Submitted by Peter Ramsay on behalf of Verlandieu Marcellus who fellowships with the believers at Pennsauken Gospel Hall, New Jersey.
The gospel work among the Haitian people in Hammonton, N.J., started in the summer of 2002. Sisters Trudy and Judy Odom of the Barrington assembly (N.J.), and others, were visiting Mexican migrant workers the previous year with the gospel in Spanish. They took notice of the Haitian people nearby at the Mohawk farm. However, no one in the group spoke Haitian Creole which meant, unfortunately, nothing could be done as far as Gospel outreach was concerned.
The following year, while the Christians were visiting the Mexican labourers again, I was asked to translate for Brother Andre from the Barrington assembly who was to preach to the Haitian people. My Creole was poor and my translation, at best, was paraphrases of Andre’s messages. Since that time, I have been associated with the work with the Haitian migrant workers. Others have been a tremendous help through much-needed encouragement, prayer, help with the cost of driving, typing and printing up Creole hymn sheets, providing Bible texts, tracks, Bibles, reaching out to the English-speaking children and even with the preaching.
Nine years later, four new farms have been discovered, while the work that started at the Mohawk farm still continues. Visits begin around June and usually run to August. Receptivity varies year to year, farm to farm, week to week and visit to visit but, on the best day this year, we had over forty in attendance and on the lowest - six. Women, except for one farm, usually make up over seventy-five-percent of the meetings which are usually outdoors as we do not like to impose on those who are resting, especially those who aren't interested. At one farm, the women prefer that we speak indoors and if there is ever a threat of rain we are asked inside.
Visible fruit is obscured by the fact that the same people do not always return. Every year, there is the added excitement of finding out how we will be received but the Lord has been good in that there have always been those who wanted to listen. We count it a privilege to tell precious souls of God’s free forgiveness of sin through faith in Christ while not pushing formulaic prayers, nor encouraging empty professions, to affect results. If there has been any fruit, we are content that it is known to Him.
We ask that you might pray for this work.
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