It’s hard to believe that Keesha and I are about to start our third year in Haiti. We have learned so much and have seen God do some amazing things, things that we’ve never seen or experienced before. We are so thankful that He allows us to be a part of it.
One of the things He told us to do this year was to open our home to be a training and sending center. Ultimately, we believe that God wants to use Haitians to reach Haiti with the gospel. Our goal is to train men and women to go multiply disciples and churches everywhere. God told us to begin by making disciples ourselves. I cannot effectively train others to do something I am not actively doing myself.
So Keesha and I began to share the gospel with everyone and anyone who would listen. The first young man He led us to was a guy named Herode. Herode was a friend from some of our first trips to Haiti. I invited him over one day to help me with a project. While we were working, I began to ask him about his relationship with Jesus. He told me that he grew up in a Christian school but never made a decision to follow Jesus. I shared the gospel with him and Jesus saved him. Herode turned from his sin and made Jesus his boss. That afternoon we baptized him and trained him how to make disciples.
To make a long story short, we invited him to live with us in our home where I could continue to disciple him. We had two extra bedrooms downstairs where we put several bunk beds. Herode and Jephte, another young man I am discipling, moved in with us and immediately became a part of the family. Keesha, our five kids, Herode, Jephte, and I all began sharing the gospel all over our community. As more people began to follow Jesus, we started gathering as a church in our home. Sunday nights became the sweet spot of our week as we gathered in our home to share a meal, worship Jesus, study His word, and make goals for how we were going to live on mission throughout the week.
As the months passed, the two young men living with us became four, then eight, until one day there were twelve living with us. Keesha and I have prayed over each one of them and believe God has given them to us to steward. God has called each of us to steward His kingdom, which includes stewarding His kingdom servants. We are pouring our lives into these guys and each of them are following Jesus and fishing for men. Our plan is not to give these young men a permanent home with us, but to train them and send them out. They live with us with the understanding that they are preparing to be sent out as Christ’s ambassadors.
In addition to being a home for these twelve and the meeting location for our church, our home also serves as a training center for Haitian pastors. Every Saturday we gather with eight pastors for worship, accountability, and Bible study. We have committed ourselves to the Lord and to each other to be used by Him to reach every Haitian with the gospel until there’s no place left. We also hold quarterly training intensives where we train groups of pastors and leaders how to multiply disciples and churches.
One morning several months ago, I was meeting with the boys in our home for discipleship. At 10:02 am we stopped to pray because in Luke 10:2 Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
A few minutes after asking God for more laborers, there was a knock at our gate. I opened the door to the gate and found three men I did not know. They said, “Good morning. We aren’t sure why we’re here but the Holy Spirit told us to come see you.” My jaw dropped. I said, “Well, I know why you’re here. How much time do you have?” These three men were pastors from the northern part of Haiti and I got to spend the next three days training them in my home! That’s just one example of the great opportunities Jesus has given us.
Would you pray for these names? Jephte, Herode, Holson, Evens, Squinny, Aldai, Emmanuel, Daniel, David, Sam, Yvens, Gana, Jordany, Joshua, Augustin, Savin, Rene, Gaby, Leo, Lisson, Marcelin, Charles, Clark, Jean Eddy, MarcDonald, Sony, and Michelet. These are our leaders and church planters whom God is using to see church planting movements all over Haiti. Pray for God to continue to work in them, their families, and ministries for the sake of the advancement of His kingdom.
We need your help. Our home has become our training and sending center. Our rent, which is paid annually, is due in February. Pray for us as we seek to raise $14,000 for another year’s rent. God is good and He knows what we need. We are trusting Him to provide as He sees fit. If He is leading you to help toward this need, we would be extremely grateful. You can give online here. Thank you for all you do. Let’s keep going until there’s no place left where the gospel has not been proclaimed.
– Jacob
