I went with a team from the US one day to visit the children at the Regency Home. Dr. Jarvis, one of our faithful volunteers, brought them a jump rope, and the games began. It was hot, and many were inside, but they trickled out to see us. It was fun watching Alan, a member of the team who speaks French, converse with some of the kids, especially the older ones. The children learn French, English, and Spanish in school, but will be most fluent in French and Creole as there are many in their country that speak French. I worked on my Creole with some of them and was able to ask them their names and greet them.

We didn’t stay long, because we were expected back at the compound for lunch, even though it felt like we just had breakfast. Anticipating that the construction project might take us right up through Friday, I asked Poyis if he would take us for a drive so that we could see Haitian culture. This would be a chance for the guys who rarely come to Haiti to see how the people live. We left around 4:30pm and drove through Onaville, a rural town on the way to Port-au-Prince. As we got closer to the city, it became more congested. We stayed on a couple of main roads, but then turned off the main road and drove through a busy market street. There were vendors on both sides of the road selling food and different items.

The street was a dirt street, as most roads in Haiti are. It was rough. We traveled on for about ten or fifteen minutes, until Poyis pulled up to the house and church of Pastor Joseph. Pastor Joseph didn’t know we were coming and happened to be sitting outside the front fence of his house with some other men. Joseph recognized Poyis as he parked, and the men greeted each other with a smile and hug. As we got out of the van, Pastor Joseph extended the same greeting to each of us.

Pastor Joseph is probably in his mid to late fifties, which is an older age in Haitian culture. Most Haitians don’t live far into their sixties. Pastor Joseph is a mild-mannered man who is warm and friendly, and he used to shepherd a church in the most dangerous part of Port-au-Prince, where some of the most violent gangs live. He pastored there for many years, and it was only a few years ago that he moved to this place and this church was built for him. It is a nice church by Haitian standards, right in the middle of a residential neighborhood. You can tell Pastor Joseph is right in the heart of his community. I look forward to getting to know him better and believe that there will be much to learn from him.

After touring Pastor Joseph’s church and seeing some of the community, we got back in the car and made our way back to the compound in Onaville. This brief outing showed us a lot about the lives of Haitians—the majority of people are poor and live in poor communities. It is crowded. There is very little community governance. Markets are outdoors and busy. Yet, there is a relational sense to their world, and the opportunity for the church and the gospel is great.

Spending time in Haiti, it’s hard not to see God’s hand at work; I pray that He would grow me and the rest of the team in having a heart for the nations.

For information about giving to our ministry, visit connect2ministries.org/support-us.

Wiley Kennedy serves as Director of International Ministries with Connect 2 Ministries. To learn more about Wiley, visit Who We Are, and to learn how you can make a difference, visit Join an Outreach Program.