A Pastor Responds: Haiti’s Disaster and Hollywood’s Avatar

John Wood, Pastor of Missional Life at Bethany Community Church in Tempe, Arizona and a long-time friend of the DNA wrote a thoughtful response to Vishal Mangalwadi’s contribution to this blog on January 26 titled “Haiti’s Disaster and Hollywood’s Avatar.” John travelled to Haiti shortly after the earthquake to organize relief aid and explore possibilities for further aid assistance. With John’s approval, I’m posting his entire response.

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Dear Vishal,

Thank you for writing the article “Haiti’s Disaster and Hollywood’s Avatar”.  Some suggest that now is not the time to bring up issues such as cultural causes of the disaster.  Now is the time to save lives.  Dr. Dieumeme Noelliste of Denver Seminary, in commenting on Pat Robertson’s remarks, put it this way:  “I was concerned by the point raised by a leading figure in American conservative Christianity (Pat Robertson), this notion that Haiti is cursed due to an 18th century meeting. This is really simplistic, very facile, in fact very rude and crude. This is not the time to raise such a question.”  I agree with Dr. Noelliste.  Making such remarks the day after such a devastating was inappropriate and poorly timed.  The Good Samaritan did not have time to reflect on root causes as the man lay by the side of the road half-dead.  He needed to get down off of his mount and channel his heart-felt compassion towards saving a life.  That was the one and only appropriate response on January 13.

We are all conscious as to how quickly pure life-saving relief transitions into medium and long-term development.  We are approaching that threshold.  Now is the time to think long and hard about the kind of development best provides opportunity and hope for the Haitian people.  Will we perpetuate the hand-out driven economy that has characterized much of Haitian society? Will our good intentions reinforce corrosive patterns of the past?  Or, is there now the opportunity for the Haitian people and the international community to re-envision a brighter future emerging from the rubble?  This is particularly important for us in the Christian community.  What would Haiti look like if God answered the prayers of her people: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in Haiti, as it is in heaven.”

I guess the point that I am trying to make is that there is great hope for the future of the Haitian people.  It doesn’t have to be like it was before.  This great catastrophe could result in the rebuilding not only of buildings and physical infrastructure of Haiti, but more importantly, of the Haitian people themselves.  We must be purveyors of hope for the Haitian people, not merely those who cast stones.  Should any Haitians read your article, I would want them to be able not only to look at themselves critically, but also to look at the future with hope because, “The time has come, the kingdom of God has come near.  Repent and believe the good news!”

You hint at this in the last paragraph of your article when you speak of channeling “developmental aid through Bible-believing churches that seek to cultivate biblical spirituality.”  Great; it’s a good start.  But, it still has to do with aid from the outside.  Haitians (and those from the outside) need to take seriously that development is first and foremost development from inside out, both individually and in society.

David Brooks in his article makes an important contribution along these lines.  His fourth point is that “it’s time to promote locally led paternalism”  Key to that statement is “locally led”.  Further on, he says, “It’s time to find self-confident local leaders who will create No Excuses countercultures in places like Haiti …”  Absolutely!  This brings hope, and it isn’t something imposed from the outside.  It is recognizing and valuing true leadership within the culture.

Five days after the earthquake, I traveled to Dominican Republic to accompany a team of Dominican church leaders on a relief mission to their neighbors in Haiti.  Our destination was a neighborhood on the far outskirts of Port-au-Prince.  We drove our trucks into the courtyard of a small community hospital financed by Haitian Christian expatriates in Miami.  As we began unloading the food, water and medicine, a crowd of people started gathering.  I engaged one man in conversation – I don’t even remember his name, but he looked to be in his fifties.  He joined the

crowd at the hospital to see what was going on.  This is what he told me about himself:  1. He is an industrial engineer who works at the Port-au-Prince steel refinery.  2.  He did all of his education in Haiti and has never lived outside of his country.  3.  He loves his country and his people.

After our conversation, I went to work trying to help organize the injured that had come for help.  A group of young men had entered the premises, and several of them were asking us to give them jobs.  Pretty soon, a crowd of these young men began approaching our supply truck.  An argument broke out among them, and it looked as though a fight was imminent.  Frankly, I was apprehensive, bordering on afraid.  At that moment, the industrial engineer stood in the middle of the courtyard and loudly called for everyone to gather around him.  He kept insisting, and soon everyone, including the angry young men, gathered around.  He spoke in kreyol, but there was enough French thrown in that I could follow his conversation.  Basically, he called them out, saying, “This is not how we Haitians respond to hardship.  We have our Haitian ways of reacting.  We look out for one another; we get in groups of three or four and solve our problems together.”  Incredibly, that calmed the crowd.  The rowdy young men leaked out of the compound one by one.  I didn’t get a chance to talk with this man afterwards, except to shake his hand and tell him, “Monsieur, vous êtes un homme de paix!”  (sir, you are a man of peace).

That incident gave me great hope.  Leaders will emerge from among the people.  As far as I know, this man had no official role in that community.  He didn’t proclaim himself to be an authority.  But, he spoke with authority, and the crowd listened and followed his lead.  If the Lord gives me the opportunity, I want to spend my time and energy in Haiti recognizing and encouraging such leaders, particularly in the church.  I want to respond to Professor Noelliste’s call to the American church:  “One story that hasn’t been told in the secular media is the number of Haitian pastors who died in the earthquake, leaving their parishioners without any shepherd. The American church should know about this and think about what can be done to help.”

The final comment that I would like to make about your article is when you cite the “voodoo ceremony on August 14, 1791, that included sacrificing a pig, drinking its blood and making a pact with the demonic supernatural.”  It may be that this ceremony actually took place in this way.  It seems to be part of the accepted folklore that is told over and over again.  However, my reading has caused me to doubt the historicity, or at least the accuracy of the facts surrounding this event.  Dr. Jean R. Gelin wrote a series in 2005 that was published in BlackandChristian.com, entitled “God, Satan, and the Birth of Haiti”.  He searched in Port-au-Prince for the supposed statue of the pig commemorating this event, and never was able to find it.  He also makes a case that the early revolutionaries were at least somewhat informed and inspired by Biblical truth.  In my opinion, Gelin probably goes too far in his enthusiasm for the nation of Haiti.  Nevertheless, his findings should give cause for caution in simply restating this oral tradition.

Professor Noelliste seems to accept the historical nature of this 1791 event, yet he urges caution:  “ Haiti had not yet formed as a nation when this syncretistic practice took place. In fact, by the time Haiti had leaders who could speak on behalf of the country, these leaders spoke against voodoo. Anti-voodoo campaigns were led by the church with the support of the state. So that kind of statement makes a mockery of the God that we serve; is God so impotent that he can’t outdo Satan? Haiti is overwhelmingly Christian.” I would suggest that you as a minimum state that this voodoo ceremony “allegedly” took place.

One final thought and then I close.  In the section “Can the Avatar Save Haiti from its Corruption?”, you make very broad statements about the people of Haiti.  “The people of Haiti practice Voodoo spiritism.”  “The Haitians realize that they do not know the supreme creative spirit.”   “The Haitians do not think that only the material world is real” The way you put it, it sounds as if all of Haitian society right now believes this way.  Yet, people like Professor Noelliste point out that as many as 1/3 of the Haitian population is evangelical and no longer holds to these beliefs.  You yourself in the last paragraph talk about Bible-believing churches.  I think that you could add a word or two simply stating that traditional Haitian beliefs are this way, and that many Haitians still adhere to this belief system.

- John Wood

The Haiti Disaster: Our Hope in Christ

This is the last in a three-part series by Darrow Miller that focuses on how churches can respond positively in the aftermath of Haiti’s devastating earthquake. The entire article can be viewed on the Disciple Nations Alliance website.

Jesus, the Messiah, states: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) Satan wants nothing more than to destroy cultures and nations and Haiti is a perfect example. She is not cursed, as some would argue. Her people are free and responsible agents, making decisions that shape history.  Christ brings life to the full. The Biblical order creates a framework for increased life, health, bounty and ability to plan for and withstand the bitter destruction of natural disasters.  Let there be no mistake. This is a clash between forces of good that would see Haiti prosper and forces of evil that would see Haiti destroyed.

The church has been instituted by God to be the primary agency for the transformation of society. She is to be the instrument of kingdom culture bringing truth, beauty and goodness to societies. We have seen the church function in this capacity at times in history. Social historian Rodney Starks argues that the early church led the most profound sociological revelation of all time. In his book The Rise of Christianity he stated that the: “Central doctrines of Christianity prompted and sustained attractive, liberation, and effective social relations and organizations.” Starks continues:

I believe that it was the religion’s particular doctrines that permitted Christianity to be among the most seeping and successful revitalization movements in history. And it was the way these doctrines took on actual flesh [emphasis mine], the way they directed organizational actions and individual behavior, that led to the rise of Christianity.[i]

We have seen this kind of transformation throughout history on both a macro and micro level.  On a regional and national level there are a number of models that come out of the ministry of the Disciple Nations Alliance. It was the Reformation (1517-1648) in Europe that brought about the rise of concept of universal education, the dignity of work, and the beginnings of what the world now calls “the middle class” which resulted in immense economic, social and political transformation of society.

The Methodist Revivals in England (1738-1784), under John Wesley transformed British society in a single generation and laid the moral and metaphysical foundation for the end of slavery in the British Empire and the restoration of civility in national life. The English Lecturer Donald Drew’s summary of the book England Before and After Wesley shows the transformative effect that the Wesley Revivals had on England and America:

The Great Awakening in colonial America (1730-1770) provided the moral and metaphysical foundation for the Declaration of Independence and reinforced the fundamental principle that “all men are created equal.” It established the frame work for a nation born in political and economic freedom.[ii]

This cultural transformation is needed not only in Haiti, but also in the minds of Western donors. Instead of viewing Haitians as poor and incapable of their own development, Western donors must see them as image bearers of God who have every God given ability and potential to develop their own society. Instead of thinking that Western aid is going to solve the problem, they need to see, support and encourage grassroots community transformation. Instead of seeing and treating Haitians as objects, they need to be seen for what they are: free and responsible moral agents. Instead of supporting the old corrupt leadership of the nation, donors need to recognize a new generation of grassroots leaders, come along side them, walk with them and encourage them. We must be careful not do things for them. We must honor their humanity, creativity, and vision for their nation.

Examples of how this kind of transformation is taking place globally  on a micro level, may be found on the Disciple Nations Alliance website and the Harvest Foundation Website. Papers and articles that relate to the transformation of communities and national development may be found on both websites.

All this to affirm that in the short term, Haiti is currently in need of material aid to respond to the devastation of the earthquake. In the long run she needs to make the Creator God the focus of her worship, embrace a Judeo-Christian worldview leading to a transformation of culture. When this happens, Haiti will begin to reach her incredible God given potential. The church in Haiti will play a central role in this, with appropriate support from churches around the world.

- Darrow L. Miller

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[i] Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996),211

[ii] Donald Drew, Engalnd Before and After Wesley, http://www.disciplenations.org/uploads/b9/3c/b93cXPZnLVxO9loQ7dbj3g/England-Before-and-After-Wesley.pdf.

The Haiti Disaster: Going to the Root

This is the second in a three-part series by Darrow Miller that focuses on how churches can respond positively in the aftermath of Haiti’s devastating earthquake. The entire article can be viewed on the Disciple Nations Alliance website.

ENGAGING HEART AND HEAD

When dealing with human suffering either on a personal level, or on a global level, such as the disaster that has struck Haiti, we must engage both our heart and head. While our emotions—our sympathy—motivates us to respond to human needs, it needs to be our head that drives our response. If we respond to the need with only our heart, we may treat a symptom, or use a quick fix to solve a more complex problem.  Putting a band-aid on a skin lesion will be useless if a patient has a melanoma. Or we may provide a solution that exacerbates the problem by creating dependency, contributing to greater impoverishment.  Helping farmers grow more food is generally a good thing in a poor nation. However, one needs to take into account what the farmer may do with the added income. Will he use the extra income to better feed his own children and pay their school fees? Or will he use the money to feed his own vices, which is a very common problem. Sometimes pouring more money into such a situation actually ends up producing more poverty.

We need to dispassionately ask questions like: What is the problem?  What caused the problem? What is the root of the problem? What solutions have been tried in the past? Have they worked? If they have not worked, what else might we try? What particular tools and systems are best suited to solve this problem? Without this kind of analysis, billions of dollars are often flushed down a deep hole.

THE ROOT OF HAITI’S PROBLEM IS AN ANIMISTIC WORLDVIEW

Disasters happen! They do not discriminate as to continent, nation, race of people, or the wealth of a people or nation. The natural evil of floods, earthquakes, droughts, and tsunamis happen around the world.

On October 17, 1989, at 5:04 PM a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay area, injuring thousands and leaving 63 people dead.[i] The earthquakes in California and Haiti were of the same magnitude, striking major cities at approximately the same time of day.  What produced the discrepancy in destruction and death toll?  I would humbly suggest that it was a difference in worldview. The institutions, infrastructure, and habits of the heart of the people of the United States and San Francisco were influenced and ordered by the Judeo-Christian worldview, while those of Haitians, Haiti and Port-au-Prince were ordered by an animistic worldview.

Why is it that the nations of Europe and North America are relatively wealthier, healthier, more stable, less corrupt and more able to deal with natural disasters than the nation of Haiti and other chronically impoverished nations?  It is the difference between a Biblical world and life view and an animistic one. One’s worldview will determine the principles that order personal and institutional behaviors and the structures of society. Or to say it differently, it is mental infrastructure that will determine the quality of a society’s infrastructure: the development of a nation has more to do with moral and metaphysical capital than it does with physical capital.

Disasters have a lesser impact on countries whose mentalities have been formed by the Bible than they do in cultures formed by mysticism. It is not because the people are “morally superior,” more or less religious, or because of their race, or color of skin. It has nothing to do with mental or physical ability. It has everything to do with the worldview—the dominant cultural narrative of the people.

Most international agencies and PVOs function from a materialist paradigm, thus they fail to acknowledge non-material elements that contribute to a nation’s wealth or poverty. That is, they see the world through a naturalistic set of lenses. From this vantage point, by definition, all problems have only material causes and thus material solutions.  But what if materialism is wrong? What if, in addition to the material world, there is a spiritual reality? Could there be a spiritual or metaphysical contribution to physical poverty?  I am not arguing that all problems have only a spiritual root. That would reflect an animistic or Gnostic worldview.  What I am arguing is that if there is a spiritual reality, then it must be taken into account when looking at the problems that face a place like Haiti.

I would suggest that there are two major factors that contribute to Haiti’s poverty; the first is her predominant animistic worldview, and the second is her pact with Satan.  What I am about to say is certainly not politically correct. But considering all the money, time, and heart-felt effort that has been poured into Haiti over the years and recognizing that her people continue to be enslaved in absolute wrenching poverty, a compassionate person would want to consider that perhaps there are causes and solutions that have not yet been considered. Let’s do some imagining and outside-the-box thinking.

Let me be very clear that the earthquake was not God’s retribution to Haiti! God is not capricious. Haiti is not capriciously cursed as some people have argued. God has a love for nations. He designed the universe and human beings for their flourishing.  He has built an order into creation. When that order is discovered and followed, people and nations will flourish. When that order is denied or consciously disobeyed, disorder in society follows. This disaster was a natural event. Haiti’s inability to cope with the brokenness of creation is rooted in her animistic cultural narrative, a disorder in the soul of Haiti that has made it virtually impossible to prepare for or cope with such disasters.

CULTURE IS DOWNSTREAM FROM “CULT”

The culture of a people is formed by their worship, which, in turn, determines the nature and strength of the social, economic and political institutions of the society. Or to say it differently, the spiritual realm impacts the physical realm through culture.  Some cultures support the development and health of a nation and some cultures are resistant to development, leading to the disintegration of society. Haiti’s culture is a product of the worship—the cult—which came across the Atlantic Ocean on the slave ships with the people who would become known as Haitians. This worship is derived from the polytheistic tribal religions of West Africa and specifically from Voodoo.

Voodoo originated in what today is Ghana and Benin.  Like most animistic religions it views the universe as capricious rather than orderly. Just these two variant concepts have a profound impact on people: when the gods are capricious they can “jerk people” around. To appease these gods, one needs to placate them with a gift, setting up a culture of bribery or corruption. It also feeds an attitude of hopelessness and despair. Fatalism reigns. People seek simply to survive the whims of the droughts, earthquakes or floods that nature (the capricious gods) brings.

In contrast, Judeo-Christian theism understands that the universe is orderly. There are natural laws governing the physical universe, which can be discovered through science and applied through technology to solve problems of hunger and poverty, to build infrastructure that will withstand earthquakes and limit the impact of flooding.

In Judeo-Christian theism, work is part of man’s dignity while in animistic religions work is seen as a curse: work is for animals and slaves and people who are of “higher” social class do not need to work.  This difference creates profound economic disparity.  In Haiti there is a small wealthy class, a negligible middle class and a huge under class. Rooted in Judeo-Christian culture is the concept that all people are made in the image of God, they have equal dignity and worth. There is no social or spiritual hierarchy.

The root of the poverty in Haiti is not lack of material capital; it is moral and metaphysical poverty. What Haiti needs is a new cult, the worship of the Creator God revealed through Scriptures, and a transformed culture! Unfortunately, the secular development industry wants to solve the problems of Haiti without a metaphysical component. And, sadly, many Christian missionaries have brought a divided gospel to save souls out of this world for heaven, leaving the animistic culture largely intact.

Both present and historic mission movements have been shaped by a dualistic paradigm that has interest in spiritual things but not in a wholistic paradigm and mission. They have brought a spiritual gospel of salvation, but not a gospel of the kingdom that would bring hope to Haitians in the present, as well as in eternity. Christians have done little to challenge the ruling paradigm and culture. Instead, we have too often accepted the status quo of corruption, the evil of work, unjust laws, institutional evil, lack of economic freedom and human dignity, fatalism, and the capriciousness of the universe.

So Haitians, who have a God-given ability to be creative, to analyze and solve their own problems, and to use the bounty of both their natural resources and internal resources (reason, invention, and innovation, spirit of discovery, will, and artistry), languish in poverty.

THE IMPACT OF THE DEMONIC

In his profound book Communicating Christ in Animistic Contexts, Dr. Gailyn Van Rheenen missionary to Africa and Professor of Missions at Abilene Christian University, describes the systemic view of spiritual warfare. He writes:

…the systemic view [of spiritual warfare] sees the powers as personal spiritual beings who are actively impacting the socio-economic and political structure of societies …. These powers have established their own rules and regulations that pull cultures away from God. Stoicheia are literally the rudimentary principles, the ABC’s of culture….These are the directives through which the powers have established legalistic control of society.  Stoicheia within these contexts are the demonic contortions of human society…. The powers, although personal spiritual beings, have invaded the very fabric of society. Thus even Christian institutions reflect these demonic influences when the powers invade human institutions.”[ii]

Van Rheenen is very insightful. The spiritual realm impacts the physical realm through culture, and the demonic realm impacts social, economic and political institutions through culture.  Not only is there moral evil (i.e. murder, adultery) and natural evil (earthquakes and floods), but there is institutional evil (racism, corruption). This institutional evil is the work of the demonic.

As has been previously noted, a people’s cult, or worship, produces culture, from which the institutions and structures of society are formed.  All authorities rule through laws and ordinances. God governs the universe through his laws and ordinances. When nations found their societies upon God’s laws, justice, freedom, community health and prosperity follow.  Satan also rules through laws and ordinances, but his laws are counterfeit.  When a society bases it laws on false principles such as the inferiority of women to men; or the beliefs that work is a curse; the universe is capricious; or human beings are animals, then poverty follows.

To say it differently, “ideas have consequences!” Tyranny, corruption, lack of adequate infrastructure, and desecration of the land are all a product of a people’s worldview.

A Biblical worldview, in contrast to materialism, recognizes the reality of the demonic, and in contrast to animistic cultures, it knows that God is more powerful than Satan and thus can overwhelm the demonic of Haiti’s voodoo culture.

In addition to the prison of the animistic worldview, there is another contributing factor to Haiti’s poverty: a historic event, a pact with Satan. Again, not a politically correct thought, but if we truly care about the poverty of Haitians, we must think beyond the bounds of a materialist paradigm for analysis of root causes and solutions.

In the 16^th Century, Haiti was a relatively prosperous slave colony of France. The island nation was blessed with a bounty of natural resources; but the French were using African slaves to exploit those resources. On August 14, 1791, at Bois Caiman, a Vodou (Haitian for Voodoo) ceremony lead by Dutty Boukman, was used to consecrate the Haitian rebellion against France.  In the ceremony   a pig was slaughtered, the slaves who were present drank the blood and pledged allegiance to Satan if he would bring them victory over the French.

According to History of Haiti and the Haitian Revolution on the Official Haitian Bicentennial website:

A man named Boukman, another houngan, organized on August 14, 1791, a meeting with the slaves in the mountains of the North. This meeting took the form of a Voodoo ceremony in the Bois Caiman in the northern mountains of the island. It was raining and the sky was raging with clouds; the slaves then started confessing their resentment of their condition. A woman started dancing languorously in the crowd, taken by the spirits of the loas. With a knife in her hand, she cut the throat of a pig and distributed the blood to all the participants of the meeting who swore to kill all the whites on the island. On August 22, 1791, the blacks of the North entered into a rebellion, killing all the whites they met and setting the plantations of the colony on fire. However, the French quickly captured the leader of the slaves, Boukman, and beheaded him, bringing the rebellion under control.[iii]

The Haitian slaves continued their revolt until they successfully overthrew the French in 1803. With their victory they established the second independent nation in the Americas (after the United States) and the first republic ruled by people from black Africa. The Haitian cultural narrative sees that it was the pact with Satan that provided their freedom from France.

Today, the people of Haiti, while nominally Roman Catholic, have a culture that is largely shaped by the animistic Voodoo cult of West Africa. What kind of impact might the spiritual and metaphysical realm have on the continuing poverty of Haiti?

We must weep at the plight of the Haitians today. We must give generously to help with the aid effort. But, the hard reality is that while the earthquake was the trigger of the destruction in Haiti, the root of the problem was a faulty worldview.  If the gods can be bribed, then you create a culture of corruption and injustice in society.  If you believe that history is something that happens to you, then you do not prepare your society to deal with the inevitable earthquake and hurricane.  If you worship capricious gods, you will build a society with little trust and will reap disorder.

- Darrow L. Miller

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[i] Bryan Walsh, “Earthquake Prepardness: Lessons from San Fransisco” Time Magazine, October 16, 2009, http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1930668,00.html?iid=sphere-inline-sidebar

[ii] Dr. Gailyn Van Rheenen Communicating Christ in Animistic Contexts, (Pasadena: William Carey Library Publishers, 1996), 101

[iii] “The History of Haiti and the Haitian Revolution,” Haitian Bicentennial Site, http://www.ci.miami.fl.us/haiti2004/history.htm#top

The Haiti Disaster: The Need for a Cultural Transformation

This is the first in a three-part series by Darrow Miller that focuses on how churches can respond positively in the aftermath of Haiti’s devastating earthquake. The entire article can be viewed on the Disciple Nations Alliance website.

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, at 4:53pm a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 16 miles off the coast off the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. The International Red Cross estimates that a third of Haiti’s ten million people have been impacted and the European Union and Pan American Health Organization estimates that 200,000 people have lost their lives.[i] Thousands of homes have been destroyed and a weak infrastructure has been decimated. Hospitals, schools, major landmarks, even the Presidential Palace, have been seriously damaged or destroyed.

The world has been swept up by this disaster in a way similar to the 2004 earthquake that struck Indonesia, sending a tsunami racing through the Indian Ocean.  The money that is being donated to reputable Private Voluntary Organizations (PVOs) is being used to bring needed emergency medical aid, food and water and temporary shelter: it will take hundreds of millions of dollars to provide life saving help in the relief effort. But, while material aid is an absolute necessity in response to this natural evil, we should not think that money alone is the sole solution to Haiti’s chronic problems.

AID IS NOT ENOUGH

It is reported that in recent years there have been 10,000 PVOs working in Haiti;[ii] virtually all the world’s leading non-profits, plus thousands of “mom and pop” missions and aid organizations, amounting to one organization for every 1000 Haitians. A lot of heart is being poured into helping this desperately poor nation. In addition, massive amounts of aid also come from national embassies around the world and quasi government organizations like the United Nations, the World Bank, etc. In recent years the world has continued to increase its giving to Haiti: $580M in 2006, $702M in 2007, and $912M ($259M from the USA alone) in 2009.[iii] In addition to foreign aid about $1B has been sent home by Haitian’s living and working in other countries.

All this to say that despite the work of 10,000 PVO’s and billions of dollars of private and governmental aid, Haiti is still desperately and chronically poor. Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas with a per capita GDP of $1300 (U.S.). Her level of poverty ranks number 203 out of 228 countries in the world, [iv] meaning the average Haitian lives on about $100 a month. Three out of four Haitians say that they or someone in their family has gone to bed hungry this last year. By comparison, the nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, the Dominican Republic, has a per capita GDP $8,200.[v] How do Dominicans, working with the same basic natural resources and climate, have six times the GDP? In this blog series I will outline my belief that it is the Haitian’s worldview that has kept them in poverty.

Haiti is ranked number 168 out of 180 countries on the 2009 Corruption Perception Index.[vi] In the 2003 edition of the Global Competitive Report of The World Economic Forum, Haiti was ranked last. [vii] Her only engagement in the global economy is in the receiving of foreign aid.

In February of 2006, the National Academy of Public Administration published a paper entitled Why Foreign Aid to Haiti Failed, in which the Director of Operations Evaluation Department of the World Bank  stated : “… the outcome of World Bank assistance programs [in Haiti 1986-2002] is rated unsatisfactory (if not highly so), the institutional development impact, negligible, and the sustainability of the few benefits  that have accrued, unlikely.” [viii]

It is clear that the billions of dollars that have been pumped into Haiti, the thousands of agencies, and tens of thousands of volunteers who flood to Haiti every year has done very little to help this nation; and in fact, it could be argued that Haiti is moving backward socially, economically, and politically. How can this be? I believe it is because most of the aid that flows into Haiti targets the symptoms of the problem, namely hunger, poverty, housing, and inadequacy of infrastructure instead of the root of the problem.

Good intentions have lead to paralyzing dependency.  And yet, one of the world’s leading experts on poverty, Jeffrey Sachs, the author of The End of Poverty simply reverts to throwing more money at old solutions, saying, in regard to Haiti: “One can imagine annual disbursements of $ 2 billion to $ 3 billion annually over the next five years.”[ix]

The atheistic-materialistic assumptions that the reason for Haiti’s calamity is her lack of financial resources are patently false: if money was the root of the issue Haiti’s problems would be solved. The reason Haiti remains poor, despite all the money spent is that natural resources or lack of money is not the root of the problem. So what is the root of the problem?

EVANGELISM IS NOT ENOUGH

Some would argue that if Haiti were evangelized and were professing Christians, then her problems would be solved.

In 1704 Jesuits came to the island of Hispaniola and began the evangelization process. Following the successful fight for independence, in 1804, Protestant missionaries came and begin their evangelistic effort. Today the nation is nominally Christian in profession with roughly 80 % being Catholic and 20 % Protestant.

While Haiti is considered a Catholic country, it may be well to add that she is largely Voodoo in her worldview.  As University of California at Irvine Professor Amy Wilentz notes in a recent Time Magazine article: “There is a saying about Haiti: 80% Catholic, 20 % Protestant and 100 % voodoo.”[x] The Catholic Church has largely synchronized with Voodoo, and while the Protestant church has publically condemned Voodoo, she has largely operated from a dualistic or Evangelical Gnostic paradigm that separates the spiritual from the physical. So the Protestants have focused on saving souls for heaven, instead of seeking to bring a wholistic gospel to the Haitian people that would provide both hope for eternity and cultural transformation today.

So while Haiti has been evangelized, a spiritual encounter alone is not enough. If the people of Haiti profess Christ but continue to think and function from an animistic or Voodoo paradigm, that is bound to have an impact on the poverty of Haiti.

- Darrow L. Miller

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[i] Numbers Tell Story of Horror, Heroism in Haiti, CNN World, January 26, 2010, http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/26/haiti.by.the.numbers/index.html

[ii] Tracy Kidder, “Country Without A Net,” The New York Times, January 13, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/opinion/14kidder.html

[iii] Statistical Annex of the 2010 Development Co-operation Report of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Table 25, http://www.oecd.org/document/9/0,3343,en_2649_34447_1893129_1_1_1_1,00.html

[iv] Central Intelligence Agency, World Fact Book: Haiti, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html

[v] Central Intelligence Agency, World Fact Book: Dominican Republic, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dr.html

[vi] Transparency International, Corruption Perceptions Index 2009, http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2009/cpi_2009_table

[vii] World Economic Forum, The Global Competitiveness Report, 2002-2003, http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Gcr/GCR_02_03_Executive_Summary.pdf

[viii] National Academy of Public Administration, Why Foreign Aid to Haiti Failed, 9, http://www.napawash.org/haiti_final.pdf

[ix]Jeffery D. Sachs, “After the earthquake, how to rebuild Haiti from scratch,” The Washington Post, January 17, 2010,  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/15/AR2010011502457.html

[x] Amy Wilentz, “The Distant Memories of Haiti Before the Quake,” Time Magazine, January 23, 2010, http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1953379_1953494_1956237,00.html

Haiti’s Disaster and Hollywood’s Avatar

The following post was contributed by Vishal Mangalwadi.

The 9 million people of Haiti, largely of African descent, living in approximately 10,000 square miles in the paradise-like Caribbean island of Hispaniola, constitute the only nation in the world which gained its independence through a successful slave rebellion in 1804. Sadly, Haiti remains the poorest country in the Americas.

Its independence was inspired by the secular idealism of the French Revolution and launched in a voodoo ceremony on August 14, 1791 that included sacrificing a pig, drinking its blood and making a pact with the demonic supernatural.

In 200 years, none of its 32 coups, multiple dictatorships and democratic elections has succeeded in building political freedoms. Lawlessness, insecurity, instability, and dependency permeate Haitian society, preventing their independence from attaining either the economic potential witnessed during the colonial period or that of Caribbean tourism today.

On January 12, 2010 Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince was devastated by an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude: as many as 200,000 people are estimated killed and now, more than a week later, 20,000 people are reported to be dying every day due to lack of food, water and medical aid.

The Disaster: Natural or Cultural?

On 17 October, 1989 an earthquake of 7.0 magnitude also struck the San Francisco Bay Area in California in the United States of America: Only 63 people died. At that time the Bay Area had over 5 million residents; Port-au-Prince has less than a million.  

Why this difference? The Bay Area was built on a culture of law, justice, freedom, and consequent trusting social order which makes prosperity possible. In contrast, in spite of many wonderful exceptions, Haitian society is built on a culture of immoral corruption, oppression, social mistrust and resultant poverty. Builders routinely disregard the rules for constructing safe buildings because political, bureaucratic and law enforcement institutions move on the wheels of bribery.  In plain words: while Haiti’s earthquake was natural, its disaster is cultural. Therefore, even though individuals need immediate relief, the only way to rebuild Haiti is to transform its culture.

Can the Avatar Save Haiti from its Corruption?

In order to overcome its culture of corruption and poverty, Haiti needs many heroes like Jake, in James Cameron’s megahit movie Avatar. Jake was an outsider but, like Jesus Christ, he incarnated among a people in great need and became one of them. He chose to sacrifice his own life in order to save a vulnerable people that he dearly loved. 

The Avatar’s hero is ideal but its scriptwriter is naïve. The people of Haiti practice Voodoo spiritism because they understand and know reality better than Hollywood’s romantic idealists. 

The Haitians know that they do not know the supreme creative spirit, they call Bondey. Since they cannot know or reach Bondey, they assume that the Creator is also incapable of reaching them, revealing Himself to them, loving them enough to discipline them or to incarnate in their midst to save them. French Roman Catholicism had tried to convert their slaves in the 17^th century; therefore, some Catholic trappings adorn Haitian Voodoo. Yet, because most Haitians believe that the Creator does not care enough to interfere with human affairs, Haitian Voodoo does not fear or serve the unknown, absentee Creator.

Nevertheless, the Haitians do not think that only the material world is real. They know that spirits exist:  some of them get possessed and spirits communicate with their religious leaders. Their devout priests claim to receive certain supernatural powers from the spirits. The Haitians call these spirits Lwa or loa and fear and serve them.

Like many Indians as well as the Na’vi people in Avatar, the Haitians believe that these spirits govern nature. Disasters, such as the present earthquake, have taught Haitians that the spirits that govern nature or possess individuals are not always good and benevolent. They may contribute to life, but they also bring disease, disasters and death.  As the movie puts it the Mother Earth Force doesn’t take sides between good and evil. It is amoral. It merely restores balance – for example, if you turn forest into desert, you take the consequences. Indian Tantriks (occult priests) know well, no god or goddess sacrifices his/her life to save others. Quite the opposite. They may demand the blood of your neighbor’s child before they grant your petitions. Therefore, just as many of our “holy” tantriks and ascetics become demoniacs, many Haitians have also become like the gods and goddesses they worship – capricious, greedy and unpredictable.

Haiti is different than the Bay Area because Haitian society is built on a worldview the universe is not cosmos ruled by the Word of One benevolent and just Creator. They think we live in a multiverse – a chaos – governed by many unpredictable deities. This worldview does not encourage a systematic study of nature (science) or an attempt to govern and manage nature (technology). Since the multiverse has no Law-Giver who will hold us accountable, there is no need to be a law abiding citizen – especially if you can bribe human rulers just as your priests bribe the gods.

 Could Cameron’s Portrayal of America be Prophetic?

Cameron’s Avatar portrays secular America as a brutal super-power, ever-ready to sacrifice simple, nature-worshipping people at the altar of amoral economic greed. America has had ugly moments in its history. Haiti, however, is seeing a very different America – a nation that is quick to sacrifice billions of dollars in aid; a nation filled with churches that are sending thousands of volunteers to serve the helpless; an army that will spend its resources to rescue the trapped and save aid workers from mobs of greedy, spirit-worshipping Haitians who will loot food from the mouths of lonely elderly and vulnerable orphans.

Unfortunately, James Cameron’s Avatar could turn out to be a prophetic portrayal of 21^st century America. Following the European Enlightenment, American intellectuals also learned what Indians and Haitians have always known—the human mind, by itself (without divine revelation) cannot know the Creator, His moral law or His saving grace. (However, does our inability to reach Him, prevents Him from incarnating to save us as Jake saved the Na’vi?) The Enlightenment’s intellectual arrogance is choking Europe and America’s ability to see God’s grace and revelation. Although professing themselves to be intellectuals, they are continuing to march towards a Haitian-like destiny:

America’s godless, secular intelligentsia have succeeded in eliminating the spirit and guidance of our Creator from the educational process. As a result, public universities have become factories churning out amoral and progressively immoral leaders.

The brightest of these university graduates now control a significant section of corporate America. Their amoral, greed-driven financial management caused the economic crisis that began at the end of 2008. Honest tax-payers were forced to bail out Wall Street, but the crisis continues to haunt hundreds of millions in America and around the world. 

Amoral “intellectual” elitism is now crippling American politics.  At the moment of writing, President Obama’s #1 domestic priority – Healthcare Reform – lies derailed, in shambles. “Reforming” healthcare sounds like a good thing. But if the ruling party is really doing something good, why does it have to bribe its own Senators and trade unions with hundreds of millions of dollars to pass a “Reform” bill?

Following politics, (spirit-and-morality-rejecting) secular materialism will drive the American army into the arms of amoral-greed-driven capitalists. At that point America will become worse than a Saddam Hussein who marched his tanks into Kuwait to loot its oil wealth. When that happens, America will be what Avatar portrays – incomparably more dreadful than Hitler’s Germany.

Cameron may be prophetic in his portrayal of America, yet, America can be saved from its encroaching corruption and destruction. It can repent and return to the biblical spirituality that founded and still undergirds (albeit frailly) the Bay Area’s culture of just, compassionate and law-abiding capitalism powered by scientific research and technology. Tens of thousands of Indians that now lead the technological and financial sectors of the Bay Area demonstrate that India (or Haiti) does not need to remain broken.

Cameron’s Avatar is fiction, but the marvelous truth about Haiti, India, America and Europe’s future is that God has in fact incarnated in human history. The historic Avatar actually sacrificed his life to save us from our sin. Therefore, we do not need to live as slaves of sin that is the real cause of Haiti’s cultural disaster. We can move forward. But we must hold on to what James Cameron does not yet know: the spirits of trees, rivers, astrology and mythology cannot save us. We know that we are not Nobel Savages of Hollywood’s romantic idealism: we Indians are as corrupt as the Haitians and the Americans are catching up with our corruption. 

The Na’vi’s accepted their savior after significant resistance. We need humility to confess our need of the Incarnated Divine Love who would sacrifice himself to save us from our sin, including the sin of worshipping false gods, whether of trees and demonic deities or of greed for power and material progress at the cost of the welfare of humanity and nature.

 Since Haiti’s disaster is cultural, the most effective way to help transform it while meeting immediate need is to channel developmental aid (in contrast to the relief aid) through Bible believing local churches that seek to cultivate biblical spirituality. It is true that many biblical churches have not yet assumed the responsibility to transform their wider culture. They don’t understand why the true Avatar (Incarnation) challenged corruption in the heart of his own culture when he drove out those who were turning the central culture shaping institution, the Temple, into a den of robbers. Nevertheless there are good churches in Haiti and one can connect with some of the effective and trustworthy churches through organizations such as www.HarvestFoundation.org.

- Vishal Mangalwadi

This article is part VIII of a series titled, “Why Are We Backward?” published by FORWARD Press, a bilingual, monthly magazine for India’s “Backward” Castes. For reprinting rights, contact editor, Ivan Kostka Aspire.Prakashan@gmail.com or email Vishal@VishalMangalwadi.com)

The Root of the Disaster in Haiti

On October 17, 1989, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the Bay Area of Northern California. 63 people were killed. The earthquake that struck Haiti was also magnitude 7.0, but current estimates are that between 45,000 and 50,000 people have died. As David Brooks of the New York Times wrote in his op-ed today, the earthquake in Haiti is “not a natural disaster story. This is a poverty story.” I applaud Brooks for the courage to deal with a sensitive topic. Why is it that earthquakes of similar magnitudes, both striking relatively densely populated areas, can have such vastly disparate impacts? For Brooks, the answer is poverty. I respectfully disagree. The answer isn’t poverty. It’s worldview. To his credit, Brooks eventually broaches this sensitive subject:

It is time to put the thorny issue of culture at the center of efforts to tackle global poverty… As Lawrence E. Harrison explained in his book The Central Liberal Truth, Haiti, like most of the world’s poorest nations, suffers from a complex web of progress-resistant cultural influences. There is the influence of the voodoo religion, which spreads the message that life is capricious and planning futile. There are high levels of social mistrust. Responsibility is often not internalized. Child-rearing practices often involve neglect in the early years and harsh retribution when kids hit 9 or 10.

We’re all supposed to politely respect each other’s cultures. But some cultures are more progress-resistant than others, and a horrible tragedy was just exacerbated by one of them.

Upstream of culture is “cult.” In other words, we build societies and cultures in the image of the God or gods we worship. Voodoo, which is still widely practiced in Haiti, is a satanic belief system, and Jesus warned, “The thief [Satan] comes only to steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Cultures and nations built on this “cult” will reap tragic consequences, which are often exacerbated by natural disasters.

But what if a culture is built upon the worship of the one true God—the maker of heaven and earth—as revealed in Scripture? The Bible is far more than a devotional book or a guide to personal spiritual salvation. It presents a comprehensive worldview that provides the only sure foundation for healthy, free, and prosperous nations. This is the thesis of my colleague Darrow Miller’s book Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Culture.

Cultures can be shaped by a worldview that leads to a belief that life is capricious, the future is going nowhere, and therefore planning is futile. Or they can be influenced by a worldview that leads them to believe that life is meaningful and planning for the future is important.

Cultures can be shaped by a worldview that leads to social mistrust, corruption and a lack of personal responsibility.  Or they can be shaped by a worldview that leads to a culture of honesty, trust and responsibility. Not all worldviews are created equal—and while they don’t cause natural disasters, they do explain the disparate impact they can have.

The God of the Bible is not capricious. He is a sovereign, loving God who works in an orderly and purposeful way to accomplish his plan to redeem and restore all things. Cultures that worship him tend to be future-oriented. Planning is valued. Science is possible because of the orderliness of the universe, and can be used to help construct strong buildings which are less likely to collapse in an earthquake.

The God of the Bible created men and women in his image and works through them to carry out his good purposes for creation. People are not cosmic accidents; they are image-bearers of God with immense value, purpose and destiny. Cultures that worship him tend to place a high value on human life. They see children as history-makers, and as such, education is highly valued.

The God of the Bible is righteous and trustworthy. He always keeps his promises. Cultures that worship him tend to value honesty and have high levels of social capital.

This is not a theory or a hope. It is a historically verifiable fact. If you want to explore this further, I encourage you to explore the works of Vishal Mangalwadi, particularly his most recent book Truth and Transformation: A Manifesto for Ailing Nations. You may also wish to explore the works of Rodney Stark, particularly The Rise of Christianity. Even atheists are unable to deny the power of a comprehensive, Biblical worldview for social and cultural transformation. See Matthew Parris’s article “As an atheist, I truly Believe Africa needs God.”

For too long, too many Christians have promoted a gospel of spiritual salvation, yet failed to tell the whole story of Scripture. This message of spiritual salvation for heaven has been taken around the world and gladly accepted in many nations, yet their underlying culture has remained intact. It has been said of Haiti, for example, that it is 80% Christian, but 100% Voodoo.

The Bible is far more than a guide for personal, spiritual salvation. It is a comprehensive worldview that provides a sure blueprint for the building of healthy, free, and prosperous nations. Spreading this message and connecting it to local churches that begin to incarnate it in their lives, families, and communities is why the Disciple Nations Alliance exists.

To some, what I’m writing here sounds critical and uncompassionate. Am I blaming the victim? In America, we are expected to (in David Brook’s words) “politely respect each other’s cultures.”  But what if there are elements within our culture and other cultures that lead to brokenness, fatalism, poverty, and despair? Is it compassionate to continue respond to disasters in Haiti without asking the hard questions of why Haiti has been so resistant to positive change despite years of well-intentioned international aid? I think not. The people of Haiti deserve our compassion. They bear God’s image and are as full of dignity and worth as any people in the world. The answers to their deepest problems don’t lie in our pity and continued handouts. Instead, they will be found in Scripture and in the power of God and his Word when it is rightly understood as a comprehensive worldview. A truly compassionate response will recognize this, and act accordingly.

- Scott Allen

Responding to the Earthquake in Haiti

Like you, we are deeply saddened by the pain, heartbreak, and suffering that the people of Haiti are experiencing as a result of this week’s earthquake. DNA partner organizations are responding with disaster assistance. As you prayerfully consider how you and your family may wish to respond, here are a few suggestions.

Harvest, DNA’s founding partner, has staff in Haiti—Pastor Guerino St. Simon and his wife Elsie. Guerino and Elsie were in Paris at the time of the earthquake and are trying to return home. Please pray for them and their teenage children, who are in Haiti and are uninjured, but sleeping on the streets because of damage to their home.

Ricci Paulino, the leader of Harvest in the Dominican Republic, and John Wood will be driving on Sunday from Santo Domingo to Port-au-Prince, Haiti to deliver food and water and to make an assessment of how best to help going forward. John is a close friend who formerly worked with Harvest and the DNA, and is now the Outreach Pastor at Grace Community Church in Tempe. He is flying to the Dominican Republic today. Please pray for John and Ricci as they journey into Haiti on Sunday. They will focus on delivering aid through the Body of Christ, specifically through the network of church leaders that Pastor Guerino and Ricci have relationships with. Harvest is accepting donations now to respond to the specific needs that Ricci and John identify.

You can send your donation to the Disciple Nations Alliance (please indicate it is for the Haiti Relief Effort) and we will pass 100% of it through to Harvest, or you can donate directly to Harvest. Their website is www.harvestfoundation.org

Other DNA Partner Organizations that are organizing responses are Food for the Hungry and Vision of a Community Fellowship (VOCF). You may also want to consider giving through these worthy organizations.

On October 17, 1989, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the Bay Area of Northern California. 63 people were killed. The earthquake that struck Haiti was also magnitude 7.0, but current estimates are that between 45,000 and 50,000 people have died. As David Brooks of the New York Times wrote in his op-ed today, the earthquake in Haiti is “not a natural disaster story. This is a poverty story.” Our heart grieves for Haiti and our compassionate response is needed, but this disaster should also cause us to reflect on the root causes of poverty, and what we as Christians are called to do in response.

Our passion at the DNA is to go down to the worldview roots and offer a comprehensive long-term biblical response.

- Scott Allen

Vishal Reflects on Christmas

This is quoted from Vishal Mangalwadi’s Christmas Newsletter:

A year ago a great many Americans saw Candidate Obama as a Savior, so much so that he was prompted to humorously issue this clarification: “Contrary to the rumors you may have heard, I was not born in a manger.” Today his supporters are disappointed that he cannot save our planet from man-made warming; instead of bringing the Olympics to Illinois, he is bringing them terrorists from Guantanamo Bay; and, he has to bribe his own Senators to “reform” health care!

Given that the world’s mightiest leaders are so powerless, Christmas gives us reason to rejoice: Archangel Gabriel announced to a bewildered Mary, “Nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37)

The very same week I graduated from High School, a Christian minister earned an M. A. in Philosophy. After our joint celebration we bicycled for half-an-hour while he argued that “scientifically it was impossible for a virgin to conceive a baby.” In other words, God had to be bound by the laws of science as we understood them those four decades ago! One of these days I hope to discover what my philosopher friend thought when he heard that a virgin sheep named Dolly had given birth to a (cloned) baby. Six years after that conversation, I too earned an M. A. in Philosophy. No one at the University told me that Modern Science was born because some medieval European philosophers believed Gabriel’s word that proclaimed that nothing was impossible with God.

Thirteenth century Europe was confronted by an aggressive Islam which asserted that logically it was impossible for God to become man: “God is great: man is miserable: Can God become a dog?”

In order to know truth, we have to go out and observe what God has actually done. Human logic must be submitted to observation. In other words, the issue is not whether or not God can become man: the real question is whether or not God did become man. And, what if He did?

The Church believed that Logic is valid because the babe of Bethlehem is the eternal Logos. However, God’s ‘Absolute Freedom’ means that our logic must follow facts, not some First Principles, “self-evident” to philosophers. Our logic cannot pre-determine truth or facts. Islam had Greek logic as well as Greek “science.” It could not produce Modern Science because without the Bible it could not break free from the grip of Greek Rationalism. European Christianity gave birth to Science because it was able to reconcile empirical observation (required by the Freedom of God) with Mathematical logic (required by the Word of God).

What are some of the “logical” implications of the fact that God did become man? Christian Humanists of the Renaissance concluded that Incarnation means that man is qualitatively different than a dog and other animals. God could become man, because man is, in fact, made in God’s image . . . bestowed with unique dignity, honor and human rights . . . as Psalm 8:5-6 asserts:

“You have made them a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned them with glory [dignitas, grandeur] and honor. . . You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet:

Christmas is about a child, but it is not childish or frivolous. Secular Humanism is killing pre-born children by the millions because, without Incarnation it is no better than Islam, lacking intellectual foundation for affirming that human beings are like God, different than animals.

If God did come to this earth to save us, then Christmas is the greatest event in history. It defines human beings. It calls for celebration. But the momentous nature of this event should motivate us also to meditate on its meaning . . . as did Mary (Luke 2:19). I, therefore, invite you to take some time in the midst of the season’s festivities to investigate these grave and foundational matters by visiting our new website www.RevelationMovement.com, which should be up and running fully soon.

-Vishal Mangalwadi, DNA Ideas Shaper

Great Commission Workshop

We have had the privilege of working with a very artistically talented YWAM (Youth with a Mission) base in Puerto Rico for several years.  This past fall, Darrow was invited to teach for two weeks on topics of the Great Commission.  Here is what the base had to say in their Christmas newsletter after his visit:

It’s always nice to hear such enthusiastic feedback after this kind of visit! Contact us about hosting your own speaking event at cindyb@disciplenations.org

More Reception Among Muslims

We recently received a very encouraging report from a Vision Conference conducted in the Middle East.  The trainer shares that the time was very stressful: most of the leaders were semi-literate and the presentations had to be interpreted into two local languages. Nevertheless, by God’s grace, the message was communicated and various seed projects were planned with a promise to complete them! Following the conference, the trainer shared about his departure ceremony:

A very elaborate departure ceremony was held for me as l was dressed fully as a local; and a presentation by the women to my wife. The highlight of the ceremony was when a mosque preacher who unknowingly was part of the participants walked forwards and said, “Having listened to the wholistic message of loving your neighbor as oneself, including your enemies and the rest of the transformational message, l hereby openly declare my departure from the Islamic faith and identify myself with the family of Jesus Christ.” Intercession was made for him by the participants. Other testimonies that came from the participants and the women in particular really encouraged me that time spent with these wonderful brethren was indeed a great blessing.

Please continue to pray for this area!

Additionally, we heard this encouraging report from West Africa:

Our semester teaching at a local college ended with lots of excitement. It is one of the best classes l have taught since l started teaching in the business college for the past 3 years. The students took special excitement and interest in the class since it was considered not only as a worldview class but a lifeview class and issues of life were critically examined as it relates to our African traditional worldview and biblical wholism. The last session was Lifework and students were put in accredited groups of accounting, business, management, finance and banking, management and human relations. They were overwhelmed to know that the Bible speaks very clearly about their courses and how they ought to practice their vocations as children of God. After the group discussions, each group reported on their work and it was revealing how they enumerated how in their vocations, one should not be fraudulent, not deceitful, steal, greedy, corrupt since the God we serve cannot be bribed. Rather, they realized that one has to work hard, be transparent, delegate work to competent people and be content with what we have and many others. At the end of the week, a Moslem student went to Church on Sunday and accepted Christ as his Lord and reported to the dean of students of his decision because of the revelation and insights from the course. He immediately called his parents and also informed them of his new decision. The dean of students called and inform me. Praise the Lord!