We're Full and Ready for Home

I'm sitting on the porch of my room looking out over the ocean. The pinks and oranges of the sunrise on the water is more beautiful than I can describe. God is so big and we are so blessed to be a part of His perfect plan! Oh, how I wish you all could see this!

Worship yesterday was great! Various groups sang, including us. I was completely struck yesterday by a particular part of the service. It resonated with me and others on the team too. During the offering, the praising of God was completely joy-filled--we could feel it, we could see it on the faces of the people--the Joy was real, and it was contagious. When we finally sat down, I said to Dorlus, our interpreter, "Now that is joy in the Lord." It would be so cool if we could bottle that up.

The church presented us with a beautiful wood carving that I am so excited to bring home and hang on the walls at Lord of Life. Can. Not. Wait.

After lunch some of our team had the privilege of hearing a report on the Micro Loan Project. The church has currently given loans to 11 people who went through a 3-day small business owner training and then given the funds they needed to start their businesses. They have been running their new businesses since Dec. 7th. All 11 have made their first monthly payment and are finding success in what they are doing. Praise the Lord! We are super excited to see how the Lord will bless this ministry effort.

Last night ended with all of us enjoying a brief time of worship and conversation together. We had the privilege of praying over our brothers, Dorlus, Ismel and Durony. We also received a prayer of blessing from them. Ismel and his wife, Guerline have been trying to conceive for several years. Ismel shared that his wife is discouraged and feels hopeless. He asked that we pray for them. Please join us in praying for the Lord to provide this blessing for them.

This morning begins the long journey home. We will land in KC around 11:45, and are ready for some sweet reunions. We are looking forward to sharing our time with you. If you live in the KC area, come to Lord of Life on Sunday, Jan. 24 at either 8 or 10:45. Can't wait to see many of you then or before!

Lisa
On behalf of Team Haiti 2016

Off to Market We Go

On Saturday morning most of the team went to the market in order to have a little fun and to experience a little of what life is like in this country. We divided into four teams with each team armed with 800 Gourdes and having objectives. Each team had to find Lisette, a member of Christ the King who was given a business loan from Merotte. Once they found her, the teams had to purchase a bottle of oil from her. The teams also had to buy the most unique item, spend the most money without spending all of it, and take the most interesting selfie.  It was a lot of fun! One team came back with a live chicken, another with a baby pig, now know as Midnight because she is all black, and another team with a cow stomach and testicles. Oh my! None of those teams won the most unique item. The winning team came back with various ingredients to make a complete Haitian meal--not really unique at all (not that I'm bitter or anything). What made them the winning team was an experience they had while walking around. Toward the end of their time, one of the men who had attended our men's Bible study came up to Jacob and said, "Thanks for that Book (the Bible) you gave me. I stayed up reading it last night and gave my life to Christ!" So amazing! God is so good and we give Him the glory. I'll lose to that story every day of the week!

We also packed up the remaining medicines and delivered them to the local hospital. The staff there was once again very gracious to our team of providers. They were given a tour and talked a little about how we can work together in the future.

This morning we are headed to worship. The team has been learning, 10,000 Reasons in Creole so we can sing it in worship today. That will be a blessing to us and to our Haitian brothers and sisters.

Blessings to all of you on this Lord's Day!

Lisa
On behalf of Team Haiti 2016

Really Great Stuff

Our last full days at Christ the King were fantastic! God was up to some good stuff, and it was and is such a privilege and honor to be a part of it.

Julie Clobes, one of our medical providers had done some reading prior to coming on the trip. One of the conditions she read about was elephantitis. She didn't think it was very likely we would see that in our clinic but nonetheless, printed out an information sheet about it to put in each provider's notebook. One of the symptoms is milky urine. She had a patient come in on Tuesday who was listing a bunch of problems, leaving Julie to wonder what course of treatment should be pursued. And then the gentleman said, "And oh when I go to the bathroom, my urine is milky." Problem solved! Medicine given. Life saved! Julie was so excited that she shared it with other providers. The next day one of our other providers, Jordan Hinmon gets her first patient of the day. Guess what? Milky urine. Problem solved. Medicine given. Life saved!

Every person who comes through the clinic is prayed over by members of Christ the King. If they don't know Jesus the members share the Gospel with them. Several have talked of demon possession. Many have come to trust Jesus as their Savior. Those not connected yet to a church will be followed up on by the church members who are trained in evangelism. Lives saved for eternity!

VBS has gone very well under the leadership of Amanda Krause. It is so exciting to see her team in action, teaching Bible stories, singing, and making craft projects with 400 students. That's a lot! They are having a great time and children are coming to know the Lord. There are students who don't know Jesus as their Savior, and Amanda and her team are praying with these students and many have indicated a desire to follow Jesus. Lives saved for eternity!

The men's and women's Bible studies also went extremely well! Yesterday in the men's study, one of the men, after hearing the Gospel, trusted Jesus as His Savior. The same happened with the women. People are asking our team members to pray with them. It is so exciting to be a part of it!

On the search for a Pastor we hit a roadblock, but that has opened the door to great conversations and a firm plan for moving forward. The Pastor candidate we interviewed turned out to be someone who would not work well for Christ the King. They are just so desperate for a Pastor that they were willing to take whoever was available, but not necessarily the right person for the job. I'm so grateful that Pastor Burt and I were here to help guide the process and to help in determining a good plan for how to move forward with finding the right man. The Holy Spirit is moving!

Thanks for reading about our time in Haiti. Thanks even more for remembering to lift our team and the ministry of Christ the King in prayer before the Lord, the only One who is able to save! To Him alone be the glory!

Lisa
On behalf of Team Haiti 2016

Do You Know Jesus as Your Savior?

The questions of the day yesterday seemed to be, "Do you know Jesus as your Savior?" and "Can I pray for you?" Members of the VBS team had these 2 questions written on their hands or arms so they didn't have to be dependent on an interpreter to facilitate this question. Many students wanted to know Jesus better and to trust Him as their Savior! That's exciting!

The theme in VBS yesterday was around the truth that God is our protector. They used the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den to teach this truth. Ben Eden played the role of the lion and is expected to take home the Emmy. He came out roaring and scared team member, Xin Clobes so badly she actually fell over! The kids thought that was the funniest thing ever. The craft yesterday wasn't very crafty but the Haitian kids loved it because it meant they each got their own tennis ball. So great and so fun watching them all.

The men's and women's Bible studies continue to go well.  For the women's studies (2 groups) please pray for cultural barriers to be broken. We are still working at getting the women to discuss God's Word. They know the "right" answers--what we should and shouldn't do, but don't seem to be able to admit or wrestle with the truth that life just isn't that neat or easy. It is a challenge for sure, but one that we are continuing to meet head on.

We have 8 providers on our medical team so are able to see nearly 150 patients a day. Now that everyone has their groove, we may be able to increase that number a little. As always, please join us in praying that the people who NEED to see a Doctor will make it to the front of the line and get in to the clinic.

The discussions for finding a Pastor will continue today. Please continue to surround this need in prayer!

Can't wait, once again, to see how the Lord will unfold this day before us!

Thank you for your prayer support!

Lisa
On Behalf of Team Haiti 2016

The Wrong Answer

Our first day of VBS, Bible studies, health education classes, and the medical clinic went really well! We had a few challenges but after some team strategy sessions last night, we are ready once again for a great day.

Soon after the medical clinic opened yesterday, I was called in on a situation. A woman was crying and shaking. She was filled with fear that demons were taking over her body. We told her to not be afraid, that Jesus loved her, and then we commanded the demons to come out of her in Jesus' name. We asked her if she knew Jesus. She did not so we told her the Gospel. We told her that she could be free of the bondage of demons in Jesus' name. When we asked her if she wanted to know Jesus and be free, her answer was not at all what I was expecting. Here she was, wracked and shaking with fear. Crying in fear. But she said, "No!" While she was afraid, Voodoo is all she knows. The roots go deep, but I also know that Jesus isn't finished writing her story. I'm praying that she would see Jesus everywhere she goes and know the freedom that is hers in Jesus. I'm praying that the Holy Spirit would bring her back today so that we can once again pray over her and tell her the good news of Jesus.

The VBS team was having a great time singing with the students, making crafts, and sharing the story of Jesus with them. They asked students if they knew Jesus, and prayed over anyone who wanted to trust Him as their Savior. Powerful!

The men's Bible study was full, with about 30 men and our team packed in a small classroom. The men are hungry and have lots of questions about the Bible. They have a strong desire to be men of God and had great discussion around that. The women's study was also full. We had some fairly young girls in there, mixed with women who were in a different stage of life. We are going to try to split them up today so we can have more meaningful discussion around God's Word.

We are excited for today and ready to see what God has planned for us.

Lisa
On Behalf of Team Haiti 2016

Rice, Beans, Oil, Meds and Not a Worm to be Found

It's a beautiful morning in Haiti! Nothing new about that. 

We had a full day on Monday to prepare for the ministry that will take place over the next few days, and it was awesome. Look at the things we were able to accomplish:

1. Dr. Kelly and Nurse Julie were able to meet with the Doctor at the Ministry of Health to talk about how our medical team can partner with them to better serve the people of Haiti particularly in the area of giving immunizations and Vitamin A. Great meeting. 

2. Dr. Ayo, and nurses Helen, Linda, & Mary gave de-worming medicine to all 400 students in the school at Christ the King. This medicine will not only kill any worms a child currently has, but also will prevent worms for 6 months. We were able to leave medicines with the school administrator with instructions on giving the chewable pill to students again. 

3. By motorcycle we sent Nurse Jordan and Nurse Pam up the mountainside to a Lutheran Church and school in a small village. They talked with the students about worms and the importance of the medicine and then distributed it to nearly 100 kids. They also had the opportunity to see the needs of the people there. They want so desperately to build a permanent structure for the school. With just a few thousand dollars they could get started with laying the foundation. We need to be in prayer with them for God's provision. 

The rest of the team unpacked all the suitcases and organized the contents. We also set up a great assembly line to fill gallon-sized Ziploc bags full with rice. We fill quart-size bags with beans. We took those 2 bags and a bottle of oil and put them into grocery bags for ease in distribution and people carrying it home. We thought a lot about the Food Give Away ministry before diving in. Our biggest concern is that it is just a drop in the bucket when looking at the hunger issues in Haiti. But year after year of seeing malnourished children come into our clinic, and parents desperate to do anything to get food for their families, we just couldn't ignore Jesus' words, "When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat." We also have a specialized peanut butter (made right here in Haiti), enriched with vitamins and other nutrients, to give to children who are malnourished. 

We are looking forward to starting VBS this morning and adult Bible studies this afternoon. I can't wait to tell you all about it! 

Lisa

On Behalf of 2016 Team Haiti

And We're Off

Our team arrived in Haiti around 1:15 yesterday afternoon. Right on schedule. Port au Prince traffic was a little heavy so it took awhile to get to Merotte, but still in great time, around 3:30. We quickly unloaded all of our suitcases filled to capacity with supplies for the week. In those 30 suitcases we are carrying Creole Bibles and Catechisms, medicines, health education supplies, backpacks, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, dress clothes for men and women, shoes, teacher supplies, Bible studies, craft supplies for 4 days of VBS for over 300 children, craft projects to do with local women, and so many things I'm not even thinking of.

As I woke up this morning, I opened my Bible to see what God would speak to me this morning. I paged through a few of the Psalms until my eyes settled on the title to Psalm 108, "With God We Shall Do Valiantly." I thought, "Yep!" It is so true. Our efforts, our planning, our interactions, mean nothing without the Lord leading the way. The Psalm wraps up with these words, "With God we shall do valiantly, it is he who will tread down our foes." When I think about the foes we face this week--foes of discouragement, desperation, and poverty come immediately to mind. Satan does not want us here. He is the ultimate foe and will use anything to try to stop the encouragement of the church and our desire to serve Him in spreading the Gospel. But "with God we shall do valiantly". The enemy has no power here! Come, Holy Spirit! Lead the way!