This year, here at ASAPH we decided to set aside one month for each branch of ministry. It gives all of us a chance to focus our energy into a single branch for that month. In October, our focus was the ASAPH BIBLE ACADEMY.

The ASAPH BIBLE ACADEMY is a program that encourages Bible memorization. There are ten levels of Bible verses and lists that student memorize one by one. Each level contains about a dozen verses. When a student completes a level, she is awarded a ribbon. She then advances to collect all ten. At completion, ASAPH encourages the student with her own copy of the Bible.  
Since 2012, we have had hundreds of kids begin the program. So, we gathered together on Sunday October 27th to celebrate Reformation Sunday, to celebrate the Bible, and to celebrate the many people who have successfully memorized parts of the Word of God through ASAPH’s Bible Academy program.

ASAPH’s “B” band kicked off the program at 5:00pm. The two-hour program was livened up by contests and quizzes. The ASAPH BLUES TEAM improvised on the B-I-B-L-E song. The ASAPH Brass Band filled the church with the brassy sounds of a few Bible songs as well. Along the way, WEC taught about several reasons why the Bible deserves to be believed. The program’s Master of Ceremonies, Obed, spoke about the importance of the Reformation to personal Bible reading. I did a demonstration showing the huge number of manuscripts that support the legitimacy of the Bible. ASAPH’s girls’ choir joined with young men from the ASAPH soccer teams to sing a choir song I wrote from passages in Psalm 119. To end the program, ASAPH’s pop-music group (Tropic-Asaph) combined with the girls’ choir to sing a song about the Old and New Testaments.

Because of contributions by ASAPH sponsors, we were able to prepare prizes for those who competed and for those who prepared special parts of the program. Bible-themed key chains, bracelets, and magnets brought joy to many faces before and after the program. We were also able to purchase 48 T-shirts for people who completed all 10 levels of the program. Students who had recited all ten levels at any point in the past ten years were given a free T-shirt (plus it was a good way to promote the program even more!)

As I move around the community in these days following the program, I am enjoying seeing Bible keychains hanging from bookbag zippers, bracelets on wrists, and ASAPH T-shirts on young people.  
We look forward to repeating this important program next year. Each October, ASAPH will plan, organize, and direct a celebration of the Word of God. No book is better. No message is more powerful in the lives of humans.

The B-I-B-L-E. That’s the book for me. I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E!!!



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They call Summer the hot season. There's "hot", and then there's "tropical hot". Haiti in the summer is "super tropical hot". 

This year, I am enjoying summer in Pennsylvania. After being stuck in Haiti for  a couple of months due to the closing of the main airport, my Spring trip turned into a Summer trip.

I arrived home in PA on July 4th. I have been enjoying time with family. I have been here for 7 weeks now, and I have visited 7 different churches. It's a joy to connect with many of those who support ASAPH Teaching Ministry and share news with them.

Ministry continues while I am away. WEC (Erntz) and his wife (Shelterline) are keeping everything moving this summer. When I do a video call, I hear musicians practicing their instruments in the ASAPH Teaching Center. Long summer days allow for morning lessons and rehearsals. We take advantage of the free time to push students along in their development. Among those teaching music are : Anemson'n, Ritchy, Johanna, and Stanley. 

As Americans head back to school next week (mid-August), Haitian students have just learned that the opening of school across Haiti has been delayed. Due to a late finish last year, the new school year will not begin until October. Sadly, this has happened many times in my years in Haiti. For an educational system that is already behind, an extra month of summer vacation is not what students need. 

Pray for Haitian students. Their continued suffering is one of the harsh realities when gangs are allowed to do as they please.

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May 1st was Haiti's national Agriculture and Labor Holiday. A few years ago, the ASAPH Brass Band attended a program at a church where the youth prepared a "parade of professions". Kids entered the church one by one dressed up as a series of professions. They stood together and represented the "people that you meet in the street" each day.

We decided to do the same thing for ASAPH's May 1st celebration this year. We met with boys from the AAF Jr. soccer team. We chose a doctor, a bee-keeper, and mason, and so many other professions and jobs. We even selected a lawyer. We met with the girl's choir and invited them to participate as well (a nurse, a beautician, a pre-school teacher, and many others). All of these kids were tasked with borrowing clothing and other items that would make them "look the part". 

On the evening of the program. I was busy in the church with presentations. The "parade of professions" gathered outside at the front door...in full costume. I made my way to that door so that I could help them to hear their cue for entry. When I arrived and looked out over the professions, my heart was touched. Here were wide-eyed kids a bit nervous about entering a packed church. They all looked at me...hardhats, stethoscopes, and all the rest. There was even a boy with goggles and a snorkel looking up at me!  These kids had gone "all out". They WERE their profession. The motorcycle taxi driver even rode his bike into the church. People loved it. The kids played up their parts. The mason checked the wall with his level. The diver carried live fish. The policeman gently corrected some people who were sitting crooked. It was a highlight of the May 1st event!

As a missionary in a foreign culture, you try many things. Some fly. Some sink. You never know what will work. I can't imagine how the "parade of professions" could have been done any better than it was this year...the very first time.  

Enjoy a few images...

News is circulating about a new group of leaders "chosen" to lead the country of Haiti out of the current mess. International groups are proudly shining a light on the work they have done to fix the suffering country.

It doesn't seem promising to those of us here in Haiti. News reports openly admit the team was sworn in during a secret ceremony! How can that be accepted by a population? Why do "the powers that be" think this is a step forward for 9 million people?

My impression is that things will get slightly better for a while...maybe. International forces will appear in late May, apparently. They may well meet resistance, and they will then point to Haitians as being ridiculous and un-helpable.

If you will permit me, I will offer this as an illustration to show what is happening right now with Haiti...
Imagine a soccer team that suffers under very bad coaching for years. The moral and structure of the team is destroyed. The president then fires the coach, and appoints the coach's two sons to chart a brand new course for the team...effectively repeating the same mistakes all over again.

There is a saying in Haitian Creole : Se menm yo menm. It's basically like "the same old thing." Haiti has a "new council" of some kind with a fancy name. It's the same old thing. 

UN dollars will drain into the accounts of the "brave" countries willing to help Haiti this time. Haitians will sit and watch another mission come and go in their land. You can bet that we will be back here again soon. 

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Hello from Pasbwadom! 

Haiti is in the news these days, and Port-au-Prince is decaying still. The rest of the country is going about life as best we can. 

A.J. is a man I knew as a student at the WFL school years and years ago. He moved to Port over 20 years ago. He lived up the hillside, and whenever I asked him about his neighborhood, he'd assure me that the gang activity didn't affect him near his house. He was well aware of every intersection and road that he should avoid in the city. At one point, thieves stole a vehicle of his right out from under a cousin who was driving it for him. Still, he stayed in Port.

This week, he called to say he is back in Pasbwadom. He fled with his family and whatever they could fit into a vehicle. He paid big money to get past the gangs. At least he is safe now...though displaced.


I learned this week that a friend of a friend is making plans to leave Port and come live in Pasbwadom as well. He now sees armed gang members walking by his front gate. His kids are scared. They hope to be able to come out to the safe countryside and somehow make a life. 


We have seen a helicopter or two out here in our area. Americans and other nationalities are leaving in huge numbers. Private companies are carrying people...for a price.  The main airport remains closed. 

Hopelessness is something Haitians have dealt with forever.  They don't seem phased by it at this point. Bad news comes in like a river, and people shrug it off and go on with living today. 

More and more people are hungry out here. I think it may get worse soon. 

I frankly don't want to think about escaping to "safety" and "easy life". I don't even talk about that with people here. There is no "escape" for them. There is no path. 

Pray for Haitians. Pray also for those who choose to be here now. There are many of us.

Good Friday is the perfect day to reflect on choices like these. How much should we do to help another person? How much should we give to be alongside a person in real need? How much does love cost? 

For me, Calvary is clear.     

Christ on the Cross changes everything. He humbly gave away His life, and said : "Follow me."

Every step I have taken to follow Him, has been a positive step in my life. Every step away from Him has been a regret.

In a society that has "moved on" from Christ, He still invites you...to live...really live...with Him.  



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Upfront, let me say I am no expert on Haiti. I don't travel around Haiti. I don't have a well-rounded view of the nation and its situation. I have lived in one community for 30 years. I do have a decent concept of life in rural Haiti because of that. 

Haiti is plagued by currents and forces that work behind the scenes. That, if you are an American, may sound familiar. People who reach the greatest levels of power in Haiti often seem to be 'placed' there by someone else. Right now, there are so many currents flowing in and around the city of Port that it is impossible to determine up from down. The government sat on the assassination of Haiti's president for years. Foreigners set up a replacement, but years passed without the word election being mentioned seriously. Why? Because of gang violence. Then, you hear that the government leaders spending years in power are the very ones supplying the gangs. When the population of Haiti cornered one gang, and cut them off from supplies, a helicopter dropped supplies for them. Gangs don't operate helicopters.

So, we now have a former policeman who is a top gang leader. His gangs, and gangs opposed to him, strangle the country by blocking all traffic into and out of the city. Another former policeman has returned from American prisons and is trying to lead a movement as well. Who knows what motivates him, but he did successfully push out Aristide years ago. He's back now. Then, politicians are jockeying for position also, and accuse each other of being aligned with the gangs. They also cozy up to international organizations that can likely get them into positions of power. On the outside of all of that, are regular Haitians who want to go to market and by food for the week. They can't. Supplies are limited. Money is scarce. Prices are inflated by three-digit percentages. 

It is a hopeless situation. Now, the Prime Minister has gone. Gangs, who claimed they would lay down arms and open up the country when he stepped down, show no signs of doing that. They have tasted ultimate power. Will they ever give it up? It is not hard to imagine that any government set up by "international friends of Haiti" will be merely a shadow. Real power will remain with the groups who have the least amount of conscience.

As an American, I watch the last few election cycles in the USA, and I ponder the path that my own country has chosen. We seem to be sailing headlong toward chaos in the streets. We vote for it. We remove forces that keep society in order. Haiti has been ingesting that reality for years now. Everyone can see how bad it is, but we continue to sprint toward it. Why?
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A Haitian expression can explain it. "Li pa senp." Haitians will use the phrase to explain an event that is more than it seems to be. An accident can kill a young person, and there will be rumors it was the work of a witchdoctor. "Li pa senp." It means there is more to the story. The "more" part is demonic forces. 

Satan and his legions are working to destroy every nation on earth. It can come from outside or from within...or both. Societies that tumble are a playground for God's enemy. He can never win against God. But his pleasure is to wreak havoc in the lives of God's most precious treasure...you and me. 

As 2024 rolls through, seek God. He can open eyes to see what has never before been seen. He can open ears to hear what has never been noticed. 

A living relationship with God does not make hunger and pain go away. It doesn't bring back what is lost. It does give you strength to endure. 

God is good.  

Really good.

​We may need Him more and more. So, better to get started on knowing Him right now. 




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On December 31st, the ASAPH Brass Band played for a Sunday morning service in the Fondeblan area. 

Hosting the band was Pastor Fisher Raymond. He is the composer and singer of LAVI MWEN PA YON AKSIDAN, a song that I arranged for the ASAPH Brass Band. 

The band played our arrangement for him, along with a couple of other popular worship songs. It was a great opportunity to be with a man whose songs have millions of views on YouTube. 

My compliments to the ASAPH Brass Band committee and assistant director Teddy M. for their work in preparing the band and making the trip a reality. 


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Every mission has a budget. Part of ministry is growing income in order to provide more ministry. ASAPH has been blessed with 11 years of faithful support from area congregations and individuals. Buildings were built. Equipment was acquired. So many events have taken place over these years because of support from ASAPH sponsors. 

As we look to 2024, we are making some tough decisions about things we can reduce in order to "keep the lights on." It is always difficult to choose an activity to eliminate. 

We are well aware of needs all over the world these days, near and far. And so, we will faithfully do the best we can to continue the critical ministries of ASAPH in accordance with the support we do receive. We trust God to equip us for the things HE chooses. 

If you are able, make a contribution or two this coming year. Every dollar opens another door. ASAPH leaders are developing and growing into ministry. Let's water these little plants as they begin to produce fruit for tomorrow.

God bless you as you consider the possibilities. 


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​There aren't a ton of brass bands in Haiti, but they do exist. Funeral parlors usually have a brass band available to them. Salvation Army congregations often have a brass band as well. But the ASAPH Brass Band is unique in that we like to play arrangements of popular Christian songs...songs that people are hearing on the radio. 

One such song was LAVI MWEN PA YON AKSIDAN. I don't remember how it was introduced to me, but I arranged it for our band to play. It was a favorite everywhere we played it. The song was written and performed by Fisher Raymond, a Haitian pastor and singer. The lyrics boldly claim that our lives are not an accident...we are God's plan. No hair can fall without His approval! It is a powerful message for people living each day in desperate poverty. 

The ASAPH Brass Band chose to play that song when we attended that annual Baptist Convention years ago. It was our 5 minutes of fame, recorded by professional cameras and microphones. 

Fisher Raymond apparently viewed the video at some point. He contacted a member of the band, and invited the group to play his song at a special anniversary service he will be attending in the mountain community of Fondeblan. That event was scheduled for November 26th. Rain changed their plans, however. The new date is in December. 

The ASAPH Brass Band is preparing the original song as well as a brand new song that I arranged for the occasion, a second song written and recorded by Fisher Raymond. 

This is an exciting opportunity. We hope the new date works, and that we are afforded the opportunity to bless a composer/artist by interpreting his own song. 

The new song talks about God's eyes being on every little part of Haiti. His eye is indeed on a little community we call Pasbwadom !   God is good !   

Look for these on YOU TUBE :   

Fisher Raymond - Lavi Mwen Pa Yon Aksidan
Lavi mwen pa yon aksidan " Fisher Raymond" ( music évangélique Haïtenne 2023 ) Haitian Gospel - YouTube
Fisher Raymond - Je Bondye Sou Ou
Ayiti Je Bondye Sou Ou "Fisher Raymond" (Official video 2023) Music Chrétiens - YouTube




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When I designed the ASAPH Teaching Center (12 years ago), it never dawned on me that we should have an official office space. I built my own office into my bedroom area...the 16' x 16' cement room that also serves as hurricane shelter. As the ministry has grown and more and more leaders are "working" here at ASAPH, it became clear we should have an office space. 

In December, Jason Stoltzfus (from Lancaster) installed a plywood wall right down the middle of my cement room. Now ASAPH has a front porch and a tiny office. The back of the room will still serve as my own office and bedroom.

Each afternoon, activities begin around 2:00 and continue until 5:00 or so...rehearsals, lessons, meetings, etc. Each activity has a leader, but there is now also an adult in the office as a resource for both leaders and students. 

WEC is serving as ASAPH's Administrative Assistant...backing me up in every role I play in Haiti.  WEC's wife Shelterline (who studied administration in college) is serving as ASAPH's Administrative Secretary...taking care of many financial tasks, personnel tasks, and record keeping. 

As we move in to 2024, we will equip the new office space and develop it as a headquarters for the ministry. The Teaching Center will be available for...teaching. 

These improvements can only happen with support from people like you! Thanks for being involved in ASAPH Teaching Ministry. 


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