Worthy is the Lamb to be Praised!

Sorry to have not written the blog Thurs night as planned.  Then we wrote this blog last night (Friday) but couldn’t get internet at DFW, so here it is today . . .

When we got home from the SDLG Children’s Home (Thursday) after eating supper at the church and saying our goodbyes, the Vaval family surprised us with a delightful time of fellowship and delicious Haitian pastries, cakes and ice cream!  We thanked them for making us feel like family this week, for welcoming us and all the LCF teams with open arms and hearts!

Thursday was another full day, hitting the 95+ degree mark most of the day with 100% humidity!  We ladies met with Francoise to ask her about needs of the Children’s Home.  She is the “one in charge” as Moise puts it, and it is obvious that she is loved and respected by the caregivers, the cook/laundry helpers, and the kids themselves.  We (through your giving) were able to help with school books for the 14 boys, with necessary cooking utensils & pots, and left the funds to have their carpenter build shelves for the kids to each have a cubby hole for their belongings. 

By the way, KeKe (the little girl, whose mother is paralyzed, and was dropped off by her half-brother early in the week with a small purse filled with her belongings) is adjusting to her new life.  She is healthy, and is satisfied with her new friends.  But her sadness still seems to be just below the surface.

Heidi found out in conversation with James (15 year old who speaks a small amount of English) that his family all died in the earthquake 2+ years ago, and to his knowledge he is the only one left.  He previously played on a soccer team and, after his home was destroyed, actually lived in the soccer club for a while, until IBESR (Haiti Family Services) placed him in a home, then let him come to SDLG 3 weeks ago when they opened their Children’s Home.  He is happy to be there but misses his family and soccer.  He appears to be a very talented soccer player, but the thing that really stands out about James is his tender serving heart.  He quietly serves the other kids before he eats, and provides a calming touch or word when little arguments break out among the boys.  His eyes are a touching combination of kindness and sadness.  Please pray for him.

Mark & Matt completed the pulling of electrical wire in the school (at least as much as we purchased), under the enjoyable and excellent direction of Opelco, who we’ve worked with before and look forward to working with again.  Joe constructed, set up (in the home’s concrete front yard) and joined the boys in using the wood soccer goals made from available scraps on the property.  They were definitely a hit!  These boys went through 2 soccer balls in one week!  Not kidding!  Joe, Matt & Samuel went down the street, at James’ advice, and bought the home 2 street soccer balls (which should last until January!). 

With one of our Bible stories/skits yesterday, Drew played Jesus as He welcomed the children and blessed them.  They loved being the aim and focus of the story and then eagerly let us lay hands on them and pray for them “Haitian-style” (out loud and simultaneous), then Samuel interpreted as Jesus (Drew) prayed for their precious young lives and hearts.  

 
















The Holy Spirit was very present there on the tile floor of the front porch, in the 97 degree heat, as the rice cooked over a fire, and the goat bleated loudly nearby.  It all felt very right!  Bondye se bon!  
















Giraud (pronounced by us as “Geo”, principal of the school and right-hand man to Moise) told me last night that Creole is the only language with a word for God that actually means “Good God” rather than just God.  So “Bondye se bon” literally says “Good God is so good!”  We can learn much from our Haitian family in Christ about true thankfulness.  It was a blessed week! 

With much gratitude,

Bev

Behold the Lamb and Live in Response

The gospel is awesome!  No matter what country you set foot in, it is the most important truth that can be shared and received. As Mark exclaimed in his prayer tonight at church service, "Thank you, Jesus, that you are the one true hope of the world!"

John the Baptist told his followers when he first saw Jesus: "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Jesus, we want to behold you every day and serve you in response. We hope that you were honored today . . .

Today, we beheld the Lamb and experienced the gospel in all the details. It's only by God's grace that we can live and move and act as his children and serve Him. The gospel binds us together as family in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are the sons and daughters of the King, and that means we are brothers and sisters with members of SDLG. (By the way, we are officially family now that Matt drives on Haiti roads and Sara has a Haitian hairdo!)

Sharon and the crew experienced sisterhood on a whole new level today as she taught a group of Haitian women how to sew. (In case you hadn't heard already, we brought quilts made by LCF women for the kids at SDLG. The LCF ladies displayed the quilts during women's ministry on Monday, and the SDLG ladies asked if they could learn how to make them!) Ten women from SDLG showed up to learn! They were so overjoyed to learn a new skill, and they already plan to serve a family that is in need by making a quilt for them! In Sharon's own words, "It couldn't have gone any better!"

Mark, Matt and Opelco finished the electrical wiring for 4 of the 5 rooms on the lower level of the school. Tomorrow they should finish as much as we can do with the wire that we have! It truly is a joy to hear all over campus the echo's of Matt's Creole accent put on English words ("water" is "wat-air"), Opelco's instructions in Creole, and Mark's endearing laughter! They are working really hard and enjoying one another's company!

(Davidson, Matt, Opelco, Mark, Joe)

Bev and I got four quality hours with Moise today to talk about some important matters. We are continuing to form a deeper bond and partnership with our dear brother and with SDLG. What a privilege to spend such quality face-to-face time! God continues to be sovereign over all the details of our trip (why would we expect anything else?).

The other six enjoyed acting out the Good Samaritan (Luke 10) for the children. Mark relished his role as the man going down to Jericho, especially when James and Emerson (two of the boys) got to beat him up, acting as the robbers in the story. Joe got to be the test dummy as we taught the kids about hygiene (brushing teeth, washing hands, and using the toilet). I think Joe himself learned some lessons that he can take back home. Football and parachute were also a hit!

At church tonight, I had the privilege to preach again. We walked through Romans and talked about the common identity and common mission we have with SDLG through the gospel. I focused on Romans 12:1-2 and urged all of us to offer our lives in view of God's great mercies in the gospel. If you haven't read Romans for a while (or even if you have!), go read it with a heart of gratitude and it will basically be the same as you being there tonight, for the preaching at least . . . for the other elements, you just had to be there, but I'll try to explain . . .

The body of SDLG sang a song of blessing over us at the end of the service. As Moise continued to sing, Joe Knittig from Global Orphan Project (what a joy to see him today and worship together . . . he is sleeping here with us tonight) prayed over us and LCF. Also, the rest of the Haitian believers in the sanctuary prayed simultaneously, a beautiful chorus of Creole cries to our King. We were very humbled.  Mark offered a powerful closing prayer for the service, and Matt offered a beautiful benediction (they really were powerful and beautiful . . . I had goosebumps!). What an honor to worship cross-culturally with partners in the gospel.

Man, so many other details the Lord worked out today: Another girl, Nadine, came to live at the children's home. Sara got to sit down with Dr. Archer to go over our health assessments with the kids. It was Samuel's birthday and we sang to him. Matt, Mark, Joe and Opelco made another trip to get wire (on Monday it took 4 hours and today it took less than an hour, and the store was cheaper!). God is so good!


Drew & the Team

Prayer time cancelled for Thursday

The blog reports have been amazing to follow.  The team has done such a wonderful job of explaining what God is doing there through their hands and feet.  God is definitely alive and active!  Praise Him!

Unfortunately, I will need to cancel the Thursday night prayer time at 7pm.  Please continue to lift the team up in prayer as they journey back to Liberty on Friday.

Blessings,
Amy

Loving like the Lamb

Another HOT and humid day in Haiti! We are slowly getting used to nonstop sweating. We experienced the Colonel as our driver for the day, Matt did a great job adapting to the special Haitian way and the back row only hit our heads on the ceiling once. We had lots of projects in progress today.  Our very own Mark and Matt electrical crew partnered with Opelco to put up 5 new solar powered lights on the property and finished pulling wire. 

We had our second sweet little girl join the orphan center in the morning. Neika is also 5 years old like KeKe. They loved coloring and eating snacks along with a huge plate full of beans and rice. They soon were holding hands and had become friends before too long.

While the kids were in school Sharon the expert quilter had Bev, Heidi and Sara at work cutting fabric and patterns in preparation for the women's sewing fellowship tomorrow at 9am. The women have never quilted and really look forward to learning. We are still praying that the Lord will provide all our supplies for the morning such as making sure we have needles, pins, and thread. We'd appreciate your prayers but trust the Lord has a special time planned. 

We were so excited when the bell rang at 1 and the kids got out of school. We had a sweet time of teaching them 2 songs, acting out the prodigal son, and making pin wheels to celebrate the younger sons return. Somehow our poor acting skill kept the kids' attention. We were amazed to see how intently they were listening!! Our prayer is for the story to sink in and for them to know they have a Father who loves them so much. We are looking forward to sharing again tomorrow. We are sensing the Spirit at work in their hearts. Moise told us that most of the kids are street kids and we are surprised to see how quickly they are opening up to us. Pray for us as we hope to have more individual conversations with each child over the next 2 days.

We had a great team meeting tonight hearing reflections from multiple people on how our hearts are being broken in Haiti and challenged that we have a role to play in spreading the good news.  From atop the school house we physically can see a picture of Psalm 8:3-4 "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"

We look out in the distance from the school and see what God has made, a beautiful country with gorgeous mountains and oceans but then we look straight down and get take a closer look we see poverty, trash, a crowded mess that man has made and then we become extremely grateful that the Lord cares for us, mankind. He pursues a personal relationship with us and shows us his love in order that we may Glorify His Great Name!


Sara on behalf of Team Haiti

Working Hard for the Lamb

A new day with lots of expectations . . .

Mark and Matt fixed doors and knobs at Moise's house. Later,  Mark, Matt, Moise, and Opelco (on-site electrician) went shopping for electrical supplies. Mark, Matt, and Joe were able to start cleaning out the plaster in the electrical boxes.

The ladies spent the morning with Giraud (school principal) delivering school supplies. His reply was, "Dis' is very gooood".

Sara, aided by Heidi and Drew, did medical assessments on the boys at the SDLG Children's home. She found them in relatively good health, which is amazing since most of them had been living on the street.

The ladies shared with the SDLG women's ministry about the quilts. The women were excited and wanted to know if we could teach them how to make them. So, we are all meeting on Wednesday at 9 o'clock for quilting lessons! Please pray for our time together that we would be able to complete a 4 square piece that they can use as a trivet or potholder.

A little girl named Keke (kay-kay) was dropped off at SDLG by her brother. She will be the first girl at the home. Her mother had suffered from a stroke. Please pray for her as she is very scared.

We are all doing well and trying to stay hydrated. Thank you so much for your prayers!

For His Glory,

Sharon & her scribe (Joe)

Worship of the Lamb- Haiti Style

What if we had church for 8 hours on Sundays at LCF?  What if it was 97 degrees with no A/C and all the men wore slacks and dress shirts? What if we blasted the neighbors' roofs off with our music?  What if we danced in the aisles, not caring about our image as we worship the King?

I pondered each of these questions throughout the day today.  I'm not putting forth SDLG as the world's best church or the Hatians as "better" Christians than those in Liberty, MO, but I am willing to let myself be challenged by these thoughts.


We woke up to our alarms at 4:30 AM this morning, 7 out of the 8 of us not really knowing what to expect.  After maneuvering the dark streets of PAP, we pulled up to Source de la Grace to the sound of loud intercessory prayer.  Much music followed, some planned and some spontaneously scheduled into the service by the Holy Spirit.  Walking up to the stage to preach, I felt unworthy.  Especially tonight as I preached on Job, I felt unqualified to teach about God's wisdom and justice to those who have truly experienced intense suffering.



But God's Word is inspired and penetrates hearts in every century and within every continent, country, and culture.  Praise Him for his inerrant, powerful, God-breathed words of life.




We met the 14 boys living at the SDLG "Center" (the name for now until Moise and Francoise give an official one) this afternoon.  Delightful young men!  What a joy to hug them and see them smile. Joe was their favorite (surprise, surprise).  We enjoyed dancing, soccer, writing names, bubbles, licking granola bar wrappers, and black jack gum (ask Mark - it was fun while it lasted!)







Also, last night, we gave the Vavals some birthday gifts that we had brought for them.  They were very appreciative!


 (Pictured: Sara and Kristie Vaval)



Tomorrow we plan to do some health assessments with the kids, organize school supplies with Giraud (school principal), and continue our electrical analysis of the property.  The ladies will meet with the women of the church for women's ministry at 3:30 PM.  Please pray for these things.

More to come tomorrow . . .

Beach Fellowship of the Lamb

Jesus prayed to the father right before he was arrested:  I do not ask for these only (the original disciples), but also for those who will believe in me through their word (all Christians for all time -- including us!), that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.  (John 17:20-23)

Here's a summary:  "I want my church to be unified as one to reflect the unity of God and to represent me well in the world."

Today, for about six hours we sat at a beach with the leadership team of SDLG, fostering unity with many who don't even speak the same language as us.  Bev was able to share some words with all of them, and she expressed that we were seeing and experiencing the beauty of the body of Christ as we worshipped and prayed with them.  "I think this is a piece of what heaven will be like," she said.  I tend to agree.  

What an awesome time!  After worshipping and praying, we had separate meetings: Bev & Heidi met with Giraud to talk teaching and supplies at the school; Drew, Sara & Sharon met with Dr. Edvard Archer (Moise's brother) to talk healthcare and doing assessments of the kids.  Joe had a long meeting later in the ocean playing volleyball with our Hatian brothers and sisters!  Several ate sugarcane and enjoyed coconut milk for the first time.



This evening, the women are gathered around Moise and Francoise talking life, one of us is preparing to preach three times tomorrow and the other men are walking around the property assessing plumbing and minor repair options.



(pictured:  Joe eating coconut with Davidson, a leader at SDLG)



Other highlights from the trip so far:
-At 11 PM last night, Drew broke through his top bunk (must have had too many red beans & rice) right on top of Mark.  The first breaking part sounded "like a rifle shot" (according to Matt) and quickly had the four fellas up out of their beds, including Mark, who sustained no injuries.  Soon we were laughing at the lifelong memory we will all have.
-Joe has quickly become Moise Jr.'s best friend and Matt his punching bag.  Everywhere we go qualifies as a soccer field or a boxing ring.
-A cappella singing of worship in Creole on the way to and from the beach today.  Beautiful!  Sharon joined in as much as she could and the others of us tried to hum and sway along with them.
-Experiencing the passion that Giraud has for excellence in the school.  He shared his heart and desire with Bev & Heidi for over an hour.

Please continue to pray for us!  We will spend most of the day at the church tomorrow and will spend time with the children (there are 14 boys who recently moved to the SDLG center!) for the first time.



With Love,

The Haiti team

(pictured:  Giraud, Heidi, Bev, Samuel)

Enjoying the Presence and Following the Lead of the Lamb

Relatively smooth traveling today! Only a small delay on the runway in Fort Lauderdale, but no sweat.

We gave Moise, Francoise, their kids, and Samuel hugs within the first few hours in PAP, and each hug refreshed to us the reality that the family of Christ spans across the ocean.  It is a reminder to us that we have family across all the oceans and all the seas, on all continents.

It is a reminder that someday we will have family from every corner of the globe, from every people group on the planet.  Christ has already purchased them (Rev. 5:9-10), and he calls us to participate in their conversion and turning to the Savior and following Him (Matt. 28:19-20).  There are many in Haiti that the Lord will redeem so that they can worship him for eternity. Our desire is to play a part in that this week here in Haiti.

May the Lord become greater and we become less (John 3:30).  This is not about LCF Haiti.  This is not about Source de la Grace.  This is about the King of the universe being worshipped in spirit and truth.  He deserves the praise.  We want to submit to him and participate in his plan this week.  And may it all end in worship, glory, and honor to him.

We spent some moments worshipping and praying this evening with Moise and Francoise.  Bev exhorted us to "keep in step with the Spirit" (Gal. 5:25) this week.  Man what a week it will be if we can do that!  He leads the way, we fall in line.  He calls the shots, we obey willingly.  Lord give us the grace and strength to do that!

We are headed to bed after a long day.  Tomorrow we are excited to spend several hours with the leaders of SDLG at the beach, and hopefully to see the children at SDLG.  Pray for God to be pleased with the unity of his family and for disciples to be made in Haiti.

(So the team all deferred to me to do the blogging tonight, and this about turned into a sermon.  If they continue to defer to me, you all might get a seven-part sermon series this week!  So some of you might want to add to your prayer items a request that others step up to the plate!)

We love you and cherish your participation with us and the family of Christ in Haiti.

Drew

Enjoy the Presence of the Lamb

The Haiti team is planning on leaving Friday, Oct. 12 for a week long trip ministering to Source de la Grace.  The team members are Mark and Sharon Howerton, Heidi and Joe Kretsinger, Drew and Sara Matthews, Bev May, and Matt Neuenswander. 

We will have 3 prayer times scheduled during the week to cover the team in prayer.  Please join us for prayer at my house.  You can call me at 415-8508 for directions.  The prayer times are: Sunday the 14th at 7pm, Monday the 15th at 7pm, and Thursday the 18th at 7pm.

The blog will be updated as well with reports from the team.  We know that 14 orphans are living at SDLG.  Please pray for the team members and the children as they begin to build relationships that God has ordained through His blessings.

God gave me this phrase as the theme for this trip... "Enjoy the Presence of the Lamb".  I believe with all my heart and soul that God will reveal Himself to the team the gentleness of His love just as a little lamb is so gentle.  I cannot wait for God to bless this team, bless Moise, bless the children, and bless the congregation of SDLG.

Please keep the team in your prayers,
Amy

Sunday Recap and Travel Update

Hello friends,

I wanted to take a moment and recap what the Haiti team did on Sunday as well as let you all know about our travel back to KC today.  Sorry we didn't get a post up on the blog yesterday.  We were all pretty tired from getting up for the early morning service at SDLG, but I don't think any of us would have missed it for any amount of sleep!  The Haitians have a powerful way of worshiping and praying together.  I wouldn't be surprised if the folks down there could surpass just about any church here in the states in their faith and powerful prayer.  We got to hear some wonderful worship music in Creole (so wonderful that Brandi, Joelle, and Julia kept Kristie busy writing down lyrics and teaching pronunciation a good part of the afternoon).  We also got to hear Joelle, Julia, Kristie, and Sara play and sing "Our God" in both English and Creole both services.  They spent a lot of time throughout the week practicing and learning the song in Creole, and their effort paid off!  It was amazing and moving for both our team and SDLG.  The first service was preached by a pastor from Tennessee that came to meet with Moise about a ministry called Celebrate Recovery.  The second service was preached by a friend of Moise's, a pastor from All Nations church in Brooklyn NY and was honestly one of the best sermons I've heard in a long time.  It was obviously intended for the Haitian audience, but it was amazing how every point could be applied just as well in my life.

After church we took Moise and Francoise out to lunch to thank them for their hospitality to our team.  The food was good and the fellowship better.  Ron, Ashley, and Moise got interviewed by a journalist for a segment on a radio program this week about the VBS and work at the church.  Following lunch, Ron drove us home.  That may sound insignificant, but for anyone who has ever experienced traffic in Haiti, you understand that such a thing is quite a feat.

This morning we made it safely to the airport in PAP where we learned that our flight was oversold and five people who thought they were going to Miami were about to have a change of plans.  Kelsey and Julia were none too anxious to leave Haiti anyway and jumped at the opportunity to get the $500 travel voucher offered to, Lord willing, help them towards their next trip down to Haiti.  I'm sure the two people they allowed to get to Miami as planned were very appreciative too.

The rest of us made it back to KC safely and without incident.  The trip as a whole was very successful, no doubt largely due to the prayers from you all.  We all look forward to talking to you more about our trip and sharing stories, photos, and messages from our friends at SDLG.

P.S. Keep Kelsey and Julia in your prayers as they travel back home tomorrow.

-Chip

Saturday Post

Hello from Haiti!  Vacation Bible School is complete and was a great success.  The kids were starting to get the VBS routine down by day 3 so today went very well.  We were able get the sound and projector working so the kids watched the Jesus video in Haitian Creole.  Ashley met with some of the VBS helpers we had from the church to explain to them how to use and best conserve the extra supplies we brought to leave with them.  One was so excited with how it went that she wants to host a VBS on there own during the carnival time this February.  This is the best confirmation imaginable that God will continue to bless the encouragement we shared with the women on Tuesday to be active leaders in the church and the example we tried to set throughout VBS well into the future. 

We also wrapped up painting on the school today.  So now the orphanage and school are completely painted inside and out.  There is a little trim and touchup work to do, but the vast majority of the painting work is complete, and Pastor Vaval could not be more pleased. 

We’re getting up bright and early tomorrow morning so that we can attend both morning SDLG services (the first starts at 5:30a.m.).  Joelle and Julia will be playing and singing in both services and Nicki will be sharing a story with the church.  Afterwards we hope to take the Vavals to lunch to thank them for their first class hospitality.  Every meal has been wonderful and they’ve gone above and beyond to make sure everyone is comfortable. 

As always, there is so much more we all wish we could share, but we want to have plenty of energy for our day tomorrow of praise to the one who has obviously blessed our trip, our team, and this partnership between LCF and SDLG.  Keep us in your prayers. We're all doing quite well so they're working! We truly feel blessed to have such wonderful support from everyone back home. 

-Chip

Cause for celebration!

I just had to blog after reading about Day 4 of the team's trip.  I try to not hog the blog because the focus should be on the team reports, but I just couldn't help myself to express the pure excitment of reading the updates each day. Praise God for his provision and blessings!  The VBS is bringing so many precious little ones to hear about God's love for them.  I am beside myself with joy picturing the children absorb all that God is doing through the team and through the SDLG church family.  And not to mention, the beautiful painting that is being accomplished on the walls of the property!  The painting sprayer seems to be a huge blessing, more than imagined, I would guess.  I think it is saving hours if not days of time so that the work on the buildings can move forward.  Yeah!

As the team enters the last phases of the trip, please continue to pray Ephesians 3: 14-21 and Psalm 19.  The verses are rich of God's intentions for our lives on this earth.  Pray that God gives the team all they need physically and mentally to minister to the Haitian people.  It is evident that the team is being blessed immeasurably by this journey.

Blessings,
Amy

VBS Day 1

What a wonderful day!  I would say the best yet.  We got to SDLG early today to get the painting started and to prepare before VBS (and to avoid some of PAP’s terrible morning traffic).  The kids began arriving for VBS around 9 a.m. and we welcomed each while music played through the sound system.  We hugged and high-fived and even encouraged those who wanted to dance at the front of the church.  One little guy had some pretty good moves.  Day one of VBS was a huge hit and was coordinated wonderfully by Ashley.  Joelle and team lead the kids in songs.  We were amazed that they already knew almost every song we had planned to teach them and even sang several additional songs for us in Creole.  Samuel was a huge blessing; not only in translating but he was by far the most successful at wrangling the kids and keeping some semblance of order.  We jumped rope, colored, and each kid made a keep-sake out of modeling clay depicting some of God’s creation (the theme of our VBS week is “Our God is the ONE true God” and today’s focus was on Genesis 1:1 and God’s creation).  I believe all the kids were blessed by the songs, the scripture, the skit, and most of all the attention, hugs, and holding of the team. 

Meanwhile, great progress was made on the painting.  The outside of the orphanage is painted and a large portion of the outside of the school.  The Haitian painters continue to be fascinated by the sprayer and several got to try their hand at it today including Pastor Vaval!  I believe he enjoyed it most of all and caught on very quickly. 

Our evening ended with a precious worship time on the Vaval’s front porch with Joelle and Julia taking turns playing the guitar.  We took time to each share a personal prayer request and were blessed to be joined by Moise and Kristie in our concluding Haitian style prayer (the whole group prayed for each other aloud simultaneously).  The mingled voices being lifted to our Lord created a humbling and moving experience for each and every one of us. 

We’re all looking forward to another wonderful day of VBS with the kids tomorrow, and hopefully a trip to a local orphanage in the afternoon followed by a few hours of painting in the cooler hours of the evening. 

Although we’re having a wonderful time here, we miss you all and can’t begin to express how grateful we are to have you all back home supporting and praying for us.  We think of you throughout our days. 

There is so much more to share, but that will have to wait for another time.  As day four winds down and the muscles are starting to feel a little sore and the wits a little frayed, this verse seems appropriate to close with…

God, the giver of all grace, has called you to share in Christ's eternal Glory and after you have suffered a little he will bring you to perfection: he will confirm, strengthen and establish you forever. (1 Peter 5:10)

-Chip