If you’ve ever wondered how much a church can impact a community, you should see the church in Haiti. On a recent trip, a few mundane events gained so much more meaning in my mind, as I had the opportunity to witness the church in action. On day one, as we began our drive to Onaville, the van’s hood started to rattle. Pastor Poyis pulled over, hopped out, and secured it, but thirty seconds hadn’t gone by before he got a phone call. A passing bus’s driver had recognized Poyis and called to see if he needed help. That’s just the influence he has on people. Pastor Poyis and the church are seen as a valuable part of the community—by families, widows, orphans, tap tap drivers, and policemen—by those who follow Christ and those who do not.

As the week continued, I began to see the ministry in Haiti itself from a different perspective. I have always visited Haiti at times when the focus was on the children and planning VBS at the Children’s Home. In a way, I’d been missing Connect 2 Ministries’ broader impact. Wiley pointed out to our team that the church was intentionally positioned at the center of the compound. Flowing out of it are the medical clinic, the vocational training center, the school, and the homes. Each of these ministries falls under the umbrella of church ministry—led by faithful pastors, and working to lead everyone who benefits from them to the Savior. Without the church at the center, successful ministry doesn’t exist.

We visited two such churches in Onaville, and we were able to be part of a Children’s Hunger Fund food-pak distribution they were leading. We joined these churches’ pastors as they visited a few families and blessed them with the boxes (that each contained a week’s worth of food). I have packed many food-pak boxes in Southern California and I’m sorry to say that I have taken for granted the impact food can have on a family in need. To see pastors, who are struggling to put food on their own tables, generously and lovingly hand over a box—with the simple acknowledgment that, “Our God is good, and He loves you deeply,” was, as one of our pastors pointed out, a very intimate moment to be a part of.

To learn more about how you can pray for the ministry, visit Pray.

Shaina Grill serves as a faithful volunteer with Connect 2 Ministries