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)