"In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability."

Throughout the numerous disasters that have plagued Haiti in its history, "rebuilding" has become synonymous with "work teams"-groups of volunteers from around the world who generously give of their time and money to help rebuild homes, schools, and churches.

At the Baptist Haiti Mission, we are grateful for the incredible support from the work teams. They are wonderful ambassadors of the gospel and their presence exposes rural communities to new countries and cultures. It's a beautiful exchange!

But for the Christian church, rebuilding is about so much more than cement blocks and mortar. Rebuilding after a disaster like the 2010 Earthquake means living as a community of believers, taking care of the poorest of the poor, building up one another's spirits as well as homes and buildings. Two of the rural BHM partner churches are stepping up to this incredible challenge.

The Fermathe church and the BelAir Church, both located in the mountains above Port-au-Prince, have started their own fundraising campaigns to build homes for the church members with the greatest need. They are grateful for the work teams who give so generously of themselves, but they recognize the need to make a difference in their own community.

"We are thankful for what the foreigners have done," Pastor Soimeus of Fermathe Church said. "But we want to help also."

To date, the Fermathe church has raised $20,000 Haitian dollars toward the home project. That's about $2,500 US dollars. When you take into account that the average Haitian adult earns about $400 US dollars a year, compared to the average US household income of $31,000 a year, the amount of money raised by the Fermathe church has required tremendous sacrifice from its members. It would be as if an American church had raised nearly $194,000 toward a building project.