The joy of the Lord is the strength that pierces the darkness in Haiti, and water baptism is the defining line of proclamation that you will no longer practice Voodoo.
Pastor Jean Rigal Alcidas from our Lassale church came up to me and shared some shocking news. People from his village were telling him they are still a Voodoo village and that the church will stop growing. Seldom do our churches have direct opposition from those practicing Voodoo. Pastor Jean Rigal was hosting evangelism meetings deeper within the village, and the voice of the opposition was rising.
I remember the very beginnings of our Lassale church. I was a missionary kid and would travel to this village and host outdoor church services. We used music as a
Welcome to Lassale, Haiti. This rural farming and fishing community is a mission field still in need of the Gospel—like all of the villages across the Leogane Plain where we serve.
means of attracting villagers, and then they could hear the Gospel message. Pastor Jean Rigal remembers these days as well. He was a child at the time and soon accepted Jesus as his personal Savior at our Lassale church, where he now serves as their pastor and school director.
No matter the threat or discouraging words, Pastor Jean Rigal still preaches the Good News that only God can bring hope for Haiti. The “never give up” attitude of Pastor Jean Rigal is reflected in our other pastors, too. Recently, nine people were baptized from Lassale, and Pastor Jean Rigal told me that we need to fervently and continually ask people to follow Jesus. Only Bon-Dieu (God) will help them.
Pastor Jean Rigal Alcidas from our Lassale church serves strong and will not give up on spreading the Good News of Jesus to his village.
A pastor is one who diligently cares for and serves his congregation. He also cannot be affected or influenced by naysayers, but must hold true to what God’s Word says. Jesus is the only way. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
~Tim DeTellis
Life in the village of Lassale is primitive and remote. A dirt road is the only access to this village, and the well drilled in 1986 is the only safe drinking water.
When a child enters church at New Missions, they learn about the real hope that changes lives.
