Hello,
We have had an interesting last few days. So glad all of you have been praying for us. We have had our son and his family visiting, which has been great. Three days ago we decided to visit a little oasis we have found in the city of Gonaives. It is a work in progress, but a very peaceful place to be. We found this place right before our 5 year old daughter's birthday and celebrated her day there. We also celebrated my grandson's birthday there before he flew back home with my daughter. We decided it would be fun to take my son and his family there. They have a small concrete pool. One half of the pool is shallow and one half is deep. My two year old grandson was playing in the pool and slipped and cut himself, behind his ear. Our friends from Much Ministries have a medical clinic like we do. Because we were in Gonaives, their clinic was closer, so we took him to their clinic. He needed three stitches. We went back to eat and it started raining. It is the rainy season in Haiti, and when it rains it is serious. We have had four concrete cinder blocks on our window sill holding the curtain down to keep the rain out and the rain and wind has blown them down multiple times. So we are eating outside and have to move inside, within minutes the ground outside is flooded and coming inside the covered patio we are on. The two resident ducks are swimming in the yard outside. When it slowed up a bit we decided to head for home. The only problem is the three bridges we need to cross are not passable and the road around the bridges is 10 to 15 feet under water. So now we have 5 adults and 8 children unable to make it back to the children's village. Our friends from Much Ministries had also been eating where we were, so we called them and they graciously offered to put all 13 of us up for the night. They already had a team staying with them. God was looking out for us.
The next day was bright and sunny. Mike, Jacob and Nathan had a youth event planned for the day. Mike started preaching, then it started raining again. He had to compete with the sound of the rain on the metal roof of our church. The youth also had to play musical chairs as the wind and rain choose to change direction and come in different windows. Nathan lead worship before, during and after. Jacob then gave a message. He preached on how great Heaven would be and how great it was that most of them in the room would be able to be in Heaven. Then he shared that as each one of us comes to the Lord, we are given a stack of invitations to pass out. He also shared that some of the people around us would not be in Heaven, because we had not passed out those invitations. Then he challenged them to use the invitations given to them and invite their family, friends and others into a relationship with Jesus. They worshiped for a while and then Nathan asked any one who wanted Jacob to pray for them to get in a line, so Jacob said he prayed for a huge line of youth. God gave him individual words for each of one. God is so good.
So while the youth event was going on and the youth were getting prayed for, our rooms were flooding and our beds were getting soaked. Bedding and mattresses from 13 beds, plus curtains, clothing etc. We came home to a mess, water running out of our door. Water also flooding the 2 apartments we are building, one of which is going to be our home. So we were mopping the floors and cabinets in the apartments too.
Today all is back to normal, what ever that is here :) Only my laundry (which is all washed and rung out by hand) got wet by the rain today. I would really appreciate your prayers for the window man to finish installing glass in the windows of the team rooms, one of which our family is in, the other of which Jacob's family is in, along with Kiana, also the windows in the apartments. The glass would protect the cabinets and our things once we move in. Please also pray for the electrician, plumber and cement worker to finish their part of our apartment. It would be really helpful to be in more then one room.
Tomorrow Nathan will be leading worship in Pass Rien and and Mike will be preaching. Kiana, Amber and Jacob will probably be sharing something also. Please be praying that God continues to move in the hearts of the people of Pass Rien. And thank you for all of your prayers for the ministry and our family, I am certain things would have looked very different the last three days if you had not been praying for us. As it turned out, there was little damage and just a whole lot of work.
Blessings,
Chris
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