As I write this letter, we are in one of our weeklong seminars for young people. We will average 250 each day, and our ladies will fix 10 different meals for the 5 days. Our subject matter is I & II Peter and Jude. At the conclusion of the seminar on Friday, we will graduate 39 young people: 6 men will graduate from our 4-year seminary; 10 students will graduate from our Saturday Seminary, having accumulated 144 classroom hours; and 22 students will graduate from our weeklong seminar program, having passed at least 10 weeks of classes. We conduct these weeklong seminars at Christmas and Easter Break and the week prior to public school commencement.
The rebellious demonstrations that I mentioned in our last letter have subsided for now. The erratic behavior of some of the Haitian people reminds me of an arsonist’s fire that can be quickly extinguished, and then life here continues the next day as if nothing happened.
Pastor, I pray for you. I know winter is bearing down. You could probably use some encouragement for several reasons. I wish I could clone myself, change my name, join your church, and just throw myself into your work. Many Christians expect you to be pastor, preacher, teacher, counselor, troubleshooter, doctor, lawyer, banker, miracle-worker, evangelist, chauffeur, policeman, soul winner, mechanic, and nurse. The demands you oftentimes face open the door for potential disappointments and failures. One of my prayers is that your people would pray for you, as I am sure many do. So, I am covenanting to pray more for you in 2019 than I did in 2018.
Thank you very much for birthday and Christmas cards in December, along with some gifts and extra money. Theresa and I prepared sacks of rice, beans, and oil to feed 90 families for several days. We were also able to give small toys and candy to 150 children for Christmas. Positively, it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).
Our soul-winning efforts did not diminish through the holiday season.
Respectfully,
Keith and Theresa Baker