GONAIVES CHRISTIAN MISSION
ACHIN CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Achin
The village of Achin sits in arid scrubland about twenty miles south of Gonaives.
The people live in mud-daubed homes scattered throughout the brush. They mill grain by hand by pounding it in a crude mill with a pole.
Water is a daily struggle. Until Sainsurin dug a hand-pumped well near the church in 2014, water had to be carried from a distant French open-pit well constructed in the late 1700's.
The land is too dry to farm and there are no jobs nearby so the people survive by tending small herds of goats and cutting down the few remaining trees to make charcoal.
David Saint-Bert
Preaching Minister
David preaches at Achin and helps at a church in Bayonnais where he preaches once a month. He also works part-time as a mason. He and his wife, Maria Theresa, live in Gonaives and have four children.
David requests prayers:
-That God will guide him and use him to further His kingdom.
-That the churches he serves would grow spiritually, numerically, and financially.
-That God would provide him a motorcycle to help him get to the churches he serves.
Philemond Delva
Pastoral Minister and Founder
Philemond founded the church in 1983 and he continues to serve. He preaches once a month and ministers to the people of Achin with his wife, Charlestine. They have six grown children. To supplement his small ministry stipend, he also makes charcoal and works in the rice fields, when he can.
Philemond requests prayers:
-That God will give him wisdom and strength to be a good pastor.
-That God would protect his family and his church.
The Church
Philemond Delva and his wife, Charlestine, founded the Achin church in 1983. It became part of Gonaives Christian Mission in 2002.
The original church was constructed of mud, straw, and tree branches, like many of the homes in the village. Now, the church meets in a beautiful new sanctuary completed in 2016.
The church has over 100 members and many more children and youth led by Philemond and a couple of younger men from Gonaives who have stepped in to help.
Desir Charles
Music Minister and Deacon
Desir leads music, teaches the youth, and serves as deacon at Achin. He is a rice farmer but the recent drought has made it difficult to raise a crop. He and his wife, Annocia, live in Gonaives and have a young son.
Desir requests prayers:
-That he can continue to grow spiritually.
-That God would make it possible for him to provide for his family.