This past February, my wife and I went to Haiti with CPR-3 on our first Haitian missions trip. We have both been on trips to countries before but this was our first time
Brad and Corri Gutwein with our friend, Goslin
to Haiti. We connected with CPR-3 through our friend Erin and thought it would be a great opportunity for us to see the Lord working in a culture that we were not familiar with. Our trip coincided with a team from Canada that had a partner church in Haiti, as well as our home church in Indiana that was just starting a partnership, so it was cool to see both ends of the spectrum while we were there.
One of the first things that stuck out to me when I was there was the vision that CPR-3 has as a movement. I got a chance to talk with Dan O’Deens the night he was there and was really blown away with what he has in mind for the work there. It is evident that the mission there is not just to provide for the immediate physical needs of the Haitian people, but to establish sustainable options for them to better their lives while providing for their basic needs. It was also neat to see the desire to focus on doing things in a Haitian, not American way so the people could make it their own and take ownership of the projects. This seemed to create a real pride amongst the people there!
As I mentioned we were able to spend a few days with a team from Canada who had a partnership of a few years with the local church. Their partner pastor, Dieudonne, was given the task of planning out their visit, so they had several special church events planned, like a baptism and a day of seminars, as well as a celebration of 2 years since the church was built. The team was able to seamlessly integrate with the Haitian church while they were there. I think this was a direct result of the pastor taking ownership of his team and planning their stay, as opposed to CPR-3 telling him what to do with them.
Towards the end of the stay we spent time with our church, Mission Point Community Church, as they were looking to start a partnership with a local pastor, Pastor Moise. He did not have a church yet but was looking to start one, so we got a chance to travel to a few of the locations he had scoped out. It was incredible to see his deep desire for his people and his very well-thought out plans for making this church a reality. We felt honored and encouraged to have Pastor Moise invite us and our church to be a part of his vision for that area of Haiti.
It is very clear that God is moving in Haiti and that CPR-3 is driving deep and lasting change. I am excited to see the impact that this will have on the country!
Brad and his wife Corri Gutwein live and work in Warsaw, IN. They took their first trip to Haiti with CPR-3 in February 2014.