On the Road Again

Yesterday, we hit the road again.  It was kind of like old times, except this time we had a car seat, pack-n-play, and two diaper bags with us.  That means Bityah came with. We left our house and headed south toward Les Cayes, where we would spend the next three days.  I felt like the truck wanted to go faster all the way there, but Al held it back because Bityah was with us--crazy how that changes.  We drove through the mountains and saw the beautiful scenes of valley towns and splashing ocean waves on rocky or sandy beaches.  This is January in Haiti.

We may not have a lot of teams this time of year, but we definitely have a lot of work to do in preparing for teams to come!  Now is the time for meetings with pastors, finding new staff, searching for new lodging locations and forming new contracts with all those involved.  Contracts that will improve accountability and consistency in ministry. Staff that will represent Christ and their country well.  Lodging locations that will make our teams feel safe and comfortable and offer them a good night of rest each night.  Pastors who have vision for their church and their community.

This is why we took the little road trip.  This is why.  We met with a couple of previous partnership pastors yesterday to set up weeks for them to have teams come and encourage their ministry.  I love what one of the pastors said when he told us about the projects he would like to see in his community this year:  a library/community center and a public playground at the beach.  He wants to his community to see that his heart is not just for his church--it's for the community. So many times communities get "stuck" while the church buildings grow and grow.  He doesn't want that to happen in his community.  He has a beautiful vision.

Al met with a new pastor this morning who has definite vision for his community.  Once the two of them got started, the pastor fell in love with all the ideas Al had for community development and is hoping and praying that a team would come to his community soon.  New pastors are fun to meet with because we get to see their heart and their eyes light up when they talk about what they are truly passionate about.

Me?  Well, Bityah is with us now, and she is my main ministry and our pastors love meeting her.  I get to the meetings when I can, but I love seeing Al's joy when he briefs me on each meeting.  He shares with me the exciting new finds and maybe something funny the pastor did or said.  I know that God is doing a great thing here!  New partnerships.  Strong community development.  New staff.  Solid friendships.  Moving forward.  Getting ready.  Ready to share the love of God.  In communities.  With teams.

Pray for us as we continue forming these partnerships and growing our relationships with these wonderful pastors.  Pray for them as they march on sharing the Gospel in their communities--pray that they find encouragement in our presence.  Pray for those teams coming to serve.

Pray.