While traveling to Haiti, Nate Yonker worked with poorly trained and equipped pastors who lacked confidence in their ability to shepherd their flock. There are many pastors with a zeal for the Lord, but they sorely need expanded Biblical knowledge. Nate and Troy Livesay agreed to pray and seek God’s guidance, His wisdom, and direction as to what He would have them do about the situation.
Gospel for Asia (GFA) surfaced as a model that might be considered in Haiti. GFA trains nationals in Asia to be pastors and missionaries. The proven model has been very successful. Through GFA efforts, in 2008 alone, almost 600,000 people accepted Jesus as their Savior and an average of 17 churches a day were planted. In the first half of 2009 alone, 600,000 more people have come to know Christ.
The GFA model aligns well with the prayers of the heart of Nate and Troy. It seemed to be a direct answer to the specific prayers of many people. During the Winter of 2008, at a pastor’s meeting in Haiti, Nate shared the vision of training native missionaries with the many pastors present. There was a movement of the Holy Spirit in the room and all 70 pastors sank to their knees, weeping and thanking God for this call. The leader of the group stood up and with tears in his eyes shared that no one had ever told them that they were responsible for the gospel in Haiti.
During the summer of 2008 Nate witnessed the conversion of a witch doctor in the mountain village of Petit Bwa. The pastors who were present had roots in voodoo so they were able to share with the witch doctor first hand how voodoo is wrong and how they were released from the bondage of this evil thinking. A foreign missionary would never have been able to relate to this man in this manner. It was a visible confirmation from God that it takes a Haitian to effectively witness to another Haitian. Two more similar confirmations happened during the trip in the summer of 2008.
About the same time, a relationship with a Haitian church community was established in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Upon sharing the vision with the pastor of that church and congregation they agreed to help as required.
Gladys Meckembourg, a Haitian national, the daughter of the founders of more than 280 Ebenezer Christian churches and who is the co-founder of Caanan Christian School in Haiti, offered us the use of her property in Petit Goave. This commitment of property consists of a church building and a large house with sufficient space to house pastoral and lay leader students, as well as room for training and education. Her father was a well respected pastor who planted almost 300 churches. The churches are all part of the Ebenezer group.