Story number 2 for 9 May 2003

(Haiti)–Elsewhere, voodoo, practiced in Haiti since the late 18th Century, is now recognized as a religion on a par with other faiths in the country. That means voodoo ceremonies have equal standing with Christian ones. Men For Mission’s Gene Bertolet (birt-oh-LAY) says this creates urgency for those involved in ministry. “We’re coming up on 2004 and the current president wants to rededicate Haiti to Satan for another 200 years. At least, he wants to make it the national religion and wants to dedicate it to Satan.” Bertolet explains that because of the mindset in Haiti, Men For Missions approached him to take on the role of ‘offensive prayer coordinator’ in their evangelistic project ‘Operation Saturation’. “The ‘offensive’ referring to taking on some of the forces in Haiti that historically have militated against missions and against missionaries and, of course, against the Gospel. It’s spiritual warfare.”