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January 21, 2010

Haiti is their mission

David Laughlin

�If we are just going to be a church on the corner, than count me out,� Ray of Hope pastor Mike McCord said. McCord has an issue with just being ordinary, he doesn�t just want to fit in, he wants ROH to stand out, he wants ROH to be a nation shaker.

ROH has been supporting the Rev. Stenio Capre, a native of Haiti, for 30 years. Capre oversees more than 200 churches in Haiti. Most of the congregations are small, but he has some larger churches. Each month an offering is taken to send to Capre.

The funds the church raises goes to Capre�s sister, who lives in Florida. McCord says that corruption is so rampant in Haiti, it is almost impossible to send funds directly to Capre.

�We have been trying to raise money to get brother Capre a new truck, but things just kept falling through. Maybe it was a good thing,� McCord said.

McCord and Ray of Hope receive a monthly letter from Capre giving updates on the various outreaches going on in Haiti. �The communication there is terrible, even before the earthquake, it was bad. Capre and I would be talking and we would get disconnected. It is almost impossible to have a lengthy conversation with him because of the lack of infrastructure,� McCord said.

McCord said Capre lives in Port-au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti. Capre escaped injury as he was outside of town at one of the rural churches he supports.

�We got word from his sister that he was all right. His home was damaged, but he is safe,� McCord said.

In April, Ray of Hope member Mary Smith, along with three colleagues, ventured to Haiti on a mission. Smith who was Ray of Hope�s mission coordinator, recalls just how bad Haiti was even before the earthquake.

�The roads were terribly impassable, there were no paved roads. The roads were like forest roads, it was just so overwhelming. Their infrastructure is almost nonexistent, and that was before the earthquake,� Smith said.

Smith said the church was planning a return trip to Haiti in 2011.

�We want to go down there and teach them how to make bread. Bread is such a luxury in Haiti. We believe it would help them so much,� she said.

Smith said that life in Haiti is difficult.

�The people work from sunrise to sunset. They work hard for everything they have,� Smith said.

�Ju�rez, Mexico, is nothing compared to Haiti.�

McCord met Capre in the 1970s through other churches that were associating with him. McCord firmly believes that supporting a native missionary is more effective then any alternative.

�The people have such a great respect for brother Capre, they know he is trying to help them,� McCord said.

Regarding response time in delivering assistance following the earthquakes, McCord said he sees and hears many people who are unhappy with the response time.

�People just don�t realize how difficult it is to get help there. It was difficult before the earthquake.�

�We have been sowing into Haiti through brother Capre for years and we have had boots on the ground in Haiti. People can trust us to get the money to him if they want to donate. Any money intended for Haiti will be used just for that � Haiti.�

McCord has ambitious desire for Ray of Hope.

�We want to be nation shakers. We want to affect the world. We do a lot of outreach. If we didn�t we wouldn�t have a reason to exist.�



� David Laughlin is a reporter for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 580-255-5354, Ext. 144, or via e-mail at david.laughlin@duncanbanner.com.

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