Pastors Conference Day 4

The 2016 Pastors Conference came to a close today.  It has been an honor and blessing to serve these Haitian pastors.  Every year this conference improves.  Our American team did a fantastic job.

We were able to bless the pastors today with the resources and books that were purchased through the generosity of individuals and churches in the US.  We gave each lead pastor a commentary and a devotional book.  The other staff and church leaders received Study Bibles and a book on leading small groups.  They were all so grateful and joyful to receive such precious gifts.

Our photographer for the week, Dave, and his wife are preparing to go to the Middle East in June as missionaries and church planters.  As we concluded our time, we asked the pastors to commit to praying for Dave and his family and then had them lay hands on Dave and pray for him, for his wife, for their family, and for the call that God has placed on their lives.

We finished the week in prayer as the Haitian pastors laid hands on our team and prayed for each of us, our families, and our ministries.

We have a day of rest tomorrow and look forward to worshiping with our Haitian brothers and sisters on Sunday.  Pray for our team, as each of the pastors will be preaching in a different church on Sunday.

Here are some more great pics from today:

Pastor praying as he arrived for the conference.


Pastor JeanAlix enjoying giving out the commmentaries










Haitian Pastors praying for our team

Pastors Conference Day 3

We had another great day.  Our focus for today was "Training the Church to Care for One Another".  Our team did a great job.  The Haitian Pastors continue to be very engaged and seem to really be enjoying the conference.

Pray for our team as we finish well tomorrow.  We are excited to distribute the resources and study materials to the pastors tomorrow.  It is always a joy to be able to bless them before they return home.

Our team photographer has done an amazing job.  We are so glad that he was able to come and help tell the story of this conference.  I've uploaded a few extra pictures tonight because they are all so good.

Pastors Conference Day 2

Today was a wonderful time with the Pastors.  Our team did such a great job.  Today we talked about Ministry to Young People.

"Young People" is actually a very large group in Haiti.  Generally speaking anyone under the age of 30 that us not married is a "young person".  This is a little different from our American understanding, but our team did well.

During our Q & A times today, the pastors really asked some great questions.  Their questions showed that they are thinking deeply about the material and working hard to apply the information to their individual ministries.

Thank you for your prayers.  Continue to pray for our team and for the Haitian pastors.  We are covering lots of information in a very short amount of time.  Pray for the ability to focus and finish strong over the next two days.

Pastors Conference Day 1

We arrived safely yesterday. After a brief stop at Agape Church we made our way to the Mission Center in Guibert.

The Pastors Conference started this morning with some great praise and worship, preparing our hearts to hear from the Lord.

Today's topic was on Church Leadership  Principles. The Haitian pastors were engaged and hungry for God's Word.  We had a wonderful time serving, teaching, and praising the Lord with these amazing me a and women of God.

This is the third year we have helped lead this conference but this year feels different, in a good way.  The Haitian pastors seems more eager and ready.  They have come expectant to hear and learn, which is an exciting place to be.

Pray for our team as we teach.  We have been asked to really challenge the Haitian pastors this year and we want to be faithful to the words the Lord has given us.

Pray for the Haitian pastors.  Pray that this time with us is a blessing and encouragement to them and their ministry.

Saying goodbye

Today was beach day, so an early start was necessary. The whole team was up and ready before 6 am, breakfast came at 6:15, and we were on the road by 7. 

The girls packed into the Tap Tap van while our team was split in between Jean Alix's truck and a van. The two hour drive was bumpy at times, but the morning wind was enjoyable. We had time to stop for some quick souvenir shopping, where bargaining was a challenge that a few conquered. 

We got to the Comier Resort around 9 and the view was spectacular. 

It didn't take long for the girls to dive into the ocean and the party began. Splashing, jumping over waves, and playing in the sand filled the hours up until lunch. There, burgers or chicken sandwiches with French fries were on each plate along with soda. 

All the girls cleaned their plate and left with full bellies, ready for more hours in the ocean. The afternoon carried on and even the adults joined in on the fun. Everyone was covered in sand and smelled like salt water by mid afternoon, so we all rinsed and dried off before heading back into the vehicles around 3. 

The ride back was quicker (but still just as bumpy) and we are now all unwinding at the girls home. Some came back with sunburns and most are just plain tired. We are all preparing to leave tomorrow, with packing left to do, so that's what the night will consist of. That and party time with the girls, of course. Club Ferrier to come! 

Pray for us as we begin our goodbyes. Pray for a great last night in Ferrier. And pray for safe travels Saturday and Sunday. We love and miss all of our family and friends very much.

VBS Day 4

And just like that we are finished with VBS. 

It is crazy to think that our time here is almost finished and that we have completed our main task for the week, but it has been amazing. Our assembly time went really well. We reviewed all of the verses and songs and the kids have really caught on to the truths we have shared this week. In today's assembly we looked at how David was disobedient to God and looked at what forgiveness and repentance looks like. We also shared the truths of Jesus and how redemption is found only through him. 

Our class time went really well today. We are all pros by now and know how to manage and control our classes. Plus our students are really responding to everything we are teaching. 

As the day was winding to a close we got to do something very special in our primary classes. We got to give each of our kids, teacher, and community kids a brand new leather bound bible. 

As we went from class to class we were able to teach them how to treat their bible and why it is such an important book the deserves respect. 

The children were so happy, for most of them this is the first bible they have ever owned, and for some it will be the only bible in their family. The smiles on their faces and their applause and gratitude is something that we may never forget. It was such an emotional moment and their joy is indescribable. 

One of the girls that received a bible just hugged it close, smelled the pages and just shouted thank you! It was hard to hold back the tears, and was a wake up call for us. 

The pure innocence of their joy for having a bible has changed all of us and makes us appreciate what we have so much more. 

It is humbling to know that we were a part of sharing these truths and bibles with over 200 kids today. Please join us in praying for these kids, their families, and the truth that they now hold in their hands. We have already been blessed to witness some of the kids reading their new bibles with the memory verse book marks that we passed out this week. It is such an amazing thing to see. 

The rest of the day was spent cleaning up and taking inventory of all our supplies for the next VBS this July in Guibert. We also got to give the girls from the girls' home new soccer balls and jump ropes. 

And the photo shoot of profile pictures will continue tonight. We also got to visit The Village which is another children's home that works with trafficked children here in Ferrier. It was good to see another place and that there are people working everywhere. 

Pray for our team as we are preparing to leave and transition back to life at home. Pray for the bibles that we passed out and the families that will be reading scriptures tonight. Pray for our fun day tomorrow as we get to take all of the girls on an adventure to the beach. Pray for Colton as he begins his journey home tomorrow.

VBS Day 3

Day 3 VBS is in the books! The day started off really well. As we got to the school for the assembly time, our Haitian friends led most of the time. They started with songs, memory verses, and then performed one of the best skits ever. They acted out David and Goliath. Full of props and costumes, the best was a suit jacket that was too big and had a rock tied to it. It was to represent the armor that was too big for David. It was so cute and great to see them getting and understanding the stories we are sharing. 

We then taught some new songs and the memory verse for the day. After that we headed to our classes.

We have finally found what works for our classes and it is working. It is crazy to think that tomorrow will be our last day of VBS. 

 I think this was the best day of class for everybody.

We have a special surprise planned for tomorrow. We have the privilege of presenting each of these kids with a brand new Bible in their language. For some of them this will be their first one and we are so excited to pass them out to over 200 kids! 

The rest of the day has been spent at the girls home. We've danced, played, colored, braided hair and have had a great time. We also measured all of the kids for new shoes that our team will bring in July. 

We are also doing a photo shoot where we will get new profile pics of everyone. We are all enjoying our time and are slowly picking up the language. 

It will be hard to leave this place as it is slowly taking a piece of our hearts. Pray for our team that we could finish strong. Pray for our health that we would continue to be healthy and fight off anything that might be trying to get us sick. Pray for our final day of VBS and for the Bibles that we will pass out tomorrow.