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Haiti Vision Expedition - Aug. 14 - 18, 2008

MNA ShortTerm Missions arranges vision trips to strategic areas in North America including Canada and parts of the Caribbean. We do this to help PCA folks explore ministry in a different context than they normally minister by introducing churches and individuals to our PCA ministries. This introduction purposefully initiates and strengthens partnerships which lead to the advancement of the Gospel more quickly.

A person standing alone can be attacked & defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer.  Three are even better, for a strand of three cannot easily be broken Ecclesiastes 4:12

Some trips offer a limited opportunity for hands-on ministry, but the primary focus is always on casting and catching of a vision for future and larger involvement than could be accomplished in the short initial visit. Our hope is that once you come and drink, your thirst will not be quenched.

Who should participate?

Folks who go on a vision trip do so for different reasons. If your church is already involved in the PCA’s church planting initiative in Haiti, you might want to send newly appointed members from your mission committee or team to deepen your church’s involvement, thereby cultivating a deeper more intimate relationship with the workers “on the ground”.

Many churches have never been involved in missions or church planting, especially in a multi-cultural context, and are wondering what it is all about. Participating in this way provides a broad overview of what is happening in the trenches and introduces you to El Shaddai Ministries, led by PCA Pastor and MNA Haitian Ministries Coordinator Dony St. Germain. El Shaddai has taken the lead in launching more than 20 churches and mission churches in Haiti through December 2007. Ten new mission churches are projected to be launched during 2008; won’t you come and see how the Holy Spirit is moving powerfully in Haiti?

Vision trip participants sometimes come from churches that are exploring new sites or ministry opportunities based on the strategies and objectives of their own church. Still others are seeking to formulate for the first time a missions focus and policy, so are interested in a broader ministry overview.

Some who visit the field are interested in seeing personally the ministries in which they are investing, or they may be seeking where God might have them invest resources in the future. Just getting a bigger vision for missions, or even seeking direction regarding a possible call to the field could motivate someone to join a trip. If you see yourself represented in any of these categories you are invited to join us.

When?

August 14-18, 2008. You should arrive in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida by Wednesday evening, August 13. We will depart from Ft. Lauderdale Airport as a team at 6:00 am on Thursday morning, August 14. We will fly to Port Au Prince to begin our Vision Expedition. We will return to Ft. Lauderdale on Monday August 14 late in the evening. Check with us before you plan connecting flights.

What will we do and see?

While in country, we will visit numerous church plants, church schools, orphanages, and micro-businesses. We will live in community with indigenous Haitian families.

After we clear customs in Port Au Prince, we will make the rugged three hour journey to Gonaives in SUV’s, arriving for a late lunch with church leaders. We will visit three churches in the region. This is an area that is just a few hours south of Miami and desperate for the Gospel. Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and has been forgotten as a whole by the North American church. As Pastor Dony guides us through Gonaives, you will see an area that was crushed by Hurricanes Jeanne and Dean. Hurricane Jeanne left over 3,000 dead or unaccounted for and severely affected another 300,000, including 150,000 children. While in the area our team will be hosted by Haitian families or in a local lodge. El Shaddai and Pastor Dony have been faithful to do their part to: “Go into the entire world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.” Mark 16:15. Three churches have been planted, but there is more work to be done. See directly how you can be part of what God is doing in Haiti.

On Friday we will return to Port Au Prince and immediately fly to Les Cayes, which is located in the southern region, and central to our church multiplication efforts there. Over the next few days we will visit in the communities of Cassa Major, Arniquet, Port-Salut, Cambry, Bighouse and Darivage where churches have been established. We may undertake a work project and/or help conduct a bible club in one of the communities on church grounds. Flexibility is the key word while in Haiti. We will be hosted by the St. Germain family.

On Sunday we will worship in Cayes at the Bon Berger Church, pastured by Louis St. Germain.  Louis, also a PCA pastor, is Dony’s brother and provides the on-site leadership for church planting in Haiti. Sunday afternoon we will be hosted by the church for lunch and then take a walk through several local communities and experience local culture. Sunday evening we will worship at one of the mission works in an outlying area where portable generators are used to illuminate the church.

We will fly to Port Au Prince on Monday morning where we will debrief as a team and then make a connecting flight to Ft. Lauderdale in the afternoon, arriving in time to make a connecting flight home, if necessary.

Other important information:

Often Haiti is portrayed as a country that has received a disproportionate amount of disasters, but often they were not natural, but human caused. Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. With oil too expensive for the impoverished nation, charcoal produced from burnt trees has provided 85% or more of the energy for decades. Haiti's 8 million poor have relentlessly hunted and chopped down huge amounts of forest, leaving denuded mountain slopes that rainwater washes down unimpeded. As recently as 1980, Haiti still had 25% of its forests, allowing the nation to withstand heavy rain events; today less than 2% of Haiti's forests remain.

Notice:

All travelers to Haiti must have valid passports. Your must plan to get a passport now!

Under new government regulations travelers to and from the Caribbean are required to have a passport to enter or re-enter the United States. To find out how to get a passport, visit the State Department's travel website at http://www.travel.state.gov or call the U.S. National Passport Information Center at 877-487-2778. To find a passport issuing location near you, click here: http://www.iafdb.travel.state.gov/.

Team size:

Space is limited. Our Haiti Vision Expedition is limited to eight team members.

Cost:

Per Person: $350 plus airfare from Ft. Lauderdale *—This includes any resource materials, lodging, and local transportation while in the country—everything you will need while participating. Fees are paid directly to El Shaddai Ministries. There is a non-refundable deposit for the group, based on the team size. The deposit confirms your place on the team. The fees are for the sole purpose of covering costs facilitating the Vision Expedition; MNA receives no income or financial benefit from the fees paid. We want you to use God’s money for ministry.

* Airfare from Ft. Lauderdale to Port Au Prince is volatile but usually totals about $350.

How do we signup or get more information?

Contact Arklie Hooten ahooten@pcanet.org / 678-294-3011 or

MNA ShortTerm Missions Facilitator, Sherry Lanier slanier@pcanet.org / 679-294-3012

Sharon St. Germain esmieletter@aol.com / 786-200-9422 or

Visit El Shaddai on the web.

Read about El Shaddai and Haitian Ministries in Multiply.

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