January 1, 2021
Hello from Haiti!
What does a pumpkin have to do with the new year? If you're in Haiti, it's an important tradition.
Long ago, Haiti was colonized by the French. In reality, France brought in slaves from various African countries, and these slaves became the Haitian people. The slaves were traded across the Caribbean and North America. Haiti was more of a trans-shipment point for the save trade than it was a true colony. The Haitian people had no rights.
In that day, the French loved a particular soup made from pumpkin and other vegetables. In the Haitian language, it is called soup joumou. It is a very tasty concoction. The French forced the slaves to make the soup for them, but they were not permitted to eat it. In the year 1791, the slaves declared war against the French. It was a long fight, but the final battle was fought on January 1, 1804 and Haiti was at last free. Now they could finally eat the soup! Eating the soup on the first day of every year has become a tradition to remember their history and the hard fight for freedom.
The year 2020 surely was a year of disruption and change for everyone in the world. A lot of traditions were not celebrated and many plans had to be abandoned. Proverbs 19:21 tells us "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." [ESV] As Haiti Cheri entered 2020, we had plans and traditions. God had other plans for us! We were not able to take any of the teams to Haiti as we had planned, and our events had to be canceled. Still, God was faithful and the clinic was able to operate throughout the year, pastors were supported, and kids were helped.
We are developing some tentative plans for the new year. We hope to be able to take mission teams back to Haiti at some point in the year. We hope to be able to hold some events to spread the word about the ministry. We shall see! Please be praying for us as we begin 2021, that we will fall in line with the purpose of the Lord. The Haitian tradition of soup joumou was still celebrated this year, so not every tradition was abandoned. You can search for the recipe online. Maybe you would like to make some yourself as you pray for us! We wish the very best for all of you in the coming year.
