Dear Friends,
In October of 2012 Philip wrote about the teacher-training conferences we held in Tricotte prior to the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year. Below is an excerpt from that newsletter:
Much of the Bible training was done by a new member of our team in Haiti, Pastor Esau.
Pastor Esau is a Haitian pastor and educator. He has a seminary degree along with training and experience in education. He led several sessions throughout the two conferences in which he taught the teachers how to correctly handle God’s Word, how to teach from both the Old and New Testaments, how to present the gospel, and how to apply the Word to the lives of children so that they might grow closer in their walk with Christ.
The school year is now complete and we have received the yearend report. Included in the report was the Spiritual Ministry Report. We praise God for the 199 children and two teachers who responded to the gospel invitation. These new believers are now attending Sunday School in our churches and continuing to grow in their faith. This past week Pastor Esau had a week long conference to teach Sunday School teachers how to effectively teach these children.
Early in our ministry, Michelan was one of these students. Doug and Ruth Jarvie, our Canadian Starfish Ministries’ Directors, reached out to Michelan and his family and helped support him through high school and trade school in Port-au-Prince. Michelan trusted the Savior at a young age. While in high school Michelan began teaching at a small children’s church in his home village of Nan-Paul. And God used him to make a difference in the lives of many needy Haitians these past few years.
Currently Michelan lives in Port-au-Prince and works at his plumbing profession whenever work is available. He also teaches Sunday School in his local church and does street, jail and hospital evangelism. He recently shared the following story with me:
Several months ago while sharing the gospel on the street in Port-au-Prince, I met a 14 year old girl named Agechi who was nothing but skin and bones. I stopped to talk to her, inquired about her health and she told me she was going to die. She didn’t know what her sickness was because her family didn’t have the money to pay for her to see a doctor. But she was resigned to the reality that she would die soon.
I asked her if I could speak with her family so she took me to see her mother. Her mother gave me the same report and reluctantly accepted the fact that her daughter would die. I told her ‘NO! God will do something and I will find the money to take her to the doctor’. I also shared Jesus with her and Agechi prayed to receive Christ that day.
I spent all my own money the next day to pay for a doctor’s visit and then collected money from my Haitian friends to continue to pay for the medical tests and hospital visits. Within a few days Agechi was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes and with God’s healing touch and the necessary insulin medicine she is now on her way to a healthy life.
Agechi loves to go to church and goes to our youth Bible Study whenever she has the opportunity.
It is so exciting to hear reports like this. Doug and Ruth reached out and made a significant difference in the life of Michelan. And he is now making a tremendous difference in the lives of needy Haitians like Agechi. In her case Michelan was the instrument that God used to save her life both physically and spiritually.
After Michelan shared this story with me I thanked him for his heart and desire to share Jesus. His response: “When God uses me, it’s a privilege.”
Well this is what Starfish Ministries is all about! We thank God for the opportunity to minister in Haiti. Thank you for partnering with us to help make this possible through your prayers and support.
In Christ’s service,
Bernie, Sheryl & Philip Bovenkamp
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