Adventist Youth Honor Police Officers in Haiti

Hundreds of young people in the northern part of Haiti recently visited 24 police stations to honor the service of police officers during a 27th anniversary event, when the National Police of Haiti are celebrated with civil, social, and state activities. More than 500 young people belonging to 30 Adventist youth societies swept and cleaned police stations on June 12, 2022.

It was the first time that so many Adventist young people have engaged in such a vast coordinated cleanup drive, Gerald Jean, youth ministries director for the Adventist Church’s North Haiti Mission and organizer of the event, said. “By transforming police workspaces into clean, attractive places simply out of love, young people sent a powerful message about the difference the love of Christ can make in their lives,” he said.

Seven days later, on June 18, more than 50 uniformed police officers representing the stations were welcomed and honored in 11 Adventist churches that had prepared a special Saturday (Sabbath) program. The officers were treated to a specific spiritual message based on Romans 13:1-6, given Bibles and books by Adventist authors, and provided with lunch. “No police officer serving the territory of the North Haiti Mission was forgotten,” Jean said.

Jacques M. Amboise, president of the North Haiti Mission, said the Adventist Church is now perceived as the number-one friend of the police in the region. “These two expressions of Christian love have successfully connected the Adventist Church with the community at a level that has never been attained before,” Amboise said. “You just need to mention the word ‘Adventist’ to these policemen, and they pay attention to the rest of the conversation right away.”

Chiefs of police of the north and northeast thanked the Adventist Church and the Adventist youth for beautifying their stations inside and out. “We are profoundly grateful for this expression of appreciation from the Adventist Church,” Frantz Mathurin, chief of the North Police region, said. “Our community would surely be a better place with more young people like these.”

The multi-city initiative brought church leaders to savor the enthusiastic participation of all of the young people. “This program and its outcome perfectly illustrated the power of evangelism through action,” Jean said. “We hope that these activities will not only make us more visible in the community but will also make it easier for us to evangelize through the Word.”

The message of these two activities is very clear, Jean added. “The love of Christ is the driving force to serve God, neighbors, and the community selflessly. This love has knocked on the door of the hearts of Haitian police officers who are committed to protecting and serving to maintain order and harmony.”

The original version of this story was posted on the Inter-American Division news site.