About
At first glance, the name “Ebenezer Discipleship Training Center” may seem a little strange. In fact, those who hear it for the first time often have a perplexed look on their face. However, when the testimony is heard of how God is providing for this ministry, it becomes clear that there is a lot of meaning in the name.
If you travel to Haiti, the condition of the country instantly grabs you. The poverty, the living conditions, the sick and hurting people, and the immoral condition of those outside AND inside the church is right out in the open. Voodoo and many other mixed religions have turned the name of Jesus into more of a good luck charm instead of the One Name by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
In working with the pastors in Haiti, we found many who have passion for the gospel yet few who grasp even simple theology. Pastors are often at odds with each other instead of being united in Jesus Christ. In 2008, a vision was born. If we could train pastors in basic theology and in the common language of Creole (most seminaries in the country are taught in French), then we could raise up an army of native missionaries that could bear much more fruit than their foreign counterparts. This vision was shared with 70 pastors at a training session. After much weeping and praying, they shared that no one had ever told them that they were responsible for the gospel in Haiti! They were so excited and we knew that we were in God’s will.
We then laid out all the things that would need to happen in order to start a training center. The largest obstacle was facilities. Everything that we looked at cost between $200,000 and $300,000. This is a lot of money for start up—especially in a down economy. At this time, Troy Livesay (a missionary in Haiti) had a meeting with a Haitian woman named Gladys. She is the founder of “Canaan”, an orphanage in Mountrious (pronounced mo-we). We had always been impressed with her facilities and the incredible way that the kids were being raised. What we didn’t know is that her father had been a native Haitian missionary and a church planter. In his lifetime, he had planted almost 300 churches called Ebenezer—his first being in Petit Goave.
During the meeting with Troy, Gladys shared that, after her father’s death, the Ebenezer churches were starting to fall apart due to a lack of knowledge and truth with the pastors. She asked Troy if he knew of anyone who had the vision to train pastors or who might know what to do in this situation. After Troy shared with her our vision, an instant partnership was formed. In February 2009, we met with Gladys in Petit Goave where she donated a house and large church to start the training. God provided what we could not!
As we thought about a name, we researched what Ebenezer meant. The answer is in I Samuel 7. It was a time when Israel had turned away from the Lord and the country was in disarray. The people realized that they needed God and that they would not survive without Him, so they asked Samuel to offer a sacrifice on their behalf. As they gathered for the sacrifice, the Philistines came against them. The Israelites were afraid and cried out to the Lord. As they did, God threw the Philistines into chaos and they were defeated by God. Samuel then held out a stone and called it “Ebenezer”, the stone of help, because the Lord had brought them this far.
We believe this is still true today. Ebenezer stands as a testament to God’s faithfulness, and we believe that if the people of Haiti turn back to the Lord, the country can be saved. We believe this will happen from the inside out through Christian leaders who know the culture, language, and how to refute voodoo and other heresies within the country. God has brought us this far, and He will be with us in the future!
“Broken & Beautiful”
(This poem was written by Tori W. Over the past few years, she has gone on several mission trips to Haiti.)
How can something so beautiful
be so broken?
When something looks like that,
what do you put hope in?
Or is it the brokenness
that makes it beautiful?
Would it be the same,
would we feel its pull?
The beauty is all around,
you just have to find it.
From the mountains to the city,
There’s no place it won’t fit.
You can’t heal the broken,
You can’t change the past.
The only thing to do
Is something that will last.
Bring light to the hurting,
Chase the darkness away.
Because when you bring Jesus,
He promises to stay.
Reflect the Son.
Bring hope to all places.
Give love to the world,
And brighten the faces.
When something has Jesus,
No matter how small,
His love will spread,
Just wait for your call.
