My plans were set. I was traveling to la Gonâve, Haiti with a medical team from First Scots Presbyterian Church during the last week of February. I am not a medical professional, so I planned to do educational/recreational outreach at St. Croix, a school near the clinic. As sometimes happens in Haiti, plans change. When
Today, the whole world faces a crucial problem, the Covid-19. This virus is still a challenge and is considered as one of the worst enemies of humanity. We need to be stronger than before and rely on God’s guidance as we pray and encourage each other. As your brother in Christ, I keep you all
Pause for a moment to think about some of your deepest and longest-lasting friendships. Depending on how old you are, some of your connections with close friends may have spanned many years or even many decades. The joy of long-term relationships is that we have the opportunity to share all the various dimensions of our
According to Merriam-Webster… Mission: noun An important assignment carried out for political, religious, or commercial purposes, typically involving travel. The vocation or calling of a religious organization, especially a Christian one, to go out into the world and spread its faith. My problem with this definition is that the focus is on us, what WE
My name is Dr. Charius Lazar. I was born in Nouvelle Cité, on the island of la Gonâve, Haiti. I am 32 years old, and I am the youngest of 14 children. My mother took in sewing, and my father farmed the land. I was educated as a child in the St. Croix School in
For those of you unfamiliar, “taking coals to Newcastle” is the height of giving someone something they have plenty of. That is often how I feel when I try to explain the value of our Community Healthcare Workers. It is really not a concept we have in this country because what they offer is available
It is not always easy to know what to do. As Americans we seem to come pre-loaded with the desire to fix things. Haiti has a way, with a lovely French accent of course, of saying, “Not so fast, Buddy.” The odd thing about it is that almost to a person, what keeps people engaged
No, you are not reading an old post from January. Our partnership year is reviewed annually at our partnership meeting in July. This year it was hosted by the lovely folks at First (Scots) Presbyterian Church in Charleston, SC, and it was a huge success. Over 60 people in attendance, including our Priest in Charge,
Well, that sounds ominous to some, but for me, anytime in Charleston is a treat. Never more so than when we have our annual meeting there on July 22-23. We are being hosted by First (Scots) Presbyterian Church and the program looks compelling. While we are on a calendar year fiscally, the partnership uses the
A well known verse from Matthew. And then there are the mind games we play: The poor are always with you. You can’t save the world. Sending food only makes matters worse. Is it sustainable? But Matthew doesn’t play games with us. He goes on to say that when God responds to us the answer
