We’re Reaching Remote Villages

The well worn trail to Fè Yo Byen is nearly impassable in the rainy season.
The well worn trail to Fè Yo Byen is nearly impassable in the rainy season.

Several months ago, I had an amazing experience when I visited a small community near the city of Mirebalais in the Boucan Carré province of Haiti, north of Port-au-Prince. If you find Mirebalais on a map, it doesn’t look like that difficult to reach, even given the notoriously difficult road network in Haiti. However, to get to this village, you need to follow the road on the map until it ends, and then continue on the goat trails, crossing several rivers, until you arrive at a little outpost called Fè Yo Byen which means “make them well.” That is where we spent the day with the local church committee, worshipping, praying, sharing a meal of goat and coffee, and making plans for our future work together.

The church committee meets in a humble building to strategize how to best improve their community.
The church committee meets in a humble building to strategize how to best improve their community.

You can find a church at the center of nearly every village in Haiti. When strong, the church provides spiritual health, and also community services that we often take for granted here in the United States. The church at Fè Yo Byen has great spirit and vibrant worship, but they need discipleship and encouragement.

Pastor Nerva travels hours by motorcycle to minister to this remote village.
Pastor Nerva travels hours by motorcycle to minister to this remote village.

 Our escort on this particular day was Pastor Nerva. The church at Fè Yo Byen has no local pastor, and Pastor Nerva visits as often as he can to provide needed leadership and direction. Pastor Nerva’s dedication impressed me, considering it took us over three hours by truck to reach the village. Also, as you can see from the pictures, our vehicle had a very rough time on the trails. Three times, locals came out with smiles to push us out muddy ruts where we had become stuck. It was an exhilarating ride.

This is where the amazing part of the story comes in. I asked Pastor Nerva how he made the trip. It was by motorcycle! I suddenly realized that I had seen Pastor Nerva at many of the churches we visited, and he never had his own vehicle. He travels from village to village by walking, motorcycle, Tap-Tap (public taxi), or by whatever means God provides.

Even our rented 4-wheel drive vehicle had difficulty on these trails.
Even our rented 4-wheel drive vehicle had difficulty on these trails.

This illustrates the urgent need we have for a 4-wheel drive truck to support our teams in Haiti. Rental vehicles are hard to secure, and very expensive. And even fewer vehicles would be able to manage the trail to Fè Yo Byen. Won’t you please partner with us to procure a 4-wheel drive vehicle in Haiti so that we can efficiently (and safely) visit the outlying communities to provide discipleship, education, health, and nutrition services? Your contribution of $100 or more today will greatly help in raising the $12,000 we need for a reliable, used 4-wheel drive vehicle.

Our mission team became stuck on the trail several times. Thankfully God provided a grateful community to help us out!
Our mission team became stuck on the trail several times. Thankfully God provided a grateful community to help us out!

Please consider making a donation today by clicking here: DONATE NOW

God bless you for partnering with us to change lives!

Ken Strayer, Director of Development
Stone of Help Ministry