Hello,
The team was not able to fly home tonight. They made it as far as Newark, New Jersey. The temperature was supposed to be
108 degrees in Newark today. The teams flight getting into Newark was late, so they missed their connecting flight to Seattle. They are staying the night in Newark and flying out around 7:00 in the morning. Please pray for safe travel and for all of us going down to Seattle to pick the team up.
Thank you for your prayers regarding signing the I600 adoption papers at the Embassy. They made it to the meeting and all of the paperwork needed at this time was signed. Yeah!
One story I forgot to share about, was that of a little girl with a hole in her heart. When our family doctor, Dr. Thomson was in Haiti 1 1/2 years ago, he and our Haitian doctor, Dr. Ralph, diagnosed a baby with a hole in her heart. Dr. Thomson tried to find a heart doctor in Washington that would perform surgery on her. Children's hospital said that too many people asked for surgeries to be performed for free so they were not able to help. Since that time another Doctor from either Canada or the US also diagnosed the little girl with a hole in her heart. The mother has been told that the child will not make it if she does not get surgery. The team was able to pray for her while they were in Haiti this time. Please pray that she will be healed or that God will make a way for her to get the needed surgery. We have doctors, and a host family, and we have been told that we would be able to get a medical visa if we had everything lined up and all involved would write letters, stating what they would do. It seems that all we are lacking is a hospital willing to allow the surgery. We would appreciate your prayers.
Blessings and thanks,
Chris
Friday, July 22, 2011
July 21, 2011
Hello again,
The team had a very good prayer time up on the mountain by the cross this morning. They spent time praying for Haiti and the valley of Marose.
Today Mike met with our Good Shepherd Pastors. They are part of the pastors association, but Mike and Nathan also spend additional time with them as they are also a part of our ministry. Mike and Nathan have hired a new pastor for Pass Rien. He is someone Nathan knows and Mike has met several times. He was at the Pastor's conference in May.
We have some exciting news. Mike and Nathan have found a new location for the school and church in Gonaives. And they have signed a lease on it. The property has walls around 3 sides of it and a gate. There is a banana grove along the 4th side. There are a few small buildings on the property, all of them exposed cinder block. One has the ability to have 4 class rooms and the second building will have 2 class rooms. The third building is in two sections, it is finished on one side and has a foundation on the other side. The finished side will hold a small church. There is a bathroom (which is huge in Haiti). The buildings have bars on the windows and doors so it can be locked up and secured. There is even space for a play area for the children, which is even harder to find in the city. Mike said there are two huge Mango trees on the property also. Mike said the original owner died two years ago, so it looks like a ghost town. Our Gonaives pastor Praviel, has been working on cleaning the grounds up with a machete. It has a lot of potential and is only 4 blocks away from where he lives. So everyone involved is excited.
The team had a project with the children while they were in Haiti, challenging each child to be a bucket filler (be kind, share, helpful, ect.) and not to be a bucket dipper (by being mean, hitting someone, ect.). The winners were to get soccer jerseys. Something every one would want. Well since today was the last day with the children, they had them all come together and they passed out the soccer Jersey's and EVERYONE was given one. Then they had soccer tournaments. They started with the youngest and worked their way up to the oldest. Mike said the whole staff joined in, even one of our keepers who everyone calls Grandma. Mike said it was cute to see her out on the field running after the ball. The men on our team lost to the oldest boys in the orphanage. Everyone enjoyed themselves.
The team had to say their goodbyes to the children tonight as they will be up and getting ready around 3:00 AM to travel to Port-au- Prince tomorrow. Please remember to pray for safe travel, and for a good meeting and signing of the I600 adoption paperwork at the embassy. Please also remember to lift up Caitlin and the girls she was taking care of, for their emotions and so it does not add to their past rejections.
The team flies into Seattle tomorrow just before midnight, please pray for on time connections, safe flights, and safe drives home. Thank you all so very much for your prayers.
Blessings,
Chris
The team had a very good prayer time up on the mountain by the cross this morning. They spent time praying for Haiti and the valley of Marose.
Today Mike met with our Good Shepherd Pastors. They are part of the pastors association, but Mike and Nathan also spend additional time with them as they are also a part of our ministry. Mike and Nathan have hired a new pastor for Pass Rien. He is someone Nathan knows and Mike has met several times. He was at the Pastor's conference in May.
We have some exciting news. Mike and Nathan have found a new location for the school and church in Gonaives. And they have signed a lease on it. The property has walls around 3 sides of it and a gate. There is a banana grove along the 4th side. There are a few small buildings on the property, all of them exposed cinder block. One has the ability to have 4 class rooms and the second building will have 2 class rooms. The third building is in two sections, it is finished on one side and has a foundation on the other side. The finished side will hold a small church. There is a bathroom (which is huge in Haiti). The buildings have bars on the windows and doors so it can be locked up and secured. There is even space for a play area for the children, which is even harder to find in the city. Mike said there are two huge Mango trees on the property also. Mike said the original owner died two years ago, so it looks like a ghost town. Our Gonaives pastor Praviel, has been working on cleaning the grounds up with a machete. It has a lot of potential and is only 4 blocks away from where he lives. So everyone involved is excited.
The team had a project with the children while they were in Haiti, challenging each child to be a bucket filler (be kind, share, helpful, ect.) and not to be a bucket dipper (by being mean, hitting someone, ect.). The winners were to get soccer jerseys. Something every one would want. Well since today was the last day with the children, they had them all come together and they passed out the soccer Jersey's and EVERYONE was given one. Then they had soccer tournaments. They started with the youngest and worked their way up to the oldest. Mike said the whole staff joined in, even one of our keepers who everyone calls Grandma. Mike said it was cute to see her out on the field running after the ball. The men on our team lost to the oldest boys in the orphanage. Everyone enjoyed themselves.
The team had to say their goodbyes to the children tonight as they will be up and getting ready around 3:00 AM to travel to Port-au- Prince tomorrow. Please remember to pray for safe travel, and for a good meeting and signing of the I600 adoption paperwork at the embassy. Please also remember to lift up Caitlin and the girls she was taking care of, for their emotions and so it does not add to their past rejections.
The team flies into Seattle tomorrow just before midnight, please pray for on time connections, safe flights, and safe drives home. Thank you all so very much for your prayers.
Blessings,
Chris
The Bucket story Patti shared. I am not sure who the author is.
Have You Filled a Bucket Today?
All day long, everyone in the whole wide world walks around carrying an invisible bucket.
You can't see it, but it's there.
You have a bucket. Your friends, pastors, and neighbors all have a bucket. Everyone carries an invisible bucket.
Your bucket has one purpose only. It's purpose is to hold your good thoughts and good feelings about yourself.
You feel very happy and blessed when your bucket is full, and you feel very sad and lonely when your bucket is empty.
You need other people to fill your bucket and other people need you to fill theirs. So, how do you fill a bucket?
You fill a bucket when you show love to someone, just as Jesus shows love to us. You fill a bucket when you say or do something kind, or even when you forgive someone for something they did wrong.
That's being a bucket filler.
A bucket filler is a loving, caring person who says or does nice things that make others feel special. When you make somone feel special, you are filling a bucket.
But, you can also dip into a bucket and take out some good feelings. You dip into a bucket when you make fun of someone, when you do or say something mean, or when you hit someone.
That's being a bucket dipper. You never fill your own bucket when you dip into someone else's.
But guess what....when you fill someone's bucket, you fill your own bucket too! You feel good when you help others feel good.
Bucket filling is fun and easy to do.
It doesn't matter how young or old you are.
It doesn't cost any money,
When you're a bucket filler, you make your orphanage, your school, and your country better places to be.
Bucket filling makes everyone feel good.
Bucket filling is an act of grace given to God's entire family. In Ephesians 2:8, it says, "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a GIFT from God."
Give others this GIFT and by this, you will receive GIFTS of love and happiness in return.
All day long, everyone in the whole wide world walks around carrying an invisible bucket.
You can't see it, but it's there.
You have a bucket. Your friends, pastors, and neighbors all have a bucket. Everyone carries an invisible bucket.
Your bucket has one purpose only. It's purpose is to hold your good thoughts and good feelings about yourself.
You feel very happy and blessed when your bucket is full, and you feel very sad and lonely when your bucket is empty.
You need other people to fill your bucket and other people need you to fill theirs. So, how do you fill a bucket?
You fill a bucket when you show love to someone, just as Jesus shows love to us. You fill a bucket when you say or do something kind, or even when you forgive someone for something they did wrong.
That's being a bucket filler.
A bucket filler is a loving, caring person who says or does nice things that make others feel special. When you make somone feel special, you are filling a bucket.
But, you can also dip into a bucket and take out some good feelings. You dip into a bucket when you make fun of someone, when you do or say something mean, or when you hit someone.
That's being a bucket dipper. You never fill your own bucket when you dip into someone else's.
But guess what....when you fill someone's bucket, you fill your own bucket too! You feel good when you help others feel good.
Bucket filling is fun and easy to do.
It doesn't matter how young or old you are.
It doesn't cost any money,
When you're a bucket filler, you make your orphanage, your school, and your country better places to be.
Bucket filling makes everyone feel good.
Bucket filling is an act of grace given to God's entire family. In Ephesians 2:8, it says, "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a GIFT from God."
Give others this GIFT and by this, you will receive GIFTS of love and happiness in return.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Hello
Today the team spent the morning finishing up some more projects. They organized the storage depot, built 3 desks for the office and helped to organize it. The office is in the front of the building as you go up the hill toward the orphanage. Those in the office will be able to see everyone coming up to the orphanage. The team also made books for the children. They taped the Creole words over the English ones so that the children can read and understand them.
The team traveled to Peru today. It is about 45 mins. to 1 hour away from Marose, up in the mountains. Mike said it was raining when they arrived in Peru, they passed out candy to the children and had a sharing and prayer time with our Pastor in Peru. The team also put together a package for Yolin and his family. Yolin is a special boy that we feel called to reach out to and support. He is crippled and has been partially healed. We are believing that someday he will walk. Mike said Yolin was very excited to see the team. They talked with Yolin and his siblings for a while and then prayed for him. Some of his siblings went to get his mother and then they talked with her and prayed for her and the whole family. There are 5 children and no father. They took photos of the whole family also. We will try to take an 8x10 back to them on the next trip. Mike said that Patty was sitting next to Yolin and opened a bottle of bubbles from his package. She started blowing them and Mike said Yolin started laughing. He had never seen bubbles before. The more she blew, the harder he laughed, Mike said it was a throw your head back kind of laugh. After awhile he had his sister blowing bubbles for him and then he blew bubbles. Mike said it was a joy to watch him so happy. They spent quite a bit of time with him talking and blowing bubbles. Please remember to pray for him.
When the team got back to the orphanage they went swimming in the river with the children again. Then they spent time with the children dancing and singing for a couple of hours. The children absolutely love to sing. Mike was able to have another pre-marital counseling meeting with Jonas and Nadine. After the kids went to bed, the team spent time praying. They prayed for Adam since it was his birthday today. They also prayed for Caitlin as she is trying to deal with her emotions, wanting to go home and wanting to stay with her girls. The girls all call her mama Caitlin. She has been doing things with the team, but still living in her room with her girls. Please lift Caitlin and the girls up as they will all have a hard time emotionally saying goodbye.
Tomorrow the team will climb the mountain to our cross and spend some time praying for Haiti.Then they will do one more project with the children. They will also do some maintenance work on things like the generator. The team will have to say good bye to the children tomorrow night as the team needs to be up and on their way traveling to Port-au-Prince by 3:00 AM. They have a very early appointment at the US Embassy to finally sign the I600 for adoption. Please pray that they are able to sign this time.
Pray also for safe travel and for being on time for the meeting at the Embassy. Pray that they are able to arrive at the airport in plenty of time. Thanks so much.
Blessings,
Chris
Today the team spent the morning finishing up some more projects. They organized the storage depot, built 3 desks for the office and helped to organize it. The office is in the front of the building as you go up the hill toward the orphanage. Those in the office will be able to see everyone coming up to the orphanage. The team also made books for the children. They taped the Creole words over the English ones so that the children can read and understand them.
The team traveled to Peru today. It is about 45 mins. to 1 hour away from Marose, up in the mountains. Mike said it was raining when they arrived in Peru, they passed out candy to the children and had a sharing and prayer time with our Pastor in Peru. The team also put together a package for Yolin and his family. Yolin is a special boy that we feel called to reach out to and support. He is crippled and has been partially healed. We are believing that someday he will walk. Mike said Yolin was very excited to see the team. They talked with Yolin and his siblings for a while and then prayed for him. Some of his siblings went to get his mother and then they talked with her and prayed for her and the whole family. There are 5 children and no father. They took photos of the whole family also. We will try to take an 8x10 back to them on the next trip. Mike said that Patty was sitting next to Yolin and opened a bottle of bubbles from his package. She started blowing them and Mike said Yolin started laughing. He had never seen bubbles before. The more she blew, the harder he laughed, Mike said it was a throw your head back kind of laugh. After awhile he had his sister blowing bubbles for him and then he blew bubbles. Mike said it was a joy to watch him so happy. They spent quite a bit of time with him talking and blowing bubbles. Please remember to pray for him.
When the team got back to the orphanage they went swimming in the river with the children again. Then they spent time with the children dancing and singing for a couple of hours. The children absolutely love to sing. Mike was able to have another pre-marital counseling meeting with Jonas and Nadine. After the kids went to bed, the team spent time praying. They prayed for Adam since it was his birthday today. They also prayed for Caitlin as she is trying to deal with her emotions, wanting to go home and wanting to stay with her girls. The girls all call her mama Caitlin. She has been doing things with the team, but still living in her room with her girls. Please lift Caitlin and the girls up as they will all have a hard time emotionally saying goodbye.
Tomorrow the team will climb the mountain to our cross and spend some time praying for Haiti.Then they will do one more project with the children. They will also do some maintenance work on things like the generator. The team will have to say good bye to the children tomorrow night as the team needs to be up and on their way traveling to Port-au-Prince by 3:00 AM. They have a very early appointment at the US Embassy to finally sign the I600 for adoption. Please pray that they are able to sign this time.
Pray also for safe travel and for being on time for the meeting at the Embassy. Pray that they are able to arrive at the airport in plenty of time. Thanks so much.
Blessings,
Chris
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Hello again,
I talked with Mike. Nathan went to the crusade in Pass Rien tonight. Nathan said that another 17 people accepted the Lord into their hearts. I believe that is 80 plus salvation's during the crusade. God is so faithful. Nathan and Mike were also told more of the story about the women who owns the property that the crusade has been held on. It seems to be the only available piece of property to meet on. It is quite large and if I understand right is a flat spot on top of a hill. This women gave us permission to hold the crusade on this piece of property.Through being on the property for three days now, and seeing us help the people of Pass Rien she has shared more of her story. She is a very influential women in the community. A few days ago a very famous witch doctor in Haiti died. He was holding a voodoo conference. This women evidently had relations with this witch doctor and has a child by him. She said she has been a witch doctor and had previously been married to a voodoo priest. She said that she has been separated from him for a long time. She has been dealing with some of the most powerful men in the voodoo religion in Haiti. Now that she is getting older she is "scared of being left to satan". Twice she has told both Mike and Nathan that she wants to know Jesus, but she has not chosen to do anything about it. Please pray that this women would give her life to the Lord. Pray that she would make the choice to follow God. I know that it is not an accident that she has allowed the crusade to take place on her property. She is being drawn. Pray that she lets God in. She has offered Nathan and Mike some of her property, but they are being careful and cautious. Nathan has told her we would only be on property that we have paid for and that we are waiting for the Lord's leading. So please pray for a miracle in her life, what a testimony it would be to the people in the village, all 3000 of them.
On another note, Mike said it has been extremely hot in Haiti, but the team managed to get the screens built and up on the bedroom windows. The girls on the team made thank yous for the staff, some of the team built nesting boxes for chickens we hope to have. Some of the team went through the orphanage children's bins to make sure they still have clothes and shoes that fit them, and they made bins for all of the new orphans that have come to us. The team also restocked the Nanny's bins (they like to be called keepers). We are trying to help the nanny's have extra supplies like sheets, towels and antibiotic ointment for the middle of the night problems that can come up. Also a lasting supply of good heavy body lotion, hair lotion, vitamins, etc. Adam and Jason installed a new vanity in the medical clinic's bathroom. We actually disassembled it here and stacked it together with duct tape to count as a suitcase. Then Adam and Jason rebuilt it in Haiti. :) The team also repaired some broken benches in the Church. Later in the day the team went swimming in the river with the kids, can you picture 56 Haitian children in the river with 16 Caucasian team members. :) In the afternoon the team went into town and visited the markets in the alleys and streets in Gonaives. Mike found some plastic wash basins for the laundry to be washed in. He said they were lower, wider, and tougher plastic they the gray Rubbermaid bins we use for the children's belongings and for food. This will make it easier for the women washing all of the clothing, sheets and towels.
For those of you who do not know us very well, Mike and I also have a heart for family and marriage. When Mike is home we also do premarital counseling. We have counseled a variety of people from many walks of life. Not a light hearted quick approach either. Our average pre-martial counseling consists of 8 or more meetings of 2-3 hours each. We cover everything, nothing is left unaddressed. So because of our heart for marriage, and because Nadine feels like one of our children, Mike has rewritten our premarital counseling information, so that it would be relevant to a couple in Haiti and still have the basic information covered. On this trip he has been able to spend time sharing with Nadine and Jonas, which he says has been great. He also was able to share a shorter version with one of Angel's daughters. Angel lives by the church, he used to be a witch doctor, but has been a Christian for a long time now. His oldest daughter will be married in a month, so Mike was thrilled to be able to share with them.
Tomorrow the team will be going to visit Peru, another village of ours to the northeast up in the mountains. We have a church plant up there and a school. It is more beautiful in Peru. Please pray for the team tomorrow as they travel to Peru. Please also pray that the Holy Spirit goes ahead of them and that they are able to encourage the people. Thanks so much.
Blessings,
Chris
I talked with Mike. Nathan went to the crusade in Pass Rien tonight. Nathan said that another 17 people accepted the Lord into their hearts. I believe that is 80 plus salvation's during the crusade. God is so faithful. Nathan and Mike were also told more of the story about the women who owns the property that the crusade has been held on. It seems to be the only available piece of property to meet on. It is quite large and if I understand right is a flat spot on top of a hill. This women gave us permission to hold the crusade on this piece of property.Through being on the property for three days now, and seeing us help the people of Pass Rien she has shared more of her story. She is a very influential women in the community. A few days ago a very famous witch doctor in Haiti died. He was holding a voodoo conference. This women evidently had relations with this witch doctor and has a child by him. She said she has been a witch doctor and had previously been married to a voodoo priest. She said that she has been separated from him for a long time. She has been dealing with some of the most powerful men in the voodoo religion in Haiti. Now that she is getting older she is "scared of being left to satan". Twice she has told both Mike and Nathan that she wants to know Jesus, but she has not chosen to do anything about it. Please pray that this women would give her life to the Lord. Pray that she would make the choice to follow God. I know that it is not an accident that she has allowed the crusade to take place on her property. She is being drawn. Pray that she lets God in. She has offered Nathan and Mike some of her property, but they are being careful and cautious. Nathan has told her we would only be on property that we have paid for and that we are waiting for the Lord's leading. So please pray for a miracle in her life, what a testimony it would be to the people in the village, all 3000 of them.
On another note, Mike said it has been extremely hot in Haiti, but the team managed to get the screens built and up on the bedroom windows. The girls on the team made thank yous for the staff, some of the team built nesting boxes for chickens we hope to have. Some of the team went through the orphanage children's bins to make sure they still have clothes and shoes that fit them, and they made bins for all of the new orphans that have come to us. The team also restocked the Nanny's bins (they like to be called keepers). We are trying to help the nanny's have extra supplies like sheets, towels and antibiotic ointment for the middle of the night problems that can come up. Also a lasting supply of good heavy body lotion, hair lotion, vitamins, etc. Adam and Jason installed a new vanity in the medical clinic's bathroom. We actually disassembled it here and stacked it together with duct tape to count as a suitcase. Then Adam and Jason rebuilt it in Haiti. :) The team also repaired some broken benches in the Church. Later in the day the team went swimming in the river with the kids, can you picture 56 Haitian children in the river with 16 Caucasian team members. :) In the afternoon the team went into town and visited the markets in the alleys and streets in Gonaives. Mike found some plastic wash basins for the laundry to be washed in. He said they were lower, wider, and tougher plastic they the gray Rubbermaid bins we use for the children's belongings and for food. This will make it easier for the women washing all of the clothing, sheets and towels.
For those of you who do not know us very well, Mike and I also have a heart for family and marriage. When Mike is home we also do premarital counseling. We have counseled a variety of people from many walks of life. Not a light hearted quick approach either. Our average pre-martial counseling consists of 8 or more meetings of 2-3 hours each. We cover everything, nothing is left unaddressed. So because of our heart for marriage, and because Nadine feels like one of our children, Mike has rewritten our premarital counseling information, so that it would be relevant to a couple in Haiti and still have the basic information covered. On this trip he has been able to spend time sharing with Nadine and Jonas, which he says has been great. He also was able to share a shorter version with one of Angel's daughters. Angel lives by the church, he used to be a witch doctor, but has been a Christian for a long time now. His oldest daughter will be married in a month, so Mike was thrilled to be able to share with them.
Tomorrow the team will be going to visit Peru, another village of ours to the northeast up in the mountains. We have a church plant up there and a school. It is more beautiful in Peru. Please pray for the team tomorrow as they travel to Peru. Please also pray that the Holy Spirit goes ahead of them and that they are able to encourage the people. Thanks so much.
Blessings,
Chris
July 18,2011
Hello again,
Today was another great day for the team. In the morning they played with the kids and did crafts with them. A little before lunch they went into Gonaives to Emory's to feed the poor children. They helped feed the children and passed out candy to them afterwards. They worked with another short term mission group from a Methodist church. Then they invited everyone from that team back to our orphanage for lunch. Emory's wife was able to see our doctor for a problem she is having with her ankle. Please pray for her ankle to heal.
In the afternoon our team went up to Pass Rien again for the 2nd day of the crusade. Three or four of the team members gave their testimonies. Mike and Nathan each shared two messages. Another pastor from our association also gave a message. Some of the other pastor's from the association spent the time walking around the village constantly praying. During the crusade tonight they prayed for one lady who was sick and had gone to a witch doctor. The witch doctor put a spell on her and told her she had to keep giving him money or she would die. She had run out of money and was afraid. They prayed for her and she gave her heart to the Lord and was set free. They also prayed for a demon to come out of a man, and he was set free. Tonight, they had 25 more people come forward and give their lives to the Lord!!! Afterwards Mike showed them a 6ft by 6ft piece of concrete on the ground near where they were. This concrete evidently was the porch of a church that had been knocked down by a storm many years ago. Mike told all of them to come forward who had given their lives to the Lord the last two nights. He then told them that they were now the church, His Church and so a new church is now planted in Pass rein. Mike said the spiritual climate feels much like it does in Peru. There is much fruit, but you can tell there is a spiritual battle going on for each victory.
Steve and Nathan were still not able to sign the I 600 today, they were given an appointment for Friday morning before the team flies out of Port-au-Prince. Adoption also produces much fruit, but you can tell there is a spiritual battle that goes on before each victory. Please pray for victory in this area, in the signing of the necessary adoption forms.
Tomorrow the team will do some projects around the orphanage. They will be building screens for all of the children's bedroom windows for one. YEAH!!! We do not usually have any problems with mosquitoes, but the last couple of months have been worse. So the team took screening material with them on this trip.
Also tomorrow Nathan will be attending a meeting as the community of Marose's representative. The meeting is regarding the possibility of putting power poles along the road in Marose. This would be a huge accomplishment. Evidently a Philippine Internet company in Haiti is putting up poles for the Internet and there is a possibility of the poles also being used for power. It would not be dependable power, but at least it would be available some of the time. Even in Port-au-Prince,
the power is not dependable. In the orphanage three of our children came from, you were lucky if you got 2 or 3 hours of power a day. Some of those hours would be in the middle of the night. Some days there would be no power. It would come on randomly. This is why we have generators and have hooked up the wiring so that we will be able to store extra power in batteries. Please pray for a good outcome and favor for our community at this meeting. Again thank you for your prayers, they truly make a difference.
Blessings,
Chris
Today was another great day for the team. In the morning they played with the kids and did crafts with them. A little before lunch they went into Gonaives to Emory's to feed the poor children. They helped feed the children and passed out candy to them afterwards. They worked with another short term mission group from a Methodist church. Then they invited everyone from that team back to our orphanage for lunch. Emory's wife was able to see our doctor for a problem she is having with her ankle. Please pray for her ankle to heal.
In the afternoon our team went up to Pass Rien again for the 2nd day of the crusade. Three or four of the team members gave their testimonies. Mike and Nathan each shared two messages. Another pastor from our association also gave a message. Some of the other pastor's from the association spent the time walking around the village constantly praying. During the crusade tonight they prayed for one lady who was sick and had gone to a witch doctor. The witch doctor put a spell on her and told her she had to keep giving him money or she would die. She had run out of money and was afraid. They prayed for her and she gave her heart to the Lord and was set free. They also prayed for a demon to come out of a man, and he was set free. Tonight, they had 25 more people come forward and give their lives to the Lord!!! Afterwards Mike showed them a 6ft by 6ft piece of concrete on the ground near where they were. This concrete evidently was the porch of a church that had been knocked down by a storm many years ago. Mike told all of them to come forward who had given their lives to the Lord the last two nights. He then told them that they were now the church, His Church and so a new church is now planted in Pass rein. Mike said the spiritual climate feels much like it does in Peru. There is much fruit, but you can tell there is a spiritual battle going on for each victory.
Steve and Nathan were still not able to sign the I 600 today, they were given an appointment for Friday morning before the team flies out of Port-au-Prince. Adoption also produces much fruit, but you can tell there is a spiritual battle that goes on before each victory. Please pray for victory in this area, in the signing of the necessary adoption forms.
Tomorrow the team will do some projects around the orphanage. They will be building screens for all of the children's bedroom windows for one. YEAH!!! We do not usually have any problems with mosquitoes, but the last couple of months have been worse. So the team took screening material with them on this trip.
Also tomorrow Nathan will be attending a meeting as the community of Marose's representative. The meeting is regarding the possibility of putting power poles along the road in Marose. This would be a huge accomplishment. Evidently a Philippine Internet company in Haiti is putting up poles for the Internet and there is a possibility of the poles also being used for power. It would not be dependable power, but at least it would be available some of the time. Even in Port-au-Prince,
the power is not dependable. In the orphanage three of our children came from, you were lucky if you got 2 or 3 hours of power a day. Some of those hours would be in the middle of the night. Some days there would be no power. It would come on randomly. This is why we have generators and have hooked up the wiring so that we will be able to store extra power in batteries. Please pray for a good outcome and favor for our community at this meeting. Again thank you for your prayers, they truly make a difference.
Blessings,
Chris
Monday, July 18, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Hello,
Some exciting news tonight. First church went well this morning. Mike taught and Jim lead worship. Mike said many people came forward for prayer at the end of church. After church the team played with the children and did skits. Later in the afternoon they went up to Pass Rien, the new village we are working with. In May I wrote and told you about starting to minister in Pass Rien. When they left Marose it was raining. It did not rain in Pass Rien, there was just lightening. This was the first afternoon and evening of a three day crusade. The team and our Good Shepherd pastors met in an open field. In the beginning there were about 2 dozen people from the village. They started with worship and teaching, then worship again, then some of the team members shared their testimonies. Then they worshiped more, the crowd of people growing the whole time. They gave an invitation to come forward and a few came forward and gave their lives to the Lord, mostly adults. Then Mike felt like he was supposed to pray for a blind man. After a while he felt like God said, ask him if he can see? So Mike asked Jonas to translate, the man did not understand at first, he just wanted to keep praying with his eyes closed. Mike pointed his face toward the light and Jonas asked him again, the man said he could see but everything was blurry. Mike looked around and saw a group of about 20 children 8 years old and under, on their knees praying and asking God into their hearts. Mike felt like God said to have the children pray because of their new faith. The children started praying and God moved and the man was completely healed, he could see!!!! By the end of the evening, 40 to 45 people had given their lives to the Lord. God is so awesome!! Mike felt like the Lord also said, that the reason so many teens and young people came to the Lord, was because he was going to do some amazing things in Pass Rien. And the young people who gave their lives to the Lord would see the truth and light easier, and not get hung up on how things were supposed to be. Praise God!!!!
Tomorrow the team will be going to Emory's to feed the poorest of the poor. As I have shared before, it can be very hard for some of the team members emotionally. For many of these children it is the only meal they will receive that day. They used to be able to feed only the first 250 children that arrived. They are able to feed more now, so it is not quite as hard to see. You do still need to help the littlest ones eat so that their share is not taken from them by others. It is pretty heart wrenching to watch. Please pray for the team as they minister in Gonavies. Then after lunch they will go back up to Pass Rien for the second day of the crusade. Please pray that hearts continue to be touched and that the Holy Spirit moves.
Please also pray for safe travel for Nathan and Steve as they go back to Por-au-Prince, to the US embassy to sign the I600 for adoption. Thanks again for all of your prayers. They are so important in moving the kingdom of God forward.
Blessings,
Chris
Some exciting news tonight. First church went well this morning. Mike taught and Jim lead worship. Mike said many people came forward for prayer at the end of church. After church the team played with the children and did skits. Later in the afternoon they went up to Pass Rien, the new village we are working with. In May I wrote and told you about starting to minister in Pass Rien. When they left Marose it was raining. It did not rain in Pass Rien, there was just lightening. This was the first afternoon and evening of a three day crusade. The team and our Good Shepherd pastors met in an open field. In the beginning there were about 2 dozen people from the village. They started with worship and teaching, then worship again, then some of the team members shared their testimonies. Then they worshiped more, the crowd of people growing the whole time. They gave an invitation to come forward and a few came forward and gave their lives to the Lord, mostly adults. Then Mike felt like he was supposed to pray for a blind man. After a while he felt like God said, ask him if he can see? So Mike asked Jonas to translate, the man did not understand at first, he just wanted to keep praying with his eyes closed. Mike pointed his face toward the light and Jonas asked him again, the man said he could see but everything was blurry. Mike looked around and saw a group of about 20 children 8 years old and under, on their knees praying and asking God into their hearts. Mike felt like God said to have the children pray because of their new faith. The children started praying and God moved and the man was completely healed, he could see!!!! By the end of the evening, 40 to 45 people had given their lives to the Lord. God is so awesome!! Mike felt like the Lord also said, that the reason so many teens and young people came to the Lord, was because he was going to do some amazing things in Pass Rien. And the young people who gave their lives to the Lord would see the truth and light easier, and not get hung up on how things were supposed to be. Praise God!!!!
Tomorrow the team will be going to Emory's to feed the poorest of the poor. As I have shared before, it can be very hard for some of the team members emotionally. For many of these children it is the only meal they will receive that day. They used to be able to feed only the first 250 children that arrived. They are able to feed more now, so it is not quite as hard to see. You do still need to help the littlest ones eat so that their share is not taken from them by others. It is pretty heart wrenching to watch. Please pray for the team as they minister in Gonavies. Then after lunch they will go back up to Pass Rien for the second day of the crusade. Please pray that hearts continue to be touched and that the Holy Spirit moves.
Please also pray for safe travel for Nathan and Steve as they go back to Por-au-Prince, to the US embassy to sign the I600 for adoption. Thanks again for all of your prayers. They are so important in moving the kingdom of God forward.
Blessings,
Chris
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Hello,
Today the team spent most of the day at the worship conference with the pastors and worship leaders from the association. Mike said the morning started out with power problems, sound system problems, computer problems and equipment problems. So Mike gathered all of the pastors and worship leaders and told them obviously the enemy did not want the teaching to happen, so they needed to pray. After prayer everything worked. Jim taught for 3 hours with a break, then another 2 hours, and they stopped for lunch. Then he taught another 2 hours and they broke for dinner. After dinner they had a worship celebration. They had a Haitian music group play and then a Haitian choir from one of the churches sang, then Nathan played and then Jim and his group played. After that, they had ministry time and lots of people came forward. Mike said there were healings, and one man in particular came forward, he said he was having a lot of head pain. He said that a doctor had seen him and said he had a brain problem. He was prayed for and said all of the pain went away and he felt completely healed. Praise God, the Haitian people come expecting God to show up and He does!
The team also passed out the gifts for the children from their sponsors and took photos of the new children in the orphanage. It is wonderful to be able to pass out the gifts, it is encouraging to the children and tells them that someone cares and is supporting them and praying for them. It is a physical showing that God cared enough to rescue them and touch someones heart to care for them. Thank you so very much to all of you that reach out to the children and staff, we really apprecitate it.
Tomorrow Mike will be teaching during church in Marose and Jim will be leading worship. Please pray for both of them, that they follow the Holy Spirits leading and that their teaching is relevant, encouraging and life giving.
Thanks so much and blessings,
Chris
Today the team spent most of the day at the worship conference with the pastors and worship leaders from the association. Mike said the morning started out with power problems, sound system problems, computer problems and equipment problems. So Mike gathered all of the pastors and worship leaders and told them obviously the enemy did not want the teaching to happen, so they needed to pray. After prayer everything worked. Jim taught for 3 hours with a break, then another 2 hours, and they stopped for lunch. Then he taught another 2 hours and they broke for dinner. After dinner they had a worship celebration. They had a Haitian music group play and then a Haitian choir from one of the churches sang, then Nathan played and then Jim and his group played. After that, they had ministry time and lots of people came forward. Mike said there were healings, and one man in particular came forward, he said he was having a lot of head pain. He said that a doctor had seen him and said he had a brain problem. He was prayed for and said all of the pain went away and he felt completely healed. Praise God, the Haitian people come expecting God to show up and He does!
The team also passed out the gifts for the children from their sponsors and took photos of the new children in the orphanage. It is wonderful to be able to pass out the gifts, it is encouraging to the children and tells them that someone cares and is supporting them and praying for them. It is a physical showing that God cared enough to rescue them and touch someones heart to care for them. Thank you so very much to all of you that reach out to the children and staff, we really apprecitate it.
Tomorrow Mike will be teaching during church in Marose and Jim will be leading worship. Please pray for both of them, that they follow the Holy Spirits leading and that their teaching is relevant, encouraging and life giving.
Thanks so much and blessings,
Chris
July 15, 2011
Hello,
I talked with Mike tonight. The team is doing great. They have been busy doing repairs, installing hose bibs, organizing bins and taking an inventory of suplies needed. We have an ER tech and 2 medics on this trip, they have been taking inventory of the medical clinic. Yesterday the team hiked up the mountain to our cross and spent time praying. Later Mike shared with the staff and children about the adoptions that will be taking place. It is hard to tell at this point, but Mike felt like it went well, at least it will be a starting place for dialog. So again, thank you for your prayers. The team spent time playing with the children durning the day and in the evening they spent time singing and playing music with them. They also gave out glow sticks. Glo sticks are a highlight for the children. It is fun to watch the faces of the new children and adults as the sticks are broken and they light up. The newest children have never seen anything like glow sticks. Also, we were able to schedule a meeting for signing the I600 adoption paperwork on Monday. Praise God! Thanks so much for all of your prayers.
The Pastors association meeting went well. Both Mike and Kate shared in the morning, then after lunch they had a time of worship, prayer and ministry and then Mike shared again. In the past I have shared about a man we connected with that has translated over 600 modern worship songs into Haitian Creole. We had purchased the translation and sheet music for over 300 of the songs from him. We shared them with Nathan and the other pastors at the conference in May. Nathan is a natural musican and can play many instruments and we believe Nathan has a mantle of worship over him. Jim, the man that has translated the worship music has been trying to work out a time that he could come and teach worship leaders connected to our ministry. This trip it has worked out for him and his team to be able to come to our church in Marose and teach the pastors and worship leaders in our association. Jim and his team were able to join our team for the pastors association meeting and they will be having an all day seminar for the pastors and leaders tomorrow(saturday). We are very excited about this. Please pray that the Holy Spirt would be present and reveal the heart of worship to the pastors and worship leaders. The heart of worship is so much more than singing great songs or hymns. Worship affects all aspects of our lives and is the vehicle to inimacy with God our father.
On an interesting note. Fanklin Grahm, Billy Grahm's son, is having a crusade in Haiti near the end of next week. He has a famous Brazilian soccer player and a Haitian soccer player that have become christians who will be sharing their testimony during the crusade in Haiti. Nathan has met Franklin before and has said that it may be possible for the team to meet him. Nathan also said that they are filming the crusade and that he might be able to get a copy of the film to share in our communities. Again thank you so very much for your prayers.
Blessings,
Chris
I talked with Mike tonight. The team is doing great. They have been busy doing repairs, installing hose bibs, organizing bins and taking an inventory of suplies needed. We have an ER tech and 2 medics on this trip, they have been taking inventory of the medical clinic. Yesterday the team hiked up the mountain to our cross and spent time praying. Later Mike shared with the staff and children about the adoptions that will be taking place. It is hard to tell at this point, but Mike felt like it went well, at least it will be a starting place for dialog. So again, thank you for your prayers. The team spent time playing with the children durning the day and in the evening they spent time singing and playing music with them. They also gave out glow sticks. Glo sticks are a highlight for the children. It is fun to watch the faces of the new children and adults as the sticks are broken and they light up. The newest children have never seen anything like glow sticks. Also, we were able to schedule a meeting for signing the I600 adoption paperwork on Monday. Praise God! Thanks so much for all of your prayers.
The Pastors association meeting went well. Both Mike and Kate shared in the morning, then after lunch they had a time of worship, prayer and ministry and then Mike shared again. In the past I have shared about a man we connected with that has translated over 600 modern worship songs into Haitian Creole. We had purchased the translation and sheet music for over 300 of the songs from him. We shared them with Nathan and the other pastors at the conference in May. Nathan is a natural musican and can play many instruments and we believe Nathan has a mantle of worship over him. Jim, the man that has translated the worship music has been trying to work out a time that he could come and teach worship leaders connected to our ministry. This trip it has worked out for him and his team to be able to come to our church in Marose and teach the pastors and worship leaders in our association. Jim and his team were able to join our team for the pastors association meeting and they will be having an all day seminar for the pastors and leaders tomorrow(saturday). We are very excited about this. Please pray that the Holy Spirt would be present and reveal the heart of worship to the pastors and worship leaders. The heart of worship is so much more than singing great songs or hymns. Worship affects all aspects of our lives and is the vehicle to inimacy with God our father.
On an interesting note. Fanklin Grahm, Billy Grahm's son, is having a crusade in Haiti near the end of next week. He has a famous Brazilian soccer player and a Haitian soccer player that have become christians who will be sharing their testimony during the crusade in Haiti. Nathan has met Franklin before and has said that it may be possible for the team to meet him. Nathan also said that they are filming the crusade and that he might be able to get a copy of the film to share in our communities. Again thank you so very much for your prayers.
Blessings,
Chris
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Hello,
I talked with Mike this morning. There are two things on the schedule today that we would like prayer for. The first is the staff and orphanage meeting. Mike will be talking about adoption. Up to this point we have not said anything to the children about adoption, although because of laboratory and medical appointments in Port-au-Prince for the children being adopted, there is some speculation going on. We have not wanted to say anything up to this point, because it takes a long time and a lot of paperwork and money for each family to be approved by both countries. We have wanted to wait for approval from both countries, because we do not want to add to the rejection and abandonment that each orphan already feels. Mike will not tell them who is being adopted today, and he will not tell them which families are adopting, because we still do not have that approval. But because of the speculation he is addressing the topic and letting everyone know that there will be adoptions. He is going to try to explain it in a way that the children do not feel rejected if not chosen, he will try to explain that there are government rules that make it impossible in some situations, lack of proper paperwork such as birth and death certificates, some children will be considered to old. He has talked with a social worker and has decided what to say, but this will be a hard issue to explain and have the children not take it to heart that once again they are not wanted. Please pray that they ALL will feel loved and understand that God does love them and is providing for them.
The second prayer request is for the pastor's association meeting. The meeting will be this afternoon. This will be the first time that Mike will be meeting with and teaching the pastor's since the conference in May. Please pray the Holy Spirit will move and that the pastor's will be refreshed and given inspiration and encouragement.
The team will be doing some repairs and projects around the orphanage today. Also they will be playing with the children and serving hot dogs. We try to have each team bring an american food for the children and staff at the orphanage that would be fun for the children. Thank you so much for your prayers we really appreciate them.
Blessings,
Chris
I talked with Mike this morning. There are two things on the schedule today that we would like prayer for. The first is the staff and orphanage meeting. Mike will be talking about adoption. Up to this point we have not said anything to the children about adoption, although because of laboratory and medical appointments in Port-au-Prince for the children being adopted, there is some speculation going on. We have not wanted to say anything up to this point, because it takes a long time and a lot of paperwork and money for each family to be approved by both countries. We have wanted to wait for approval from both countries, because we do not want to add to the rejection and abandonment that each orphan already feels. Mike will not tell them who is being adopted today, and he will not tell them which families are adopting, because we still do not have that approval. But because of the speculation he is addressing the topic and letting everyone know that there will be adoptions. He is going to try to explain it in a way that the children do not feel rejected if not chosen, he will try to explain that there are government rules that make it impossible in some situations, lack of proper paperwork such as birth and death certificates, some children will be considered to old. He has talked with a social worker and has decided what to say, but this will be a hard issue to explain and have the children not take it to heart that once again they are not wanted. Please pray that they ALL will feel loved and understand that God does love them and is providing for them.
The second prayer request is for the pastor's association meeting. The meeting will be this afternoon. This will be the first time that Mike will be meeting with and teaching the pastor's since the conference in May. Please pray the Holy Spirit will move and that the pastor's will be refreshed and given inspiration and encouragement.
The team will be doing some repairs and projects around the orphanage today. Also they will be playing with the children and serving hot dogs. We try to have each team bring an american food for the children and staff at the orphanage that would be fun for the children. Thank you so much for your prayers we really appreciate them.
Blessings,
Chris
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Hello,
The team made it up to the orphanage about 1 1/2 hours ago. They had two delayed flights, so they did not make it to the US embassy to sign the adoption papers. They were late by 5 mins. The embassy closes at 3:30. Please pray that they are able to make another appointment before they leave, as it is a form that needs to be signed in Haiti by the parents trying to adopt. The team spent the last 1 1/2 hours meeting the children and playing with them. Mike said that the children have been watching the world cup on a lap top. Soccer is the only sport we have seen played or even acknowledged in Haiti. Even the children are good at it. They usually beat the men on our teams when they play soccer at the orphanage and a lot of them have bare feet on a surface that has way more rock then actual soil. I will let you know what the teams prayer needs are as soon as I know their plans. Thank you so much for praying.
Blessings,
Chris
The team made it up to the orphanage about 1 1/2 hours ago. They had two delayed flights, so they did not make it to the US embassy to sign the adoption papers. They were late by 5 mins. The embassy closes at 3:30. Please pray that they are able to make another appointment before they leave, as it is a form that needs to be signed in Haiti by the parents trying to adopt. The team spent the last 1 1/2 hours meeting the children and playing with them. Mike said that the children have been watching the world cup on a lap top. Soccer is the only sport we have seen played or even acknowledged in Haiti. Even the children are good at it. They usually beat the men on our teams when they play soccer at the orphanage and a lot of them have bare feet on a surface that has way more rock then actual soil. I will let you know what the teams prayer needs are as soon as I know their plans. Thank you so much for praying.
Blessings,
Chris
Tuesday July 12, 2011
Hello,
I am writing once again. The July team left for Haiti tonight. Their flight left Seattle just after 10 PM. I finally received the team photo, which I will post on the blog @ http://newgenerationhaiti.blogspot.com/ just click on the link and it will take you to the blog. The team will arrive in Haiti tomorrow(Wednesday). Please be praying for safe travel and on time connections. They will be in Port-au-Prince for some meetings during the afternoon and the signing of an I600 for adoption. Please pray for favor with those they are meeting with. I will write again, once I know they have arrived at the orphanage. Thanks so much for your prayers.
Blessings,
Chris
I am writing once again. The July team left for Haiti tonight. Their flight left Seattle just after 10 PM. I finally received the team photo, which I will post on the blog @ http://newgenerationhaiti.blogspot.com/ just click on the link and it will take you to the blog. The team will arrive in Haiti tomorrow(Wednesday). Please be praying for safe travel and on time connections. They will be in Port-au-Prince for some meetings during the afternoon and the signing of an I600 for adoption. Please pray for favor with those they are meeting with. I will write again, once I know they have arrived at the orphanage. Thanks so much for your prayers.
Blessings,
Chris
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Hello,
I wanted to write and update you. The July team will leave for Haiti Tuesday in the early evening. Please pray for safe travel and on time connections. I will try to get a photo and post it on the blog before they leave.
The cooks in the orphanage wanted to do something special for Caitlin. So they asked Jonas to ask Caitlin what food she missed most. She told Jonas french fries. Somehow something was lost in the translation. We have had homemade french fries in the orphanage before, but they must call them something else. When Caitlin's french fries were served to her, she said they were thinly sliced potatoes that had been boiled instead of fried, and she was given tomato sauce as a condiment for dipping them in.
So she is probably still missing french fries :)
Caitlin will be coming home with the July team after having been in our orphanage for 2 months. I know she really wants to be home and see her family, but at the same time she would like to stay and be with the children. She has loved her time in Haiti. She has very mixed feelings. Please pray for her as the time comes for her to go home. And pray for the children as they have become very attached to her and will be very sad when she leaves them.
On a different note, we had another boy brought into the orphanage this afternoon. Please pray for his adjustment, and that he fits in well with the other children. Thanks so much for partnering with us in prayer.
Blessings,
Chris
I wanted to write and update you. The July team will leave for Haiti Tuesday in the early evening. Please pray for safe travel and on time connections. I will try to get a photo and post it on the blog before they leave.
The cooks in the orphanage wanted to do something special for Caitlin. So they asked Jonas to ask Caitlin what food she missed most. She told Jonas french fries. Somehow something was lost in the translation. We have had homemade french fries in the orphanage before, but they must call them something else. When Caitlin's french fries were served to her, she said they were thinly sliced potatoes that had been boiled instead of fried, and she was given tomato sauce as a condiment for dipping them in.
So she is probably still missing french fries :)
Caitlin will be coming home with the July team after having been in our orphanage for 2 months. I know she really wants to be home and see her family, but at the same time she would like to stay and be with the children. She has loved her time in Haiti. She has very mixed feelings. Please pray for her as the time comes for her to go home. And pray for the children as they have become very attached to her and will be very sad when she leaves them.
On a different note, we had another boy brought into the orphanage this afternoon. Please pray for his adjustment, and that he fits in well with the other children. Thanks so much for partnering with us in prayer.
Blessings,
Chris
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