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Pastor Walter Dort and his family are in grave danger. Walter is a pastor in Haiti, which has devolved into anarchy in the recent political unrest. Kidnapping and murder are the business of the day where Walter, his wife, and his two teenaged girls live. First they threaten you. Then they take you. Then they ransom you. If you have the money, you live. If not, you’re a lesson to the next family: Pay or die.
First the threats came. Then it got more pointed. And then a failed kidnapping attempt on Walter sealed the deal and he and his family escaped to the United States with travel visas they had never used, leaving behind their entire lives and the ministries to which Pastor Walter had given his life.
Asylum claims are extreme long shots for Haitians right now, which is how I found myself sitting across from Walter at a terrible barbecue restaurant in Apopka, Florida, while on vacation. Walter had asked if our church would consider hiring him on a special religious worker’s visa, so I asked if I could take him to lunch since I happened to be in town. While I had been in Haiti quite a few times, Walter and I had never met. I knew lots of people who knew and loved him, so I just wanted to get to know him for myself.
First the threats came. Then it got more pointed. And then a failed kidnapping attempt on Walter sealed the deal and he and his family escaped to the United States with travel visas they had never used, leaving behind their entire lives and the ministries to which Pastor Walter had given his life.
Asylum claims are extreme long shots for Haitians right now, which is how I found myself sitting across from Walter at a terrible barbecue restaurant in Apopka, Florida, while on vacation. Walter had asked if our church would consider hiring him on a special religious worker’s visa, so I asked if I could take him to lunch since I happened to be in town. While I had been in Haiti quite a few times, Walter and I had never met. I knew lots of people who knew and loved him, so I just wanted to get to know him for myself.
Pastor Walter Dort
As I looked across the table at him, I couldn’t figure out why he was so nervous about a simple lunch. He wasn’t eating anything. And then it hit me like a punch in the gut. For him, this lunch was an interview with someone who could quite literally save his life.
And so I got to know Walter. He told me about the churches he had started with popcorn. That’s right. Popcorn. He had spent the past dozen years planting three different churches by serving the children of a community popcorn at VBS and then reaching their parents, growing the work and training leaders to take over so that he could move on and do it again.
He told me of his love for his country. He was clear: he wanted to keep his family safe, but if it was ever safe to go back, he’d be on the first flight. He told me that he knew what it meant to lead a ministry that serves the poor and oppressed and he knew what it looked like to teach others to do the same. All of this has been affirmed by people I know and trust.
I sat across from this giant of a man, who was broken but not defeated, and I sensed the deep pull of the Spirit on my heart. In that moment, I was convicted to do whatever I can to save this man and his family. I told Walter that I’m sure there are thousands of other Haitian pastors who are deserving of this same kind of help, but God didn’t bring them across my path. I vowed to Walter that I would do everything in my power to follow the clear leading God put on my heart.
But it’s not as simple as just offering him a job, because of course our leadership would love to do just that. Unfortunately, to say our church is struggling financially right now is an understatement. We have cut all discretionary spending, and are hoping and praying that God will put us back on solid financial footing in the months and years to come. At the same time, we simply can't say no to Walter and send him home to the danger he faces there. That's where this GoFundMe campaign comes in.
I would like to ask you (dare I say beg you?) to prayerfully consider supporting this family generously. Raising $70,000 will pay for one year of a modest salary for Pastor Walter, health insurance for his entire family, and attorney fees for visas and possible permanent status. While Pastor Walter won’t be a normal staff member at Central, I believe that he has a great deal to teach us about what it means to be on mission. Your support will send him as a missionary to Beloit, Wisconsin, and I’m very much looking forward to the ministry he will bring.
There are few times in this world when you're given the opportunity to literally save someone's life, but this is one. I am convinced this is what God is asking of me, and I will do everything in my power to help keep him and his family safe. Please join me. Please donate generously.
Erik Henry
Executive Pastor
Central Christian Church
As I looked across the table at him, I couldn’t figure out why he was so nervous about a simple lunch. He wasn’t eating anything. And then it hit me like a punch in the gut. For him, this lunch was an interview with someone who could quite literally save his life.
And so I got to know Walter. He told me about the churches he had started with popcorn. That’s right. Popcorn. He had spent the past dozen years planting three different churches by serving the children of a community popcorn at VBS and then reaching their parents, growing the work and training leaders to take over so that he could move on and do it again.
He told me of his love for his country. He was clear: he wanted to keep his family safe, but if it was ever safe to go back, he’d be on the first flight. He told me that he knew what it meant to lead a ministry that serves the poor and oppressed and he knew what it looked like to teach others to do the same. All of this has been affirmed by people I know and trust.
I sat across from this giant of a man, who was broken but not defeated, and I sensed the deep pull of the Spirit on my heart. In that moment, I was convicted to do whatever I can to save this man and his family. I told Walter that I’m sure there are thousands of other Haitian pastors who are deserving of this same kind of help, but God didn’t bring them across my path. I vowed to Walter that I would do everything in my power to follow the clear leading God put on my heart.
But it’s not as simple as just offering him a job, because of course our leadership would love to do just that. Unfortunately, to say our church is struggling financially right now is an understatement. We have cut all discretionary spending, and are hoping and praying that God will put us back on solid financial footing in the months and years to come. At the same time, we simply can't say no to Walter and send him home to the danger he faces there. That's where this GoFundMe campaign comes in.
I would like to ask you (dare I say beg you?) to prayerfully consider supporting this family generously. Raising $70,000 will pay for one year of a modest salary for Pastor Walter, health insurance for his entire family, and attorney fees for visas and possible permanent status. While Pastor Walter won’t be a normal staff member at Central, I believe that he has a great deal to teach us about what it means to be on mission. Your support will send him as a missionary to Beloit, Wisconsin, and I’m very much looking forward to the ministry he will bring.
There are few times in this world when you're given the opportunity to literally save someone's life, but this is one. I am convinced this is what God is asking of me, and I will do everything in my power to help keep him and his family safe. Please join me. Please donate generously.
Erik Henry
Executive Pastor
Central Christian Church
Waldaina, Walter, Marie Sonie, and WaldinieOrganizer
Erik Henry
Organizer
Beloit, WI
Central Christian Church
Beneficiary