The 2010 earthquake changed Haiti in a way that can still be felt today. In a city of three million people, 300,000 were dead in the span of an afternoon. Tent cities became home to 1.8 million in the days that followed, and the persistent question became: “How do we make sense of this?” Tragedy raises questions that seem remote in easy times, but as Christians, we know that life and death are pressing realities in every moment, whether we think of them or not.

Our ministry got its start in this context. Seeing the need, both physical and spiritual, that gripped Haiti after the earthquake presented us with some unique opportunities. We started to think and pray about how we could make order out of this chaos, meeting with nearly 350 Haitian pastors who shared our focus. Haiti is a deeply religious country, and pastors are an integral part of their system; it was this network of relationships that formed the foundation for what happened next.

We started by restoring cities on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. In each town, we would rebuild a church and then supply that church with food, medicine, and other resources. The pastors did the rest. It happened naturally that people would move from tent cities and migrate to these churches because of the provisions they offered.

The best thing was that people were not only finding a solution to their practical needs, but they were instantly connected with a compassionate pastor extending the gospel alongside this tangible help. Our mission today is the same: to support international ministry by strengthening churches and enabling pastors to care for their congregations and communities.