As Broro sat with the First Lady of the Trinity Broadcasting Network for an exclusive interview, Sister Jan Crouch started by stating that “Everybody know how much I love Haiti. I’ve been going for 20 years, and the Lord had just given me a love for that country; that’s really unbelievable. About a year ago, I got a letter from a precious praying partner who owned a magazine. He asked me if I would be able to participate.
I went twenty years ago to Haiti for the first time, and I went to the abandoned baby hospital, and a little baby boy died in my arms. I said Lord, I will do everything I can, so that I will not let little children in Haiti die before fulfilling their destiny, before You have proven to them why they were born on this earth. At least I can help give them a chance until they can live out their destiny. It took a few years, then I met a wonderful man named Bishop Joel Jeune, and I’ve been working with him for several years. Astonishely, five years ago, he told me that he had find a piece of property adjacent to his, so began the mission of the hospital.
Then a few years ago, unbeknownst to me, I was diagnosed with colon cancer. I went into the operation saying: ‘Lord, I love you with all my heart, and I’ll see you in a few minutes, which is ok with me,’ and truly was. When I came out of the operation, I looked around and thought, ‘well, this isn’t heaven. And so I knew what my job was. The minute I came out of the surgery and was not in heaven, I knew that I was healed. I knew! I knew! I knew! Today I am 100% cancer-free, and the hospital is nearly finished.
Broro: Have you gotten any success stories?
Jan: Well, the greatest one is that of Don and friendship. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of them? They are wonderful. He has boats, and I had the privilege of meeting with Gerard Latortue, who was the prime minister at the time. He asked for fire trucks, so I got six fire-trucks in America. How would I get them down there? So I remembered and called Don and we got everything put on their boat and took them down and got... literally to the prime minister. That was a wonderful and exciting thing.
Furthermore, Don took on his boat this last May of this year, those little mobile units that are completely doctor-friendly. They have everything on them that doctors need and they’re air-conditioned. So he brought them down on his boat down to our property. After unloading them, I got to watch those precious doctors working on these little children. One of them was a Haitian who grew up in an orphanage and became a doctor. That was the biggest joy, seeing those children getting help. That was a big thrill!
Broro: Have you come across any challenges?
Jan: You know, a challenge just makes your faith grow, doesn’t it? So I wouldn’t want my faith not to grow. My faith has grown a lot in the last few years. Have I had reasons for my faith to grow and for me to have to follow my faith, the only one who can answer is God. Yes, I have and I’m thrilled that my faith is growing everyday.
Broro: What is the long term goal?
Jan: The long term goal? That’s very interesting. I’m so glad you asked. As long as I’m alive, I will see to it that there are doctors there, and that American doctors come down and help with training. That’s what my goal would be. But it’s a big, big job for any one person. So I am praying that I can get enough endowment together, so that I can keep the hospital open as long as....The greatest thing would be that TBN would be behind it which reaches the world. It can be a TBN world project. I could cry when I think about Haiti. As I was down there at one time, feeding the children, I got so upset because of such hunger and pain. But the Lord told me that crying isn’t going to help. It will only make them feel worst when they see me cry. Consequently, the Lord gave me a vision of the Garden of Eden, and how He planned it to be so beautiful, while everything was in order, then Satan came to kill, steal and destroy. However, Jesus came, and He gave us power, His authority, and His name to go and destroy the works of the enemy. So, I don’t cry, I just destroy. Therefore, my goal is that TBN fills its solid ground, and that TBN’s good people would keep it going.
Broro: Would you open another hospital in other villages in Haiti?
Jan: I think that is a prophecy spoken. Are you a prophet?
Broro: Maybe!
Jan: You know, I love that country so much, and I would never say no to anything that the Holy Spirit would stir my heart about. I see several. I really can. And I can see me being the ambassador to the world for Haiti. I think I’ve suggested that to President Rene Preval.
Broro: You’ve met him?
Jan: Yes, I’ve met him. He’s a wonderful man.
----I know all the prayers that have gone up for Haiti, Especially from Haitian Christians. You know, I go all over the world to help people. And it’s only the Haitian people that will come up to me in Miami and say “thank you so much for helping Haiti”. I must hear that in the malls, the restaurants. I mean the Haitian people are the most beautiful, grateful, wonderful, smart, potentially world-ruling person that I’ve ever met, and that’s what I believe.
Broro: Given that the magazine is based in Miami, in the Haitian-American community. What can we, the Haitian community in Miami and at large do to help this organization move forward?
Jan: You know, I have something to say; that is I want the Haitian people to keep Americans and everybody that go to Haiti to minister... I want the Haitian people to help keep us honest. I never want anybody who say that they’re ministering to Haiti to ever claim that they’re doing something that they are not. I just think the Haitian people can keep us honest. If they will say: “ You know Jan, you say that you’re building a hospital and I should be able to say, yes I’m building a hospital, and you can go see it.
You’re saying you have a home for doctors, yes it’s there, and you can go see it. Every month I send $3,500 for food, and you can see that the food comes. I don’t ever want the Haitian people to feel like we’re being ripped because we are the “poorest nation” in the western hemisphere. We are poor, and we need help, but we don’t need people to rip us off.
Broro: Has the government been receptive to what you are doing?
Jan: So far, so far. We have a little challenge in getting things to the country. And two things that we’ve proven is that I will never be political. Jesus says to pray for those who are in government. I’m not even necessarily political in America. I’ve gone to both the Republican and the Democratic inaugural ball. I will not be political in Haiti. Whoever is the president, I will pray for him. And I will never be corrupt. I will not be a part of any, corruption or pay off. And people know that, and if it takes a little longer to get something done, then we’ll wait. There is a right way to do things, and that’s the way I will do things. The right way!
Jan: The Haitian people are so grateful. Just as Paul and I are so...
Broro: Is there anything in place to secure the work that has been done, should there be any political turmoil?
Jan: When you’re in a country, you don’t know. You don’t know what might happen in America. I really could worry about that, but I don’t. I’m not going to worry about it. You know, the Lord knows that my heart was really into building a hospital. I could have built a church, an orphanage; they’re there, and we do want to help, and I’ve helped in the past with that. But right now, what was in my heart was a hospital. The only way you can get American doctors and doctors from around the world, to come down is when they know that the country is stable and that people need help. I saw a little girl that had just died right in front of the doctors’ office. And it was just because she needed a little tiny something. So she did not get to fulfill her destiny. Therefore, I don’t worry about it. Let’s not worry about it. Tell everybody not to worry.
Broro: ...I know a lot of doctors and nurses who go to Haiti every year to do mission work. If they want to join with, how can they do that?
Jan: The first thing is that until the hospital if fully operational, which may be two years. We have to finish it and get it equipped. Until then, Don ... and Friendship, they have a website; they will be going with their ship and their containers. So in the next two years, they need to contact their website.
Jan: We have put over two million dollars in Haiti. ...You can go to TBN.org and also Smile of a Child and there you will find our financial records. I don’t know why God has put such a smile in my heart for the Haitian people. I have been to very country in the world, and my heart has never left Haiti, from the first time I went there. I want to do everything I can to help and heal them through the hospital and to just love them, educate them, and to let the world know how beautiful they are.
One of our goals is to get fresh water. We’ve had well dug to get fresh water to the people. I have a dream of building a village that would build homes and fresh water. But we go on one dream at a time. Right now our dream is the hospital.
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