The transitional council itself is barely two weeks old. The day it was established (April 25), former prime minister Ariel Henry officially resigned. The council is meant to provide interim guidance until the next president of Haiti can be elected no later than February 2026.

Meanwhile, for more than two months, gang violence has ravaged Port-au-Prince. More than 90,000 people have fled the capital in 2024. The number of those killed or injured from January to March surpassed 2,500. 

“This current situation is a complicated one. It’s a messy one. I’ve heard Haitians say God needs to come down Himself and fix it. That’s how complex it is,” says Zacharie Francois, a pilot mechanic with Mission Aviation Fellowship.

Zacharie François, left, on a flight with MAF Haiti pilot Eric Fagerland. Nestor Mercure, an MAF mechanic assistant, is in the back seat. (Photo, caption courtesy of MAF)

“Ever since January 2023, Haiti, the capital – Port-au-Prince – has been beating Ukraine in death toll numbers almost every single month. The month we have not beat Ukraine, we’re only shy by 50 or 100 souls.”

The unrest has led MAF to take a brief step back in its operations in Haiti. Currently, only one plane is in Haiti. Three others are back in the U. S. undergoing restoration work. They are making the most of this “pause” God has given. The planes should be back by early fall, ready for gospel service in Haiti.

When Francois thinks about his country’s situation today, he remembers Romans 8:26 which says the Holy Spirit prays for us when we don’t know what to pray for. He asks that the Church pray for the MAF team in Haiti. All of its expat missionaries are no longer in Port-au-Prince at this time.

“As human beings we don’t like uncertainty. But we’ve been living in that for the past 12 to 24 months,” Francois says. “Prayers as we navigate the political changes that are happening in Haiti. Whenever it is the government change or political instability, that affects the entire political spectrum down to the aviation world.”

Pray for peace for Haiti, that the yet-to-be-determined next prime minister and Cabinet will be wise in leading the nation out of chaos. Pray that gangs will lay down their arms and submit to new authorities. 

Learn more about MAF’s ministry here. 

Header photo is a representative stock image of a man looking out over Haiti, courtesy of Kelly via Pexels.

Zacharie’s story is significant, not just because it shows what can happen when we are faithful to follow God’s direction. His example today is a living testament to other Haitian kids and believers that they are not sidelined in God’s story. If they commit their lives to follow Jesus, God could use them on the mission field too — maybe even as a missionary pilot/mechanic!

In particular, one moment stands out to Zacharie that shows how God can use him to inspire others.

In a rural village, Zacharie explains airplane lift and physics to a group of school children who are on a special field trip. (Photo, caption courtesy of MAF)

When Zacharie was interning at MAF Haiti as a mechanic apprentice, he went on a ride-along medivac flight. The MAF plane landed in Fond-des-Blancs, a town nestled in the mountains which is normally a 3 to 5-hour drive from Port-au-Prince.

“We had landed there, dropped off the paramedic,…and we were gonna wait for the paramedic to come back so we could come back to Port-au-Prince, the capital, with them,” Zacharie explains.

“While we were waiting, the kids in the village came out to the plane. Typically, there’s only a foreigner there who doesn’t speak Creole well, so they’re kind of shy about it. But this time, there’s this Haitian guy wearing an MAF shirt, and they were like, ‘Oh, I want to talk to him!'”

Zacharie says the kids gathered around him and started asking him questions about the plane. It was a sweet interaction, but then he says one of the young Haitian boys spoke up.

“Basically, what he was saying was that he didn’t believe that a Haitian could fly or maintain an airplane, even with God’s help.”

Zacharie was not yet a pilot/mechanic with MAF at the time. He was still pursuing the education and training. Still, he couldn’t shake the child’s doubtful comments.

“I was not there yet. I was unable to provide him with an answer. And that was hard. On top of that, being a Haitian, I understand where he’s coming from. I understand the comment he’s making. I’ve heard it. And there’s time when I might be tempted to believe it.”

Zacharie Francois, MAF Haiti pilot/mechanic. (Photo courtesy of MAF)

Haiti is the poorest country in the Caribbean and Latin America. Its unemployment rate is around 15%, and only six in 10 Haitians above age 15 are literate.

Yet, even Jesus was dismissed by people because of where He was from. In John 1:46, Nathanael (who would eventually become Christ’s disciple) responded to Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth saying, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”

Zacharie overcame many barriers as a young boy from Port-au-Prince to finally become a pilot/mechanic with MAF. He eventually completed his pilot and mechanic training as God opened doors through donors, encouragement, and countless prayers.

While his resume is impressive, Zacharie gives all glory to the Lord for his achievements and service on the Haitian mission field, supporting Gospel initiatives and inspiring others who didn’t think it could be done.

“People start seeing you slightly differently. And especially because it’s MAF, they’ve never seen a Haitian fly for MAF. I’ve already had comments on the airport! They’re like, ‘Wait, you’re the Haitian who is the MAF mechanic? How did that happen?’ Or, ‘Wait, you fly for MAF?’ It is a bit of a different shift!”

Zacharie says, “Every step, I could see God along the way. Every single step of it.”

Pray for more Haitians to follow Jesus and allow God to use them in big ways for His Kingdom! Thank the Lord for faithful believers like Zacharie following the Holy Spirit’s lead to the mission field.

Learn more about MAF Haiti’s ministry here.

Header photo of Zacharie François, left, on a flight with MAF Haiti pilot Eric Fagerland. Nestor Mercure, an MAF mechanic assistant, is in the back seat. (Photo, caption courtesy of MAF)

However, Zacharie had no idea the Lord would eventually lead him to become MAF’s first Haitian pilot/mechanic.

It all started in May 2013 when he had his very first flight in an MAF plane. Zacharie says, “He (the pilot) fired up the engine, and next thing we know, we were flying! You could see a shadow of the plane separating as we took off that day. We flew to the northern part of the country, which is Pignon.

“Throughout that flight, going there, being there, and coming back, God sort of touched my heart and showed me how mission aviation can make a difference in people’s lives. It can actually change the ending of so many isolated people. But beyond that, though, having a Christian perspective in an area can make a big difference.”

Zacharie François, left, on a flight with MAF Haiti pilot Eric Fagerland. Nestor Mercure, an MAF mechanic assistant, is in the back seat. (Photo, caption courtesy of MAF)

Prior to this, Zacharie didn’t know what he would do beyond high school. Zacharie says, “I was already on track to being the first to graduate from high school on both sides of my family. Knowing that my dad only made it to 2nd grade and my mom only made it to 9th grade, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m already struggling to get through high school itself. I don’t think I can make it any further than that.’”

However, with leading from the Lord and encouragement from an MAF pilot’s wife, Zacharie began to consider what it would look like to attend flight school in the US.

Yet, this would prove to be easier said than done.

Zacharie explains, “You had to prove to the US Embassy that you have all the funds in place to be able to pay for [your education]. So that was a challenge. Basically, I had to have all the money sitting somewhere before I could go.

“During that time, that’s when I started interning at MAF has a mechanic apprentice. I joke to people I did everything during my internship except for counting money up until last December! But everything from cutting the grass, washing the planes, passenger receiving, cargo, flight following — you name it, I’ve been through it all.”

Eventually, the Lord opened doors and Zacharie had everything in place to pursue becoming a pilot/mechanic with MAF. He enrolled at the School of Missionary Aviation Technology (SMAT) in Michigan in 2018.

Zacharie’s graduation from SMAT. (Photo courtesy of Zacharie Francois/MAF)

“You’re in and out in 12 months with your full mechanic license, with some missionary mechanic training background, and some very, very high standards,” says Zacharie.

“I graduated [from SMAT] in 2019 and came back to Haiti. Within a year and a half, I was holding the director of maintenance position for MAF in Haiti by interim and also was trying to raise support to do the flight training portion.”

In 2022, Zacharie completed the flight training program at SMAT.

Not long after that, he shares, “In April 2023, I took MAF’s TE and passed, so I was approved as an MAF pilot. Now, I’m going through the MAF internal flight training as we speak!”

As MAF’s first Haitian pilot/mechanic, Zacharie serves as an inspiration and example for other young kids and believers in Haiti. Praise God for faithful brothers like Zacharie for using their gifts and following His call on their lives in the mission field!

We’ll share more tomorrow about what ministry looks like for Zacharie flying with MAF in Haiti.

Meanwhile, is God calling you to consider a life of service in missions? Learn more about MAF’s ministry here!

Header photo of Zacharie Francois, MAF Haiti pilot/mechanic. (Photo courtesy of MAF)

Two Haitian young women recently became single mothers. But with no family to support them and nowhere to go, these young mothers and their babies have been homeless.

For Haiti With Love builds Pilgrim Houses for needy families in Haiti to demonstrate God’s love. But Eva DeHart at For Haiti With Love says they need something fast for these two young moms. Tiny homes fit the ticket.

“They won’t be anything like the [Pilgrom Houses] that we normally build,” DeHart says. “But they will be secure, clean, comfortable shelters for these girls and their babies.”

For Haiti with Love’s 29th Pilgrim House (Photo courtesy of For Haiti With Love)

Haiti is in a housing crisis and has been for a long time. Before the 2010 earthquake, the Haitian population already lacked 700,000 housing units. Then almost 300,000 homes were destroyed in the earthquake, and few have been rebuilt satisfactorily.

DeHart says, “It’s a growing population without really a growing construction industry. So if there is a home available to rent, the owners can charge top dollar for it. Then it takes several families living in that home to be able to afford it.”

They still need at least $2,000 to start construction on the tiny homes. Whether you can give $2,000, $200, or $20, every little bit helps.

Donate to For Haiti With Love here and help them be Jesus’s hands in Haiti.

While these two single mothers and their babies wait for housing, please pray for their safety. Ask God to be their comfort and strength.

Header photo courtesy of Zach Vessels via Unsplash.

Every year, For Haiti With Love hosts a Christmas party for Haitian children and their families. They enjoy a big meal, give the kids presents, and most importantly, present the Gospel.

This year, the party is smaller. But they are still intent on making sweet Christmas memories.

Eva DeHart with For Haiti With Love says, “The gifts are brand new toys, brand new clothes, things that they may not otherwise have access to. It’s mainly giving them something to remember [that is] positive and giving them the Gospel for a lifetime.”

(Photo courtesy of For Haiti with Love)

Haitians are especially struggling this year since international support has dropped.

DeHart says, “Most of their help comes from the United States, and the United States has had many, many challenges. The churches being closed here has had a major impact because those churches are struggling to maintain their own overheads. That always means mission giving is forgotten. So [Haitians] reap the outfall of our problems by their support not going in. It makes it even more important to double down and make our presence known and show them that we are not abandoning them.”

Most of the families who come to For Haiti With Love’s annual Christmas party don’t have a relationship with Jesus. This may be the only time they hear about their Heavenly Father who loves them.

“We make sure that the focus is on the Christ part of Christmas. We want them to feel love. We want them to feel special in God’s eyes.”

(Photo courtesy of For Haiti With Love)

Please ask God to provide for Haitian families’ physical and spiritual needs going into the New Year. Pray for them to ultimately know the joy and hope found in Jesus.

Year-round, For Haiti With Love also runs a burn clinic and food program in Haiti — all in Christ’s name. You can support this vital ministry here!

Header photo courtesy of Alice Harold via Flickr.

For 20 years FARMS International has operated two separate loan programs in Haiti. Surviving hurricanes, earthquake, and sickness, these locally-run programs seek to strengthen communities by offering business loans through local churches. Projects typically revolve around agriculture and livestock, says FARMS Executive Director Scott Clifton.

One program issues 35 loans a year while another had issued more than 300 before natural disaster setbacks. They’re working back up again, and 60-65 families are currently loan recipients.

(Photo courtesy of FARMS International).

Among the recipients are many large families with 7-10 kids. Widows with FARMS loans have been able to create livelihoods for themselves and their families.

Haitian loan participants often buy goats and pigs. With the additional money or livestock they are able to pay back the loan, allowing money to go out again.

Those extra livestock are a form of security for many families.

“If they have goats and they need an emergency expense… then they’ll sell one of the goats and they’ll have that money available,” Clifton says.

The earnings also go back into the community through church offerings, adding an extra layer of support. Learn more about FARMS here.

Relief vs. Development

(Photo courtesy of FARMS International).

There is an important place for relief, but that’s not where FARMS does its best work. In cases of disaster and war, fast externally sourced relief can be life-saving. FARMS does its best work by addressing the long term.

“Haiti really is a place with a lot of need and a lot of poverty. It’s a difficult situation to work in, because the need is so evident, yet at the same time there’s so many people trying to help. There’s more NGOs per capita than any other nation and so there can be a real problem of dependency as well,” Clifton says.

The FARMS approach focuses on local development and dignity.

“They’re joining the purpose that God has for their life by using the gifts and talents that God has given them. And when people have that… dignity, participating in the kingdom in that way, that can be really transformative,” he says.

Haiti’s Unique Training Program

FARMS loan programs are each run by a local board of directors who receive training in business and on what to look for in a loan. The Haitian directors decided to go a step beyond and provide general and technical training for all loan recipients, Clifton says.

Pastor Renaud, one of the Haiti program directors, describes the process as ‘like training a toddler to walk.’

First they stand, then they take their first steps, and soon they’re running around having completed their business development.

Pastor Renaud and the other Haitian FARMS leaders have made development even easier for program participants.

“It was something that they developed because they saw the need, and when they developed it, they saw it meet that need. And so they continued with it. And that’s a great model to follow,” Clifton says.

He thinks the Haitian Loan Program’s training may be helpful in other locations.

How Can I Pray?

Pray for the residents of Haiti and other FARMS locations around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cases have now reached Haiti, but social distancing is often not possible due to close quarters and an inability to stop working.

“It’s just a very difficult situation if diseases start to spread rapidly.”

Pray for the success of FARMS programs and local loan recipients. Ask that successes now would create a domino effect for future generations and communities.

Consider donating to help support initial loan investments in places like Haiti.

Header photo courtesy of Tim Trad via Unsplash.

A Christmas Gathering

(Photo courtesy For Haiti With Love)

This Christmas is set to be no different with the ministry inviting 500 kids to join in on some holiday cheer. For Haiti’s Eva DeHart shares;

“The children will be ages five through fifteen this year. We stress the Gospel, we have the Jesus film for children in Haitian Creole now. Then they understand what For Haiti with Love is doing for their country in the way of feeding people and treating burns. And they get a full meal with rice and beans and candies and home baked cookies from the United States.”

Each kid is able to have two cookies each. Other food for the party includes chicken and even Gatorade. For Haiti with Love is careful to include foods which the children’s stomachs are accustomed too. Otherwise, their digestive systems can’t handle heavier foods, such as beef, and the kids will end up sick.

At the party, the kids also receive gifts such as hygiene products and school supplies and even toys. Though these gifts might not seem like much to some, they mean a lot to these kids who are growing up in one of the poorest countries in the world.

Reaching Kids

Cooking for the big celebration begins in the morning’s early hours, usually around 3 a.m. Kids generally begin arriving around 7 a.m., and every kid who walks through the door for the celebration is greeted with a beaded necklace placed around their necks.

However, each year there’s a specific donor of the name, Dr. Cooper, who usually donates three pallets of toys. Sadly, he has passed away, but, other donors have since picked up where he left off and have helped provide toys for these 500 children, who are each individually invited.

“Our staff and some of the people in the area that we know go out and seek the poorest of the poor children to give those invitations to,” DeHart explains. “We are highlighting children that are normally overlooked. So, it’s very rewarding on our part to watch the excitement and the enthusiasm of these children.”

(Photo courtesy FHWL) For Haiti with Love Christmas party.

The kids and their families get so excited for the Christmas party that often times the kids will come, wearing their absolute best or borrowing the best of a cousin’s.

However, For Haiti with Love’s annual Christmas party isn’t only to celebrate the holiday, but to share the story of Christ’s birth and the Gospel with them.

“They’re celebrating Jesus’ birthday and [the kids] know that that’s the whole purpose of the [party],” DeHart says.

Beyond the Party

And for those who don’t know, For Haiti with Love has four aspects to its ministry.
1. Proving nutritionally balanced meals to the hungry through its food program.
2. Providing formula for babies in need.
3. A construction program to help complete churches, schools, homes, and even marketplaces.
4. Emergency medical care for the poor, such as burn care.(For Haiti with Love is currently Haiti’s main burn center in the country.)

How to Help

(Photo Courtsey FHWL) For Haiti with Love Christmas dinner.

So if you would, will you come alongside this ministry and pray?

“You can be praying for a little girl by the name of Mael. She got severely burned on the back of her legs and they were not healing right and suddenly she’s finding herself in a position of not being able to walk,” DeHart shares.

“She’s an eight-year-old who Shriner’s has accepted her in Boston. So pray for the doctors and pray for her total healing.”

Pray also for the success of the Christmas party and for the kids to have receptive hearts when hearing the Gospel.

Want to join For Haiti with Love in bringing a Christmas celebration to Haiti’s poorest children? Click here to help!

Haiti Map

About six and a half years ago, Family Christian was introduced to God’s Littlest Angels, a medical ministry working in Haiti. Family Christian was in the country right after the tragic 2010 earthquake that shook the already unstable country.

While Family Christian was there working on relief efforts, and even though the circumstances were anything but pleasant, God worked in ways only He can, and brought the two organizations together.

Family Christian’s Steve Biondo explains, “God’s Littlest Angels has been in Haiti for over 20 years; 22 years to be exact. Profound life-saving work through their medical ministries…through their adoption support, and certainly they extend the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the community as they sponsor children. About 350 kids they sponsor for regular education. And everywhere they go they are holding forth the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Haiti is a country with a population of over 10 million. But 59-percent of the population lives on less than $2 USD per day, and for every 1,000 babies born in Haiti, 59 die before the age of one. Haiti also had a numerous amount of orphans prior to the earthquake. Then after it hit, the orphan rate jumped to nearly one million.

Though it began as a child medical ministry, God’s Littlest Angels has expanded to also include orphan care. The organization has two homes: one for children aged from infants to two-year-olds, and the second home cares for children aged from two to five-year-olds.

For some children, their families are so impoverished that the kids’ lives are actually endangered. At this point, these children can come to the orphanages, stay, and also receive any needed medical care. Once they’re doing better and are sustainable, the kids are then able to return to their families.

Yet, it doesn’t end with care. As Biondo previously said, God’s Littlest Angels also teaches the children English, helps support them to receive an education, and is involved in adoption assistance in the United States, Canada, and some European countries.

“They really step in and fill this gap between orphan[s], because of poverty, because of desperate conditions in Haiti, and families of faith who would like to rescue children, and they make that happen,” Biondo says.

Family Christian supports God’s Littlest Angels with funding and by sending short-term mission trips. Their partnership also raises awareness about what God’s Littlest Angels is doing among Family Christian’s customers.

(Photo courtesy of Family Christian via Facebook)

And now through the funding it has raised, Family Christian is helping God’s Littlest Angels build a new care center in Fort Jacque, which is located up in the mountains. Already, in Fort Jacque the six toddler homes are complete, fully functioning, and up and running.

The work is underway to finish building the infant medical care facility and the infant home for the newborns up to two-year-olds.

“That money was raised in partnership, not the entire amount, but close to $300,000 was raised several years back with our guests in a Thanksgiving [and] Christmas campaign. So we’re kind of spending through that,” Biondo explains.

Family Christian tries to work behind the scenes and help take care of these children as much as possible. But, they’re inviting others to join them by either praying, giving, or going. Family Christian urges those interested who have a heart for Haitian children and want to serve, to contact God’s Littlest Angels and get involved with a mission trip.

But, if traveling to Haiti isn’t on your heart, will you pray? Pray for these kids to grow up knowing they are loved. Pray for their healing both physically, spiritually, and emotionally. And pray that these children would also see how much God loves them and that their hearts would be open to the Gospel.

Want to get involved? Click here to donate or volunteer with God’s Littlest Angels. 

Batey Aleman is a community of Haitian migrant workers who harvest sugar cane in the Dominican Republic. It's a hopeless place. But now, with the help of St. Louis Cardinal's baseball player Albert Pujols, children have hope. Kathy Redmond with Compassion International says, "He actually sponsors our entire child survival program there in that Batey."

Redmond just returned from the Dominican Republic where she was able to see the work firsthand. She says many of the Haitians have lived in the Batey for generations. But, she says there's a problem. "They can't get government help in the Dominican Republic because they don't have birth certificates. Well, their kids aren't born in hospitals, therefore they don't have birth certificates. So, it's a continued cycle."

However, it's worse in Alamon. Redmond says, "The sugar cane industry is defunct. People are living in a dust bowl, where drug dealers come by. You can see men playing dominos in the streets because there's nothing for them to do."

There is also nothing for the children to do.

While Little League baseball exists in areas outside the Batey, Redmond says, "We're bringing that same program out into the Batey, which is a more rural area, using this to keep our Compassion kids in the program where we can teach them spirituality and responsibility."

Redmond says for Pujols, it's more than that. "He uses baseball as a platform. But, really what he's interested in is spreading the Word of God and being a good Christian man and leading people to the Lord."

Compassion International's Child Survival Program targets expectant mothers and children up to age 4. Compassion is doing all they can to help them with microfinance to help start small businesses so they can be self sufficient. Since all of the work is done through the local church, those in the program hear the Gospel, and many come to faith in Christ.

You can help Compassion's Child Survival Program in the DR or around the world by clicking here.

According to the ministry, a missionary from the
state of New York is in Haiti
and wants to sell his diesel truck to FHWL for $15,000. The agency got a $13,000 foundation gift that could be used to help
purchase the vehicle, and the remaining
$2,000 would need to be raised by For Haiti .

The agency's last utility truck couldn't survive the region's
hilly, unpaved terrain and finally broke down for good. But because mobility is
important for the team, the gentleman from New York has been letting For Haiti use the vehicle
to see if they can raise the rest of the money while he is  currently in the
region.  

A large vehicle is essential to the ministry to transport heavy supplies, such as construction
materials, bags of rice and beans, medical supplies, and other materials from
the headquarters to various ministry sites. They work in the northern part of Haiti–an area seemingly
overlooked by other organizations. Their base is in the city of Cap-Haitien.

For Haiti's
evangelistic work is closely tied with their reputation for meeting the physical needs of
the hurting. Click here if you can help .