Introductory Letter

Dear Friends and Family,
December 24, 2009

I hope you are all doing well! As you may already know, I have gotten the opportunity to go to Haiti’s Central Plateau area as an intern for a missions organization called Haitian American Friendship Foundation (HAFF). I will be leaving from New York on January 12th, 2010, and returning on July 29th, 2010. I wanted to tell you some about what went into this trip, but if you have any more questions at all, please feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email. (And hopefully I will see many of you soon anyway!)

Why Haiti?

I have been looking into spending some time abroad on and off over the past year, and as I hope to attend seminary when I return (I am currently applying to several for the Fall 2010 semester), I believe this time between college graduation and seminary is the best time to spend learning and serving abroad. Although I have considered several areas and organizations, I pursued the opportunity to work in Haiti for several reasons. First, one of the missionaries who has been working with HAFF in Haiti for the past 23 years is a good family friend, and so I have been blessed with hearing about their ministry throughout my life. Second, Haiti has a very different spiritual “climate” and culture—and thus the Church there has its own unique challenges, strengths, and weaknesses—and so could be a special place to learn about God’s work in a very different area of the world. Also, the geographical proximity (while still a very different culture) of Haiti allows for easier travel from the States, and the opportunity to get involved in HAFF’s ministries as well as the local churches was attractive.

What will I be doing in Haiti?

As I will be the general intern at HAFF’s campus, I will participate in and learn about a number of different areas of their ministry (HAFF’s website tells about them and their ministry: www.haff.org). Some of the possible areas of my work there will involve tutoring one of the missionary’s children, assisting students in learning English (in the classroom and in conversation workshops), leading a Bible study, learning Kreyòl (one of the official languages spoken in Haiti), helping with short-term missions groups from North America, helping with orders for the base’s pharmacy, coaching soccer, and accompanying one of the missionaries to other towns to show the Jesus Film. As well as these more formal opportunities, I will have the chance to visit and hopefully get plugged into and involved with one or more of the local churches, and as I learn more Kreyòl, to build relationships with those in the village and hopefully participate in hospitality ministry. Through this medley of service and learning opportunities, I hope to both be able to help with HAFF’s ministry in Haiti, as well as grow in my understanding of God’s work in Haiti.

Support

First, Haiti is a country with a history of spiritual darkness, and so I ask for your prayers for my faith and strength as I serve with HAFF. The battle is real, but our God is infinitely stronger, and I pray that I will walk every day in the knowledge of this truth. Please also pray for God’s work in and through the other HAFF missionaries, and for Him to reveal Himself to those in Haiti who do not yet believe. Second, as HAFF does not provide for the financial needs of interns from their own funds, I will also be relying upon the support of those of you who may wish to give financially.

I will be sending out regular email updates during my time in Haiti, and so if you would like to receive these updates in order to better know how to pray for me and hear about my trip, please reply to this email. Also, I would be very grateful for any financial support you are able to give, as it looks like I will have to raise $6700 for my six-month stay and airfare—I am hoping to raise most of it by the time I leave in January (NOTE on 2-2010: the amount of support I was aiming for has been surpassed! Thank you all, and praise God!) If you have any questions about my support or how much more I still need at any point, please let me know. If you would like to contribute financially, please send a check made out to “HAFF,” with an enclosed note that clearly says “Support for Jonathan Fischer” to the address below (contributions are tax-deductible and HAFF will send a receipt for your donation):

HAFF
P.O. Box 3421
North Ft. Myers, FL 33918

What do I hope to be the “fruit” of this trip?

Through the time I will be interning with HAFF in Haiti, as well as serving HAFF as I'm able and aiding the missionaries in their work, I hope to gain a better appreciation and knowledge of missions in general, and specifically of God’s work through HAFF in Haiti. As I also hope to serve in the local church in the U.S. after seminary (I am currently applying to seminaries for their Master of Divinity programs), I want to bring to that church some understanding of and sensitivity to God’s work in areas outside the States—and thus better communicate the universal reach of the gospel. Furthermore, I look forward to learning how to better support missionaries serving abroad, as well as to learn from our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world. I look forward to seeing more of God’s work and provision through your prayers, financial support, and your encouragement during these next few months! I know I will be needing lots of prayer, and the encouragement I have already received means a lot. Thank you so much!