 800 to 1,000 attendees. The people living all over the mountain will come down to worship and study God's word.

How did Pastor Sylvio do that much work with the amount of money he had on hand? Well, the church members and neighbors are all excited and they provide free labor. He only feeds them. Also, a Christian group came down from Kissimmee, Florida and helped out.

This church will be the largest building in the area. The excavation itself was quite an undertaking. They had to dig into the mountainside to level the land for the foundation and also build a retaining wall.

At this point, the foundation is poured, the walls are up, and the wooden roof frame is almost complete. The day after our visit, Boss Charles was going to start nailing on the metal roof. It is in my understanding that the doors are already built. The plastering of the walls will remain to be done. It may take some time to complete the work. I am sure Sylvio will want to invite Kirkwood Road Church in Kirkwood, Missouri to the dedication once it is completed.

Char and George Frank of Pasco, Washington will be managing the sponsorship program stateside. This couple has been active in the mission over the last several years taking multiple trips to Haiti and promoting our program for feeding and sponsoring students.

We are so thankful for our faithful child sponsors who make it possible for us to educate and feed hundreds of children. Half of all Haitian children do not attend school at all and many of them rarely have enough food to eat. We pray that our sponsors will continue with their support and will also promote the mission so that we can give even more children the chance to grow and thrive.  

Once again, I stand with my Haitian brothers and sisters praying for God to provide for the many needs of the community. We are in Betrand, a 45-minute hike up the side of a mountain outside of Thoman. The needs seem so great and the prayers seem so powerful. I see tears streaking the faces of those praying. In that moment I am confused. Does not God hear these prayers? What have these lovely Haitian people done to deserve their fate in life, and for that matter what have I done to deserve the comforts I enjoy? Are my prayers better or more powerful?

As I stood there in the blazing sun wondering these thoughts, God's still voice spoke. He knows every need of these people, every problem they encounter every day, every moment. Moreover, He has not forgotten them. He informs me that my problem is that my eyes are only seeing this side of eternity. I am focused upon the mere 70 or so years being spent in this life. God is focused upon the eternity we are going to spend with him. All that really matters is the faith of these people living on the side of this mountain. For their faith, they will be "welcomed richly into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:11. Is their struggle in this life hard? Yes, but we worship a God who is going to make it all right in the end.

The other reality I understood in that moment was the riches and comforts I enjoy in this life really have no meaning in my welcome into "the eternal kingdom." Like my Haitian friends, God is only going to be concerned with what I did with what he has given me. How faithful have I been with the riches God has blessed me with. It occurred to me that from an eternal perspective I may have a harder road to travel when it comes to eternal rewards. It is so easy to become blinded by all that we have living here in America. As we began our descent down the mountain from Betrand I wondered who should be praying for who.