Doing More Together

We are preparing to head home this morning. Our final day yesterday was a good day.  We visited the fourth school in the mountain village of Marotherie.  Marotherie is very rural, remote, and high up in the mountains of Haiti.  It is a beautiful place but also a difficult place to live.

The school in Marotherie is working hard to provide better opportunities for the children of the community.  The local pastor, Pastor Velez, is very involved with the school, sharing the love of Christ with the children and their families.

As we head home our minds are filled with thoughts of the future and the possibilities for what the Lord wants to continue to do here.  We are excited but humbled to be a small part of God's redemptive plan for Haiti.  Life change, community change, and culture change are challenging tasks and not for the faint of heart or easily defeated; Hope for the Hungry continues to embrace this task as the Lord continues to provide.

As I have said in every blog this week, we cannot do this alone.  The task requires all of us to do our part in obedience to the Lord's command and call.  God has called all of us to pray and for those prayers we are eternally grateful.  Because of your prayers and requests for God's provision on our behalf, we are amazed at God's faithfulness.  All week I have presented appeals and challenges for more or continued financial support.  The work is not complete and so the need remains.  So my final challenge for this trip blog is to ask that if you have not committed to praying for the work of Hope for the Hungry, begin to do so today.  If you have been praying but not committed to give, begin to do so today. If you have been giving but have not shared your heart for Hope for the Hungry with your friends, family, or associates, begin to do so today.  The task is far bigger than any one of us can accomplish but together, as The Body of Christ, we can do all that God has asked with joyful obedience.

Texas, here we come.

Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?  I felt liking asking that question several times over the last few days.   After covering many miles over less than ideal roads and narrow mountain passages we have returned to the Paul home this evening.

Our time in Ferrier and Drouin was well spent as we see great improvement in the teachers and an earnest desire to learn and grow in their profession.   I am more excited for our teacher training this summer after spending the last couple of days seeing the sizable impact these schools are having in their communities.

It is always great to spend time in Ferrier at the Girl's Home.  They are all so sweet and we had lots of fun making silly videos, playing with Stephanie's hair, and singing under the stars.  We currently have five new girls living at the home, all have arrived in the last few months.  They are between the ages of 3 & 9.  They are still a little scared and wary of their new home, but it is great to see the older girls surround them with love and the house parents provide such great care.   Last night as we sat around talking, one of the new girls brought out a school book to work on.  It was sweet to watch the older girls coach, correct, and encourage her as she recited her lessons.  The more they encouraged her the louder and bolder she became in answering the questions from her book.  We watched as this little girl bloomed under the love, affection, and attention of her new family right there in front of us.

I cannot imagine the pain and hurt experienced by a child losing the only family they have ever known.  It is a scar that these children carry with them for the rest of their lives.  But, what I can speak to is the remarkable healing that occurs when the love that flows from Christ is poured into the lives of these children.  It doesn't always make the pain go away, but it does make it bearable knowing that there are good people who love you, motivated by the greatest love of all, the love of God.  God does not promise us a pain-free life, but He does promise that He will never leave us.  That is a powerful message for these young girls to learn.

When you give to Hope for the Hungry, you are empowering and equipping our partners here to be the visible reflection of God's loving presence.  Whether it's $12  a month to Educate Haiti to provide education and free lunch for1 child; or $25 (or $50 or $75 or $100) to support the work of the Children's Homes here in Haiti as they care for and love these precious orphans, you are partnering with us to create an environment and opportunity for the love of God to provide Hope.   If you have not joined us yet, I encourage you to check out our website at www.hopeforthehungry.org/ways-to-give-2/ for information on how to partner with us in serving the Lord.

Traveling to Ferrier

We worshiped this morning with Agape Church in Petion-ville.  This is an amazing church experiencing tremendous growth and seeing a great number of people come to faith in Christ.  

After church we began the long drive to Ferrier.  Spending over 6 hours in the truck to travel a little over 90 miles was an interesting experience.  But I must confess that I severely underestimated the beauty of this country.  We traveled along the coast line where the ocean is a deep blue and then over the mountains where it felt like you could see forever.

We arrived in Ferrier to the welcome of giggling little girls, staring in curiosity at the visitors (me & Stephanie).  It is good to be back in Ferrier and she the work the Lord has been doing here.

Today has been a long day so tonight's post is short.  Pray for good rest tonight as we get back to work in the morning.

The Journey Continues: The "Off" Day

Today was a nice relaxing day off before our cross country trek begins.  We were able to spend some more time at the boys home, talking and playing.  Stephanie made her first trek to the base of the moutains where the river (really more of a small creek) has cut a deep valley.  Saturday is laundry day and the river was crowded with women and children.

This evening we had the priviledge of preparing dinner for the Paul family.  JeanAlix Paul is our partner here in Haiti. He is a pastor, church planter, ministry leader, business owner, and visionary.  Together with his wife, Mylene, and their two children they are working hard to change their country for God's glory.  Today alone, JeanAlix has officiated a furneral, led both a discipleship class and a new believers class, managed his business, and performed a wedding.  It was an honor to be able to give just a little bit back to a family that gives so much.

I will be preaching in the morning.  Pray for me as I share God's Truth.  As soon as church is over we will begin our journey Northeast to Ferrier.  Pray for us as we travel over the next several days.

I am grateful for the day of rest we had today.  The pace of life here is so different than my normal pace and it does my soul good to slow down and just be present in the moment.  It was a joy to be able to talk, laugh, and dream with Stephanie today. I look forward to new experiences, places, and faces for her in this country that we have both come to love so dearly.   Someday, when we are very old, what great stories we will have to tell of the journey our Savior called us to take with Him.

Play, Rain, & Generous Obedience

Today was fun.  Stephanie was able to complete all the observations and research for the Guibert school today.  School dismissed early today, so we had all afternoon to play.  The Boy's Home Director, Rosena, brought out a box full of toys for the boys.  We bounced balls, built with tinker toys and blocks, drew pitcures, and threw the Frisbee.  It was loud, chaotic, and full of laughter and joy.

It rained today too.  This is actually the dry season in Haiti, which usually lasts until late March, but today it rained.   Haiti has a tenuous relationship with the rain.  Too much results in floods and mudslides.  Not enough rain kills crops and livestock.   Every one seemed grateful for this rain.  It was not hard to understand why as I looked across normally green farmland turned brown during this time of year.  I asked one man what most of the people, who are so dependent on what they grow, do during this time of year.  He said, "They have to have great faith."

I have learned a great deal about faith in God's provision over the last several years, but I don't understand it the way that the believers here understand it.  I get frustrated when I go to the grocery store and they don't have any good avacados, but I don't have to stand next to my barren avacado tree and wonder how I am going to feed my family.  God is trustworthy to provide, even in the dry season.

I have seen God provide in some miraculous ways that continually amaze me.  But most often, I see God provide in the small, quiet obedience of His generous children.  The impact that is being made here is a direct result of the generous obedience that trickles into Hope for the Hungry every month. But the need is great and the need is growing.  How is God calling you into obedience and generosity today?   God will provide for you but He also wants you to experience the joy and freedom of His provision THROUGH you.  Praise the Lord in advance for what He will do.  For more information or to make a donation, please visit http://www.hopeforthehungry.org/ways-to-give-2/

Hitting the Ground Running

We have arrived safely.  Our plane landed at 8 AM this morning and by 10 AM we were up the mountain in Guibert and hard  at work.  Stephanie was able to meet with and observe the 3rd, 4th, 5th, & 6th grade classes today.  She immediatlely noticed great improvement in the classrooms compared to last year.  These teachers and administrators have been working hard to better themselves and better their students.

We have arrived in Haiti at an odd time.  The begining of the week was Carnival (Mardi Gras), a time that is usually a rather large party, but things turned tragic when nearly 20 people died in an accident during the parade in Port-au-Prince.  The leadership has declared the remainder of the week to be days of mourning and most of the country has shut down.  Businesses were closed, schools dismissed, and traffic as almost non-existent.  In a country scarred by tragedy through out their history this just seems like another in a long line of scars.

And, of course,  tragedy  is all that makes the news in the US.  US media doesn't report about the growing private business sector in Haiti that is providing thousands of new jobs.  We don't hear about the massive roads projects that is improving the nations infastructure. We certainly don't hear about the growing evangelical churches that are reaching the Haitian people with the gospel like never before.  And our media would not report about the improvements in small village schools, like Guibert, where the education level is on the rise and hundreds of children are being given an opportunity for a better future.

The good news is that you don't have to be a millionaire business man to help the people of Haiti.  Through Hope for the Hungry's "Educate Haiti" Initiative, you can make an impact in the life of one child for only$12 per month.  Our staff is pushing the "Educate Haiti" initiative hard for 2015.  Our schools are growing and the opportunities are too great to watch from the  sidelines.  The future of these children and thus the future of Haiti, hangs in the balance.   Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us at $12 a month in support of "Educate Haiti"?  For more information or to  make a donation visit www.educatehaiti.org