Photo by Nathaniel Watson |
The phrase “door-to-door” could make a lot of people think of an
annoying salesman. But in Haiti, more and more hear that phrase as
“freedom.”
The unemployment rate in Haiti has been horrific for ages, but since the
deadly earthquake that hit the country January 2010, even fewer
Haitians have been able to hold a job. Some estimates list the rate of
unemployment at nearly 70 percent.
Add on top of this devastating economy a terrifying cholera scare, and many are in desperate need of hope.
Enter Baptist Haiti Mission.
In the past couple of months BHM workers have, with the support of
their churches, begun a door-to-door evangelistic program.
“They organized an outreach program sharing the gospel, going around
door-to-door to different houses in the area and the community, telling
people about the love of Christ, sharing the gospel and telling them
about who Jesus is and what He’s done for us,” explains ministry Vice President Ron Sparks.
Although a door-to-door ministry may be difficult in some cultures, in
Haiti the unemployment rate actually helps make this kind of evangelism
work because people are home.
“So many people do not work. They have a little garden by their home, or
they just are around their neighborhood or at home a lot,” says Sparks.
“So there’s a lot of response.”
There are plenty of ministries in Haiti, but still many Haitians have
never heard more than the name of Jesus. BHM workers are truly changing
that as they build their new door-to-door evangelism program though.
“What these believers down there are able to share is the very real
truth of how Christ in their lives has affected them, telling people
about eternal salvation,” says Sparks.
Now that BHM has fewer and fewer cases of cholera to address in their
treatment center, even more focus can go toward these types of
outreaches and toward helping to build churches for the new believing
families that are born. Many are receptive to the gospel, and the number
of believers in the country has been shooting up since January 2010.
