Imprisoned Haitian pastor’s plea: “The Small Catechism is a need!” September 26, 2024

About 10 months ago, Rev. Joseph’s* life changed in a drastic way — perhaps forever —as he was hauled before a local judge in Haiti on vague charges, then ordered to be held without bond.

Next he found himself in one of the worst prisons in Haiti, drastically unlike our American prisons. Detainees suffer from a severe lack of food and clean drinking water in over-crowded conditions, while temperatures soar into the upper 80s and 90s and vermin scurry about.

There is little hope that Haiti’s justice system will free Rev. Joseph any time soon. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, the legal system has collapsed in Haiti, and violent gangs rule the streets. Now Rev. Joseph has been transferred to yet another prison where he simply waits.

In the midst of this dark and fearsome situation, the hope of Christ shines.

Like Joseph in Pharaoh’s prison, today’s Rev. Joseph has remained faithful to God. He is showing leadership, gaining the favor of his guards, and most important of all, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with his fellow inmates.

And the Holy Spirit is working in powerful ways among the lowest of the low in Haiti! Read below a communication from Rev. Joseph to his family:

“Good morning! How are you doing? For my part, God takes good care of me every day. He gives me peace, joy, health and love for others. Today, God has given me grace. He uses me to preach the Good News of Jesus to the prisoners. 2 Timothy 4:2 – Preach the Word… On Sunday mornings, there is a big transformation in the prison. Everyone gets ready to go to church. There are 3 different groups, girls, boys and men. We have already baptized 18 people.”

What strength and courage flows into the lost when the Word of God enters their minds and hearts!
To continue and expand this important pastoral work, Rev. Joseph needs the help of his brothers and sisters in Christ.

On July 12, nearly 8 months after he was first imprisoned, he wrote, “The Small Catechism is a need [for continuing the instruction of new believers]…Please, I need your help. Saved to serve, Rev. Joseph.” That’s all he requests. Not money, not other luxuries. Just books about Jesus, so he can spread the Gospel and teach.

“For Rev. Joseph [and Haitian Creole-speaking Haiti], there isn’t a lot of curriculum produced for teaching the Christian faith,” explains Rev. Joseph’s sister-in-law. “And if you think about the circumstances for which the catechism was written – for an uneducated population – the situation in Haiti (especially the prisons) is very similar. The catechism is a one-book package that lays out all our teachings systematically. It’s a clear, Bible-based way of teaching that’s easy to walk through.”

LHF has translated and printed the Small Catechisms Rev. Joseph needs in the Haitian Creole language. But we need your mission offerings to ship them into Haiti, where Rev. Joseph’s family can deliver them to his prison and to other prisons and churches.

Can you help? Each catechism costs only $5 to print in the Haitian Creole or French languages for Haiti. Send your gift in the enclosed envelope, or give online here.