In Haiti: Junior Cineas

My best friend in Haiti was a man named Junior Cineas. I don’t think we ever would have found him if God hadn’t led us to him. At first, he was simply meeting with us to talk. Then he began working with us as our translator. By the end of our time there, he was our dear friend.

Junior is the son of a Voodoo priest and was raised in the Port-au-Prince area. He was taught Voodoo as a child and was expected to take his father’s place as a Voodoo priest in the future.

But as a teenager, Junior heard the gospel and gave his life to Christ. It was a decision that would completely change his life – and would affect the lives of others.

Junior’s newfound faith, and abandonment of voodoo, caused a rift in his family. They essentially disowned him, and his father stopped speaking to him.

But Junior found a new home with a family of Missionaries in Port-au-Prince. They took him in, discipled him, and loved them as their own. Years later, Junior is a seminary student and an ardent evangelist.

Junior still prays for his family to meet Jesus.

When the earthquake struck, Junior went to Port-au-Prince to see how he could help. A speaker of both Creole and English, he knew he would be useful to volunteer teams coming in.

But the clinic Junior started working for was forced to close due to limited resources. He was praying about what to do next when our paths crossed with his. Junior saw our meeting as God’s direction, and devoted himself to helping us find God’s stories. He translated, set up meetings and suggested story ideas. I don’t know what we would have done without him.

I am most thankful for our meeting with Junior because it gave me a chance to see his heart for his country. He knows that the God of the Bible is greater than Voodoo, and he desperately wants his countrymen to know Jesus like he does. Everywhere we went Junior shared the gospel with those who were open. He even invited me to join him, translating for me as I prayed for the Haitians he witnessed to.

Meeting Junior was a blessing in a huge way, and I am forever grateful to God for bringing us into each other's lives.

Please pray for Junior as he Shares his faith in Haiti.