Reformation Hope E-Report | Sometimes Politics Directly Impacts Theology

An Update from the Field

Reformation Hope's executive director, Martin Hawley, was recently in Haiti for a two-week visit. What follows are on-the-ground reports concerning the situation in-country and the progress of our many kingdom projects with the Haitian people.

On Friday, September 11th, a group of Voodoo practitioners invaded a small rural church in Pastor Jean Paul's network and tried to remove by force a three-year-old girl, who was hiding there with her parents to avoid the child being used in a sacrificial ritual. The pastor and deacons fought the Voodoo attackers and put two of them in the hospital. However, although the little girl was not taken, the local Voodoo priest (who was the mastermind for the attacks) called down three evil spirits who possessed the girl. Jean believes this family was open to attack because they were not baptized believers active in the church.

Because the Voodoo assailants were injured, they complained to the police, who promptly arrested the pastor for the Haitian equivalent of assault. Pastor Paul had to go and explain to the police chief what had happened and managed to get this network pastor released. In the meantime, word came to Jean that the little girl was close to death—unable to eat and in a coma. The local hospital sent her home to her parents, telling them to make arrangements for her funeral. After morning worship at Pastor Danny's church in Croix-des-Bouquets, Pastor Paul drove to the community where the little girl lives. He met up with another Haitian pastor who has dealt with demon possession many times.

Together, these two pastors prayed and then began the process of setting apart the family's house unto God. They then struggled in the Spirit with the spiritual forces of darkness from about 3 p.m. until 11 p.m. Three separate spirits were exorcised from the child and afterward, she returned to normal, eating, drinking, and playing again. Immediately after this kingdom victory, Jean and the other pastor held a worship service and baptized the entire household, including the little child.

While we might be tempted to dismiss such dramatic accounts in the United States, these occurrences are quite common in the spiritual struggle for dominion in Haiti.

Perhaps it is not so surprising for someone to say that politics sometimes impacts theology. There is a great deal of dialogue and even conflict in America right now between these two spheres which so strongly affect our culture and which overlap one another. In Haiti, however, the impact of politics on theology is sometimes much more concrete than in the U.S. For example, the second and third weeks of September this year were witness to a series of rolling protests in the Marin/La Plaine community where our mission is based. These protests and small riots included makeshift roadblocks, put together from anything readily at hand (government vehicles whose tires have been flattened, small portable buildings, boulders, tires, rocks, and so on). Sadly three children and an older lady perished in these clashes along with two national police officers. The civilian deaths took place due to the use of tear gas canisters, which in some cases were fired into enclosed spaces, concentrating the noxious fumes.

The protests were to get the government's attention about unfulfilled pledges to pave some of the main roads — including the road in front of our new medical clinic and Bible college compound. Coupled with the rising frustration over the prolonged and disputed national elections here, these blockades and protests grew large and thus they disrupted Haitian daily commute and work patterns in the areas where the roads were made impassable. You can see how the road immediately past our new compound was effectively blocked in this photo.

Thus during the recent two week theology class term, featuring the books of Hebrews and Revelation, there were times when the class had to start late or without some students — who simply could not get to our Bible college from their homes. By the middle of the second week, classes at the Bible college as well as classes for all Haitian schools were canceled for the safety of the students. It is hoped that this situation will clear up as soon as the final round of elections are held this month, or certainly once the new government is in place. Pray for the transformation of politics and government in Haiti as kingdom theology — the Gospel — directly impacts the political scene and Haitian politicians.

As you can see from the latest photos, the new orphanage construction continues to move ahead with the foundation work nearly completed on the girls' dormitories. The boys' side is not as far along. The dormitory foundations will be completed before the foundation work will proceed on the kitchen/dining/auditorium. Construction pace has recently slowed a bit due to the protests and roadblocks, which have slowed the supply of materials to the work site. We are still in need of financial support as well as prayers, in order to bring this New Joy House from the foundation stage to the building construction stage and then to final completion. You can give to this project today online, at www.reformationhope.org/new-orphanage.htm or by mailing a check to: Reformation Hope, Inc. 12195 Hwy 92 • Suite 114-317 Woodstock, GA 30188

Last month, a team of health care professionals from the Port Lafito hospital project visited Reformation Hope's medical clinic at our new compound. The team, led by Dr. Lee Jacobs, provided health assessments for expectant mothers and for newborns and infants. Their work is part of a plan to build a healthcare grid system for the nation of Haiti, making resources available to stem the crisis of infant and mother mortality — which is higher in Haiti than anywhere else in the western hemisphere. Once the new hospital is built, our medical clinic will be one of the referring healthcare partners in the prenatal and neonatal grid.

Most exciting was that as the team treated the mothers and infants, there were two professions of faith in Jesus Christ!

The next team coming to minister at the clinic is connected with Mission to the World (MTW) and includes two of the doctors who have been our consultants for the medical clinic from planning to completion to operations — Dr. Wiley Smith and Dr. Richard Kennedy. Their work on this trip will focus on helping set up our lab facility, as well as treating patients.