Jacques Louis is a pastor in Haiti who also works as the business manager for S.T.E.P. and as a representative for Churches Helping Churches in Haiti. During my recent visit, I asked Pastor Jacques if he’s hopeful for Haiti. His answer was mixed. On one hand, he’s grateful for the relief, support, and supplies that have flooded in from around the world. On the other hand, he’s not super optimistic given the state of the government and its leaders. I felt a similar tension from the moment I stepped off the plane in Port-au-Prince. You can’t help but want to jump in and tackle the needs one by one, but the sheer volume of work is overwhelming. So what is the best response? How can we as a church continue to help Haiti—and other areas of need—for both the short and the long term? The best place to start looking for answers is the Bible.

What God Says

Sure enough, scripture calls us to a variety of responses:

1. Care for orphans and widows
2. Pray for our brothers and sisters
3. Financially support the church in need
4. Be witnesses to all nations
5. Lift up Jesus as the only source of permanent hope, healing, and redemption

The Gospel is the Gospel

The power of the Jesus was perhaps the most profound take-away for me during the Haiti Pastors Conference. It may seem odd for American pastors to preach about suffering to Haitians, but the gospel is the gospel: it’s about Jesus, not us. I saw Haitian pastors moved to repentance, celebration, and unity—not by the eloquence of any speaker (American or Haitian) but by the faithful teaching of God’s Word. Neither the Bible nor the Holy Spirit is bound by any culture, race, nation, or language; all of us desperately need Jesus. My prayer is that what’s next for Haiti is that the Holy Spirit would carry the gospel throughout Haiti, and that one day thousands of Haitian brothers and sisters will join us around the throne of Jesus.

Churches Helping Churches

Churches Helping Churches will continue to respond with this hope and God’s Word in mind, investing in the local church, caring for the local church, and empowering the local church to proclaim boldly the good news of Jesus. Follow Pastor Jamie's updates from Haiti on Twitter and Facebook. Also, check out CHC's photos on Flickr from Pastor Jamie and others to see more from the recent Haitian pastors retreat and Port-au-Prince.