As promised a couple of weeks ago when we made our announcement, I want to use this space to explain a little bit more about what my family and I will be doing as missionaries in Haiti. First of all, I should apologize for the way some of you found out about this change. I explained it briefly in worship on November 29, but those who weren’t at church that Sunday found out either through the grapevine or by vague references in worship on following Sundays. That wasn’t an ideal way to spread the news, but hopefully after reading this article everyone will know what is going on.
Just to review a little bit, over the past year and a half we were in discussions with both the RCA and CRC World Missions departments about possibly serving in Haiti in the future. A couple of months ago a position opened up through the CRC, who have maintained a permanent presence in Haiti for over 25 years. One of the two families serving there will leave in the summer of 2016, and a replacement was needed. They invited us to apply for the position. After a lot of discussion and prayer we felt led by God to accept the position and begin raising missionary support at the start of the New Year. Our goal will be to move to Haiti in the summer of 2016, and I plan to continue working at ARC until that time while raising funds on the side.
Sous Espwa “Source of Hope” is the Creole name of CRC’s ministry in Haiti. From that platform the ministry partners with a network of Christian schools, Haitian CRC churches, Back to God publications and broadcasts, and several other new and existing programs. My role will be “Consultant for Leadership Development and Youth.” I will be involved in Timothy leadership training, organizing a national network of Impact Groups, “Street Psalms” (a cutting-edge urban ministry model), and various other duties as assigned. The main office is in Port-au-Prince, but my role will require some travel in Haiti and occasionally internationally for conferences, etc…
Our family will live and work in Port-au-Prince (population 3 million+ if you include the slums and suburbs), which will be an adjustment from the quiet little village where we once lived in Haiti. However, educational opportunities for our kids will be much stronger, and we look forward to interacting more with Haitian people who are national leaders in ministry and other sectors of society. Lynn will focus mainly on bringing stability and direction to our home life, which is a big job in Haiti where daily tasks can be a bigger deal. She may also be involved at times in the ministry of Sous Espwa.
THE FUTURE OF H.I.M.- Right now we are weighing options regarding Haitian International Ministries, which is essentially a branch of ARC. We will bring a recommendation to the consistory soon and will keep you all informed of the future of that ministry effort. Please continue to pray for Zacharie as well as the leaders and students at the deaf/disabled school.
The next year will be quite a journey for us, but also for the ARC family, as this chapter in our lives gradually draws to close and a new chapter begins. We are so thankful for your investment in us as we have served here, and we look forward to continuing the relationship in the years ahead. We hope to see the adventurous ones among you come down to visit us some day, and we will return every few years to see all of you again. We know God has a great plan for all of us in the future, and we look forward to daily discovering what that will be!
Cory Grimm