By: Rev. Clint Poppe

"A Bloody Week in Haiti"

It had been nearly four years since my last trip to Haiti; then with a lager group, this time I was traveling alone.  Airport delays made for a very short night and as I sat on the plane unable to even converse with all but a few, I began to recount the many changes that had recently taken place. Rioting and violence had postponed an earlier scheduled trip. Severe flooding had slowed down the unrest and increased the already extreme poverty. With the help of the American government one leader had been removed and an interim government established. As we began our decent I wondered how Americans would be welcomed at this delicate time in the history of Haiti. I also wondered how it would feel to be on foreign soil on the 4th of July.

The sun was nearly blinding with its glare off the wing.  My first glimpse was the familiar sight of rusty corrugated tin on the roofs of small dwellings and smoldering fires scattered throughout the countryside.  The Haitians clapped and cheered loudly (a local custom) when the tires of the airplane touched ground.  Things went very smoothly in the airport and I was greeted by Dick Buethe and Leonard; Pastor Louis was too ill to make the trip.  A quick stop at Carradeux and a quicker lunch at the hotel and I was off to Delmas 89 where I would spend the bulk of my time teaching and preaching.

Pastor Louis looked very tired when we first met, but he quickly lit up as he told me my schedule for the week. Four to five hours of teaching each day with worship every evening would be the norm and he was looking forward to the "evangelistic crusade" of the daily evening worship.  The heat was oppressive and the smell was a combination of burning rubbish and human waste, but thankfully the wind was strong.  With my books in hand and a large supply of bottled water I made my way up to the classroom that would be my home away from home for the next several days. Several students were already waiting and excited to see that their instructor had safely arrived.

The cue for the beginning of class was always the same.  "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" was sung in Creole as the students would stand and face the front.  Following prayer it was time for me to begin.  I had been assigned the book of Hebrews, a class that had been approved by the Ministry of Cults as part of the official curriculum for the seminary.

I would lecture in English, Pastor Louis would translate into French, and the time would fly!  I began by stating the main theme of the book: the sacrificial blood of Jesus, who is both High Priest and Sacrificial Lamb, shed for the forgiveness of sin. It was a bloody beginning; it would be a very blood week indeed!!

The size of the class started out at about twelve and was well over thirty by the time we heard the singing coming from the sanctuary.  We had gone over our time by nearly an hour and the students didn't want to stop.  Their hunger for God's Word was truly inspiring.  A large crowd had gathered in the church and Leonard was playing the organ (a new addition since my last visit). Having been programed here in the states to be very conscious of time in the worship service, I asked Pastor Louis how long he would like me to preach.  With a somewhat puzzled look on his face he smiled and said, "Well I suppose that is up to the Holy Spirit."

I had decided not to preach on the book of Hebrews for the worship services, but to use related themes each day that would cover the basics of the faith.  Pastor Louis was very tired as we began the service, but again he perked up when it was time for the sermon.  I preached on John chapter 3, Jesus and Nicodemus.  The sermon was very bloody as the Son of Man is lifted up on an old rugged cross for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.  This blood washes us clean in the waters of Holy Baptism as we are born again by the Holy Spirit creating faith.

The next day, Thursday, saw Pastor Louis arrive very early at the hotel to take Dick back to the airport.  To say I was a bit nervous to be there by myself would be an understatement. Pastor Lois was back at noon to take me to class and we had a nice chance to visit on the way.  We talked of the challenges facing the Lutheran Church in Haiti.  He shared with me his concerns with the growing influence of non-sacramental churches like the Baptist and Pentecostal churches, the Voodoo so prevalent among the people and rampant in the Roman Catholic church, and the growing number of Mormon and Jehovah's Witness missionaries.  "I am Lutheran by conviction! he told me, "and I dream of a united confessional Lutheran Church in Haiti."  I marveled at this man's great faith.

The instruction again flew by as we dug deep into chapters one and two. Biblical hermeneutics and especially Old Testament interpretation were topics that generated great interest.  Again we were stopped by the organ music and congregational singing and we hurried to the sanctuary. I preached on 1 John 4 and how perfect love drives away fear.  This is love, that God sent His Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sin.

Shortly before the message, a very heavy thunderstorm moved though the city. The church was packed as people ducked inside to avoid the wind and rain and lightening. I couldn't help but think how God had arranged the storm so more could be covered with the blood of Jesus. The organ stopped working and the rest of the week we sang to with the accompaniment of the accordion.

I was very worried on Friday as Pastor Louis was quite late in picking me up from the hotel.  When he arrived I expected him to be ill, but he looked great.  He explained that he needed to go to a part of the city that was less than safe and he was detained by the police.  "If I didn't have my shotgun, they wouldn't have let me go." I decided not to ask for any more details.  Class went exceptionally well as the students were grasping well the sacramental, incarnational theology of Hebrews. Pastor had a guest translate for me in the Friday evening worship service who was not Lutheran.  Following the service he told me that he wanted to find out more about the Lutheran faith as he had never been taught such things.  While Pastor Louis needed the rest, I'm sure his plan all along was for this man to be exposed to Lutheran theology through the sermon and to get bloody while translating.  I preached on Galatians 4 and recounted the promises of God throughout Scripture, promises fulfilled in the redeeming blood of Jesus.

Saturday was an easier day as there was no evening service.  Instruction continued with the themes of Jesus as High Priest and the New Covenant. We spent much time discussing the differences between Lutheran theology and the Reformed and Roman Catholic.  The questions displayed not only a deep desire to learn but also a strong sense of pastoral care.  Saturday evening I was able to e-mail home for the first time as the storms had caused major problems at the hotel. The extra rest was greatly appreciated.

Sunday was a festive day!  It was LWML Sunday and the ladies group had several special songs to sing.  Church was once again packed and children were everywhere.  I was not as prepared as I could have been when Pastor tapped me and said it was time for the children's message. We talked about their Baptism and how there they had been connected to the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Some churches want children to be seen and not heard but not here... they are members of Christ, full and free.  I could tell that their volume was even higher on the next hymn! I preached on Isaiah 6 and Isaiah's vision of God on the throne in the midst of political uncertainty. I told them of the many July 4th customs in America and the political uncertainty there in an election year.

Through it all, God is in control!  The evening service continued the Isaiah theme with the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 52-53. It was a very bloody day. On the way back to the hotel Pastor Louis said that the troubled hearts of the people had been greatly calmed by God's Word today.  I had to fight back the tears.

Monday would be my last full day and by far the busiest. Pastor Louis arrived very early as we planned to visit several churches. First we went up the hill to Peleran.  The tiny room I had preached in years before had been transformed into a magnificent sanctuary.  We then visited Carradeux and examined the nearly complete new sanctuary there. Then we made the long trek to the new property at Lilivois.  I was not prepared for what I was about to see.

Along the way we talked of the future of the church in Haiti.  Pastor Louis told me of his journey to the Lutheran faith and how the now sainted Dr. Robert Preus had been such a great inspiration and encourager for him.  He was thankful for the tremendous support he had received for 25 plus years but concerned that the work would continue after he was called to heaven. "We need more Lutheran pastors to come and teach so our young men can be well trained and ordained." 

As we drove through the crowded streets I asked about the humanitarian need of the people.  He told me that the needs in Cite Sole' were too great to even explain.  His dream of a food warehouse and medical clinic there are on hold because of the unsafe conditions.  Completion of the facilities there would have to be hired out as it is much too dangerous for volunteer workers. We talked of Orphan Grain Train and Lutheran World Relief and how they might be of help.  Finally we would our way to the Lilivois site.

I was stunned by the beauty of this area in the midst of heartbreak and poverty.  The first buildings for the orphanage are nearing completion and the outline of a security wall is in place.  This location may be the key to the humanitarian aid problem!  Once the first buildings are complete and the wall is finished, there will be a safe place to receive and store and distribute rice and beans and other humanitarian aid. Pastor beamed as I dreamed out loud of hundreds and hundreds of bags of food to be distributed to the poorest of the poor.

We hurried back for class and I could tell that the long morning had taken its toll on Pastor.  He was tired and looked very weak as we began class.  It was obvious to all that he could not continue for long but he would not stop the class.  One of the young students approached me and then Pastor Louis.  After a brief discussion (argument?) Pastor agreed to let the young student translate for me.  Several other students helped Pastor down the steps and to his office for rest. We focused on infant Baptism, the real presence in the Lord's Supper, and the doctrine of election.

We started the worship service without him and when it was time for the sermon he was right there, with a gleam in his eyes.  He seemed to get stronger as the sermon progressed.  I preached on Genesis 22 and the near sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham, and the picture God paints here of Christ as the sacrificial lamb that takes our place.  I preached for well over an hour and when I was done Pastor Louis said he was sorry it was over so soon.  As we left the sanctuary the congregation clapped and cried and waved goodbye as they sang "Thy Strong Word" in Creole.

On the way to the airport the next morning he quizzed me on how soon I could come back.  We talked about the classes that had been approved by the Ministry of Cults and of the four men very close to ordination. As we parted I wondered when I would see him again, and if it would be on this side of heaven.  In a few hours I was back in America and in a few more I was home in Lincoln.  The bloody week of teaching and preaching was over for me, but by the grace of God it will bear fruit long after I'm gone, perhaps even to a generation yet unborn.

"May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."  Hebrews 13:20-21

Rev. Clint K. Poppe
June 29-July 6, 2004