First Baptist Church, we are pleased to share with you the latest field report from your church plant, the Baptist Church of Lorquette, in Bondeaux-Lorquette, Haiti. As you can see, the progress has been slowed by the political unrest in Haiti, but that has not dampened the church’s efforts to reach this community which desperately needs so many resources.
Construction Progress
The activities are ongoing – albeit slowly due to the sociopolitical situation of the country. The community members are supporting the project, and the Gospel continues to spread in the area.
About the construction:
- The foundation of the church is set, and the crushed-rock foundation is nearly ready for the next step
- The iron forms for the posts have been prepared and are ready for concrete to be poured
- The construction of a cistern under the area where the pulpit will be placed is ongoing
Church Activities
Currently, 40 adults and 75 children attend the church regularly.
The pastor and the community members are involved in gathering rocks and sand and bringing water to the construction site. They dug the hole of the cistern under the pulpit and filled in the floor of the church with sand and soil so it can be ready to for the macadam (crushed rock) layer.
Challenges Encountered
The challenges are large and increasing. Due to the sociopolitical situation of the country, the church faces a lack of security and a rising inflation rate. The prices of the materials have doubled. As the political turbulence has multiplied, the national roads have been barricaded or blocked, drastically affecting transportation of people and goods. So the church leaders have had to slow or halt work while waiting for the situation to improve.
Nevertheless, they learned to mobilize local resources that are available. It is an opportunity for them to make a self-assessment in order to identify their resource strengths and weaknesses. They learned that they can accomplish many tasks together.
Next Steps
The next steps will be:
- Finishing work on the school walls and the cafeteria
- The macadam in the church and finishing of the cistern under the pulpit space
- Finishing the foundation and the walls of the church
- Completing construction of the restroom block
Testimony of Impact
“This project is a grace of God in the community. We didn’t have a school or church in our community. Our children did not go to the hospital when they were sick. But God, by allowing us to have these buildings and this child development center, remembers us and visits us in this area forgotten by the authorities of the municipality.
“Many people practiced only pagan religion in the community. By implementing this project, the gospel brings us the Light.”
– Chrisla Juste, mother of a beneficiary
Praises and Prayer Requests
The church continues to pray that God blesses the donors and their ministry and gives them good health.
They praise and glorify God, the creator of the universe, for offering them this great opportunity: the implementation of a church, a school, a cafeteria and restroom block, along with the opening of a child development center.
They would like you to pray …
- that the political crisis will be solved
- for the spiritual and physical growth of the church, as they wish to see community members give themselves completely to God
- for the holistic development of the beneficiaries so they become responsible leaders in their community
- that the construction work will be completed well