John McHoul wrote an update on the Heartline Blog that really encompasses quite well what they are doing and what, in my opinion, ministry in Haiti needs to be. You’ve heard the term – “A hand up, not a hand out?”
We during past several days have had the privilege ministering to men at our recent seminar entitled: The Servant Christ / The Servant Believer. We also had the privilege of attending a program put on by the students that you send to school through the Heartline Sponsorship Program. MEN’S SEMINAR We on Saturday November 7th held a seminar for sixty men, who came even though it rained hard through out the night before. We left my house at about 7:00 AM to get to the church early to help set up for the seminar. If I wasn’t driving my high off the ground Toyota pick up truck, I’m not sure that we would have made it to the seminar. The water was rushing down the street and in some places it was sitting in the road at 2 feet and higher. I have asked God to put a longing in my soul that will not be quenched until we have a ministry that will effectively make a difference in the lives of men, in the lives of husbands and fathers. I strongly believe that whatever we do must be on a foundation built on godly principles. And so we are looking to disciple, mentor, and engage a group of men to honor God by how they live, work, and care for others. I can’t overstate our need for prayer as we press in to God for His plan for Heartline in making a difference in the lives of men who can make a difference in the lives of other men. 2And the [instructions] which you have heard from me along with many witnesses, transmit and entrust [as a deposit] to reliable and faithful men who will be competent and qualified to teach others also. We are not looking to establish a program where we simply teach the men a trade and hope that they find jobs. We are looking to disciple and mentor and build community. HEARTLINE STUDENTS PUT ON A GREAT PROGRAM Looking at the students sitting in the front seats in their t-shirts I began to thank God for those that sponsor these kids to attend school. I also thought of how far we have come when Junior, P, and I sat around the office and talked about how good it would be if Heartline sponsored kids to go to school. An amazing amount of work has gone into this to make this a reality. I am thankful for the Stateside Heartline people, especially Allison, and here in Haiti P (real name is Pierre but we call him P) that have worked to make this happen. There kids have a reason to get up in the morning. They are receiving an education and two meals a day at school. I am already thinking about next year as we look to LOSE SIGHT TO GAIN VISION. I believe that there are still a few kids that are not being sponsored. Check out the Heartline Student Sponsorship Program by clicking here. We a couple of years back talked about a beading/jewelry program and right now we have begun the classes for this and expect to have beautiful hand made jewelry available before the end of the year. WHAT ELSE IS ON THE TABLE: Please pray for Haiti! Pray for its people! Pray for a stop to the cholera crisis! Pray for Heartline as we endeavor to be the hands of Christ in Haiti. John
This is not a river but a couple of places in the street which we had to go through to get to the seminar.
We worshiped and had teaching sessions led by Roger Clark and Aaron Hendricks,had small groups, ate, worshiped, had a teaching session, had small groups and ended with a time of foot washing.2 Timothy 2:2 (Amplified Bible)
Small Group
We ended with a time of foot washing
The program put on by the Sponsor Students was terrific. We arrived about 45 minutes late due to a traffic jam and yet we found the kids and their families waiting patiently. There was the usual one volume loud music blaring and the mic had some interesting sound effects when in use. But it was a wonderful place to be. There was prayer, the kids welcomed us and sang for us, food was served and nice things were said about Heartline. The local gang type guys even had shirts made which they and all the students wore. These guys did a GREAT job.
So much of what we at Heartline do begins with sitting and talking around the table in the office.