Pastor Bertin was called to the area of La Hatte through a non-existent local church in the community. It was a love for the Lord, and to see others love the Lord, that brought him to La Hatte going house by house and talking about Jesus.

“I was not a pastor before I started the church, when I met the 4 people that wanted a church in the community I started that church and started going to seminary at the same time. I did think about becoming a pastor, it was not part of my dream. When God calls you, he will make you do what he asks you to do however he wants you to do it. You cannot refuse God. When I went there to talk to people about the Gospel, it was the first time I had ever been there. The sign for me was meeting the 4 people that were refusing to go to church because they did not have a local church to worship,” said Pastor.

He had been given the land by a man in the community that felt led to give a piece of land to a pastor for a new church. A school quickly followed the start of the church after Pastor Bertin noticed several of the children in the area had never had the possibility to go to school. It was through the school that he says God showed him that there was a need to care for kids in the community in one location as he saw kids showed up hungry, without clothes and shoes.

“The reason why I think it is important to care for kids, when they don’t go to school and don’t have anyone to care for them, is it is bad for society,” Pastor said.

In Haiti, and most in rural areas, pastors are confronted with the realities of voodoo practices within their communities. Typically, pastors and the voodoo priests find themselves on opposite sides of many issues within the community, however, pastor reflects on a conversation that surprised him, “The voodoo priest shook my hand and said, ‘Pastor, if I had money, I would pay you for what you do. Our lives are in danger, because of kids who are growing up without school and they are a danger for society. Some of them will be beaten up because of stealing people’s stuff, and some of them could go to Port-au-Prince to be gangsters.’ The reason the voodoo priest said that is not because we had a good relationship with him, but because he knew I was doing something good for the community.”

That good in the community continues to be done as Pastor leads the kids in his care to love the Lord so deeply that they are drawn into leadership of their local church, as well as outside of their own community to minister in other towns as a type of mission trip.

“Because the kids are part of the church, they participate in every activity of the church. In the same way other church members have access to go on mission trips, the kids have access to mission trips. Mission trips are important within the church to share the Gospel. When I go on a mission trip with the kids, they are doing the same thing the other church members are. We give responsibility to each person to do something on the trip, and they kids all share in that responsibility. Secondly, it is good to include the kids in the whole society so they know that what everyone else does, they can do it as well,” pastor shared.

Once you step onto the village property at La Hatte, an overwhelming sense of God’s presence is immediately electric. When I pointed out this observation to pastor while we were talking, he gently smiled and responded with, “The kids all get along at the village. They do not fight. God makes it peaceful here for us. We pray a lot. I ask God in my prayers to protect the kids in the village. I want you to pray for me so God can give me more wisdom and knowledge so I can continue to lead the people I am leading.”

His dedication to prayer extends to specific prayers for the ministry of GO Project as well, “When we pray we always pray for Global. I always pray for God to give Global more vision, and more love for the kids. Global loves kids and God will bless them for what they are doing. I always pray for Global, because they are doing something positive. The way the Global team reacts is really positive, and I am asking God to help them to remain the same.”

The Lord has led GO Project to support the leadership of Pastor Bertin as he cares for economic and social orphans at his village in La Hatte outside the city of Cayes. 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.