“In vision I saw two armies in terrible conflict. One army was led by banners bearing the world’s insignia; the other was led by the blood-stained banner of Prince Emmanuel. Standard after standard was left to trail in the dust, as company after company from the Lord’s army joined the foe, and tribe after tribe from the ranks of the enemy united with the commandment-keeping people of God. An angel flying in the midst of heaven put the standard of Emmanuel into many hands, while a mighty general cried out with a loud voice: ‘Come into line. Let those who are loyal to the commandments of God and the testimony of Christ now take their position. Come out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean, and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters. Let all who will, come up to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.’

“The battle raged. Victory alternated from side to side. Now the soldiers of the cross gave way, ‘as when a standard-bearer fainteth.’ Isaiah 10:18. But their apparent retreat was but to gain a more advantageous position. Shouts of joy were heard. A song of praise to God went up, and angel voices united in the song, as Christ’s soldiers planted His banner on the walls of fortresses till then held by the enemy. The Captain of our salvation was ordering the battle, and sending support to His soldiers. His power was mightily displayed, encouraging them to press the battle to the gates. He taught them terrible things in righteousness as He led them on step by step, conquering and to conquer.

“At last the victory was gained. The army following the banner with the inscription, ‘The commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus,’ was gloriously triumphant. The soldiers of Christ were close beside the gates of the city, and with joy the city received her King. The kingdom of peace and joy and everlasting righteousness was established.” –Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White, p. 228

The Lord has planted His banner in Haiti; the Captain of our salvation is fighting the battle for His people that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

My journey to Haiti began long before the actual date of April 16, 2014, when I took the flight from Montego Bay to Miami and then finally to the capital city of Port-Au-Prince. It began when I received an email from Brother Larry Watts on behalf of the General Conference on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 asking if I could help in Haiti. I immediately answered the email and told him, “yes, I can help.”

The preparation then began in earnest, booking the flight, getting the traveling bags etc., but there were many unanswered questions plaguing my mind, such as, “have I committed too quickly? Will I become sick with malaria, cholera or other diseases? Will there be an earthquake, flood or political upheaval? Will I be safe?” And still there were more questions. “What will I EAT? What are the citizens like, especially our members?”

As the time drew near for me to leave the warmth and love of my daughter, wife and church family in Jamaica there was great trepidation; however, this foreboding was minimized by prayers and support of my family and the believers. So, on April 16, 2014, I went to Haiti. I was met at the airport by Brother Simon Beaubrun who has become my uncle, guide and protector.

God in His infinite mercy had made a way to lessen my fear in Haiti. The driver of the van that took us to the place we were staying while in Port-au-Prince had been in the USA for thirty years, he spoke perfect English and Jamaican also, because his girlfriend was a Jamaican and his brother married a Jamaican.

We spent the night of April 16th in Port-Au-Prince, waking up before daylight on the next day to travel to Cap-Haitien. The first mode of transportation we took was in the back of a truck and then in a little van where seven people sat on either side facing each other. Brother Simon kept apologizing for the conditions of the state of transportation and other things but I was enjoying it. To reach Cap-Haitien from Port-Au-Prince we had to travel more than six hours on the bus. The scenery in many of the places reminded me of Jamaica. Many of the trees, flowers and fruits are the same. The roads are in a state of disrepair and there is a roadway that goes around like a maze, however goes higher and higher; there is a precipice below with no retaining walls.

Many of the houses are built in a rectangular shape giving them the appearance of a church building; you can see that the people are poor by the way they live. The streets are dirty. They have water and electricity problems. The infrastructure is atrocious but the people are strong, resourceful and kind. Brother Simon and I reached Cap-Haitien after 1 p.m. Brother Josaphat who is our Bible worker in that area met us at the bus stop and took us to the place where we would be staying for the weekend.

Throughout the rest of the day I had some meetings with Brothers Simon and Josaphat. We continued to have these meeting the following day, Friday, April 18, 2014.

Sabbath, April 19, 2014 was a very special day for the believers and friends of the Reform Movement in Cap-Haitien and Haiti. We were able to worship for the first time in a building which belongs to the International Missionary Society Seventh-day Adventist Church Reform Movement. The day began with beautiful singing led by Brother Simon. Brother Josaphat led out with the Sabbath School.

The second service was the dedication of the property to the glory of God, our Father, by whose favour we have bought this place to build His house, to the honor of Jesus, the Son of the Living God, Our Lord and Saviour, to the work of the Holy Spirit, Minister of life and light. We dedicated the place for the help of the needy, for the relief of the distressed, for the defense of God’s Sabbath and for the hastening of the coming of Christ.  With these words ringing in our ears we knew our Lord was near unto us. This service was rich with beautiful songs and hymns, the reading of the word of the Lord, the dedicatory sermon and the Act of dedication.  At the end of the service refreshments were served.  There were about 25 people in attendance.

On Sunday, April 20, 2014 Brother Simon and I were on the road going to Saint Marc, about three hours from Cap-Haitien. Saint Marc is exhilarating and terrifying at the same time because in Saint Marc the public transportation is motorbikes. People rode them without any protective gear and sometimes there were four to five people on one motorcycle. Since there are scarcely any stoplights or road traffic police, every man is a law to himself.

For my protective uncle (Brother Simon) and I to get around, we had to ride on one of these things without any protective gear. We had a lot to do in this city, people to study with and our church building to inspect, so, off we went, the two of us, as pillions on the back of one of  these bikes to visit our building site just outside the city. Approximately three-quarters of the church building is finished, however, it needs a few more blocks, windows, doors, roof, flooring and toilets. The people of Saint Marc are anxiously waiting for the building to be completed, so that they can worship, as they don’t believe in worshipping at homes but in a church building.

We went back to city after inspecting the building. We visited an Adventist home where a family of six has accepted our message. The father told me that he is one of the first people to accept our message and he is very happy; this family is helping with the construction of the building without asking for money.  At this house about 14 people gathered to hear the word of God. Through God’s power we were able to speak to them about the love of God and His beautiful Sabbath.  They had questions about the Sabbath and other holy days. They were told that there were other holy days in the Bible but these pointed to Christ and His ministry and when He died they were nailed to the cross. There are great prospects in this city and we need to have a Bible worker stationed there to maintain the interest.

On Monday April 21, 2014 we were up early to travel to Port-Au-Prince. We made our final stops by visiting a few people and praying with them.  We then took the motorbikes to the bus park to travel to the capital of Haiti.

The journey to the capital city was uncomfortable. In the bus there were about eight or nine people at the front beside the driver. At the house in Port-Au-Prince we had a meeting with the household.

Following a good night’s rest we were off to Fond Michel #1 where our Bible worker, Brother Andreus Joseph lives, and where most of our members in Haiti are. I had some meetings with Brother Andreus and visited a former sister who has gone to the ’51 movement. It is the first time I have had a conversation with a person from that church. The Bible text of 2 Timothy 3:5–7 states, “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lust, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth,” came to mind when I look back at the situation.

On Wednesday, April 23, 2014, Brothers Simon, Andreus, the engineer and I visited the site where the General Conference plans to build a church. In conversation with the engineer (who is an Adventist from Saint Marc and has an interest in our message) and others, I suggested that we need to build a multipurpose facility and not just a church building. The believers are in dire need of a place to have rooms for a school, cooking classes, a children’s Sabbath school class, and housing for visiting missionaries and official visitors.

The afternoon of Wednesday April 23 saw us climbing the hills of Fond Michel #2. The hills are steep and the view is breathtaking. We arrived after stopping to meet Brother Raynold Estimat who is the leader and teacher of our church and school. The church building is 3/4 finished; the land where the church is being built was donated to the Church by Brother Raynold’s father. To describe the school is very emotion-laden. The building is a shack about 10’ 7” X 18’, made with what seems to be rice bags, and houses approximately 45 students and two teachers. It has no restroom for the children. They  have to use the bushes behind the building to relieve themselves. No school like this should continue to be in our church and no child should have to learn in such conditions. Throughout the evening and early morning we had meetings with Brother Raynold and his family.

Early on April 24, we went to the school to meet the students and teachers.The children were decked out in their uniforms and well-groomed. It is heartening to see these children trying to learn under these conditions.

We all returned to Brother Raynold’s home where we had something to eat, talk for a while and then we headed downhill to Fond Michel #1.

Friday April 25, 2014 was relaxing in comparison to the other days. We had morning worship and studied our Sabbath school lesson. During the day, we had a meeting with the secretary of the church and made preparations for Sabbath. To welcome the Sabbath we went to the place where they worship. This place is very small with one door and a few windows made from decorating blocks, located on the edge of a cliff with the main road below. It is very frightening, watching the children going to and fro.

Sabbath April 26, 2014, O day of rest and gladness! O day of joy and light! Indeed it was a high Sabbath as God’s people gathered together at our little church in Fond Michel #1. We knew heaven was happy that the blood-stained banner of Prince Emmanuel was planted in Haiti and that the gates of hell will not prevail. The building was filled to capacity with about 40 believers and friends.

We had a marvelous Sabbath School but there was no Sabbath School Class for the children because they had no place to go. Following the Sabbath School we journeyed about 16 miles to the river. The water was a little murky but this did not stop the four dear souls from making their covenant with the Lord through baptism. Only a few brethren could attend the service because of the distance and the lack of transportation. We had the acceptance of these four souls with three others; two were baptized in February by Brother Watts and one was from the Seventh-Day Adventist church.

We were able to have a mini-baptism within the walls of the church. The old members and the newly baptized members were able to wash one another’s feet and partook of the Lord’s Supper. This wonderful service was followed by lunch, which the believers had to eat inside the church because they had no other place to go.

A band of believers traveled downhill to the piece of land the church has, where they hope, and I say, that the Church of God around the world MUST help, to build. (I do hope it will happen soon. They are in dire need). At the site we had a dedication service—NOT a ground breaking service, since a ground breaking service was not appropriate be done on the Sabbath. This could be done in the future.

After the dedication service, the faithful people (I called them the people of sacrifice) slowly journeyed uphill to their little church, their haven, where we had a question-and-answer session. The questions were mostly about marriage and discipline in that matter. The close of the Sabbath came too quickly. They wanted to ask more questions, however, the session had to come to an end because of the lack of electricity and also because we were to have a member’s meeting to deal with pressing matters. I will always remember the brethren of Fond Michel and the Sabbath I spent with them. They are poor but they are dignified and they treat others with respect. They bore their sacrifice with joy, love and a smile. They worship at a place where they have no restroom facilities, no space to do things we take for granted, but they worship the God of heaven with enthusiasm and love. They have little, but they give all.

I had to say good bye to them which was very difficult because I had come to love and respect them. Our last night in Fond Michel #1 went quickly and by 5:00 a.m. we were up to travel to Port-Au-Prince with Brother Andreus accompanying us. We reached our destination about two hours later.

In Port-Au- Prince, at the house of Brother and Sister Beaubrun Jostaine, we had a study with a group of 20 people. Three are already worshiping with the group in the capital city on Sabbath.

In Haiti the oldest male relative in the family has power over the rest of family. One of the three that worship with our people in Port-Au-Prince is the head of his family and is able to encourage the members of his family to worship with us.

The study was about the Signs of the Times and their relationship to the Sabbath. After the study, questions were asked and through the help of God, Brothers Simon, Andreus and I were able to answer their questions

On Monday, April 28, 2014, we said good bye to Haiti. I had no malaria, cholera or other diseases, and there were no earthquakes, floods or any other disasters. I returned home in good health. My foreboding was uncalled for.

Who is willing to work in the Lord’s vineyard in Haiti? Who will give of themselves, their time and talents? Who will answer, “Here am I, send me?” To whom will it be said “Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungred, and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me in: naked, and ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was in prison, and ye came unto Me.” Matthew 25:34–36

I pray that the Lord will impress upon us the urgency of the need of our brethren in Haiti and that we will do all that we can to answer their call.

May the Lord richly bless us and Godspeed.

George Gowie, Jamaica