Prayers for Two Families

Yesterday seemed to never end and neither did the endless string of emotions.  Yesterday, two people moved on in two very different ways and I am requesting that you pray for these two circumstances.

First, Almando's sister, Suze Jean Louis with her son Micke moved away from next door to a country far away.  They moved to Chile where Suze's husband Maxen has been living for the past year.  It was a tearful goodbye yesterday because the whole family was together and we don't know when we will all be together again, but we know that it is better for her to be with her husband so they can be a family.  Almando brought her to the airport with the other three brothers while I stayed here.  It was a good thing they got there early because there were problems getting through the airport due to communication issues and lack of information.  When it was all said and done, Suze and Micke boarded a plane bound for Panama then Chile and none of us had dry eyes. 

We got word this morning that Suze, Micke, and Maxen were finally together as a family.  They made it safely!  There were cheers in this house this morning when everyone knew they were safe.  

Please continue to pray for Suze, Micke, and Maxen because there will be a lot of adjustments happening in the coming weeks.  Suze does not speak Spanish in a Spanish speaking country.  Seven month old Micke met his dad for the first time this morning.  Maxen has not seen Suze since March, 2012.  Pray that their transition into family life would be smooth and that God would be glorified through them.  Pray for Almando's family too.  Micke is the first grandchild for Al's parents and Suze is their only daughter.  Please pray for peace and comfort for them.  There is joy in this moving on.  There is sadness too.

Next, Sam-Mya, Pastor Samson's daughter--who my last blog post was about--passed away yesterday.  The news came to us late last night and it was shocking.  Just under 2 weeks ago she was a happy, healthy, beautiful young woman and now she is a happy, healthy, beautiful young woman in the arms of God.  The doctors have no idea what sickness did this to Sam-Mya, but God knows.  Knowing Sam-Mya, her siblings, her mom and her dad has been a blessing to me and now my heart goes out to her family.  It breaks for her mom.

Please be praying for Pastor and Madame Samson and their 3 other children.  Sam-Mya will be missed by them enormously.  Her joy and laughter in their house was infectious.  This lovely woman won't be forgotten.  There is joy in this moving on--she is in the arms of God  and no longer suffering.  There is sadness too for those left behind.

These two families need your prayers in the coming weeks and months.  If you have a prayer list, put them on it and pray for them often.  Thank you, brothers and sisters in Christ, for your willingness to pray.

Looking Back

Today, I have been reflecting some on my time here in Haiti.  I can't believe that it has been two and a half years already.  God is so good and faithful.  He has blessed me in so many ways with wonderful friends and family down here.  One of those people is my reason for looking back today.

Sam-Mya is the daughter of Pastor Samson--if you have been following my blog since the beginning, you will know that I lived with Pastor Samson and his family for about 4 months during my first year here.  When I was living with Sam-Mya, she was always a bundle of energy and joy.  She was incredibly dedicated to her studies (she was finishing up high school at the time) and was active in church.  I loved greeting the family when I returned home after a long day of work.  Sam-Mya would jump up and greet me with "Bonswa, Cassie" and gave me a "mwuah" kiss on the cheek.  I love this girl!

She is on my mind today because she is in the hospital and not doing well.  From what I understand, she went into the hospital late Tuesday night with seizures after a stressful first year of medical school.  She has now been transferred two times to different hospitals and her family is prayerfully waiting for answers.  She is still not talking.  

I am telling you this today because I want you to pray for this wonderful girl.  I am hoping to go see her tomorrow with Almando and pray with her family.  We know that all things are in God's mighty hand and He has her in His hand now.  Please pray for her and Pastor Samson and his family.  

Thank you for not only supporting us in prayer, but for lifting up Sam-Mya as well.

An Amazing Week

While every week with teams is amazing, this week with our team combo from Alabama and Florida was an especially amazing week that touched my heart.

First of all, the team came ready to learn and serve.  It was a beautiful thing.  Complaining didn't happen and appreciation did.  For example, one day we decided to surprise our team with ice for their water and I had never heard such a loud cheer for something so simple.  It brought a smile to my face.  God showed Himself to this team in many many ways-big and small.

Second, we were serving in a community that has touched my heart many times and this time was no exception.  We served with Pastor Jacky.  The project seemed small--smoothing out the concrete floor--but  the story behind it is great.  I was chatting with a group member on Monday afternoon and she said that on Sunday she saw the women walking around in their heels on the uneven floor and she thought to herself, "That floor really needs to be re-done." not knowing that was the project in store for the week.

Monday morning, we began to work and Pastor Jacky started walking around with his hands raised high saying, "Praise the Lord!  This is a dream!" in his deep voice.  Just seeing that brought tears to my eyes, but what really did me in was when the team was sharing about what they experienced the next morning.  They heard a loud rejoicing coming from the church.  The ladies of the church saw the beginnings of a new floor and rejoiced loudly, but not because now they could walk on a smooth floor.  They were rejoicing because now they could KNEEL in worship of our King!  What an amazing blessing!

More stories could flow and flow from that amazing week, but this is just a glimpse of how God is answering prayers here in Haiti.  It is beautiful!

Praise God for all He is doing!

Divine Appointments

One thing I have thoroughly enjoyed during my time here has been seeing, hearing about, and being part of divine appointments. God is always setting up these wonderful moments for his children to be a part of so graciously.  We are representing Him and being His hands and feet here on this earth.

This week, we are serving in a community called Granbouchi which is--if you check out your map--just outside of Les Cayes on the road to Port Salut.  Almando and I are leading two completely different groups in this area and it is amazing to see how God is using each individual in each group to show the beauty of the Body of Christ at work.

The group I have been working closely with is from Christ Church in New Jersey.  Click HERE to see what they have been doing each day.  One of the things that has blessed me as I have watched this group this week is how each individual is so differently gifted, but they all come together like a puzzle.  It is a beautiful thing!

Back to the divine appointments.  One of the members of Christ Church is familiar with this area of Haiti and has been coming here for many years.  Upon arriving, he recognized our staff members so a relationship was already formed with them.  He felt the need to chat with the pastor we are partnering with this week and was able to minister to him in a special way--again, the relationship already previously formed.  The divine appointment involving this individual that really stands out to me happened yesterday.

All day long, he felt like God was preparing him for something, but he didn't know what.  At 3:30 we headed to our final ministry site of the day.  This ministry was founded by a gentleman who has a heart for those who are physically challenged.  For these people, life is really tough and many of them become beggars and are rejected by society.  He wanted to end this.  The founder's brother lost both his arms when they were children and their family thought life was over for him, but he proved them wrong.  He is now a husband, father of 3, and an accountant in the US.  The founder wanted others who are physically challenged know that their life is not over.  They can do something for themselves--they must believe that they can, so he started a 4 year program (like a technical or trade school) for people with disabilities to come and learn something that will benefit them.

Praying Pelican Missions came across this ministry in April and, other than 4 men from the US who were here with us during that time, this group is the first to visit this ministry. The member of this team who had been in this area before had met the founder in passing at a hospital in January.  He had no idea that the place we were going was a place he had heard of before and did not know what to expect.

Upon entering the property, the founder greeted this team member by name.  Shocked, he turned to the founder and recognized his face.  Suddenly, he knew what God was preparing him for all day long.  To pray for the sick.  Many of these ladies at this school/home are physically challenged from birth with problems that can be healed.  Some have clubbed feet.  (My heart goes out to them specifically because I was born with a twisted foot)  Some are missing limbs--from the earthquake.  All are beautiful daughters of the King and He loves them.  We prayed over each one of these ladies yesterday and the team member shared last night that he knew God set this all up.

God sent him to meet the founder in January.  God sent PPM to the Trade School in April.  God sent this team here in May so the dots would be connected.  God has His hand in everything that we do and is setting up thousands of these divine appointments for the summer.  Now, we just get to follow where He leads and watch as He works.

Friends, continue to pray for us as we continue our busy summer season full of divine appointments, yes, and lots of groups coming down.  We will be busy and are already feeling tired.  Pray for rest and peace and time so we can process and continue to grow together.  When this team leaves on Saturday, we have another arriving on Sunday, so please continue to lift us up in prayer so we can lead well and be alert and aware of what God is doing.

Updates and Praises!

Since it has been way too long since I posted anything, thought it would be a great time to post some updates and praises!

First Updates:

• Almando and I had a great time in the states.  We were able to visit with some area churches, spend time with family, and attend the Praying Pelican Missions Spring conference.  We did feel our time in the states went by far too quickly and we didn't have enough time to spend with everybody who wanted to spend time with us, but we are grateful that we spent some time anyways.
• After a quick travel day, we hit the ground running here in Haiti.  We spent time in Les Cayes setting up trips, then moved to the North side of Port-au-Prince, and then closer to home in Gressier and the Carrefour area.  We are feeling pretty prepared for the summer trip season and are excited to see what God will do.
• Our car was almost fixed when we picked it up from the shop last week, but it found its way back to the shop yesterday.  Keep praying for that situation.
• We are currently serving and leading a team in Bon Repos and will be with teams until June 8th in 3 different locations, so be praying that God will continue to give us strength and energy and wisdom as we lead these teams.

And Praises:

• My health seems to have improved in the past weeks!  Praise the Lord!  I've been able to gain some of the weight back that I lost during the first trimester and I have much more energy now than before.  The baby is growing and moving around a lot and we are getting more and more excited to meet this little one!
• Our team is currently doing very well and sharing the love of Christ with the children at an orphanage here.  The team is learning a lot about what it means to be a child of God this week as well.  It's so beautiful to see how God works during these weeks.
• With all the traveling we have been doing and the work that has been accomplished, we have remained safe and have tried to find time to rest.  Praise God for His example of the Sabbath!  We know we need to rest and God knows that too.  We are so thankful that He has been protecting us, sustaining us, and teaching us through this process.

There is so much more to share and I am looking forward to sharing specific stories soon, but for now, continue praying with us and praising with us as God continues to work in, and through, and in spite of us!

Be Blessed Friends!

Welcome to SNOW!

On Thursday, we flew into Minneapolis, MN and found a snowstorm waiting for us.  We thought we had missed winter completely, being towards the end of April and all, but we were wrong.  We definitely were not dressed for the weather as Al was wearing flip-flops (I did leave mine at home) and we only had light sweaters or sweatshirts for jackets, so we were incredibly grateful for my sister and her husband when they pulled up with a warm car, jackets, hats, mittens, socks and shoes--and for me Taco Bell!  Guess this is the end of a very long Minnesota winter.

Since we have been here, we were able to take a morning to make a snowman and an afternoon to stock up on slightly warmer clothing and shoes before hitting the road to head to Wishek, North Dakota where much more wind and snow were waiting for us along with loving brothers and sisters in Christ and rich German food.  This was part of a team which served with Pastor Jacky in January, so it was a blessing to see them again.  We were given plenty to eat as we talked about ministry and partnership and what the plan was for next January.  We felt at home.

Sunday morning, we were able to share more about what we do in Haiti and how we were called into the ministry and that was just during Sunday School.  During church, we mixed it up with a little Creole and English worship music and shared more about Praying Pelican Missions and their strategy of mission--which I believe is a great one:  always partnering with a local pastor and church to encourage and grow ministry that is already happening--this way when the team leaves, the ministry continues.

After a traditional, hearty potluck and a wonderful time of fellowship, it was time to say goodbye to our dear friends and get back on the road again.  While we were driving back towards Minnesota on a very straight and long road, we talked about how much we love sharing what the Lord is doing in Haiti and leading worship together.  We thank God for all the blessings He has given us and for the many blessings to come.

Now, we are taking a couple of days to rest.  Much needed rest here in snowy Minnesota.  Yes, there are still things we are working on here and there, but we know we need to rest.

Pray for us as we continue our journeys here in the states.  Pray that we do find enough rest to energize us for the busy summer ahead.  Pray that God continues to provide for our every need--even now, I think of one great need we have in Haiti as we continue to pray for a new vehicle.  Continue to pray with us friends!  Pray that we will enjoy our time here even with the snow!

Be Blessed!

Church Conference!

So, the past week has found me back in the swing of things with a little bit of extra rest here and there.  It is great to be able to be back in the game!  On Wednesday of last week, we headed to Les Cayes with 6 other guys--so often I'm the only female around with these kinds of trips--for the annual MEBSH conference.  The Missionary Evangelical Baptist of South Haiti denomination is the largest denomination we work with here in Haiti.  Our first contact, Pastor Samson, is the Vice President for the MEBSH and, this year, invited Pastor Rob from Broadmoor Baptist Church in Mississippi to come speak at the conference.  Four times.  At the nightly service.  It's a pretty big deal.

Broadmoor has been partnering with Pastor Samson's church for a couple of years now and have developed, what we believe is going to be, a long-lasting partnership.  It's been great to see how they want to continue to grow this relationship.  Pastor Samson has visited their church and Pastor Rob has preached here.  It has been great watching this relationship grow and change.  We look forward to seeing how much God will do through this partnership.

At the conference this week, there were probably around 6,500 people at each nightly service.  There were dynamic worship moments, wonderful choirs giving the glory to God, and--one of my favorite things--a very talented trumpet trio.  The trio did an amazing job taking fantastic old hymns like "Great is Thy Faithfulness" and making a beautiful, worshipful moment where it felt like we were being ushered into the very presence of the King and we wanted to jump out of our skin to join them in worship before Him!

When Pastor Rob preached, he had to use a translator of course, but he preached from his heart.  I always love it when you can tell that a pastor loves the Lord and His Word and preaches truth with passion.  The theme of the convention was from John 4:35:  "...lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest."  What a great reminder for Christians to not only know Jesus and rely on Him, but look to the fields.  Why?  Pastor Rob ended with a great reason:  Because He Lives.  We need to share that good news.  We need to look to the fields.

I have been encouraged this weekend!  Praise God for all He does!