Our demolition and reconstruction team opens pathways to Jesus through building a road to a maternal child health clinic.
By Nicole Higgins, serving with her husband Robert in Haiti
Trou Chou Chou is a mountain community in Haiti, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, Port-au-Prince. Samaritan’s Purse has a maternal child health clinic in the heart of this area. Before the demolition and reconstruction team recently fixed the road leading to the clinic, it took at least an hour to reach it. Most vehicles could not drive up, but now, you can get to the facility in 20 minutes.
We spent eight weeks transforming this small, rutted path into a road that can be easily accessed. That amount of time allowed the Samaritan’s Purse staff to develop relationships in the community and opened the door to share the Gospel with them.
Community members often gathered around as our staff shared the Word of God. When we asked who wanted prayer, more than a hundred people raised their hands. They asked for deliverance from any spiritual darkness in the community.
Then the demolition and reconstruction and ministry teams met with the community leaders to plan a road dedication. On the day of the ceremony, our staff arrived to a crowded road. The community had come family by family; some walked a couple of miles to attend the event.
The community leaders thanked Samaritan’s Purse for all their hard work, including starting the maternal child health clinic, rebuilding the road, distributing shoe boxes through Operation Christmas Child, teaching local children about God with The Greatest Journey, and spreading the Gospel. The members of the community echoed the leaders’ praises of gratitude.
Francois, a member of the demolition and reconstruction team, spoke on behalf of the group. He said, “If I were a Haitian, I would ask myself, ‘Why did those white people come here to do work for us from a place that was so far away?’”
Francois then explained why Samaritan’s Purse worked so hard for this community.
“Samaritan’s Purse did not come to just build a road,” he said. “Anyone with the right machines could have done the work. Along with the ministry team, the demolition and reconstruction staff had the road dedication to tell the community that no one can build. Even if you try the best you can, even if you sacrifice your life, there is no one that can build the road; only Jesus builds it for us.”
Afterwards, Francois reflected on the importance of the work we accomplished, as well as the dedication ceremony.
“I remembered what I was thinking about when I was working,” he said. “When they die, they will have nothing to do with this road. But we have given them something bigger .It is a relationship with Jesus.”
That evening, the ministry team showed several short films about Jesus. For some people, this was the first time they had ever seen a movie. To hear about Christ in their language was such a blessing to them. Please pray that the people of Trou Chou Chou will continue to grow in their understanding of the Gospel.
