Jesus said, "Feed My sheep.": MY JOURNEY TO GASPAR AND BEYOND

　
Pastor John is a man of God whom Karen and I have gotten to know since we have been here in Haiti. He has started several churches in different areas of the country. One church in particular, which is located about 6 ½ hours away from where we are located in Port-de-Paix, (that is by tap-tap, taxi and foot), is where this journey takes us.
I was invited to speak at the church in Derrie Mone, as they were having a revival. Pastor John believes that I am the only white man to speak at this church. God blessed the 3 days that we were there as I shared my heart for Christ with the people in this community.

As I prepared for this trip, I was led to invite 3 of our older boys to go along.
One of our gate guards came along also.
Pastor John made the 6^th person in our group.

We left in the rain on a Friday morning at about 5:30, as a tropical storm was bearing down on us. God was gracious and turned the storm so we had very little rain. We caught a tap-tap ( which is a small pick-up truck used to transport people and many other things). We rode about 100 yards and the truck broke down. We caught another tap-tap about an hour later and we were on our way again. We arrived at the river in St. Louis Du Nord and had to cross through the river on taxis (motorcycles). We rode up a mountain on very narrow trails for about 45 minutes until the trails were too steep for the taxis. We proceeded on foot uphill for about 2 ½ hours. About 15 men, women and children from the village where we were going to met us on the trail and helped us carry our food, medical supplies and equipment. For another 2 hours we walked up the first mountain. More children met us to help carry supplies.

We walked up and down mountains for another hour and finally arrived at the village.

This village consists of the church (which is a large tent) and houses scattered about. The closest market is over an hour hike up the mountain.
When we arrived at the church there was a children’s Bible study and drill that lasted about 2 hours.
The people I met were very excited that we were there and went out of their way to make us comfortable and welcome. Some of the ladies of the church prepared food for us and made coffee from the local coffee beans. They prepared the meals in a small rock house with no roof, doors or windows located behind the

church.

Pastor John and I were invited to visit with many of the local people and met one man who was very upset that no one had built a school there for the children to learn to read the Bible. I shared with him that maybe God was calling him to initiate that project.

This area is remote and the needs are great. The tent that is used for the church was donated by Grace Chapel of the ministry we are serving at. It was used after the earthquake when our church was damaged and could not be used. The community needs a church building, a roof for the building that is there and they need a school and an infirmary. There is no medical care in the area. The sick must be transported by foot 5 hours away for care. On our way up to this community we passed 2 men carrying a lady on a board down the hill to get medical care.

There is a piece of flat land there that could be bought for $600 U.S. which could be used for a school. There is a smaller piece of land next to this land which would possibly be available to buy. The hardest part is that all building materials are hand-carried from the closest town about 6 hours away.

Another great need that was expressed to me by a group of men I visited with is agricultural education. These men shared their hearts about the lack of education the people have for growing and storing the food that is harvested. They are able to grow a limited supply to eat and to sell but they do not have the knowledge or the means to store the food to last.

These people, like so many others in this country, are desperately in need of knowledge to make their lives easier and to eliminate the hunger that is so prevalent here. The physical needs are great, but their hunger for God and His love is first and foremost in their lives. They praise and worship with a fervent desire to know and serve our Lord. Many walk for several hours to attend church services and stay for several hours praising and worshipping with all their hearts.