The Poiriers: Missionaries to Three French-Speaking Countries

We thank the Lord for the opportunity to serve Him and to be your missionary. It is with anticipation that we are looking for to meet together again sometimes in the future, but borders are closed, and there are air travel restrictions. – Brother Michel Poirier

Michel Poirier and his wife Ruth live in Québec, Canada but minister in two other French-speaking cultures. For decades, he has worked to plant churches in Canada, but he also has a burden for the French speakers of Haiti and Cameroon (Africa) and travels to those areas as often as he can. 

During Covid restrictions, Brother Mike has presented church services via Facebook but recently decided to stop them so people would return to church. But now he has been forced to delete his sermons to prevent further accusations of “preaching messages of hate.” 

Bro. Mike says, “When we preach on hell, they say it is a death threat to the people, and the list goes on. But we preach all of God’s Word without holding back. We know the day will come that our liberty will be taken away . . . We are not of this world; we are only pilgrims passing through.”

Ministry in Haiti

In a country where poverty and violence touches almost everyone, it is no easy task to get food. Bro. Mike says that the Haitians he serves are thankful to have just one meal a day, so he and his church leaders are constantly shipping food, supplies, clothes and basic survival necessities to the churches. There are three churches that depend on those daily shipments.  

One of those churches is in the city of Onaville, where a school has been established to not only teach children but also to feed them at least one meal they would not have otherwise. For the sixty children who attend the school, Brother Mike says they are working on a way to be able to feed all of them one meal a day for the coming school year.

Poverty causes another worry for Haitians: street gangs. Recently, two Onaville church families were beaten up by gang members who demanded money from them. No money was ever found, and the wives – the only victims who faithfully attend church – were not touched by the criminals.

Ministry in Cameroon

In the African-French speaking country of Cameroon, the churches there are growing in number and in faith in the Lord, according to Brother Mike, but there is still opposition to the gospel.  

The unsaved husband of a church member recently forbade his wife to attend church and even hid her church clothes to make sure she would obey him. Instead, she simply went to church in her bedclothes! It is common for wives to attend church without their husbands who don’t understand the blessing of a godly wife.  

As far as physical needs, in all the villages in Cameroon there is a need for clean water, which untreated is a grey, rusty color and frequently causes sickness and disease. 

Prayer Requests/Praises

Quebec: 

– for two young girls (Blessing and Believe) who were recently saved, that they will grow in Christ

 – for the gospel to spread in Canada regardless of false accusations and efforts to stop it 

Haiti: 

– for food, protection from attacks on the congregation, and peace among the population

Cameroon: 

– to be able to provide water wells and/or water filters  for clean water  

Africa: 

– for husbands to attend church with their families

– for new churches to be planted in Mali, Benin, and Republic of Congo

To our BMA brothers and sisters, thanks for all your prayers and sacrificial giving for the ministry. We are so appreciative for all you do for us. – Michel and Ruth Poirier

Jeremiah 33:3.  For the cause of Christ