A Vision for Expansion

It's been about 28 months since we first moved to Haiti.  Things have changed a lot over those two years; a lot has progressed, in some ways. The mission house was built, a small farm was started, the church was opened, lives were dedicated to Christ.  Now, the page is turning for yet a new chapter.

Room to Expand

It was no simple task,  but a land purchase was recently made right next to the church with plans for a future children's home. As could be expected, there were some glitches in getting the purchase closed.  The seller, a pastor of a large church, was given an agreed upon amount of money for an agreed upon amount of land. When time came to settle the paperwork, he decided to declare that it was actually less land in the agreement. So, he wanted more money or we would get less land.  When all the officials, surveyors, and notaries will automatically take the side of their fellow native, there's not much that can be done. We ended up with a little less land than we intended, but we're glad it's all fine and seems to be settled now. We know that God is in control of all these situations, and every time we are cheated, short-handed, or lied to, we pray it can be used for some greater purpose He has in mind.   Hopefully, within the next week will be groundbreaking on beginning a wall around the property.  With the home will come a small education system for teaching the children, as well as jobs for a lot of the church people, and the best opportunity possible to have a direct impact on the lives of children who were otherwise without much hope. It's an exciting and ambitious long-term plan, but without  a vision, the people perish.  

Road Blocks and Robbers

One sunny afternoon while Barry was far down south after preaching, he sent a message that said there were road blocks in Ti Goave and he might be a while getting home. This is a fairly common occurrence, so I said a prayer for his safety and kept busy while I waited for his return.  A short time later, while I'm picturing the wickedness and chaos that goes on during these unpeaceful protests, Barry sent another message saying that the US Embassy had issued a warning to all missionaries in Arcahaie. For the rest of the day I heard every loudspeaker and every bang, sounding like gunshots, and wondered what was going on. I heard groups of men arguing outside our wall. Is this related to what the warning was about? I wondered. I quickly did a round to give all the animals water for some relief from the scorching sun, gathered the eggs, and kept the children inside for the rest of the day. We kept ourselves busy making cookies, cleaning floors, and praying for Daddy to get home safely

Meanwhile, while Barry waited to get through the mess to get home, things were escalating at the scene.  There is a community centered around a large bridge nearby. For quite some time, topsoil, rocks, and debri have been running off the mountain and filling in the river under the bridge. The pile up got so high that there was no more room for water to run through after a big rain, so it flooded the nearby community. All it would take is a few hours with a bulldozer to clear it out. Community members tried peaceful petition to the government first, but didn't get anywhere. When help doesn't come, the people have to take more drastic measures. Blocking up Route National 1 is the only way to get anyone's attention. Unfortunate, but true, this is the precedent that's been set over the years. The police ended up tear-gassing everyone involved, including some innocent bystanders, and one young man was shot and killed.  The protest dissolved, but the government also gave them what they were asking for.  It's as if they say, "ok, fine. We'll bring the equipment, but you're going to suffer loss, too." 

It was dark, pouring down rain, and past the children's bedtime when we finally heard the truck at the gate. Like other stories, we were extra glad when Barry finally got home that night, several hours later than expected!

 I also found out later that the warning, more specifically, was put out due to a group of men who were making rounds robbing people in Arcahaie and the surrounding area, and some missionaries had already been hit. For the next several days, we were all a bit on edge. One night after the lights were turned out and we had just fallen asleep, Zoey started barking vigorously. She barks when she's tied up at night and sees something she can't get to.  Moments later there was a crash in the garage. We usually go see what Zoey is barking at, but this time nobody wanted to move. We were inwardly bracing and wondering if someone was actually out there. We may never know what it was, but we do know that the Lord is always watching over us. Thankfully, there haven't been any startling instances since, and we haven't heard of any more break-ins. 

A Quick Roof and a Rooster Roundup 

This past week we were blessed with a visit from two families, Steve's and Melvin's. There were several preaching opportunities throughout the week, some close by and others a good distance away. One morning they left at 7am to head for a service scheduled at 11:00. Things went well getting there, the preaching was a blessing, and they hoped to be home by four in the afternoon.  As the saying goes, though, "expect the unexpected."  They came walking in the gate just as the sun was setting at 7:30 or so that evening.

There was one service lined up right in Arcahaie one evening, so all the families joined for that. What we didn't know until we got there, though, was that our church was basically asked to conduct the service in this rather large building.  As usual, there were a handful of people present at the starting time, but people slowly trickled in over the next hour while pastor Bazalet led the singing. It add different for him trying to do do with the accompaniment of backup singers and drums, but he made it through none the less. When the congregational singing was done, the real "entertainment" began. By now the once empty pews were packed full of fashionable young people.  A group of five or six teenage girls in skin tight miniskirts stood up and assembled themselves in a line at the front of the church. When the music started, they began dancing and stepping in sync, shaking their hips to the rhythm while they sang about faith in Jesus. It was quite the contradictory scene, but really not unordinary.  When it was finally Barry's time to preach, the children were hot and tired and ready to go home, but his soul was so tired of the worldliness and mockery that nothing short of a fiery message could be put forth.

Sunday morning services were at the little stick church. It was a still, sunny morning and it was already quite warm by 8:30. Despite the heat, the singing was lively and the benches were full. Barry shared an opening and Steve brought the main message, "Is Your Ship at the Shore?"   People hung around to visit for a little while after the service was over. This in itself is a blessing to see happening now.  For the first several months, everyone would hop up, quickly shake hands, and bolt out the back.

After the Sunday sermon at our church, the Lengacher family shared a song.

Some physical work was done too, while the group was here. A lady from church had been asking for help with her patched up, leaky roof.  Since she rents the less-than-glamorous little hut, she didn't want much- just a new tarp to cover the whole roof in one solid piece.  This was as good a time as any to take the tarp over and visit her. With several hands, it was slipped over the house and tacked down in a short time.  She was so thankful! She's a sweet older widow, and one that's always blessed with the help she receives. MayCelia, or "grandma" as we lovingly call her, since she always brings her grandchildren to church with her, also received a new cape dress that day. She was beaming when she wore it to Bible study that night.  She also received a large bag of rice.  Some of the visiting children had worked to earn money at home for that very purpose. . Getrid, our old neighbor from Barbancourt, was also very glad to receive a bag. 

MayCelia's leaky, rented roof

Slipping the large tarp over the roof. Any bit of action will always quickly draw a crowd, which also brings a good opportunity to witness.

Monday morning right before they left for the airport, both families cheerfully helped us with a big chicken-butchering project. Mia, a young mother that helps us around the house for some income, came to help too.  In a few hours there were 60 chickens clean, packaged, and in the freezer ready to sell. They had a few minutes to quickly clean everyone up (its a stinky job!) and grab a bite to eat before heading for the US. We are so thankful for all the help!

Katlyn worked diligently to clean all the entrails. 60 gizzards is a lot to clean!

Assembly line; plucking and gutting

The children all had fun together through the week, for the most part, and spent a lot of time holding their own church services. They took turns being song leaders, preaching, and sharing testimonies. During one of their little meetings, we looked outside to see the laundry tote being used for a baptism.  After visiting a couple of the loud churches around here, they also needed a reminder why we don't have drums in church.  Watching them and listening to what they preached was rather interesting, as it reminded us how easily little children are influenced. Are they headed in the right direction?

To Wrap it Up

Overall we've had a very blessed and busy month. This evening another group is flying in for an extended weekend, while Katie, I and the children are headed to the US for a short time while I spend time with family. Barry will begin teaching the pastor training classes next week at CAM, which is a wonderful opportunity!  As always, we thank you for the continued prayers, encouragement, and support!