Pastor Laventure and his wife had been taking care of kids and helping them gain an education many years before he was asked a simple question in 2010 after the earthquake. “Pastor Moise asked me to move to the village, and I said I would pray. For one month, I didn’t give him an answer. He kept calling me and asking me to give him an answer. God showed me something in prayer, so I said to my wife, I am going to do it. While I have been working at the village, I realized this is what I’m called to do. When someone doesn’t have a mother or father, they have a lack of something. Maybe a lack of education or a lack of love, so it’s really important to find someone to take care of them, and that can be the best thing you can do for them.”

As Pastor discovered, sometimes the calling is realized after you find yourself immersed in that life, and now he shares that calling with his congregation on a weekly basis. His dedication to the kids in his care have led his congregation to help the mamas on a weekly basis, as well as lead summer activities for several weeks during the summer school break. Intense soccer games were heard over the compound walls at Jumecourt as the kids cheered on their peers, as well as exuberant prayer and singing several times during the day beyond their nightly devotions as a village family.

“When they meet for prayer and they are singing, I have joy. When I see that some of them are leading the service, it makes me very happy, because before they could not do it and now they can. When I remember some of the kids and the family they are from and that they did not go to church, I think about how much they are learning about Jesus now and this is a big joy for me,” Pastor shared as he reflected on the joy of the kids knowing Jesus.

Joy continues to bubble as he starts contagiously chuckling to share a story of the kids at the village giving nicknames. “The kids gave Abby the nickname when she arrived, her name isn’t Abby, it is actually Ancrise,” he got out between chuckles, still laughing he continued, “Marko’s name is not Marko. His name is Yvesson. When kids come to the village the other kids will give them a name. They call Principal Wiggins giraffe because he is tall. They call me Martelly because I am bald.”

It’s easy to see a serious pastor walking intentionally walking across the compound, burdened by how many requests he has gotten from the community that day or other stresses that come with leading a church and children’s home, and believe that joy does not come in this life he has been led to in Haiti. But sitting in this moment is a jubilant pastor talking about his kids and the rhythm of life at his village.

It’s been almost six years since Pastor accepted the calling on his life to care for many children, and he is constantly burdened by his desire for the kids to know Jesus. Recently, one of the girls helped teach him about understanding the Gospel verses assumptions based on age: “She accepted Jesus, and then asked to be baptized. I said, ‘You are too small. You don’t know what baptism is.’ She said, ‘There is nothing to prevent me from being baptized, because if there is something to prevent me to be baptized, then the same thing could be the same thing to prevent me to go to heaven. My age cannot prevent me to be saved.’ That was a strong word she used, so I baptized her. Last week she was crying, and one of the mamas called me to tell me she was crying. She was crying, because her father doesn’t want to accept Jesus. She was crying because if her father dies, he will not be with Jesus.”

The Lord has led GO Project to support the Source de la Grace ministry and leadership of Pastor Laventure as he cares for economic and social orphans at Source de la Grace East in Croix des Bouquets on the east side of Port-au-Prince. At GO Project, individuals or communities can contribute to life care and education costs of the orphans on a monthly basis or through long-term support of the pastors.