January 2008

And you shall be my witnesses … even to the ends of the earth.
Acts 1:8.

Friends,

I have spent most of my life burning the candle at both ends, knowing the world was full of needs and needy people and that God had entrusted and empowered me to address many of them. Very few people ever get the option and privilege to work full time to bring the Kingdom of God to those less fortunate. For 20 years I have been one of the extra special ones and have had too many joys, pains, accomplishments, and hopes to be contained in a volume of books.

In 1987 when Sharyn and I and our two adolescent daughters arrived in the swampy, rural rice basket of Haiti we knew we had made the right move. It felt right. The tasks before us were challenging and obtainable (we prayed).

Four years later, my work moved many miles south. We moved, and it felt right. The mountains before me were challenging and surmountable (we prayed).

Fifteen years later, I left rural Haiti and was assigned to teach rural development in a university in Port-au-Prince. It did not feel right. The challenges and obstacles became irritants. For the first time ever, I was merely marking time. (We prayed and prayed.)

Surrounded and supported by a team from Presbyterian HQ, innumerable suggestions were made, adjustments tried, options considered. Zache Duracin, the Episcopal Bishop of all Haiti, personally spent hours in meetings and follow-ups trying to tailor the people and positions into a better fit. We prayed, and the assurance of God’s presence was always there but the joy of serving was gone.

And so, the following letter was prompted.

Dear Maria,

I met with the Bishop yesterday, and we spoke of the several options before me as well as our long-time relationship you, he, and we have been a part of. It has been an amazing voyage and trying to imagine how many people—here or in the United States—have been impacted by our collaboration is impossible. But on that final day, it shall be revealed!

It is impossible to express how much support and encouragement I have gotten from both the Bishop and you during these many years of ministry together. I feel a bond that goes far beyond a simple professional relationship. Through our time together we have each seen and prayed through many difficult situations that impacted each of our lives individually and jointly.

The ministry to which we all have been called has not changed. Caring for the needy, the marginalized, the abandoned and displaced ones and doing so in the name of our Savior will forever be our calling. There are many opportunities to carry out this ministry and with deep sadness, I feel I must choose a slightly different route. For 20 years I have been honored to work in Haiti as a full time Christian worker, most of this time directly under the supervision and direction of Bishop Duracin and the PC(USA). It has been a joy and a privilege.

Recently, a unique opportunity has been offered to me. the International Organization for Migration, a sister U.N. organization doing phenomenal work in Haiti, has asked me to accept a short-term position administering one of their projects. Although it is urban development (as opposed to my lifetime experience in rural development) I believe there are many opportunities to continue doing exactly the work God has called me to do.

To keep with the rules of the PC(USA) and to accept this position, I will need to resign from my present one with the church. We all have been discussing options for some time and yesterday, after again speaking with Bishop Duracin, we jointly agreed to this decision.

The friendships and accomplishments here in Haiti and with those in the Presbyterian Church will be a legacy forever. But there is a large group of previous visitors, supporters, prayer warriors, and churches who are not aware of this change and will be very surprised. Lest they feel abandoned, I am asking you to not make an official announcement about this change for a couple more days. I began yesterday writing a thank you and “goodbye” letter, which I am asking you to send them through the Mission Connections office. I think that will give a nice, clean, open closure to many years of partnership. Additionally, it will help churches realize and remember Sharyn is still deeply involved directly in the life of the Episcopal Church of Haiti through the university.

Thus, after a year of prayer, I once again move. The challenges are back. God has entrusted and empowered me to address the needs of many and it is a liberating, vibrant feeling.

After several pages of attempts and nearly eight hours trying to compose a final paragraph, I simply am not going to do it. You who have read this far are too important to tell “goodbye.” Thank you for continuing to pray for both of us, and we look forward to hearing from you again and again.

In Christ,

Rodney (and Sharyn)

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 269