Monday, Feb. 7

The Monte Pou Kris health clinic and puppet show began anew in Malasi, while a few of us road-tripped to other villages that have asked Climbing For Christ for assistance.

Steve and his team, headed up by Lisa and Malasi’s own Clanice, again saw more than 100 patients. The worst of these was a young girl born with water on the brain and, as a result, developmentally disabled. They also treated a family with a horrible skin condition; clearing out the mission house and washing the heads and skin of each family member.

Another dose of puppet education on hygiene was also offered by Eileen, Justin and Rosie.

Miguel, Pastor Vilicuis from the church at Malasi, Jordan and I traveled by foot and God truck to Savante Zombe and Bwapin Kouve. The pastors from churches in both of those villages attend our monthly seminary and have asked for a Monte Pou Kris church. Our visits were exploratory to see how the Lord might lead.

In Savante Zombe (which roughly translates into “land of zombies”), about 150 church members in their Sunday best greeted us in song. Miguel explained that we weren’t coming to start building them a new church, but just to visit and see them. He directed them to Matthew 6:33 (“seek ye first the kingdom of God”) and told them to pray for His provision; it may or may not come from C4C. He told them they must be patient and pointed to Pastor Vilicuis, who came to us with a similar request in 2007 and received a church in 2010. The same thing occurred in Thoman.

The church at Savante Zombe. 

The church at Bwapin Kouve. 

The church at Malasi.

Savante Zombe currently worships inside a rented space consisting of three walls and a tarp roof. The 2-year-old church has 250 members, including children, according to its pastor. But those numbers seemed suspicious. They also have a school with 125 students and four teachers. Land for the new church has been purchased across the road.

In Bwapin Kouve, we had a similar greeting (about 125 people singing), but Pastor Charles Alexis knew we were just visiting. He asked us to pray about what could be done and said that his congregation of 150 adults is doing the same.

This church body was started by Pastor Charles in 1992. The current building began construction in 2007. It was backed by a Haitian pastor from Port-au-Prince, but that pastor was murdered and the building is unfinished. It is also a three-walled project. “If the front of the church was closed, it would be a refuge for the people,” Pastor Charles told us. We could attest to that since it was rainy and cool today with a cold wind blowing in the open end of the church.

There is no school in Bwapin Kouve, which is more remote than Savante Zombe. Both villages are located on the other side of the Foret des Pins (national forest) from Malasi. Jordan and I concluded our visits at each church with a prayer for His people. These are often the hardest part of what we do in this impoverished land. When you view each set of eyes looking intently at you as the eyes of Jesus, it is heart-wrenching.

We wait on the Lord, His direction, and what may be provided by Him through others.