I’ve traveled to Haiti many times, but Haitian culture still makes an impression on me. On a typical Sunday, the church service starts at 6:30 AM with praying and singing, but people continue to arrive until after 7:00—some travel a long way and take public transportation (motorcycle or tap tap) to get here. Haiti is an extremely poor country, but everyone who attends church dresses up for the occasion. The ladies wear dresses and the men wear nice, collared shirts; some even wear ties. According to Poyis, Sunday is a big day for Haitian Christians; as hard as it is to get food, they work to make sure that they have a meal on Sunday.

The bus from the Children’s Home arrives around 6:45 AM. As it pulls into the compound, Poyis walks to the door and greets each kid as they step out. They clearly love to see him. During the service, the children sit together—the older ones help the younger ones, and many of them participate enthusiastically in the service. The church is made up of a range of ages and life circumstances; there are some complete families, with both parents present, and some single mothers with kids. Despite these differences, they are all united by the gospel.

Poyis preached from 1 Peter 4:7–11, which contains a call for Christians to love one another because the end of all things is near. This message was so timely, and Poyis told me later that he has been thinking actively about how to encourage the church to trust Christ in light of current uncertainty and struggles.

After church, I stood outside and greeted some of those who were leaving. The people were friendly, and even though we could only greet each other with Alo (Hello) and Bonjou (Good morning), we managed to form some connections. I met an older gentleman who spoke decent English, and he and Greg knew each other. I later found out that he had been instrumental in helping us navigate some unexpected challenges a while back. The Lord provided this gentleman at just the right time, using him to help get food into the country through Children’s Hunger Fund when we urgently needed it. It was a pleasure to meet him, and even more of a pleasure to see how the Lord provided for us through believers in His church.

Please join us in praying for Pastor Poyis and his church. To support the ministry in Haiti, you can make a donation at connect2ministries.org/support-us.