BCMS : UPDATE FROM THE MISSION FIELD, JUANA MENDEZ

Grace and peace to you and yours brothers and sisters,

Our current situation is completely indescribable; The country is divided into 10 departments, 42 cities, 145 municipalities, and 571 municipal sections. But, the capital of Haiti is located in one department, and everything you need to live as a human being come from the capital or you have to go to the capital to find it.

All the difficulties we are going through is very much because we cannot reach the capital due to the criminal activities of the gangs that are in the westside of the country.

If we are honest, we can say we are only eating thanks to the Lord. But although others may not admit it, the Dominican Republic and other countries are helping our country too. But there is heavy a tension and that is what hurts me, because the Dominican authorities are often humiliating people in their treatment with the Haitians in their country. 

The situation is difficult to put into words. They sell us expired products. I went today to change expired sardines they sold me and they left it to in order to sell it to another person. Oftentimes, my people do not protest easily, more if it is cheap and something needed. There are some things I cannot even say here. As believers, we are constantly having to guard our hearts in the face of suffering and injustice.

If it were not for those neighboring countries, like the United States that sellsus products of all kinds, nobody knows what would be of us. There is no work, no money, life is totally difficult. If the capital does not work properly, the whole country is paralyzed, it is the capital that ultimately determines the good and the bad of the rest of the country. Our country exists with almost no authorities or guidance, only the national police are functioning. No government, no president, no order. 

Please pray for me. In the next few days, I will be visiting a dispensary for the people of Juana Mendez, where thousands of people come every day. It seems that almost everyone is in need and it can get a bit rough there.

I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude to the Lord and to the brothers and sisters who pray for me and support our efforts. I usually am a working man. I like to work and produce for myself and my family. Unfortunately, right now there isn´t any work. So especially in these very difficult times here, I am very thankful for BCMS, because due to the Lord´s provision through our partners, I can pay for my children’s studies, our food, and praise God that my children have not been seriously ill, because the hospitals in Haiti cannot help us very much.

Recently, I have had the privilege of preaching the Gospel in a few different towns. But in Juana Mendez (Ouanaminthe), the Lord recently crossed my path with the director of a home for the elderly. There are over 60 people living there, but sadly they struggle to  feed them daily. The director shared with me that there are days they don´t have anything to offer them. After speaking with Antonio, we quickly did what we could to take them some food that should last at least 12-15 days. We saw this as a way to show compassion to a vulnerable group and an opportunity to share the Gospel with those who are reaching the end of their lives. 

I also recently visited the hospitals in Juana Mendez to share the Gospel and pray with many sick people whose conditions were very sad. We shared and prayed with a woman who was very ill and couldn’t talk or eat. Another woman who was very ill and all alone but has a husband to went to find work in the DR to try to help her. Another man with a prostate cancer and many others. Apart from sharing Christ and praying with them, we also helped them to cover the cost of a few medications. Please pray for the many people who God has brought across my path that I have shared the Gospel with. That the Lord would open their hearts to receive Christ. 

Please continue to pray for me as the apostle Paul says,

Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.” – Ephesians 6:19

In Christ,

Leonel Riviere

BCMS partner in Ouanaminthe, Haiti

(Translated by Antonio Salgado

“I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” – Philippians 1:3-5

Please pray for our BCMS workers serving faithfully in hard places. May the Gospel continue to go forth, to God be the glory.

If the Lord so lies on your heart to give back to Him by supporting this ministry, you can easily donate online through PayPal. Click the donate button below to send support of any amount directly to the ministry. This is the fastest option to get funds to the mission field.

 

 

Also,

CENTRAL MISSIONARY CLEARINGHOUSE
P.O. Box 219228
Houston, Texas 77218-9228
1-800-CMC-PRAY (1-800-262-7729)
Office: 281-599-7411
Fax: 281-599-7511

You may begin sending your support to BCMS/Antonio Salgado at any time at the address above. (Checks should be made payable to Central Missionary Clearinghouse or C.M.C.)
You can also now give to the ministry online through the new giving solution called “click and give” at the CMC website. To get started, you just need to click on the link below and register the first time. Just a simple click on the donate button on their page (see link below), and then click the “click and give icon/button”.

 

https://www.cmcmissions.org/donate

 

For tax exemption, you must send your donation through Central Missionary Clearinghouse (CMC) at the address above. PayPal option is the fastest way to get funds directly to the field in case of emergencies. We do not use a sending agency that gets a percentage of the money donated, so you can be sure that your gift goes directly to the mission field. Whatever you decide, thank you so much for praying for us. Grace and peace.

 

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