Return to Haiti

Bonswa from warm, sunny Haiti (90+ degrees):

It has taken a while to get an Internet connection working so we can post. As you know by now, Ryan and I made it to Haiti yesterday! Praise the Lord! It was long trip here but well worth it! I personally wondered what it would feel like to get back here, remembering what it was like when we were here in July. It was all new then and I was curious about how I would feel this time. Now that we are here I can't explain it. It doesn't seem like it has been 5 months since we left. Strangely (or not) if feels like home. The newness and curiosity that accompanied our first trip are not there. I have thought about this a lot since I got here and honestly in the middle of the night last night I found myself praying, asking God why I didn't feel him the same way as I did the last time I was here. As we have gone through today I think I have my answer. He is definitely with me but in a different way. Last time I needed Him to reassure me, as I stepped out in faith, that He was with me and that things would be ok. This time I already know. Perhaps it is like teaching a child to walk. First you have to hold his hand and help him. Then as he grows and becomes more experienced you hold his hand less but continue to give him the support and encouragement he needs. That's our Father!

We are staying at the Christian Light Ministries school/orphanage here in Port au Prince. Ms. Sherrie is the director and she is an amazing lady. We are really enjoying getting to know her more and learning more about her work here in Haiti. There are several others staying here this week as well. There is one adult lady and five teenagers. They are wonderful! There is also another young lady who is a nurse that is here for a few weeks. She is considering coming back in January to stay until the summer so she can help Sherrie with the kids. It is really like a family here! Everyone always feels welcome and the kids love the attention and love.

So far we have helped hang curtains, sort and prepare Christmas goody bags for the school children (200+), and color and prepare envelopes for a large mail out to the school's sponsors and supporters. And of course we have been playing with the children!!! What a blessing they are. And they keep you on your toes! A few of the group tried to put up a Christmas tree, but some of the children tried to eat the branches and the tinsel, so that idea was abandoned.

I took a side journey today. Pastor Odvin picked me up at 10:30 am and we went to have our first "committee" meeting for the women's ministry. We were joined by Pastor CJ and Vanita, a nurse that works in Pastor Odvin's clinic. This is such an amazing opportunity for ministry! I will admit, however, that as we sat discussing their vision for this project I felt so very small and insignificant- how in the world would I be able to help them put this project together? The answer is one step at a time, with God's strength and direction. We identified a name for the ministry, plans on how to organize and get the ministry recognized in both the U.S. and Haiti, and outlined the major functions of what will be included. This was such an important step to moving this work forward.

You never know what will happen here...as I sat here at a desk in the kitchen writing this blog, the stove (oven)caught on fire and flames shot up the back of the wall. Now Ryan and Drew are working on trying to rig up some way to connect a new line for the gas so Ms. Jacqueline can prepare dinner this evening! Creativity is the key as there are no Lowes, Home Depots, or ACE stores nearby! So goes the mission field!

We will go for now, more later...God bless!!!