Yesterday marked 15 years since the first time we traveled to Haiti.
Little did we know on that trip that 15 years later we would be in the final stages of moving our family to Haiti full-time!
We’ve been thinking a lot about that first trip and what it was like. We remember being struck by the poverty – it was unlike anything we could have imagined. We remember being challenged by the heat. But the memory that sticks out the most is that of the people we met. Wonderfuly faithful men and women like Maxime and Yvrose, Vivian, Pastor Renes and Monique – people who we’ve now had the privilege of knowing and loving for 15 years.
These people have become dear to us. Over the years we’ve laughed with them and we’ve cried with them. We couldn’t imagine what our life would be like without the richness their friendship provides. But more that that, we’re grateful because we’ve come to realize that in those early days the Lord was giving us worthy examples of what it looks like to be a faithful believer in Haiti.
As we step into new season of ministry in Haiti – we’re excited for the new relationships that will come and for the way these current ones will continue to grow as we work to develop leaders for the Haitian church!
Support Update
We’ve been busy meeting with people and churches, working to grow our support team. This past month we were able to spend two weeks in Dallas, visiting with friends and supporters there.
After a great time in Dallas and then some exciting meetings back here in New England, we’re excited to announce that we’ve reached 75% of our monthly support!! While this does not mean support raising is over (we still need to reach 100% before we can leave), it does represent a huge milestone and it allows us to do some things we could not do before:
- We’re able to attend our pre-field orientation and security training next month (instead of waiting until June).
- We’re able to begin working on our departure checklist.
- We’re able to begin receiving a stipend to help cover some of our living expenses before we go.
- We’re able to see some “light at the end of the tunnel” – 100% isn’t all that far away!
We’re so grateful to the Lord for the ways he has been building our team and for the people he has put in our lives to help us!
Haiti Update
Thank you for praying for this election season in Haiti. Last Sunday, elections for President as well as municipal and parliamentary positions were held. By God’s grace, the election on Sunday was largely peaceful! The results are due to be released this next week. We’ve heard some reports of unrest in various parts of the country this past week and we’re hopeful that things will not escalate. Since there were 54 people on the Presidential ballot, it is unlikely that a winner will be announced until a runoff election is held in December. Keep praying!
Pre-Field Orientation
We’ll be leaving this Wednesday to begin the drive to Kansas City for our Pre-Field Orientation at Crossworld. We’re excited to be able to visit some friends along the way and, Lord willing, we should arrive at Crossworld by Saturday.
Pre-Field Orientation and Security Training will run until November 22 and we should be back in New England just in time for Thanksgiving.
Prayer Needs
Would you pray for us over these next few weeks while we’re in Kansas City?
Pray for our travel. We will have driven around 3,000 miles by the time we get back to New England for Thanksgiving. Pray for safety on the road and for our vehicle to run well.
Pray for our health. We’ll have important information to cover while we’re in this training. Pray for the kids and us to stay well rested and insulated from any bugs that may be flying around.
Pray for our support. We’re getting there! Being in this training over the next few weeks means we’ll not have much time to work on our support – pray the Lord continues to grow it anyway!
Some Pictures from Our First Trip: Oct. 30-Nov. 10, 2000
