"..and let thy widows trust in me."

How the days fly by! We're nearly a week into April already and we've gotten behind on the updates. The days have still been packed full for Barry with more preaching opportunities, building projects, personal ministry and discipleship, and the everyday business of life.


Preaching Opportunities

Ressurrection Sunday we made our way over to the village of Titanyan for services at the church Anouse calls his home church.  It was a rather upbeat worship time again, and we were blessed to see that the men were more in charge here. It seems this group has a little more understanding of the Bible's roles for men and women. After an hour or so of congregational singing and a time of special music from a visiting choir, Barry had his turn to preach. The Spirit led him in a strong salvation message that I believe to be his most powerful sermon to that point.

Many of you are familiar with the Lifeline Mission that's nearby where we are living. We had been told it would be a difficult door to open, and that Barry would have to go through several people to have an opportunity to preach there on a Sunday morning. The Lord must have had it in His plans, because the door was opened after asking just one person. This past Sunday he shared another crystal clear message explaining true salvation. May God bring forth the fruit, even if we may not see the results.

Between Sundays, Barry travels near and far to preach and share in various ways. The travel can be quite burdensome, but the effort of getting there seems to be worth the time when he goes to meet with pastors. Heavy rains washed out a busy bridge in Port-au-Prince, causing the city to be in complete driving chaos. One Wednesday they spent ten hours in the truck just getting to the other side of town and back. Last Friday he went to a village just north of Les Cayes, which is said to be six hours away even in good traffic. The preaching went reportedly well, but the setbacks along the way gave the day its share of trials and temptations. We were thankful to have him back home late that evening.

Perhaps one of his most memorable journeys was on Monday, when he left before 6am for a meeting, uncertain of where they were headed this time. Many other times Barry has asked his Haitian accomplices, "How long is the drive to get there?" but they never seem to know. This time he tried a different approach. "What time are we supposed to be there?" he asked. It was after 7:00 by now and they were barely through Port-au-Prince. "They're expecting us at 8:00." After a steep, grueling trek up the mountain and four more hours of rather slow-going, Barry brought the truck to a stop next to a foot path that looked to go over the peak they were on. He was hoping to see the view of the countryside they were traveling, but when he reached the top, he also heard singing coming from the distance. Over on the next peak stood a small, woven-wall church building that was cerainly where the chorus was coming from. He hurried down and got back in the truck and continued on the way. Just a few minutes later, he learned that the same little mountaintop church was their destination. The entire congregation had been there all morning long, singing and waiting on their anticipated guests. The sound of applause and cheers now came from the little building as Barry and his passengers arrived. As he delivered the message, they were full of "Amens" and more applause. Although this group looked like all the other churches we've been to, there seemed to be some light there. Fourteen hours after he left, we welcomed him back home, exhausted from the trip but overall blessed by the  day.

A Home for Widows
Up until last Thursday, a small stick-and-mud shack stood behind our house, looking like any strong wind could take it at any time. It was a home owned by two very aged women who were currently living in an unaffordable rental closeby due to the unfit condition of their home. These women both have very interesting stories. The oldest says she is 120 years old and recently became the oldest living person in the country. The other, her daughter, doesn't really know her age. She had previously owned a home and land in the mountain with her husband. The story goes that her husband's family wanted the land, but he didn't want to sell it. They took matters into their own hands and took his life, sending the woman and her children down the mountain into the village to try to "make-it." She has one daughter also living there, along with three small children.

Thursday morning, Barry and four hired Haitians, along with the help of Merelin and Ramos, tore the little shack down and moved it aside. After a whirlwind of more Haitians arguing, attempting to communicate without an actual enterpreteur, and a lot of grace, the plans were laid out to begin the work on a new house for these widows. With one shovel and pick-ax, the foundation was started. Over the next couple of days, work continued with the help of a couple of hired hands. There were some, also, who showed up and worked while Barry was busy with other obligations then demanded to be payed and hired for the duration of the project. The foundation was laid, rock by rock and buckey by bucket, on Tuesday, and today (Wednesday) they were beginning to work on the walls.

The project is an opportunity in many ways. Working alongside the Haitians, giving them employment, and watching the faces of the widows light up while they watch it all unfold makes it worth the time and money involved. Some days it even gives little Abram a chance to go out and do some hard work with his daddy.

God's Provision and Blessings

Shortly after we moved in, a large swarm of bees came one afternoon and began setting up shop under the soffet of our house. The landlady wanted them quickly out of here, but Barry convinced her they wouldn't do any harm and not to kill them. A couple of beekeepers came and carefully moved the whole hive into a box that's now sitting behind our house. Since our last update, the men have returned with their equipment and pulled out a couple of honeycombs for us. We drained it, strained it, and ended up with about two cups of our very own raw, organic, very sweet honey. What an unexpected blessing! The hive is still thriving and we look forward to continuing to harvest from it.

This evening we were blessed to welcome Mark, Steve, and Benji for a five day visit. God was faithful in getting them here safely and without major difficulty in traveling. Their arrival brought even more excitement as we unloaded several suitcases full of surprises from home. We can't thank everyone enough for all of the treats, vitamins, gifts for the boys, dresses for the Haitians, more fresh honey, and many other blessings that came out of those bags. We're looking forward to reading the cards and letters together as a family over the next several days, and reading them over again for continued encouragement. Its truly uplifting to know people at home care.

Pray for the men here over the coming days, as the rest of the week is filled up with Bible studies and preaching. I trust God will use them mightily to spread the Gospel, as well as a great source of encouragement for Barry during their stay here.

Bondye beni ou.
(God bless you)