September 2024

A Report from Pastor Daniel

To the Vine Ministry Supporters:

Greetings from Port-au-Prince Haiti in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I hope this finds you and your family well. I am glad to send you this update to let you know how God has been working through the various ministries the Lord has given us in Haiti for his glory and the furtherance of His Kingdom in Haiti.

We praise the Lord for his mercy and grace. He has been sustaining us in spite of all the daily dangers we have been facing in Haiti, especially in Port-au-Prince, as we serve the Lord.

As you know, the situation in Haiti has not improved. This is unfortunate. Things still look terrible, though part of the multinational forces led by the Kenyans have arrived. So far, only Kenya and Panama have sent troops to that mission. Meanwhile, the gangs have been multiplying their criminal acts. It seems the new interim government is not acting fast enough to at least begin to defeat the gangs. Please, continue to pray for Haiti – up to 80% of the capital city is under gangs’ control) to be free from gang activities. The country is plunged into a financially chaotic situation as well.

We praise the Lord who has kept our church building safe. We have seen many churches being sacked and emptied in our neighborhood. But the Lord has protected us so far from direct attacks of the gangs.

1. By God’s grace, the Vine Church in Port-au-Prince was able to have its 32nd annual Bible Conference from 30 June to 7 July 2024. That was a blessed week in the life of the Church. We had nine preaching services from Sunday morning 30 June to Sunday evening 7 July. The central theme of the conference this year was “O God, restore us (Psalm 80:4). We praise God for the positive impact of His word in many lives. Many were encouraged by God’s spiritual provision.

On Saturday 6 July, we baptized 17 new believers. And on Sunday 7, during the morning worship service, we welcome them as new members along with 10 others who joined through affiliation. The latter are Christians from other Bible-believing churches who love our congregation and decide to join. So, in total, we welcome 27 new members into the fellowship of our church this year. Please, pray for their spiritual growth as we try to help them walk with Jesus through preaching and teaching of the word and pastoral care.

Right after the Bible conference of the Vine Church, on Monday 8 July we were on the road to the Northwestern part of Haiti, La Pointe des Palmistes, to preach another annual Bible Conference held by UEBH (Union Evangélique Baptiste d’Haiti - Haiti Evangelical Baptist Union), a large Network of Baptist Churches. STEP, the Seminary where I teach is under that association. There were at least 3,000 people who attended from various churches. The theme was “Let us hold fast our confession” (Heb. 4:14).

Due to the unstable situation in Haiti, we were forced to cancel the leader’s camp, which we were going to have in Hinche. That is unfortunate. For through Bible Study, fellowship, and more, we were going to have a refreshing time with the representatives sent by the satellite churches including the Pastors, the deacons, and their wives.

We pray that the time will come when we will have such an important meeting. But, as for now, we cannot even choose the new dates yet, because the socio-political climate is not yet favorable. We thank the Lord who has provided the money for it through Vine Ministry. But we have not been able to use it yet. We are waiting for the right time.

2. Right after the Bible conference in La Pointe des Palmistes, I had to teach a class on Homiletics for 14 students. This is a special summer program offered by the Seminary for people who desire to train for ministry but cannot be full-time students. It is a one-week course and I had to teach from 9h AM to 4:00 PM. Praise God, the students and I were able to make it through by His grace.

Because of the socio-political turbulence in Haiti, we could not hold our graduation ceremony on time this year. We were supposed to have it in May. But it was not wise to have a big gathering such as a graduation ceremony when gangsters could be all around. So we had to postpone the ceremony for Saturday 20 July, hoping things would go better regarding security in the country. Well, things have not been better since. But the Lord did allow us to hold the ceremony, and it went well. 

By His grace, 11 students graduated from our Master’s program (organizational Leadership & Management), and 19 in the Bachelor’s degree program. I had the privilege of being chosen by the students as their graduation Sponsor. By the way, in Haiti, the graduation sponsor is like a spiritual guide for the graduating students. It does not have anything to do with giving money.

3. The Bible Translation Ministry is going well. I am working my way through Ezekiel. Once I am done with it, Job will be the last one to work on. Please, pray for wisdom and strength. Sometimes, I feel that I can’t do all this. But the Lord keeps reminding me that it is not by my own might or strength but by His Spirit. The Food Program is a blessing to many, especially the widows of the Vine Church and the family of the leaders in Satellite churches. May the Lord bless the donors who generously and regularly give toward that program. 

Thank you so much for your prayers. It is encouraging to know that people like you are praying for us, as we labor on the field for the glory of God. May the Lord bless you and your family, as you continue to serve Him.

Daniel Telfort

For the four of us

Thank you and God bless,

Rev Greg Golden, Executive Director     
412-965-5505  |  greg@vineministry.org
P.O. Box 1435 Indiana, PA 15701-5435

Evelyn Dick, Founder
229-291-3480
Haitibabemema1@aol.com

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