Big new from Emmaus

Emmaus Community and Friends, In January 2017, Emmaus Biblical Seminary celebrated its 50th anniversary. This was a time of rejoicing and thanksgiving for God's grace that enabled Emmaus to fulfill its mission to develop Christ-like leaders for the transformation of Haiti and the world for five decades! The 50th anniversary was not only a time of celebration, but also a time of deep reflection and prayer. While looking back on what God has accomplished through Emmaus in the past, we are looking forward to God's plans for the future of Emmaus. How can Emmaus be strategically positioned to be even more effective in fulfilling its God-given mission? How can Emmaus make an even greater impact for the Kingdom in Haiti in the fifty years to come? In exploring the will of God through prayer and dialogue with Emmaus stakeholders (including current leadership, students, alumni, and donors) the Emmaus Biblical Seminary Board of Trustees unanimously approved changing the name of the institution from Emmaus Biblical Seminary to Emmaus University of Haiti, effective January 1, 2019. Of course, theological training for local church leaders will continue to be the core engine and institutional distinctive of Emmaus! The Emmaus Board of Trustees is unwaveringly fixed on theological training as the center of all that Emmaus does. So why the name change? The stated mission of Emmaus is to develop Christ-like leaders for the transformation of Haiti and the world. This mission is not limited to local church leadership. Through the past number of months, the Emmaus community came to the clear sense that God is calling Emmaus to develop Christ-like leaders not only for the church, but also for other sectors in Haitian society. Haiti needs Christ-like leaders in politics, in education, and in the business sector. In 2017, Emmaus launched a Master of Education in Instruction and Administration (MEIA). This was our fleece. We wanted to "feel out" what we were sensing from the Holy Spirit by doing a trial run at a degree program for leaders in a sector of society not limited to local church/theological leadership. Over a very short period of time and with very little campaigning for recruitment for the MEIA program, we had a record enrollment of nearly forty students in our very first cohort!  This record enrollment and hunger for leadership development in the sector of education helped us realize the urgency for competent leaders in education. In January 2019, we will be starting our second cohort (also with a very healthy enrollment) in the MEIA program, thanks be to God. Some other changes coming as a direct result of this vision and strategic plan for Emmaus is the development of three schools within the university: (1) School of Theology, (2) School of Business, Entrepreneurship and Leadership, and (3) School of Education. With this, the current tentativeschedule for rolling out new degree programs include: January 2019: Master of the Arts in Leadership and Administration (MALA) Fall 2019: Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS) Fall 2020: Bachelor of Business, Entrepreneurship and Leadership (BBEL) Fall 2020: Bachelor's in Education (BEd.) Fall 2021: PhD in Transformational Leadership (PhD) We are excited about the future, and we are excited about being a part of God's work to bring about real and lasting transformation in Haiti through leadership development! We invite you to join us as we diligently work, by God's grace and power, to reach optimal effectiveness in fulfilling our mission to develop Christ-like leaders for Haiti and the world. Matt Ayars President | Emmaus University of Haiti Join us as developing Christ-like leaders for Haiti and the world continues TODAY at Emmaus. We need your help... Give Now! check out our new website! Emmaus Biblical Seminary | Haiti | info@emmaus.edu.ht | emmaus.edu.ht STAY CONNECTED:

Togo, Africa

Aren't these the guys who were supposed to be in Italy and back again by now?   Yep, they are.    But for 14 months, we have been working and re-routing and applying and reaching out and reapplying and pursuing and investigating new routes, and the door to Italy, at least for now, is firmly closed. Rujerry and Jean William's travel visas have been denied several times, and after a year of asking the Lord to open that door, we at Emmaus started asking the Lord to open His door, and to make it too wide to miss.   EBS President Matt Ayars spoke to an executive at Pioneers, a church-planting organization with a passion to see God glorified among those who are physically and spiritually isolated from the gospel of Jesus Christ. He immediately put Matt in touch with David*, a convert from Kotokoli, the major Muslim tribe of Togo, West Africa.   "After my conversion in 1990, I faced terrible persecution from my family and the community," David shared with me this week, "But by God's grace through signs and wonders and through my personal testimony, all the members of my family have accepted the Lord, one by one.  We are today 8 people following Jesus."   "A few years after our conversions" David continues, "my wife and I clearly received a call from the Lord to raise an army of witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ among Muslims. Most of our co-workers now are Muslim background believers, and together we face the growth of Islam fundamentalists and Muslim leaders and their intimidations. But the Lord who calls us is faithful."   David's organization is at the forefront of disciple-making, evangelism and church-planting in Togo, where the speedy growth of Islam, the carelessness of churches, and the deeply rooted Voodoo in the culture are huge challenges.   Togo's roots in voodoo stretch next door to Benin, the West African country widely seen as the birthplace of Voodoo. Benin and Haiti share an extensive cultural history, both through the old slave trade and through the implantation of Voodoo in Haitian society as a religious force. Several months ago, David asked if our uniquely-suited Haitian students or staff would be willing to help, and the doors Emmaus had been praying for started opening.    The necessary person of peace has emerged, has already begun an established work in Togo, and has inspired the prayers of the Emmaus community. Not only do the Togolese people share French with Jean-William and Rujerry, but our Haitian brothers also have a unique understanding and a lifetime of experience with the Voodoo ties that snare and bind the Togolese people. Rujerry and Jean-William have now graduated (May 2018), are both on staff full-time at Emmaus, and are well-equipped in the work most needed: pastoring, evangelism, and discipleship training. All of the funding needed for a three month missions trip for both of them has already been raised, thanks to many of you, and finally, visa applications have been APPROVED through the Dominican Republic, Europe and on to Togo, and passports are in hand.   Their three month trip, set to begin in January, 2019, will be two-fold.  They will fly into Lom é, and spend the first two months in the extreme north in Nano. They will help the missionaries there in their evangelization work among Muslims. After the first phase, they will work in Nots éin the South with David, "where Vodou reigns", for a month, before returning to Haiti.     "Just three weeks ago," David shares, "The Lord glorified his name by using one of our students to make a paralyzed lady walk. He just said a word and the Lord performed His miracle. The Lord spoke to my father, once a leader in the mosque, in a vision in his mother tongue, saying, 'follow me', and he came to serve the Lord fervently. These things are a part of our daily life working for God in Togo. Having your students join us for such a time as this will be a tremendous blessing."   Rujerry and Jean-William ask you to please be praying for...          -Final travel details to be completed          -strength, power and wisdom to do good work          -the softening of people's hearts, that they might be open and ready to hear          -the people of peace they will live and work with along the way "I am a little nervous, for sure," Jean-William admits as he, Rujerry and I talk about the upcoming trip.  "But I'm really honored to have this opportunity to participate in what God's doing to redeem His world. Missionaries coming OUT of Haiti are just so rare, and while I'm unsure about encountering a totally new culture and new people, the more I study, the more I think there will be many similarities."   "After all, we have a Biblical command to GO. This isn't our idea," Rujerry adds, slapping one hand into the palm of the other, the common Haitian symbol that something is out of your control.  "The Gospel is needed everywhere in the world, and sometimes God will use a foreign person to bring the Word in a unique, fresh way.  Since I was a child, I have felt a call to be a missionary, and we are grateful to be a part of God's plan."   Emmaus is grateful to be a part of God's plan, too, continuing to develop Christ-like leaders for the transformation of Haiti...and the world!   As their January trip approaches, we will keep you posted, ever grateful for your help and prayers!   *name has been changed   Follow us on Facebook or on Instagram for daily updates and photos, and please continue to lift up His people, like Jean-William and Rujerry, in Haiti! Stacey Ayars, for the EBS Haiti family

Big week and catch up

So this week has been busy and interesting.  Bill was back to being a student this week with his module on research methods every afternoon from 1-5pm aswell as teaching Monday, Thursday and Friday. he was scheduled to preach in chapel on Friday but needless to say he swapped with someone.  Bill is glad this week is over and he can get back to being a teacher, although he does have homework to do.

Yesterday was day 11 of someone in our house being sick with vomiting and/or diarrhoea. Sam started last Wednesday, Joel followed a couple of days later then Jacob a couple of days after that.  This week they are all on round 2 of what seems like the same virus.  Bill was also unwell Monday and Friday night.  Seemingly I am the only one in my house who managed to avoid anything even
Altidor, my PT tech was throwing up on Friday morning.  After that Bill began calling me typhoid Mary!  We would appreciate your prayers for everyone to get better and stay better and thankfully today they were heading in that direction.

Its much more fun when the boys are like this!

Things are busy in the clinic and Altidor and I barely even get a break for lunch we have so many patients.  On Friday I had a patient who was in Port de Paix last weekend when the earthquake hit.  He had a stroke on Friday and was in the hospital over the weekend.  The hospital was full and once they felt the ground move, all the families ran outside and left all the sick people lying in bed!Thankfully the hospital was not damaged but my patients family told me stories of people who lost their homes, who are sleeping in the street and many who were injured.  They came to Vaudrieul to visit friends and are heading back to Port du paix next week.


Again and again we see patients who just should not be dealing with the pain and disability with comes from not having a good health care system.  One lady in particular stands out from this week, Altidor passes her on her way to work everyday and told her to come and see us.  She is 44 and has been unable to walk or stand for at least the past year and a half.  Getting a history in Haiti is very difficult so the story of how she got to where she is is a bit sketchy but she has been to many different doctors, had X rays and even a MRI scan and from every doctor all she has been told is there is nothing wrong with her.  She is extremely weak and has some neurological symptoms in her legs, Altidor and I have no idea of a diagnosis but we are going to try to treat her a best as we can.  She is being looked after by her three children, aged 22, 15 and 12.  I am always sharing with Altidor that having a disability in any country is difficult, but in Haiti where there is a lack of wheelchairs, poor roads and no footpaths, no hoists and no equipment etc life must be so so difficult.  Yet what we see again and again is resilience from our patients.

Its been raining every night for the past few weeks which, after months of drought, has been great for the farmers.  Unfortunately it has been awful for the road which is getting visibly  worse every day I drive it.  This is my commute to work... anything like yours??

Is Jesus worth it?

As I mentioned in the last post transitioning back to Haiti has not been as easy as I thought it would be.  I've been getting annoyed easily and begin thinking things like if we weren't in Haiti...the boys would be able to see their cousins and grandparents ...Sam wouldn't be so exhausted and have so many melt downs...my neck and back wouldn't be half a sore because I wouldn't be driving on a bumpy road every day..

and the list could go on and on.

Usually when God wants to speak to me he says the same thing a few times and I know he is teaching me something new.

Last Friday night we watched a film with our neighbours called the insanity of God...boy was it challenging.  It told the story of a couple who moved to serve God in Africa.  Then later in their ministry they were thinking of ways they could support the persecuted church and they went to many different countries, interviewing Christians and asking the question is Jesus worth it?

I'd love to share one particular story with you but maybe you should just read the book or watch the movie.  Anyway the couple tell stories of Christians they met from different countries who had been thrown in prison, beaten, tortured and had many other awful things done to them simply because they follow Jesus.  Many of these people have been through years of intense physical, psychological and spiritual suffering and yet they all agreed yes Jesus was worth it.

That puts living in Haiti into perspective.

Just two days later on Sunday evening Bill and I were listening to a sermon by David Platt.  We have been working through his series on 1 Corinthians and last Sunday evening brought us to chapter 9,  the sermon was entitled the cross and christian mission. (you can listen to it here).  David Platt is very passionate about mission and his sermon hit home. One of the questions he asked was, do we as Christians want to get to the end of our lives, look back and realise we completely missed our purpose.  Were we too wrapped up in church, in family life, in work etc, not that there is anything wrong with those things, but were we too engrossed in them to do what God has asked us to do.  And what that is is to go into all the world, preach the gospel and make disciples.  He was not saying we all need to pack our bags and move overseas but that each of us needs to be involved in the great commission.  For us, at this time this is why we are in Haiti.  So on those days when I really would prefer to be at home or when the boys ask if they can go to Bangor to see their cousin Jack because they miss him , its in those moments I need to ask myself is Jesus worth it?

And the answer...of course he is. If Jesus gave up his life for me then what can I give him but my life.

On a completely different note, this weekend we experienced two earthquakes.  A 5.9 on Saturday evening around 8pm and the next one, 5.2 on Sunday around 4pm.  The epicentre was about 75miles from us in the northwest of Haiti.  We are all safe and there is no damage where we are but it was definitely scary. As far as we have heard 11 people have died and others are injured in the Port de Paix area.

 I, along with probably all of Haiti couldn't help but think of the 2010 earthquake in Port au Prince.  I couldn't believe how scary it felt for us and we were miles away from the epicentre, I can't even imagine what it would have been like in Port au Prince that day.  My mind is going back to the hundreds of people I worked with in 2010 and how they must be feeling right now.  The emotions and memories that are flooding back must be so strong and overwhelming.  Please remember the people of Haiti today and pray for those affected at the weekend and also for peace for those who were in Port in 2010.

 Here are just a few of those I treated back in 2010...

Yveline...lost her husband and two children. 

Little Dove proved everyone wrong by learning
 to walk with her prosthetic leg. 

Stefanie who was studying in Port trapped under rubble
for days and came to me unable to walk.

Joseph who lost both his legs but once he got his prosthesis he did great.

I can't remember this girls name, but she was part of the group of ladies
who sang praise and prayed every afternoon in their tent. 

 A little miracle...Julieanna whose mum was trapped under the rubble for days
in her first trimester of pregnancy.  She was sure she would have lost the baby but Julieanna
was born safely in August of 2010. 

Transitioning

The worst thing about transition is that is never gets any easier, even if you have been through it a million of times (or what feels like a million times!).  Maybe I wasn't quite prepared how difficult another change would be this year, because in coming back to Haiti we knew what we were coming to and we knew what to expect but it hasn't been easy.

Poor Sam was back in Haiti for two days before starting back to school.  We are thankful he loves going to school but he is struggling with being away from home for so long. We leave home at 7.30am and hes not home until 3.15ish by which time he is exhausted.  Sam is one of those kids who just cannot cope with being tired.  Anyway he is gradually adjusting to being at school every day so please keep praying for him.

Joel is missing Sam a lot when he is away.  Its been a big change as the boys have been used to being together all day every day for the past 6 months.  Then to add insult to injury I started back to work last Thursday which Joel was not happy about.  Yverose always laughs and says that Joel knows what time it is, at 3pm he asks for me and just watches the driveway until I come home!  Saying that Joel is still our very easy going one and he is coping pretty well.  I've been surprised at how much he remembers about life in Haiti, he is loving having rice every day for lunch again!

Jacob has done pretty well, he wasn't well when we first came and not sleeping well and like Sam he just cannot cope with being tired.  Now is is sleeping much better he is a lot happier during the day.

So back to work...Altidor has been doing a brilliant job for the past 6 months.  All her patients are telling me how great she is and one patient in particular was singing her praises, he had a stroke in February and now is completely mobile again.

I enjoy being at work when I am there and I am really enjoying having some time to teach Altidor but I really don't like leaving the boys.  Yverose and Michilene are great, I just don't like to leave them with anyone really.  It's going to take me a while to get back into the swing of working... I have been away for 6 months after all. 

Every time we travel back to Haiti the sense of how difficult things really are hits you a little bit harder.  I think I see it more at the clinic, just this past week I met a granny taking care of her three grandchildren but now she has had a stroke so the kids are the carers, a little boy with cerebral palsy who is really underweight and after some conversation with mum it transpires she just doesn't have the means to feed him everyday and little Yvelinda, who has done so well with therapy, hasn't been for 4 months because now its 100 gourdes a visit.  That's £1.15 or $1.50 US.  The weight of meeting, treating and building relationships with these people is hard, I can't even imagine what its like to live it.

So if you remember please pray for us as we get used to life in Haiti again,  its different, draining,  exhausting and rewarding all at the same time. And pray for those we are working with, for the students and staff at EBS and our patients coming to Bethesda each day.

Emmaus update

First I promised a few people and a couple of churches (where the video wouldn't work) that I would post it on here but haven't got round to doing it yet, apologies for the delay!  This is a great video which shows exactly why Emmaus is here and in the words of Bill,

 'If a photo is worth a thousands words then a video is worth a million.'

EBS kicked of this new academic year with 4 weeks of intensive classes and this week saw the beginning of residential classes.  Bill is teaching three courses this semester, introduction to the New Testament to the new class of 20 first years, general epistles and old testament wisdom literature to the 3rd years.

Every year Stacey meets our new students and collects their testimonies. Its always a great insight to hear where our students are coming from and how God brought them to Emmaus. Here is the testimony from one of our new first years.

Years before Jopnel was old enough to even be thinking about seminary, God had already brought him to Saccanville, the small mud-hut village Emmaus calls home.

He recalls his first trip while explaining the most dangerous evangelism experience he’s ever had.  His youth group was spending the summer sharing the Gospel in villages stretching from Cap-Haitian to Limbe. As Jopnel unpacked God’s plan of salvation in a small Saccanville yard, a man lunged at him with a machete, holding the chiseled blade to Jopnel’s neck for several minutes before plunging it into the ground by his feet.

Despite this experience, and others like it, Jopnel beams as he calls evangelism his great God-given passion.  “Since I was about 12, I knew I wanted to follow the Lord always, and when I was 14 I was baptized in the same church where I still serve today. I have always loved sharing the Gospel story with others, and I realized long ago that if I didn’t take the Word out from the church, there would be many, many people who would never hear it.“

“I got into the practice of sharing the Good News in tap-taps (small public transportation trucks) years ago. When I climb in, I immediately start asking about where everyone’s been, where they are going, how they are doing, and looking for a path. I pray God will show me a way in, and when He does, I take that road, using one of those conversations to lead into a simple Gospel message. I talk about how we all come up short, about God’s great love for us and desire to be in relationship with us, and about how that motivated Him to send His Son for the gap that our sin leaves. Every day I share the Gospel like that, in every tap-tap I’m in. It’s a great place to do it because I have a captive audience!”

After continually noticing the way another young man in his prayer group “just stood out as a man of character I wanted to be like in my walk with Jesus,” Jopnel learned that Rujerry was a student at Emmaus Biblical Seminary (now graduated, May 2018, and on staff).  “Both he and the associate pastor at my church encouraged me to study at Emmaus after high school, and I’m now at the beginning of my final year!”

“I give glory to God because He’s truly shown Himself to me through so many people at Emmaus.” Jopnel says.  “I’ve been thoroughly trained–spiritually and academically–and whatever continued ministry I end up in after graduation, it will be with my whole heart and with the relationships and tools I need to do it well, for His glory!”

Here at Emmaus we aim to keep tuition affordable for students, in order to do that EBS has a scholarship fund where you can help students like Jopnel to continue their studies at EBS.  For more information click here to find out how you can be part of what God is doing at Emmaus.

made it

We made it....thanks to all of you who prayed for us over the past few days.  Travelling went well, mostly...the boys did great on Saturday but after a 2am wake up (miami time)  on Sunday morning they were tired flying to Haiti.  Wee Jacob hasn't been well with a heavy cold and cough but he was great on all the flights and did a lot of sleeping, he just hasn't been so great at night.  Please pray for him to get better soon....Bill and I are in need of a very good nights sleep and we want him to feel better.

It feels good to be back in our house, unpacking and sorting is still ungoing, I am sitting here in the boys bedroom, they have just fallen asleep and as I look down there is barely any floor space as their clothes are all over the floor.  The problem with three boys is you never get rid of anything, (you also don't have to buy a lot of new stuff) so there is a lot of sorting to be done.

I took Sam to school today to meet his teacher and see his classroom, he was a little nervous going but now he is really excited to start school tomorrow.  I, on the other hand am not excited to be packing lunches everyday...any suggestions please send them my way!!But I am so thankful he has the opportunity to go to school here.

The boys are really glad to be back, especially to play with Lily, Sofie and Nora next door.  Bill will be back working tomorrow and I am still working out when that is going to happen for me.  Yverose and Michilene who look after the boys will be coming a couple of days a week for the boys to get to know them so I can get back to work in the clinic.

Our trip to Northern Ireland feels like a long time ago now even though it we only left three days ago.  Haiti really does feel like million miles away from everywhere else.