We have entered the very busy and festive season of Christmas. This season tends to begin at Thanksgiving and flows to New Year’s Day. About this time, we exclaim how fast the year has flown. When we were children, we described time as “slow as Christmas,” but as adults, it is like a supersonic jet with jingle bells attached.
Continue reading “Journey Update: December 2022”Journey Update: January 2023
Happy New Year! When we hit New Year’s Day, people often assess their life situation. It is a great opportunity to share the peace and hope we have in Jesus. One of my go-to scriptures about peace and hope is Romans 15:13 (NKJV), “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” It is also a blessing we convey on others. This is my prayer of blessing to you all.
Continue reading “Journey Update: January 2023”Journey Update: November 2022
November is here and, in a few weeks, turkey will be on the menu. I know you are not waiting for the turkey carving before you are thankful. Several years ago, I latched onto a prayer-phrase I heard from a friend, “Lord, give me a grateful heart.” The scripture in Philippians 4:6 (NKJV) encourages us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
In our present world, there are many things that could induce anxiety in our lives, but there are so many other things of which we can be thankful. I am thankful for you! The very fact you receive this letter is evidence of your effect on my life and ministry. Thank you! Your prayers and generous financial support are evidence of your compassion and love. Everything we receive is received with thanksgiving and never taken for granted.
Our ministry in Haiti continues under dangerous and difficult conditions. Pastor Baptiste and the staff at the church and school continue to work assisting the folks in their area. The country is very insecure with gang activity. Transportation and distribution of goods is drastically hampered. Prices have gone through the roof. Rice in recent past years was about $24 for a 25-kilogram bag (55 pounds). Now it is about $40. The common folks are in survival mode and people die every day from the violence and abject poverty.
Inflation in Haiti is at a very high rate. I remember several years ago when the exchange rate was about 1 US Dollar to 65 Haitian Gourdes, now it is about 1 USD to 130 HTG.
We purchased a good quantity of rice, and the school staff bagged it in smaller bags and distributed it to the families of the students. Here is a verbatim sample of Pastor Baptiste’s communication with me, “It is up to me thank you because you have made me useful in the [our] area, still today you contribute in Haiti despite the difficulty, thank you very much!” I include his exact words because his thanks to me is his thanks to those of you who help us.
I am thankful for the opportunities to minister in various churches. In October, I preached at Eglise Porte Etroite (Haitian church in Albertville, Alabama) where five people accepted Christ. I also led a Bible discussion there on the same Sunday night. On October 30th, I was blessed to preach at New Life Christian Center (Sardis City, Alabama).
Upcoming engagements:
November 27 – Church Anniversary Celebration at Eglise Porte Etroite (Albertville, Alabama).
December 4 – Preaching at Cave Springs Baptist Church (Attalla, Alabama).
January 1 – Preaching at New Life Christian Center (Sardis City, Alabama).
Our work in the Kingdom of God reaches directly here in the United States and into five other countries. We have affiliated and partnership ministries in these six countries where we share the spiritual bread of the Gospel and physical bread to feed the poor.
Our blog reaches into about 45 different countries and has steadily grown over the years. We are trying to share the message of Jesus Christ by every means possible. We appreciate those who read, like/comment, and share our posts on your social media pages. Please visit our blog site and we encourage you to subscribe for notifications to new posts. The blogsite is PathwayJourney.com where you can read any of our past posts. There are some other resources there such as “Travel Tips” and “Simple Life Skills”. We also have some resources on our ministry website, PathwayOutreach.org listed under the menu item, “Resources” where you can find “Discipleship Helps” and “Ministry Helps”. You are welcome to print any of these items.
I have had some progress on my book publishing. We have gone through the first phase of publishing, the manuscript has been reviewed for publishing standards and the general editorial review. The manuscript is in the final line edit process before it goes into cover design and interior design, then into production. Perhaps we will have a book in hand in about three months. I am not sure which is the most difficult, writing a book or the publishing process. It is a lot of work. I pray many will be blessed and Jesus will be magnified by the book. God put it in my heart, and I have put it in His hands—He can do with it as He wishes. Please pray for the process. This book is the first in a book series. I have begun the second book, with the hope of its completion in one year.
Rejoicing in the salvation, which is by grace through faith, I am…
Yours on the Journey,
Harry L. Whitt
Journey Update: October 2022
ONLINE VERSION
After our hot Alabama summer, the cooler fall days are a welcome relief. I love the fall season. It symbolizes a new beginning for me, even more than spring. My fall garden is growing again with turnip greens, collards, kale, and cabbage greening up our little homestead.
Please pray for Pastor Baptiste, the school staff, the church, and for the country of Haiti. I can hear the pain in his voice and communications. As most of you know, the situation in the country has only worsened with very bad security, scarcity of products, and very high inflation. Last week, Pastor Baptiste sent me a message, these are his words, “Good evening pastor. We have no gasoline, nothing works, the communication is very difficult. The country is unlivable, no security, some people are killed every day.”
We are still able to get support to them. Schools in Haiti were supposed to open on September 5, but the government cancelled all school opening until October 3. During this time, we were able to rebuild the kitchen. The old rustic building was wood and sheet metal. Our new building is made of concrete block, concrete floor, and a concrete preparation table. The roof is coming soon.
Remember, we are not collecting CareBoxes this year. We just do not have a secure way to transport them from Port au Prince to Leogane.
Pathway Outreach has ministry efforts in six countries. Most are in difficult places where life is very challenging and in some places, they are unfriendly to Christians. It seems like the world has gone crazy; we are in this world but not of it. First John 5:19 (NKJV) says, “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” Keep praying!
There are many people around the world who do the Kingdom work of Jesus in the midst of terrible circumstances. I often think about Daniel 11:32b (NKJV), “but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”
I will be preaching and teaching four times this month. (1) Teaching a group of pastors via the internet in an un-named country on Tuesday, Oct. 5 at midnight our time; morning for them. (2) Preaching at Eglise Porte Etroite (Haitian Church) in Albertville, Alabama on Sunday, October 16 at 10:00 AM. (3) Teaching at Eglise Porte Etroite on Sunday, Oct 16 at 6 PM. (4) Preaching at New Life Christian Center in Sardis City, AL on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 10:30 AM.
By God’s grace and help, I have finished my first book. I uploaded my manuscript to my publisher September 28th. If all goes well, it should be in print in about 4-6 months. I’ll try to keep you updated. Please pray for the process of publication, this is a new journey for me. The book is about Jesus the Messiah. I will post more information in the months ahead. I hope it becomes the first of a three-book series, but we need to birth this baby before we get a family of three. Stay tuned…
Thank you all for your encouragement, prayers, and financial support. You are in my prayers.
Rejoicing in the salvation which is by grace through faith, I am…
Yours on the Journey,
Harry L. Whitt
Journey Update: August 2022
It has been a very hot summer. I was a little late with some of my garden but so far it has been very fruitful. I started most of my own tomato plants, first with seeds in a flat, then potted up to a larger cup before transplanting to the garden. Gardening provides plenty of spiritual analogies.
I started most of my vegetables by planting the seed directly into the tilled soil. After about a week, I begin looking for some evidence of seedlings popping through the soil. At first it often looks like the germination rate is slim but then the stragglers pop the surface. It is like when you preach the Gospel, you look for some results. You may immediately see some seeds coming to life, but then others come in a little later. The Bible tells us, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9 NKJV).
July has been a good month of sowing spiritual seeds. I started off July on the 1st finishing up the revival at Miller Hollow Community Church, filled in for my pastor at New Life on Sunday, 17th, preached at a Haitian wedding on the 23rd (yes they often have a full message), jail ministry on the 26th, and finished the month preaching at Cave Springs Baptist Church on the Sunday, 31st. I appreciate all those who gave me an opportunity to preach in their churches.
School starts in Haiti on September 5th. We have forwarded the funds for the uniforms and the school books so Pastor Baptiste will have plenty of time to procure the supplies. Just buying supplies is difficult in Haiti. With the insecurities such as kidnapping and killing in Port au Prince it makes things doubly difficult. We are very thankful for the outpouring of financial support for our uniform and book project over the last couple of months. The regular support of our ministry work in Haiti and around the world all year long is such a blessing.
Also related to our Haitian school, Mary Emily Royal and her family have a lemonade stand fundraiser every year that provides a chicken leg meal each month for our approximately 400 students. The fundraiser was in July. This is a great blessing as it provides an extra boost of protein for our kids who are the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. Thanks so much to Mary Emily for her heart to help. She has been doing this since middle school and will be a college student this fall term. She has and will do great things for Jesus.
We send financial help for the ministry work in a few Asian countries. In one we provide food support to many widows, and over several months have provided meals for the homeless street people. If everything goes as planned, we hope to return there in 2023. Travel is considerably more difficult and expensive than in times past. However, God does not tell us to go just when it is easy.
Thank you all for your prayers and support. We appreciate your partnership.
Rejoicing in the salvation which is by grace through faith, I am…
Yours on the Journey,
Harry L. Whitt
Journey Update: September 2022
Our schools here in America are in full swing. Jennie and I have all five of our grandchildren in school now. They are enrolled from Pre-K all the way to the 10th grade. Our school in Haiti will begin on September 5th.
Pastor Baptiste sent me some pictures of the cloth he purchased in bulk that is used for the school uniforms (see the enclosed photos). Since Haiti continues to have major unrest and insecurity, the material had to be brought from Port au Prince on a boat to the shoreline near our school. We appreciate all the folks who helped us with the uniform and book project this year.
He also sent me some photos of the rebuild of our cooking area. The covering was getting old and a recent storm pretty much finished it off. Previously, it was wood framing covered in metal. We are building it back with concrete block which will make it cooler as well as more durable. Our feeding program at the school is very important. We try to feed them a hot meal every school day. The cost of food has greatly increased with world food prices coupled with the ongoing security problems in Haiti. All this makes everything more difficult thus more expensive. Thank you all who support our work, you keep our wheels turning!
We also try to provide a chicken leg meal at least once per month for our students. Since Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, it is very important to furnish some protein as we can. When we first began the chicken leg meals, pastor told me this was the first time in many of these kids lives, that they had one piece of chicken just for themselves. We appreciate Mary Emily Royal in Sardis City for helping with this project. She started raising money for this project when she was in middle school and now she is in her first year of college. Thanks Mary Emily and all of you who give to this project.
Our first water well project in Uganda has been completed. It supplies water for one village and the surrounding area. About 1500 plus people will get good water from this well. They had been getting water from a swamp area during the rainy season and walking about 18 miles to a lake in the dry season to get water. They were so happy and excited for the water source. Godfrey Eskola did a great job administrating this project. We greatly appreciate all those who helped with this major project. Water is a great necessity for life and a great blessing. The gift of it exhibits the love of Jesus.
One of our ministry partners in an Asian country oversees fifteen village churches and their respective pastors. He recently held a pastors conference for several pastors in the area. He through our assistance supplements many widows with monthly food provisions. They also have food outreaches among the homeless in a large city. We have plans to visit there in 2023.
Please pray for another one of our ministry partners in another Asian country who operates a Christian school. Life and ministry are even more difficult when you are in a Christian minority country.
Thank you all for your prayers and financial support. Rejoicing in the salvation which is by grace through faith, I am…
Yours on the Journey,
Harry L. Whitt
Journey Update: July 2022
Journey Update: July 2022
This month we celebrated 4th of July (Independence Day in the United States). We are praying for another spiritual awakening in our land. For sure, every country has its problems but the greatness of a country depends on where they look for solutions.
There is a correlation in the spiritual realm that manifests in the earthly realm. Some Christians often overlook this or they are not aware of it at all. We especially see in the Old Testament that Israel was blessed when they were obedient to God but cursed when they were disobedient. “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34 NKJV). Pray for a spiritual renewal in America!
Continue reading “Journey Update: July 2022”Journey Update: June 2022
I did a quick calculation the morning as I wrote this update, and discovered I have written some 336 or so monthly updates in the life of Pathway Outreach. It is more than meets the eye with the writing, the printing, the folding, the stuffing, and the mailing. I often struggle with the updates, because I know I need to inform our supporters of the work but then, there is the aspect of promotion, of which I am not comfortable. We rarely even ask for money unless it is for a special project. Our strategy is to stay close to the heart of Jesus, pray, let people know what we are trying to do, and ultimately put our faith in Jesus and trust Him.
Continue reading “Journey Update: June 2022”Journey Update: April 2022
Those of you well acquainted with me and Pathway Outreach Ministries realize that Haiti has been a major part of my life since the early 1990s. When the devastating earthquake hit in 2010 my journeys to Haiti increased. On these journeys I stayed with Pastor Baptiste in his home on the church grounds. I became a frequent member of the village. I have a little story to tell of my experience.
Continue reading “Journey Update: April 2022”Journey Update: March 20222
When I was writing “March 2022” on this newsletter, the spell-check in my head said, “Can
that be true?” I have been preparing for cold weather, now I need to buy some seed.
We are still disappointed over the incident with our cargo of CareBoxes being hijacked by the gang in Haiti. I spoke to many of you about this and was moved by your concern and understanding. I heard your heart as you spoke with mercy toward the salvation of the gang members. You sounded just like Jesus to me! We all hope and pray that many of the boxes will find their way into the hands of some poor child in a slum in Port au Prince.
You may hear my words echoing from previous updates, “If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.” “God has sent us to the dark corners of this world.” And I hear the voice of Jesus saying, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick./ I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32 NKJV). Now, we pray, forgive, and hope.
Pastor Baptiste and his staff were disappointed but not surprised because they live and work in the chaos of Haiti every day. They are under so much pressure of uncertainty and violence all the time. Please pray for them and for the country of Haiti.
They continue to minister to the people in the nearby villages and continue to educate and feed the children in our school. The feeding program is even more important since the cost of food has greatly increased with the disruptions in the country. For some of the children, the school meal may be the only meal for the day. In times past a 25 kg bag of rice (55 lbs.) cost about $24 USD, now it is about $35 per bag. Everything is expensive. It is sad and heart-breaking.
Our ministry partners in a number of countries in the world are working to evangelize and disciple their people in villages and towns. We also give food aid to many widows each month. They serve the Kingdom of God in spite of the difficulty and hardships. Many have sacrificed much to spread the Gospel and work to better the lives of their people. Their names and faces are not shown to protect them from persecution.
I have been with these Christian ministers and they are strong and humble. Strength with humility is the mark of a strong Christian and is something we all need to aspire to be. They are a great inspiration to me.
Eglise Porte Etroite, the Haitian church in Albertville, Alabama is doing well. It is affiliated with us yet is self-supporting. I preached there in January on a Sunday morning. I was blessed to hold a training session for the youth of the church one Sunday afternoon. We had a great time.
Our ministry also has a local jail outreach where a group of our ministers go to the Boaz City Jail one evening every week to minister to the inmates. We distribute New Testaments and share the Gospel with them.
Thank you for your prayers and financial support. We appreciate you partnering with us for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ here and abroad.
Rejoicing in the salvation which is by grace through faith, I am…
Yours on the Journey,
Harry L. Whitt
Pathway Outreach Ministries 