Making Adjustments

We've had some changes occur over the last few weeks here on the mission field.  We're adjusting to now being a family of five and having a little girl in the house. Perhaps the more challenging transition came about when Barry was informed that Anouce, our talented translator, had decided to take a different path. His church elected to send him to a six-week seminar in order to train him to be the youth pastor, and provide a paid position when the training is completed.

With a schedule full of Bible studies and preaching engagements, a translator is pretty necessary.  A young man from Port-au-Prince was interviewed and came along with the team a few times to see how he would do.   Between he and Josnel, they were working together to translate while Barry preached. Last Sunday, when there was another opportunity to preach at Lifeline, the young man wanted Josnel to translate on his own. In the end, it was decided that Josnel would be the way to go. Looking back, we can see that it was likely the Lord's plan all along. We had wondered at first why Josnel had "tagged along" with Anouce from the first time they went preaching. It turned out to be a tremendous blessing that another English-speaking Haitian was right there already on the team.  He does a good job now, and with more practice  I believe he will end up being an excellent translator.

A look inside Lifeline Mission church building; Josnel translating 

We also enjoyed a week-long visit from my parents since the last update. The children really enjoyed their time with Grandma and Grandpa, and I was blessed to have the help and time with my mom while I recovered after the baby. It was quite an experience for my dad, as he went near and far with Barry to various Bible studies,preaching and running errands around Haiti.

A new church was on the schedule this past Sunday, ironically in Titanyan, where we would have been going to share at the church Anouce attends. The Lord gave a clear and powerful message to the group, who seemed to receive it well.

This week Barry continues to fulfill the roles of problem-solver, preacher, and daddy. The team has Bible studies scheduled every day this week, and he's working to help people with all their various needs in between, while also doing the running to get Bethany her citizenship paperwork taken care of.  Pray that he can remain strong both spiritually and physically as he takes on so many tasks every day.


Thank you for checking in with us!

Counting our Blessings. Baby is here!

From the time we first began praying about the call to move to Haiti, there has been an ongoing battle with attempts to make us fearful and not put our trust in the Lord. A day or so after we were asked to consider the mission, I found out we were expecting. I was quick to start looking into what it would be like to have a baby in a third world country and what kind of red tape would be required to claim our child as an American citizen. An article at the top of the Google search results was titled "One baby's story shows why Haiti is no place to give birth" while the subheading read "Haiti is the worst place in the Western Hemisphere to give birth." Scroll down the page and you'll see "Giving birth is fraught with danger in Haiti."

While I looked over the Embassy website at the "report birth abroad" requirements, a text came across my phone with the news that Gino had just been hit by a truck and had been killed.  Although I'd never had the pleasure of meeting brother Gino, I instantly broke down in tears. Why so much at once?

I started thinking maybe expecting the baby would keep us home, but when we shared the news of the pregnancy, it wasn't an issue. Plans continued to be made to prepare for us to leave, and while we waited, the temptation to fear the worst continued.  Our van getting smashed by a deer, later the hood flying up and smashing the windshield while I drove down the highway with the boys, and the biggest shot- Zika.

 Thankfully Barry was the one to first tell me about this terrible disease that was spreading through so many countries, including Haiti. The travel warnings were put out for all to see. If you are pregnant, DO NOT go to these countries. Of course, Haiti is one of them. How could we possibly put our unborn child in such danger? Microcephaly is a big deal that would affect him or her for a lifetime. Family members pleaded with us not to go. What was God trying to show us?

Less than a month before we left, I had my midwife check things out to see if she thought everything looked fine and if we would be OK to deliver the baby without (possibly) a whole lot of medical attention. She said things were fine, but a couple of days later called to say she wanted a second opinion on what she had seen with her low-tech ultrasound equipment.  There was potentially a condition that has caused many women to be placed on bed rest for the duration of their pregnancies. Could we move to Haiti like that?

We scheduled the appointment with the clinic she referred us to and waited in anticipation for the results of the ultrasound. They said they would call us back later the same day, but the call never came. It was agonizing not knowing what was going on, but all I could do was to ask God to let us not be afraid. The next morning I spent a great deal of time seeking the Lord, and finally was able to give it all over to Him. I had to truly hand it over and put our unborn baby in his hands.

It wasn't more than an hour later that my midwife called to let me know that it looked like the issue in question was going to be just fine. Wow! God is so faithful!

We still had 20 weeks to live in Haiti before the baby arrived, but here we were, daily doing what we could to keep the mosquito population at bay and off of me and praying for God's protection. Katie ended up getting Zika while she was here after constantly being bothered by the little critters, while i typically hardly even noticed we had mosquitos.

The months went by and soon we were down to a matter of weeks before the due date, and still had been unable to find a doctor or midwife to deliver the baby. After several doors were closed, we ended up going to a Doctor in Petionville that had been recommended by various sources.

He seemed to be what the Lord had for us, the only issue was location. Getting to Petionville on the south side of Port-au-Prince can take several long hours if one gets stuck in traffic. He advised that we get a place to stay in town for at least a week before the baby was due. We managed to stay at home until the 5th, four days before the due date, and also the day that our help from home would be flying in. We had no one here to watch the boys while we went to the hospital, so we were eager for Kate and Angela to arrive.

At a checkup with the Doctor that morning, I hadn't felt like anything was happening, so we were still kind of questioning wether we should check into the hotel or not. We didn't want to end up staying for days just sitting around unnecessarily.

After the appointment we thought we would get something to eat and see how I was feeling when we were done.  By the time we finished eating around 1:00, I knew something was starting to happen and thought it would be best if we did go ahead and check in and stay in town. Getting some rest seemed like a good idea. After the drive back across town, checking in, and getting up to our room, it was after 3:00. By 3:20 I was too uncomfortable to rest, and by 3:30, right after Barry parked the truck, it was time to go to the hospital. Right now.  He called the doctor and we were (quickly) on our way, with the boys and an overnight bag for me in tow.

In a matter of minutes I had gone from wanting to take a nap to desperately needing to get to the hospital. After a rough drive, we made it from the hotel to the hospital parking lot at 3:35, and I hurried inside while leaving Barry to handle the bag, the boys, and parking the truck.  By 3:45, our little girl was crying in my arms, just as healthy as could be. What an awesome God we serve!  (I was told later that people were praying it would go fast.  He heard those prayers!)

We are rejoicing in the arrival of little Bethany Darlene. One week later she is still doing well, and mom is recovering and thankful for all the help from Kate and Angela. They were thrown right into the mix as soon as they got here late last Tuesday evening, watching the boys that night and taking over the cooking as soon as we were all back home. Although it all went nothing like we had tried to plan out in our minds, we can rest in knowing that God's plans are always better than ours. This has all been an excellent reminder that there is never any need to worry, and that it can all be placed in the Master's hands.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 

Take the Name of Jesus With You

The Lord continues to open doors for preaching and ministry in various places and churches throughout Haiti, and last week we were blessed to have another group from home to participate in the work here.

James' and Jonas' arrived last Tuesday evening, and the men started right in on Wednesday with a visit to an area hospital. They were surprised to find that the hospital was not actually in operation, as the entire staff went on strike months ago. Despite there being basically nobody there to offer medical assistance, there were still plenty of sick people filling the beds and longing for some help. It seems it was a sobering and heart-wrenching, yet blessed time of witnessing to these people. From there, they headed to preach in the streets of Port-au-Prince. Thursday morning was an early departure for the long drive to Miragoâne, where Barry preached after they finally arrived.

The women and children went along on Friday as we took some time to visit some of the other missions in the area and learn a little more about the work they are doing in Haiti. It was interesting to see the sheer volume of food and other supplies that are distributed continually to so many people in need.

We were back home again for a short rest and the men left for a Bible study in Williamson. This was at the church where Barry preached the Sunday before, where there had been a good response to the message and some young people had come forward wanting to repent. There seems to possibly be some fruit coming forth from this group!

The plan for Saturday was to head up the mountain, but rain the night before and more on the way postponed the plans. Instead, we all went and visited the little orphanage in Williamson that we've recently been working with. We had Anouce along to translate, so it was a wonderful opportunity to share with these tender hearts. James and Jonas both had a short lesson for them, encouraging and reminding them of their need for Jesus to lead their lives. That same afternoon, the men went to visit
the pastor in charge of the church and orphanage in his home. It was a meeting that allowed them to dig a little deeper into what he's about and what the needs truly are in order for those dear children to be taken care of.

Brother James sharing with the children at the orphanage

The third Sunday of the month brought us back to Titanyen, where brother James brought the morning message. He opened up Galations 5 and explained the works of the flesh in detail. He ended the message with the encouragement to be sure we are among those who are in Christ and are called up together with Him on that glorious day.

Sunday morning services at Titanyen

The mountain trip was moved to Monday, so the group loaded in the truck and ventured their way up the rocky 22 mile path to the village we typically hope to make it to.  After they arrived, the people were gathered together for a service and Jonas opened up and shared a message. Anouce was unavailable that day due to family circumstances, so Josnel, our other Haitian on the team, had his first opportunity to translate a sermon.

Since our visitors left last Tuesday, God has continued to show us that He is watching over us. As we were headed home from Port-au-Prince that same day after getting the truck worked on, we were driving down a back road when we heard a loud cracking noise. Suddenly Barry slammed on the breaks, locking up all four wheels. A large utility pole had split and was falling right for us! It crashed down, hitting the metal grill guard on the truck. There was an array of sparks and wires tangled up on the truck. Barry put it in reverse and pulled us from the entanglement. No one was hurt, we praise God!

Wednesday was Barry's first "megachurch" experience, as he and the team traveled five hours away to the southwest side of Haiti. They arrived to see that the very large building had already been filled, and people were standing outside the windows waiting for the service to begin. An estimated 2,000 people were there to hear about sin and the blessed promise that Jesus offers to be freed from it. They returned again to the church in Williamson last night for a Bible study that dug deeper into some things Barry had shared on the last time he preached there.

This morning we plan to go down the street to Pastor Oscar's church. This is the church where many of our nearby neighbors attend. We've gotten to know many of them better over the weeks, but we haven't been there for church since the Sunday Benji was there to share the main message. Lord willing, this will be a great opportunity to share what's on his heart from the fruit we have seen by living among many of these people.

We are once again thankful for the visit from home, and all the help I had from the women while they were here. It is always a blessing to have American sisters here helping with all the cleaning, laundry and cooking, and being here to fellowship. I pray you are richly blessed by your efforts. We have less than two weeks until the expected arrival of our little blessing! God is truly worthy of our praise!

An Unexpected Funeral

Just over a month ago, we witnessed the  miracle of healing when God took a man that was frail and bedridden and allowed him to rise up and walk. The man joyfully began working in his garden, anxious to return to caring for his young family. In return visits, he was still up and about and said that he and his wife had committed themselves to serving God with all they had.
One later visit, though, Barry found that he was a bit sick and running a fever. Although it seemed to be nothing serious, Barry felt prompted to ask, "Are you ready to die?" To which he confidently responded, "yes."

A few days later, the shocking news came that the man, indeed, had passed away.

The family asked Barry for help with the funeral, and thus began another new Haiti experience for us.  We were to help transport the casket up into the mountain, and also preach the message before his burial.  Thursday morning, our family, our translators, and our church brethren who were here for the week, all loaded up into the truck and headed to Williamson where we were to pick up the casket.  After a time of waiting for the vehicle from the morgue to arrive, a small white van labeled "ambulance" pulled in and stopped behind the truck. The men carefully placed the casket into the back of our pick up. They strapped it in to be safe, and a spray of silk flowers was placed on top.
When everything was secured, we headed out of Williamson and up the rocky road into the mountain.  Like other frequent trips, we were uncertain of how far we were going or how long it would take to get there.

About an hour up the rough road, we began to see people dressed in their best, clearly waiting for a funeral to begin. Around the next curve was a small cemetery and a group of people were gathered on the road.
When we stopped and got out, we learned that the church building that had been reserved was no longer available because the pastor had changed his mind. So, what do you do in Haiti? You make do.  A couple of chairs were placed about six feet apart under a shaded area, the people gathered around, and the casket was placed across the chairs.  Being surrounded by God's creation, on the side of a mountain, seeing the ocean in the distance, and a pleasant breeze blowing to keep things fairly cool, was a more beautiful place to hold a service than any structure man could build.

Everyone was assembled and ready to begin, except for one person. Where was his wife? Someone had gone to get her, since she was certainly not anxious to attend. As she drew nearer, we could hear her agonizing cries and then saw her coming, trying desperately to break free from the arms of the two other women who were dragging her to attend. Seeing the casket was too much for her. She wailed and cried like she had just heard the news of his death. Finally Barry calmed her down enough to talk to her. "I know this is very hard," he told her, "but God wants to help you. He wants to help you. Please come over here and sit and we will have a nice funeral for your husband."

She came and sat in the lone available chair and slumped down, placing her face in her hands. I wondered what was going through her mind.  Would she be able to have peace from Christ after this loss? In Haiti, especially in the mountain, a woman becoming a widow is more than just the loss of her love. It's also the loss of her support, the loss of any chance of income, and, she probably felt like, the loss of everything. Typically in these situations, no one steps in to help.  No family, no friends, nobody. A young widow is left to fend for herself with young children to care for.  This certainly adds to her intense grieving, as she fears what is to come.

The funeral began with an opening from Pastor Bazalet. One of the four brothers, whom he seemed closest to, then shared a few words. Next, Barry began the sermon.  It was a sober time for many who were gathered there, as they heard about the brevity of life while a vivid reminder lay before them. The sermon was clear about the need to be truly a child of God when we die. They were informed that this man was four years short of the average life expectancy of Haiti, which is only 36.

Following the sermon and a closing prayer, the casket was moved across the road to the cemetery where a hole was already dug in preparation for burial. As the crowd followed to say their final farewells, Josnel informed me that it's not typical for a woman who is expecting to go along to the graveside. Interesting, I thought. Another old superstition that still lingers here? I slowly made my way down anyway as the shovels were  busy placing dirt back over the casket.  It was noticed that there were remains from a prior burial mixed in with the dirt.

While the burial was finishing, a young man approached and told us that he wanted to make Jesus Lord of his life. The men spent some time with him, praying and helping him through repentance. Another young man also wanted to repent, as well as a teenage girl who had been battling with evil spirits. She seemed to be sobered by the day, as it turned out she was the daughter from a previous relationship of the deceased. These young people have a great battle before them as they return to their lives, surrounded by the evil and negative influences that are abundant here.  They and the family, especially the young widow, could use our prayers.

Other Opportunites and Happenings

Last Sunday morning Barry and the team traveled to a church near the border of the Dominican Republic.  The rest of the week, we were happy to host Nate and Darla while they were here testing for wells, and James while he helped us out with the electrical set-up at our house.

Yesterday morning, we were back in Williamson for Sunday services at the church we were at two weeks ago. Following the message covering the difference between a sinner and a child of God, this time nine people came to the front to pray and get their hearts right with the Lord.  It seemed to be quite a different atmosphere from two weeks ago.

This coming week, there is more preaching on the schedule as another group comes from home to stay with us.

Thank you again for your prayers as we continue to delve deeper into the lives of the Haitian people.

Bondye beni ou!

Outside the Gate: Citè Soleil

A new church has been added to the ministry list, as we traveled again the short drive to Williamson this past Sunday. Pastor Bazalet arranged for Barry to preach at a church we had not yet been too. Like we see all around us, there was clearly deception and hypocrisy in the church. The sermon clearly explained these things, as well as defining repentance and painting a clear picture of what it means to be born again. The warfare was raging that Sunday morning. Of the same group of people who danced and clapped all through the singing before the sermon, many of them left the building in a hurry looking angry. Lord willing, they were provoked to consider what they heard and ponder their souls in the scope of eternity.

That same afternoon, we returned to Williamson to visit an orphanage with 14 beautiful children. We came into contact with the pastor of the church that runs it when he came to our house seeking help. They seem to be in great need of support, most months barely scraping by and losing some of their staff for lack of pay. It was a blessing to watch them joyfully sing about Jesus for us. It seems to be an organization that is offering these children a lot of potential as far as how and what they are being taught. We are in prayer about how we can help in ministering to these tender young lives.

Tuesday presented a new venture for the whole team. They decided it was time to head to an area in Port-au-Prince that is rather uncharted territory- Citè Soleil (City So-lay).  It seems that the gospel has not been preached there, as people are fearful to pass through this area, and many avoid it.  Barry has felt lead to preach there for quite some time. Even the Haitians were nervous about going. One of his team members was nowhere to be found that morning. As they approached the area, it was clear that these people needed a savior. As Barry began to preach, a crowd quickly gathered. These people were starving for the gospel!

God blessed their efforts. People were hungry for the Gospel like nothing they've yet seen. Thousands of tracts were handed out in the time they were there.  Several new contacts were made, and three people wanted to repent and give their lives to Christ.

What a testimony of what God can do when men are given the courage to go outside the camp! Now that the door has been opened, they plan to return in the future, praying that God continues to give these desolate souls a hunger and longing for a hope they've never truly heard of.

The rest of the week has been filled with going to and fro helping with various needs, language lessons, and Bible studies with different churches.  Wednesday and Thursday were Bible studies with two different churches in Williamson, and today they made a four hour drive (in good traffic) southwest bound to Miragoâne to preach to a church group. Barry is thankful to be back in full swing preaching and ministering wherever the Lord calls.

Thank you for praying! 

Week 14 on the Island

The past few weeks have been different from the first 12 weeks of our time here. We were without a vehicle, so it was a time to slow down and experience Haiti on a more personal level.

The down time all started when Barry realized that the black truck, his main transportation, was in need of an engine rebuild. The plan was to take the truck to Guyteau, a man in Port-au-Prince whom Barry was referred to for various tasks. He would have one of his mechanics rebuild the engine.  Barry would need a ride home after dropping it off, so someone would follow him with the red truck, another truck our church brethren bought years ago. Since our translator said he has a valid drivers license and drove frequently for another mission, he seemed fit for the task. They were less than a mile outside of Arcahaie when Barry noticed that the other truck was not behind him anymore. He called Anouce, who said only that something was wrong with the truck and he had to pull over. It turned out that the automatic transmission had been kept in low gear, rather than drive, and the engine was blown to pieces. 

The red truck was towed to a different mechanic nearby, where they claimed they could fix it in one week. The appointment was kept for the black truck in Port-au-Prince and a rental car was picked up to use for the five days it was supposed to take to fix it. When the time "in the shop" was too far extended, the rental car was returned in order to save expenses. When the black truck was finally picked up, there were still several things terribly wrong, and the truck was left in Port-au-Prince with the mechanic again.  It soon became evident that preaching at long distances away would have to wait. 

Meanwhile, we have had more time with the locals, and it seems that the Gospel is stirring some people up. More of them seem to want to go to church and have become more open to hearing about their need for of salvation. There was one particular opportunity to share Christ when we found out that electricity was being stolen directly from our generator by several nearby neighbors. They tried to deny doing any such thing, but when the evidence clearly pointed against them, and they were told that God sees everything, they confessed their theft. Barry still felt led to find a way to set up five houses with the ability to run lights off of a battery that's charged by our generator. 

The home for the widows behind us is finally finished, and they seem to be truly blessed by their new place. The oldest, Alice, seems to be growing more frail, but is always happy to see visitors and tries to share and talk as well as she can. The other day she asked Barry to "give her a blessing" and pray with her. Her daughter, Getrid, is full of smiles; quite different from her burdened demeanor when we first came here.

Barry has also been doing some traveling around nearby to pray with the sick. He and Merelin are working with two young people who are mute because of voodoo spells that were placed on them. They are rather lifeless, just sitting in a trance, and appear to eat only enough to keep them alive. It is such a burden to see young lives under this bondage and waiting to be set free. 

He sat in this position for a long period of time while they cried out to God.  

We are glad to now have the black truck back with us.  After leaving Barry stranded a few times and more things getting fixed, it seems to finally be running more smoothly. There are still a few things that need repaired, but we are hopeful it will all be done soon. Barry is ready to get his team going again and continue preaching and discipling wherever the Lord leads.

Barry and the boys replacing a CV axle on the black truck

The longer we are here in Haiti, the more needs we see abounding everywhere.  As more people find out where we are, we receive more opportunities to minister to the needs all around us. Please continue to pray for us, as doors continue to open, and the devil continues to war against us.

Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed.

Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for thou art my praise. Jeremiah 17:14

The Lord always has something important to show us, and maybe it's just a little bit easier for us to see it when we're living in a place like Haiti. Last week we were reminded about the brevity of life. We were reminded that God is always in total control of who is granted his next breath, and who he choses to send into eternity. We were reminded of the great need to share the blessed hope of eternal life that is offered through the blood of Jesus. This week, God showed us these same things again, but this time with a different type of story.


In a place like America, men can say they don't really "need God." If we fall sick, be it a simple cold or a terrible, chronic disease, there is an abundance of medicine and men to turn to. Here, though, especially in the mountain, its not so easy. The doctors aren't so easy to get to, and despite the significantly lower cost to visit them than in the states, the people who could get there still can't often afford it. This leaves people with two options. Many of them, unfortunately, turn to voodoo. The other option: call out to the Almighty God in faith. Sometimes, they don't know how to go about it, so they ask for a Pastor. This is how Barry met one dear family last week, after some friends had come with the message that a very sick man was requesting to be prayed with.

There he found a young man, in his early thirties, whose body seemed to be eating away at itself. Just one year ago, he was a strong, robust man, but now his frail, bony body was lying helplessly on the bed, where he had been for quite some time. He was so weak he was barely able to speak, and his young family seemed to be suffering from the distress of the situation. This man, having no idea what was wrong with him, only knew that he was in pain and desperately needed help. He had declared that if God would heal him, he would wholly dedicate himself to serving Him. Barry prayed with him and called out for the healing he so desperately needed.

A family clearly in need of help

That evening, Barry was sharing his heart with us and explained the severity of the situation. The man was slipping into such an awful condition, he explained, that we would soon be faced with a decision ourselves. Either God would heal him, or we would have to take him to get medical help before this man died.

First thing the next morning, Barry made the drive past Williamson and into the mountain a short distance to check on the man and his family. What he found is still enough to bring tears of joy. He was sitting up, smiling, and said that he had been out working in the garden that morning! This is nothing short of a miracle and we praise Jesus for hearing our prayers!

Barry is continuing to check on him, anxious to see the life change this man makes. May God be glorified through his testimony!

Around our Neighborhood

Due to some setbacks with vehicles, the long-distance preaching and discipleship meetings had to be postponed. Fortunately, though, there is still plenty to do nearby. Last Sunday the Lord had it that Barry preach at Lifeline again. He felt weak that morning, and it was truly up to the Spirit to lead his speach. He spoke on deception and explained how it happens within the church. At times like these we can always see that less of me is more of Christ. The only way anyone could have left that buliding with sin in their hearts is by some serious distracting and pulling from the enemy.

This morning's Sunday services were at a church within walking distance from home. Some young people had stopped by earlier in the week to present us with some of the moringa products that they sell for a living. They quickly learned what we were here for and what we were about. Two of them were leaders in the church and invited Barry to preach there today.  He was led to share a message on the wages of sin is death, as many in the congregation were effected by the recent accident in the neighborhood that took several lives. He explained that if a man is born again, there is power in the blood of Jesus, and that man should no longer be held captive by sin. He ended by detailing what it means to repent, and expressed that we should no longer desire to go "back to the water where we were drowning" ever again. There seemed to be quite a mixed group there, with several of the older women giving "Amen" through the message, while some of the apparently rebellious young people we have seen elsewhere continued to be distracted by their own desires. May God continue letting the words be heard as the week continues.

We're enjoying getting to know a lot of the people who are our very nearby neighbors. Some of them are working on the widows' house, many of them attend the nearby church where Benji preached during his visit, and the children are often out and about and anxious to visit. Some of the young ladies have expressed a desire for more modest clothing, and we were blessed to have some dresses to share with them. Many thanks for all the hard work that was put into getting these down here!