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Pastor Watson's
Ministry
in
Haiti
In September 2009, I had the opportunity to
see an example of Paul's principle of "teaching faithul
men" in 2 Timothy 2:2 (read the
TOTT article). I have had the blessing of preaching
all over the country in my years of ministry but had
never been off the continent. A friend of mine, who has
been doing International Education for several years,
called me with an emergency. Due to an illness, the
professor who was supposed to accompany him to the Haiti
Bible Institute had to cancel, and I was asked if I
could go and to teach in his place.
It was a unique
experience, to say the very least. Not only was it my
first trip overseas, it was also my first time using an
interpreter (French being the national language). It was
one of the greatest joys I have ever experienced in
preaching and teaching. I had the privilege to teach two
courses ("Ephesians" and "The Foundations of Grace") to
18 men, who reminded me very much of dry sponges as a
bucket of water was poured onto them. They couldn’t get
it all, but they soaked up every word they could
possibly hold.
I relate this because it
is an example of men training other men biblically. Most
of the men I have heard of who are doing this kind of
ministry are former (sometimes even current) pastors.
The godly, committed, and carefully screened and
selected students would probably never be able to
receive adequate training if not for those who go and
teach them. The ultimate goal is that these students
themselves will one day be teaching others at the
institute.
One such ministry, the one
with which I traveled to Haiti, is On Target
Ministry (www.ontargetministry.org). Its personnel travel
all over the world (Egypt, Jamaica, Jordan, Philippines,
Romania, Ukraine, Uganda, and others) teaching and
otherwise preparing men to be pastors.
I have been graciously blessed to
be invited to return to Haiti next September (2010) and
perhaps subsequent trips. If you would like to make a tax
deductible donation to that trip (a $1,200 need)—and
only if you are able—it will be used for God’s
glory and our students’ good. (Make your check payable to “Faith Community
Foundation,” designate it to “On Target Ministry – Haiti
– Watson,” and mail it to: On Target Ministry, 2130
Grand Avenue #3, Des Moines, IA
50312.)
Another such ministry is that of Dr. Ron and
Nancy Minton (www.ron.minton.name), missionaries to the
Ukraine who labor in church planting and teaching at
International Baptist Bible College in Kharkiv and
branch locations.
I would like to encourage
you to examine the ministries noted above and support
them in whatever way God would impress upon you. Let us
all, at the very least, pray for those men who continue
to add links to God’s Chain of Teaching by taking “the
things that [they have] heard of [Paul] among many
witnesses” and “[committing them] to faithful men, who
shall be able to teach others also.”
Pastor Watson
Pictures
The students of
Haiti Bible Institute & Sunday morning,
9–6–2009 &
Mysweet and patient translator
(Wallenson Norbernt) is in the
exact center of the front row, as well
as the picture below.
My first day with an "interruptor."
Attentive, absorbent students.
Our "classroom" is an open porch at a guest house
in Porte au Prince
These guys work!
They are right with me.
Student leading music for sunday morning
worship.
Sunday morning message "But God" (Eph. 2:4) to
close out the Ephesians course.
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