January 12, 2010, earthquake. The building was constructed on lands that were already owned by the HBC before the quake and is located in Delmas 19, one of the more depressed areas of Port- au-Prince.


Representatives from the VBMB, HBC and HBAid, as well as Jean Gael, deputy mayor of the Delmas City Council, also participated in the dedication service.


Facing page: Classes being conducted at the Source of Light Baptist complex in Port-au-Prince, Haiti


Below: View of the Source of Light Baptist complex on the day of its dedication on January 7


Right: Baptist World Aid Director Paul Montacute, center, hands over the keys to the Source of Light complex to Eugene Gedeon, president of the Haiti Baptist Convention


Nancy Emmanuella and Matondo, who died prematurely right after his birth. To compensate the loss, Josette and I decided to adopt Patricia, our second daughter. When I was called to serve as general


secretary, it was not easy for me to depart from the communities and people I had served and befriended during my pastorate. However, I surrendered myself to God’s will.


Since the beginning of my ministry


as general secretary in 1992, I have been through valleys and mountains to answer the call. I have had tremendous experiences in terms of confl ict resolutions, in terms of dealing with tough situations of political unrest and economic hardships, in terms of surviving car accidents on dangerous roads, and in terms of facing bandits’ attacks. The


last one occurred on September 29, 2011. It was two o’clock in the morning when suddenly I heard two gunshots at the window of our bedroom. Then two gunmen forced the entry door, entered our room, and took me out across the street with my eyes blindfolded. The kidnappers required a ransom of US$50,000 for my release. They kept me, with bound arms and feet, in an unknown place. During fourteen hours, I waited, courageously and with a fi rm faith, to hear their fi nal decision. This tough trial led me to the conclusion that God’s silence in diffi cult times does not mean that you have been abandoned. Through this experience, I now understand that everything is possible for one who believes.


Thanks to God’s faithfulness and to the APRIL/JUNE 2012 25


fervent prayers of the worldwide Christian family, I was miraculously released, just like apostle Peter was, without paying the ransom. This experience has led me to a renewed commitment to God and has fi red me up to continue my ministry as my part in the building of the kingdom of God. I want here to express my gratefulness to all who have expressed their words of compassion to me and to my family and to all those who have prayed for us. I also want to express my gratitude to the police force of my country for the good job they performed in cooperation with the Haiti Baptist Convention leadership.


*Translated from the French by Joel Dorsinville


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