‘God Hasn’t Lost an Inch of Territory to the Devil’: Restoration Movement Ministries Carry on in Haiti

By James Thompson

When Mioche Rock returned to his native Haiti in 2005 after studying at Lincoln Christian Seminary in Illinois, he was determined to make a difference in the rural area where he grew up. So, he and his wife, Rosie, got to work. They started a school in Bouyaha, where the children of that small community could learn and eat a hot meal every day. A couple of years later, they planted a church in the same village, and then another church in the nearby small town of Pignon. The Rocks, who serve as missionaries to their homeland with New International, are currently building a medical clinic that they hope will be ready to open by early next year.

“You can see that dualism in Haiti, where if you live in a town [or a] city, you have access to resources,” Rock said. “We are taking the mindset that we can have the best things also in the village.”

Progress toward realizing that vision has been slowed in recent months by Haiti’s ongoing social and governmental instability. Emboldened gangs have created turmoil in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and the Haitian government and national police force have struggled to mount an effective response.

Gang violence has long been a problem in Haiti. However, the situation has spiraled into an extreme crisis this year, especially after some usually competing gangs formed an alliance to battle the government. There was increased panic, especially in the Christian community, when three missionaries were killed by gang members in Port-au-Prince in May. Four hundred Kenyan police officers, part of an international coalition aimed at helping the Haitian authorities restore order, arrived in the capital this summer. While there have been some small signs of progress, the conflict is far from over.

Rural parts of the country like Pignon and Bouyaha have largely been spared the bloodshed experienced in Port-au-Prince, but Rock says people there are still affected by gang activity. Many rural Haitians have family or friends in the capital who are directly in harm’s way, and Rock himself has relatives that have been kidnapped and even killed.

The churches that the Rocks planted have received and supported people fleeing the violence in the capital. Rock says they often arrive “without anything” and need food, clothes, and a place to send their kids to school. 

“How would Christ respond to this? Christ was always with the poor, the blind, the sick, [and he would] provide for them,” Rock said. “So, we find a way.”

Another challenge is that many major roads are also controlled by the gangs, who often charge tolls and oversee the flow of resources. This has made it difficult to obtain needed supplies like cement for building projects or food for the 450 children who attend the school in Bouyaha.

Sam Guilliams, executive director of Northwest Haiti Christian Mission (NWHCM), says that his organization is experiencing similar challenges. One of the largest ministries in the country, they operate schools, orphanages, nutrition and medical programs, and support churches. Gangs are not currently active in the towns where NWHCM is working, but obtaining necessities and traveling are risky because of the gangs’ grip on the main roads. It’s also made it difficult for the mission to host foreign visitors.

“During the first 40 years of our existence, we relied on a constant flow of mission teams bringing skilled people and potential donors to see the ministry first-hand,” Gulliams said. “During the last five years, that flow has stopped. It’s harder to get complicated things done and hard to connect with new people willing to become faithful donors.”

Despite these difficulties, Guilliams says churches in the rural, northwestern region are thriving. He also hopes that the disheartening situation in Haiti will not cause Christians outside of the country to write it off as a hopeless case. Instead, he hopes they will start or continue trying to make a difference.

“All I know is we have orphans and widows to feed, pregnant women who need a clean place to give birth, sick people who need great physicians, and lost people who need hope preached for them,” Guilliams said. “It takes a lot of hands, feet and dollars to do all of that.”

Rock also counsels against despair: “If you believe Haiti is cursed, you’re telling the world that God has lost control … God hasn’t lost any inch of territory to the devil. Haiti is for God. God is there. God is working there, and we need to work together to make God much bigger in the eyes of our brothers and sisters.”  

James Thompson is a missionary with CMF International and a freelance journalist.