by I F . Glen Campbell
H ow does the Gospel take root in a heathen village and grow into a flourishing ch u rch ? Missionary Wallace Turnbull relates how this church-planting miracle has taken place in Haiti among illit erate mountain peasants steeped in Voodooism. God used their child like prayers coupled with confident faith and honest witness of salva tion through Jesus Christ. A group of believers began to meet at Kenscoff, a village about three miles up the mountain from the mission church at Fermathe. The work began as an outstation, had a rather slow start, but began to flourish early in 1966. Where there were 20 baptized believers, the church at Fermathe decided in a business meeting that the new group was strong enough to become independent. From their very limited means the Kenscoff Christians contributed all they could toward a new build ing. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world with a per capita income under $70 annually. Mr. Turnbull’s mother-in-law, Mrs. Bertha "Granny” Holdeman, made this church a special project and
scoff Christians arrived. Another church is being born — or as the Haitians says, “The Church at Kenscoff is bearing a child.” Each year 2,000 people are won to Christ by the personal witness ing of Haitian believers. Over 9 0 % of these people can neither read nor write but they can testify that they have turned from darkness to light, “We know what it is to serve Satan in Voodooism. We know that Satan has power, but we have found that God has more power!" After they are saved, the new Christians bring their Voodoo fet ishes to the church or mission sta tion where they are gathered for a fetish-burning service. Each person will select his fetishes from the pile and place them on the fire while the congregation sings, “There is Power in the Blood.” The Holy Spirit has used their simple witness and childlike faith to plant over 50 churches in the midst of Satan's stronghold. They have no “patent” on this method— they simply put New Testament principles into practice. KB Photos by Wally Turnbull
channeled some personal gifts to the building fund. One Sunday in September, with part of the galvanized roof nailed on, they met in their new building for the first time. How they re joiced as they studied Romans 12 and listened to special music from the Christian radio station at Cap Haitian! “ It gives us a great thrill of emo tion each time we look at one of these groups seated in an orderly way and realize that all of them came from a background of raw heathenism,” Missionary Turnbull explains with gratitude to God. At that very time the Kenscoff Church was interested in starting an outstation farther up the moun tain at Gibar, another stronghold of Voodooism. One of the men from that community was saved through the witness of the Kenscoff Chris tians. He went back home, told his friends and neighbors what Christ had done for him, and when he felt enough were interested, he called for some of the Kenscoff be lievers to come and tell them more. There were 36 gathered at his home to hear the Gospel when the Ken
THE KING’S BUSINESS
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