00:00One was raised in the rural area of Haiti, surrounded by poverty and violence.
00:05The other was raised in Michigan, identifying as a blue-collar farm kid.
00:10Both became pastors in Springfield, Ohio, united by a faith-driven mission.
00:15Life in Haiti was not easy, but it sharp my character.
00:26It taught me perseverance and responsibility and the importance of community.
00:34They are assisting Haitian migrants in the city who are anxious about deportation due to President Trump's persistent immigration enforcement,
00:43encouraging them not to dwell on bad news, but to focus on their identity as children of God.
00:49I said, my people, we represent God.
00:55Don't worry about the bad news.
01:00Focus. Focus because we are the children of God, children of God.
01:07In 2024, they both stood up for Asians after President Trump falsely accused Springfield's Haitian migrants
01:14of eating their neighbors' pet cats and dogs and even pack jerks.
01:20For me, caring for immigrants and for refugees, it's not just an add-on to my faith, it's the center
01:28of my faith.
01:29Springfield, a city of approximately 60,000 residents, has received between 15,000 and 20,000 migrants over the past
01:36four years,
01:37many of whom are from Haiti.
01:39I hope that Haitians will continue to be a part of Springfield long into the future.
01:45I hope that more will come.
01:48Springfield is a city built on waves of immigrants, and, you know, for the first time in half a century,
01:54we've grown.
01:56According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 1.4 million people are now displaced in Haiti,
02:03marking a 36 percent surge since last year.
02:06This has been a part of Springfield.
02:06It isę°øé .
02:06There is a part of las PritchfiŠµŠ½ŠøŠµ.
02:07There is a song that is one piece of treaty.
02:08Jas
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