All because...

3 weeks ago I met a young lady. Her name is Wilda. Wilda showed up at the work site where we had a team serving. She seemed curious about the team and what they were doing. They were building a house for a family who lost their house in the earthquake 2 years ago.

As the team got to work, I walked over to Wilda to talk with her. I asked her about herself. She is 24 years old, has a 18 month old son named Junior, and lives not far from where we were serving. She talked with me for a while that morning and watched as the team cleaned, knocked down remaining walls, and carried many blocks up a steep hill.

The next day, she showed up again but she was more talkative. For some reason, I asked her if she went to church and she said “No”. I asked if she had accepted Jesus into her life, she also answered “No”. My heart instantly ached for this woman and her son. I called Odne, my brother-in-law, over and had him talk to her about a church nearby that we had been attending. We invited her to come the following Sunday.

The last day the team was serving there, Wilda hopped in line with the team and helped them pass buckets of sand down another steep hill. She was talking with the team as much as she could and they loved her. As we were leaving, Wilda was not there, but we prayed for her anyways and at the meeting that night, we talked about her again. We prayed for her that night again. I know the team will remember her.

That Sunday, the church was packed. I didn't see Wilda come in, but when it was time for the visitors to introduce themselves, she stood up. The person talking with the visitors asked who she was and where she was from and if she had accepted Jesus into her life. She answered the first two questions easily. The third one, she hesitated on. He asked her if she would like to accept Jesus into her life right now. She said yes. Tears came to my eyes. I looked at Al and smiled. Praise God!

I exchanged numbers with Wilda and have been getting a few messages here and there. Tonight, I saw her around the community. I greeted her and she asked when we will be seeing each other again. I hope to see her and spend more time with her again soon.

It is interesting to me that even though Wilda and I live in neighboring communities, we wouldn't have met unless this team would have come. We wouldn't have met if the pastor in that community wouldn't have invited us to serve at this location. We wouldn't have met if I was placed at a different site that week. I am honored to have been a tool for God to use in this way. I don't take credit for myself, but rejoice that God is doing a great work.

May God continue to use me as we continue to serve with our teams in different communities for the next month or two. It is a beautiful thing God is doing and it is a privilege for me to be His servant here.   

Market Day!

Since we moved to Gressier in February, I have had to learn a lot of things like when it is the right time to buy food, what foods are "in season", and what day is market day in town.  If I want to buy chicken, I can't do it at 3 in the afternoon.  If I want to buy salad, I must do that before noon.  Potatoes don't really matter and fresh spices you can find almost any time.  It is mango season now, but not in the mountains or up north.  Avocado will be coming soon and it's always time for bananas.  When different things are in season, our menu will look different, but the market will always be the same.

Market days are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday in Gressier and you can tell!  The street where the market gets set up is lined with merchants trying to sell their goods from fresh vegetables and fruits to frozen or fresh meats, from fresh spices to packaged ones, from huge bags of rice to packages of spaghetti and cans of milk.  You can find almost anything at the market if you go early.

On Saturday, we went to the market with Daniel, Almando's little brother.  He walked with me looking for chicken, onion, spices, and oranges while Al was on a mission to find all things needed for a fresh salad.  Daniel is a great negotiator.  We found a woman selling chicken and asked how much for two of the large pieces which could easily feed 3 people.  She told us we would pay 100 gourdes.  I thought that was a great price, but Daniel said (in Creole), "My dear..." and continued on negotiating.  She threw in an extra drumstick.

The same thing happened with the onions.  The lady started bagging them up and Daniel and Al both said, "Dear...those small ones?"  We ended up with so many for a low price we were able to share with Al's mom.  Carrot, garlic, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, limes, and oranges followed in the same fashion.  Almost all of them for a lower price than the original or extra for the same price.  All of them fresh!  Crisp sandwiches for lunch and a fabulous salad for supper.  Fantastic!

My goal is to be able to negotiate just like Daniel one day on my own.  To run down to the market and find what I need, get to know the sellers at the market and find the best prices.  Living and serving in a foreign country is a little different than living in the states for me, where even going to find food to put on the table is challenging, but praying that God would continue to help me learn and live and serve Him well here in Haiti!

All for His Glory!

Here we are...

Almando and I just delivered messages from a team in Washington to the kids they fell in love with while they were serving here in Haiti.  Seeing these relationships continue to grow and the kids light up when they hear the messages is such a blessing.  This is how partnership looks.  This is how lives are impacted, not just here, but in the states as well.  In fact, I have been thinking about that a lot lately as I look at how our time is divided up.  


I have found that our ministry has changed some to being a missionary not only to the people of Haiti-- working with pastors churches and orphanages-- but also being a missionary to the teams who come to serve as well! It sometimes surprises me--even though it shouldn't--how many of them leave changed and more in fire for God.  Helping them through the culture shock experience, assisting them to serve and learn as much as they can while they are here, and preparing them for their journey home is really rewarding! I find myself encouraging them to continue to minister when they return to the states because their mission trip doesn't end in Haiti.  It's just part of the mission that God has called them to. I pray that they remain changed and serve God more in the states now.


We have begun to encourage the pastors we work with and our in-country staff to share their stories and encourage the short-term missionaries to continue to grow in their faith and be bold in the US as well.  Almando and I are grateful that we are involved in such a ministry--encouraging pastors, church and community leaders, orphanage directors, teams, and our staff as well as many others to continue to serve the Lord well!  Praise God for giving us such an opportunity as this!  

Reflections

We just dropped our last team of the month off at the airport.  They had an early flight this morning.  These have been three different but great weeks.  I have discovered that each team and each week of ministry are very unique and have their own sets of joys and challenges!  God works through each of them in different ways and continues to surprise us with how He works and changes lives.

Our first week, we were at Life is Hope Orphanage and the team was very energetic and passionate about working and loving on kids.  They were a blessing to work with!  Our second week was spent moving a lot of blocks at Mariani to build the walls of the church.  The team was willing and determined to see progress in their work and in their relationships with the children and workers.  This last week was also spent at Mariani with a joy filled youth group who worked quickly to pass buckets of concrete to pour the columns in the walls of the church and took the time to love on the children.

Each week of ministry was a blessing.  Each team was a blast to work with.  God is truly amazing in bringing people together to accomplish His purposes.  All of this ministry is done under the guidance and leadership of the local church, so the partnership is always there--the Body of Christ truly coming together.

These were the first three of many trips Al and I will be leading this year.  We know that each one will have challenges and each one will be exactly as God wants it to be.  He is the One who is working here.  We are just serving Him.  How refreshing to remember that He is God!  He can do ALL things!

Friends, be praying for us as we continue to grow together.  Pray for us as we have a couple of days of rest before meeting with more pastors, churches, and organizations to make more partnerships and set up the trips for the summer.  Each season is exciting, but I am looking forward to hearing the vision that God has laid on each pastor's heart and talking about how a potential partnership could encourage them in that vision.  These next two weeks--before our next set of trips--are going to be exciting!  Pray that God would guide our conversations and our steps.  Pray that He would give us wisdom. He is God!

A Fantastic Finish!

We--me and Al--have been serving with a group from Living Faith Fellowship this week and it has been a great week getting to see God working!  Praise Him for His goodness.  Here is their last Trip Journal entry talking about the final hours of their final day of ministry serving at Life is Hope.  This is where I have been and what I have experienced!  Keep watching the trip journals for where we are at next week!  God is Good!

There was a brokenness in that room that could be felt. Walls in hearts being broken down, language barriers being broken down, and even pride being broken down. We knelt before each child to wash his feet. We knelt before the pastor and the staff. We prayed as we washed. We cried as we washed. Some of us washed the feet of the children we had become so attached to. Some of us washed the feet of those we just met. Some of us had messages from God for those precious children. Some of us simply wept.

They also wept. They knew the point. They knew the purpose. They cried openly. There was a brokenness. I watched as we took turns bringing children to the basins of water. I watched the tears fall. I heard the whispers of prayers. I heard the sobbing. I heard one of the older boys accept Jesus into his heart--he was one of many this week who gave their lives to Christ. I heard the worship in the distance as the children waited.

These were beautiful tears. I have never seen such a sight before. God was present in that room--in that place. This is how He led us to conclude our time at Life is Hope. This is how we did. God touched lives here. His Spirit was very present. His heart for these children was evident. He loves them all so much--and we got to show them just a small part!

Family, friends--thank you for your prayers. We know that they made a difference in how this week happened. In how open we were to God's leading. In how He chose to work! We praise Him for this! We pray that we will not forget these precious children. We hope that you remember them too! 

Hosting Guests: In our Home and In our Country

We hosted our first guests in our new home a week after we returned from our honeymoon. We excitedly prepared chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, and fresh squeezed orange juice. We cleaned the entire house and we were ready. Our day started early that morning because it was a Sunday and church started at 6am. By the time they arrived, we were tired. We welcomed them and gave them a tour of our new home. They were surprised at how quickly that house had been transformed into a home. We had some time to laugh and make connections between cultures and ministries. What a blessing to be able to have a place to host people.

These last couple of weeks have been overwhelming and restful at the same time. We have been busy working on our house, meeting with pastors, visiting the two orphanages we have partnerships with, and setting up ministry sites for teams who will start arriving on Saturday. Just when we started getting used to married life, we are hopping into a different “season”: Trip Leading Season.

In March alone, Praying Pelican Missions will be receiving over 140 short term missionaries in Haiti. We will be serving in 4 different communities and will be working with 4 different orphanages during this month.  Almando and I will start off leading a group of 33 people serving at Life is Hope Orphanage.  The Lord is really blessing this orphanage and all those who live there.  Stay tuned to see how things have progressed!  In the coming weeks, I will be working on blogging for our teams, so if I don't blog here, please check out the Praying Pelican Missions website to see what the teams we are leading are doing.  

Be praying for us as we are kickin' our life into overdrive.  Leading teams together will add a different dynamic to our marriage, so be praying that we continue to be completely centered on the Lord and what He wants for us!  We desire to give Him all the glory and point to Him every moment of every day.  He is so good to let us serve Him this way.  Pray for us as we host guests in our home and in our country!  For His glory!

New Chapter

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

I am once again beginning a new chapter in my life.  From now on, I will have a partner in all the adventures and plans and ministries God has in store for me!  That's right, everyone, on February 11, 2012, I married a wonderful man:  Almando Jean Louis.  We met in August, 2010, before this blog was even created, before I even felt called to Haiti.  God knew what He was doing when He brought me to serve Him here in Haiti.  He had more than ministry in mind, He had Al in mind.

The wedding was wonderful.  The week before was a little stressful, but the day was fabulous.  My family came down to experience a little bit of Haiti and celebrate our wedding with us.  It truly was a blessing.  We wanted our wedding to be focused on God because we want our life to always point to Him, so we included a time of worship--which we led together--at the end of our ceremony.  Worship was what brought us together in the first place.  The love and passion for our God is what drew us together.  And that is how we wanted to begin our life together--worshiping the God who worked in our lives to bring us to this: our marriage.

Looking back on that day, one of my favorite moments was when the doors opened and I saw the church all decorated for the first time.  I actually barely saw the decorations.  I looked down the aisle to the man I was going to marry.  I saw him before he saw me.  When he saw me, the excitement on his face and in his reaction made me laugh while I was walking towards him.  He threw his arms in the air and jumped off the "stage" and onto the floor where he greeted my dad with a HUGE hug!  I thought he was never going to let dad go!  We walked up the stairs together and thanked the Lord for this day...this love...this relationship.  What a wonderful experience.

The rest of the wedding was a mix between Haitian and American cultures, traditions, and languages.  God was with us.  Now we are looking forward to a lifetime of love and worship and serving the Lord together!  All for His Glory.  Always pointing to Him!  He is so good to us!

Friends, keep praying for us!  We are heading into several busy months of meeting with pastors, setting up trips, leading trips, and maintaining and growing relationships here in Haiti.  We will be needing your prayers and encouragement!