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.

My Day in Pictures

On Friday, Al came home from a long day with a headache--he had waited too long to eat, but he was so excited to share his day.  He asked, "Do you want to see my day in pictures?"  I, of course, said yes!  He left that morning and headed north of Port-au-Prince to a place called Thomonde.  He was checking out a potential ministry partner for our future teams.  He went with Gens, another Haiti staff member, and Pastor Josue, a pastor we currently partner with in the Port-au-Prince area.  Here is what he saw.

A School and Church that has been started but never completed.

The inside of the church and what they currently use as the school.

The chalkboard.

The Altar

Repairs Needed.

The ouside

Where they would like to add on.

A beautiful entrance.

To this hotel.

Lovely

Captures the eye.

Another walkway

One of the rooms.

Exploring the hotel.

A waterfall.

Seating

Meeting room.

The garden

Breath taking, isn't it?

The wall.

A hospital on the way home.

Parking and walkways.

Welcoming

Still more construction.

The Hospital.

Waiting room.

How it came to be.

One last look.

That was his day in pictures.  The beauty of Haiti--where there are still needs.  The progress that is being made.  All in all, it was a good day for him--despite the headache.  I enjoyed hearing the stories too.  I hope you enjoyed his day in pictures.

Please continue to pray for us and our partnership pastors and communities.  We have many more to find and encourage.  Pray for this one specifically in Thomonde.  Pray for the team that will serve there hopefully this year.  Pray for the administrators of this new hospital.  Pray.  Pray through the pictures.  Pray that God would continue to work in Haiti and make His name more famous through us.

How does one remember?

4 years have gone by. 4. I remember that day. Where I was when I got the call from Matt. I'd never been there before. Never met anyone from there. Why would I care? Somehow I did. My heart broke when I heard the news. When I saw the pictures. I didn't know then that the "there" would turn to "here". Haiti. 

Before the earthquake that devastated the capital city, Port-au-Prince, I had never visited here. Where I live now. Where my husband grew up. Where his family lives. Here. Haiti. That day, 4 years ago, the thought didn't cross my mind that my future husband was in the middle of a terrible natural disaster that could have claimed his life. I didn't think that at all. My heart simply broke for this city and the millions of people affected by this tragedy. I didn't think I was one of them, but somehow I was.

I am reminded today of that day. A tragic day that somehow impacted my life. A day that impacted the lives of so many I now call family and friends. 4 years ago.

Today, right now, people are gathering at churches where testimonies will be shared. Where people will celebrate and praise the God that saved them. Where there may be moments of silence to remember those lost. There will be much rejoicing because we are here and God is shining a light in Haiti. 

What a great way to remember. Celebrating, rejoicing, praising God for the life you have. The church here amazes me. I remember that day with my family and friends here. 

Continue to pray for Haiti. For God's name to be made famous here. For Haiti to be a light even as we remember that day.

My Pelican Family

Every few months or so we host a staff get together/meeting where we are able to regroup and grow closer together as a family. We spend time in worship, in God's word and in fellowship besides laughing and meeting about important ministry practices. Our worship time has been dynamic and passionate as we know our family loves our King well.  People are concerned if they miss our worship time. 

Our last meeting was an interesting one as we told our staff that they could invite potential pelicans to join us for a day of introduction and orientation and fun. We were shocked that so many people showed up. We had 43 people there who were either already part of our family or who wanted to be. As we all introduced ourselves, it was a blessing to hear why people wanted to be involved with PPM. The answers were almost all regarding how PPM is a family that takes care of each other and how with PPM they are or heard about how they are treated as leaders, as equals. As we read applications, the answers continue to reflect the idea that PPM is a family that develops people into leaders. 

I think of this now as we have new pelicans serving for the first time this week with a team and as we plan to continue to train and develop our staff and our family to be good leaders and representatives of Christ here in Haiti. It's the time of year when we evaluate how we can better prepare our staff for every situation they may encounter.

Please be praying for us. We want to be good examples to our Pelican family and  lead them well. We want to provide them with the resources they need to lead our teams well in the coming year. Above all, pray that God is glorified through each of us and our lives would point people to Him.

I love our Haitian Pelican Family dearly and pray that they continue to grow and lead others well.

Pumpkin Soup Day

Happy New Year! In the US there is a huge party in New York that has a huge ball that falls at midnight to bring in the new year. There are resolutions made-- of which many will be broken or forgotten within the first month. There are church parties, house parties, traditions. Everyone is excited about a new chance for change...maybe this year. 

In Haiti, though, it is a new year but it is also independence day so there is even more to celebrate. Tomorrow, everyone will eat pumpkin soup. Why pumpkin soup? How about some history...

Haiti is the second oldest country in the Western Hemisphere after the US. Haitian slaves won their freedom and independence from their French masters and Napoleon's great army in the fall of 1803 and declared their independence on January 1, 1804. When the French ruled, the slaves were not allowed to eat the same food as their masters--specifically pumpkin soup. So, on January 1st, 1804, the newly free people did just that--they ate soup. 

That tradition continues today. If I were in Haiti tomorrow and I went to visit 3 families, it would be incredibly likely that I would eat 3 bowls of soup, no matter the time of day. Businesses would be closed. Things would be quiet overall. But on the 2nd, things would not be quiet.

The 2nd is feasting day! Families get together and have something like a thanksgiving dinner-Haiti version. Turkey, goat, rice and beans, pikliz, salad, and cake is usually on the menu. You never know who will show up! In my limited  experience, this is the day when you see many members of your extended family--not necessarily on Christmas or New Years. 

So, from pumpkin soup to a great feast, the next couple of days are of great importance in Haitian culture. As this new year begins, watch for new blessings and pray that God's fame would continue to be spread here, in Haiti, and around the world.

Be blessed this year friends.

Merry Christmas

I am writing this from where I have spent so many Christmases: my parents' farm in central Minnesota. Yes, it is colder here than in Haiti, but we are enjoying the time of rest and celebration here with my family.  It is great to be here. Even now I am hearing the sounds of my nephew playing with his "Uncle Al" and Grandpa. So great to be with family. We are taking this weekend to celebrate the birth of our King all together.

This morning, at brunch, my dad prayed that we would remember why we celebrate and why we give gifts.  We give gifts because God gave us the greatest gift of all...Jesus.

My prayer is that while we are all celebrating this Christmas season--whether we are in Haiti, the US, or anywhere else in the world--we will remember the gift God gave to us in Jesus: salvation and eternal life with Him.  The greatest gift of all... 

Merry Christmas everyone! 

Continued Blessings

This morning, I was up early--as usual these days--and I was thinking about teams. Those teams who choose to give of their time, energy, and funds to serve. To those teams: thank you.

I don't think you realize the impact you have on the lives if those you serve with when you come. You may be serving with members of a community, a local church, a pastor, a child, an orphanage staff member, or a missionary and blessing them in ways you never will know this side of heaven. Communication could have been limited during your service-at least verbal communication-but your smiles, hugs, and passion were a blessing to those you met.

Examples of this wonderful ministry you may not know you have abound and continue to bless me as I sit here now. Like the team that was so focused on prayer that they made a conscious effort to make sure that in every circumstance they would pray. I can still see them in my head praying together. 

Or the team that saw the importance of ministering to the staff of the orphanage and not only the children. 

Or the team that saw there wasn't enough funding to get a good start on an amazing project so they have whatever they had to bless the pastor and church who were starting the project by faith. 

Or the team who followed the Lord's leading and, at the end of their week, gave the pastor the exact amount needed to complete a project and brought tears to his eyes. 

Or the team that comes back year after year and is a huge highlight for the entire community--they look forward to seeing you all year long!

To those teams-all of you: thank you for being a continued blessing to me. Thank you for being a continued blessing to others. Thank you. I pray you will always remember how God chose you to bless others-what a privilege!