My Support Letter

Friends, family, and partners in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This past August, God opened a door for me to travel to Haiti to serve the practical needs of the Haitian people by using the engineering knowledge and experience that the Lord has given me. I lived and worked with Bruce Robinson and his wife Deb for two weeks installing water systems, surveying for future water system work, and gathering information to design a dam to provide irrigation to crop fields. By the grace and power of God, our work there was very successful. Thanks to many of you who supported that mission through prayer and finances; please know I am very appreciative and that God used you all in a great way. Through community development projects such as those listed above, the local Haitian church is able to better connect, minister, and bring the gospel to the people.

God has continued to be very gracious to me and has opened an opportunity to travel to Haiti again, but this time for a period of six months. I will be working with Bruce who is an American engineer that has lived in Haiti for around twenty years. Bruce and Deb live in Passe Catabois, in the northern part of Haiti. By most in Haiti, this is considered the poorest part of the country, which says a lot being that Haiti is considered the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Starvation, a lack of drinking water, meager housing, rampant disease and AIDS, and the absence of almost any economic means all contribute to the harsh and deadly conditions that these people endure on a daily basis.

While Haitians have many physical needs, their biggest need, as it is with us all, is spiritual. Religion in Haiti consists mainly of Voodoo/Satan worship and a saved-by-works social “christianity.” The love and grace of Jesus Christ is what is needed most by the Haitian people. We will never be able to meet all their physical needs, and Haiti will probably be a poor country for a very long time, if not forever. The work that Bruce and I do is to show people that we love them in a tangible way in order to get our foot in the door for us and others to share the gospel with them. In the reality that we (myself included) far to often forget, it is not our possessions, money, or even food and water here on earth that make us rich; it is only the gift of God’s grace that assures our eternal place with Him in heaven. If we can bring them this gift, then we can make an impact on Haiti and its people beyond our wildest dreams.

I am writing to ask you to partner with me in this next journey to Haiti through prayer and financial support. I am looking to build a home team that is committed to praying for this mission on a weekly basis. Prayer, our recognition of God’s power and strength in everything, is a necessity for a successful mission. I will be sending out a prayer needs list every other week or more frequently. There is a lot to pray over, even now as preparations are being made!

In addition to a prayer team, I also need to build a financial team (feel free to be part of both!). With the Lord’s help, I need to raise about $1500 dollars a month; the Church of the Saviour Mission Board, my home church in Philadelphia, has graciously given a portion of this need in their support of this mission. Donations can be made directly to the missions organization I am with, Crossworld (formerly known as UFM International), as a one-time gift or on a monthly basis. Automatic monthly deductions from your credit card or checking account are also possible.

There are additional items above the monthly support that are needed such as a place to store my things while I’m gone, a four-wheeler ATV (can be shipped from the US to Haiti), AutoCAD software, and an engineering plotter.

Tentatively, I am scheduled to depart for Haiti in February, but 30 days before I leave I need to have 100% of my support raised and/or pledged. I know that the Lord will provide in His time and in His way. Please pray that I have the patience and the faith to wait for His timely provision.

Thank you all for your time and prayers. Please write, email, or give me a call if you have any questions, want to be a part of the prayer team, or just want to talk more about what God is doing in Haiti. As the apostle Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

In Him,

Ben Gustafson

229 W. Upsal St.
Apt 803
Philadelphia, PA 19119
215-620-4387
bennyg612@hotmail.com

Send donations to:
Crossworld
PO Box 306
306 Bala Avenue
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004-0306
Make check payable to Crossworld