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!

The Value of a Soul

The days go by much too quickly when people come from home to stay with us. We were blessed to have our elders and their families here from late Thursday evening to very early Monday morning. Two days of travel time left just three full days to do all that everyone wanted to do while they were here. Despite the short visit, Barry enjoyed taking some time off to fellowship and we were both very encouraged through their time here.

Meeting the men who are working on the widows' house and visiting on the front porch.

Matching new friends

We enjoyed the fellowship and singing

together...in English! :)

Friday, Barry took the men with him to a discipleship meeting in nearby Williamson. It was a blessing that they were able to be there for one of these and later offer their feedback on how things are going at these meetings. We returned to the same church for Sunday morning services and invited some of our friends from another Williamson church to come along. It was one of the more mild services we've been to as far as the music and worship time goes, which we were glad of. After the congregational singing, our youth that were along went up to sing a few songs for the church. Although the congregation couldn't understand the words, it seemed they were blessed by the spirit of praise our young people had in singing to the Lord. Barry then brought the main message, feeling led again to share a salvation message and expressing the need to be freed from sin. It was followed by an alter call, and several people came to the front after seeing the need to get rid of sin they had been living with. Praise be to God for calling men and women to holiness!

Sunday morning service at Williamson

Saturday's plans were tossed around for some time after we waited to hear how much it had rained in the mountain and if we had time to make trip. After taking care of some errands in the morning, we decided to head out, leaving a little later than we'd typicallly like to start the long trek up to the

Stopped for a break

village. With two truckloads full of people, it was expected to take three or four hours at a slow and steady pace. When we were about two-thirds of the way to our destination, it was past lunch time and we decided to stop and have a light snack. After a half hour or so, we were packed up and on our way again. Up another hill and around a sharp left turn, we could see a small crowd gathered along the roadside about a half mile ahead of us.

A group of people along the roadside isn't uncommon, as they are often there trying to sell things, waiting on rides, or just congregating for social purposes. It didn't take long, though, to see that something different was happenning here. When our truck stopped right next to them, where we could see that a young man was lying on the ground with a bloody arm wrapped loosely in a shirt. It was apparent he had been bleeding a lot, but we had no idea how much since his shirt was covering the wound. We knew enough Creole to ask if he had been hurt by a machete, a common agricultural tool in Haiti. Barry was quick to tie a strip of the shirt tightly around his upper arm. It appeared that the bleeding had stopped. I could see that he was starting to pass out, so my first thought was to grab some water. He was still conscious enough that he guzzled like he hadn't drank in days as I poured it in his mouth. Brother Solomon prayed over him as we all asked the Lord what we should do next. There were a couple of men that looked very concerned, and their desperate countenances were enough to see that they were pleading for help.

Pulling away from the place we found the injured man

He was quickly and carefully loaded into the back of our truck, where some of his friends rode along trying to help. We turned our caravan around and headed back down to try to make the 15 mile trek to the hospital, knowing half of those miles would be at 10 or 15 miles an hour. We thought, with Barry picking up the pace, we would surely make it in time. As we bumped along the rocky trail, I was constantly turned around trying to check on him while we continued to pray inside the truck. It was only 20 or 30 minutes after we had picked him up that I noticed the faces of the man's friends change to be even more concerned. They were rubbing his face with cold water, and moments later asked us to stop the truck.

The man had stopped breathing. I was still crying out to God to save him, knowing that the chances of him ever knowing his need for Christ were slim. Barry performed CPR, but it was of no use, as he was completely depleted of blood. More crowds gathered and started shouting "Ki mouri! Ki mouri!" Which is something like, "he's dead."   They soon asked us to back up to the small village we had just come through, where they wrapped his lifeless body in the blanket he had been on in the truck and laid him back on the side of the road.

There were now many people gathered around, so it was a prime opportunity to share with them about the seriousness of death and eternity and explain that not everybody goes to heaven. We did not have Anouce with us, so only a handful of men who were sobered by the recent loss of life gathered around to hear what Barry shared through the soft-spoken Haitian we had along who was trying to translate. There were others around who carried on as if nothing unusual had happened.

When we determined we had done all we could do, we decided to continue on and head for home with heavy hearts. It's easy to say we could have done this or that differently, but God has a plan and design for all things that we don't always fully understand. This 20 year old man was out working in the field with his brother, as we understand it, and they broke out in a tussle. It started with swinging sticks at each other, but the anger escalated enough that one actually hit his brother with a machete. The strike to the arm severed his major arteries. With a wound so severe it was likely he had done most of his bleeding before we found him.

Last Saturday was a day I am certain that none of us will soon forget. It has led us all to further ponder how quickly life can end. How important it is for our hearts to be ready to stand before God! How important it is for believers to share this need with others before they take their last breath! This man never expected that when he went out to work in the fields, it would be hours later he would be coming to the end of his life.  Let us always be ready!

Realizing what just happened.

Witnessing to a group who were sobered by the loss of life.

We are thankful for God's protection while Barry is out daily doing the work he's called to do. His plate is always full; there was one week in particular that he preached at eight churches in five days. Just this evening, he called us on his way home from Port-au-Prince to tell me he may not be home for a long time, as there were riots and road blocks in Archahaie and traffic wasn't moving. The Lord is always faithful. I called him an hour later to see how things were going, and he was somehow moving right through everything. As he approached our road, people were telling him to turn back. He told them he just needs to go right here, and went ahead and made the turn. He arrived safely at home after passing through a situation that could have been quite hazardous without God watching over him. Again, thank you all for your continual prayers!

Preaching Near and Far

Greetings!

Benji, Steve, and Mark are back home again after a busy week here in Haiti. Barry had several things lined up during the days they were here; some days longer than others. I and the boys and Katie didn't go along for most things for lack of space, but I'll do my best to share their experiences from what I heard and the pictures Barry took. Thursday was supposed to be a meeting with pastors, but due to unforeseen circumstances it was canceled. They put their work boots on and went over to help with the widows' house for several hours in the heat of the day. That evening was Bible study with the group that Barry has met with regularly on Thursday/Friday evenings. It seemed to be almost all different people present this time, so they covered much of the same topic on modesty and women's role in the church. Friday was their long day as they made a venture into the mountains near Les Cayes. They had the translators along again on Saturday as they went to another meeting with pastors and church leaders west of Port-au-Prince. From there they went straight to the market in Port-au-Prince to witness on the street. Each of them took a turn preaching to the crowds that gathered while others handed out gospel tracts.

One-on-one at a Bible Study

Making a stop on the long trip to Les Cayes

As for Sunday morning services, we all took a 10 minute walk down the road to the church that's pastored by our nearby neighbor, Oscar. In many ways, it wasn't quite what we expected to find behind those doors. There were many familiar faces as its kind of the neighborhood church, but the worship was far more zealous than anything we've seen yet. Since we are so closeby and and have begun a friendship with Pastor Oscar, Barry felt led to allow Benji to bring the main message, believing he'll have a chance to share at another time. Benji opened his message by using the Titanic as an example, telling the story of how the captain received six warnings to stop the engines. The captain of the ship refused to heed the warnings, and minutes later the ship that "God himself could not sink" was at the bottom of the ocean. This was a picture of Haiti, a nation that is quickly sinking unless the people heed the warnings from God. The Lord led him to bring forth six warnings for the church: America's influence on Haiti's people, modesty and the need to be seperate from the world, sinners will not enter Heaven, the importance of submission and proper headship, there is no salvation without repentence and godly sorrow, and without holiness a man will not see God.

Following the message, Barry continued to exhort the group, and asked that if anyone felt they needed to repent of their sins to come to the front of the church. At first, not one person wanted to move. He asked again if every single person present was without sin. Finally one woman came forth. Soon another followed, then another. They continued to come until the front of the church was full of people, some crying out to God in prayer. We believe the Holy Spirit was moving in many of them and there was some true repentance happening. We praise God for meeting us there that morning! There are some important differences with our beliefs and some things this church practices, but we pray that through our time here God will allow us to continue in a relationship with them and the doors will be opened to share with Pastor Oscar and his flock.

Monday morning, they were off to the airport again to send our three visiting pilgrims back to the US. Early that afternoon, Barry had another preaching engagement set up nearby in Williamson. Wednesday evening around supper time, we had an unexpected visit from a whole church group that also came from Williamson. They had been doing something for a relative of one of their congregation nearby and stopped in to see us. We didn't have a translator here, so they blessed us with singing several songs while they sat for a visit. Jacmel was on the schedule for Tuesday, and after a four hour drive down south and a hike through the trees on a narrow footpath, they reached a church that was completely empty. It turned out there had been a miscommunication, and it was market day in the village. Pastor Bazalet was able to round up a small group for a Bible study before heading to another church in Jacmel to preach. Barry is back in Williamson again this afternoon (Thursday) meeting with two different groups.

Anouce and Pastor Bazelet on the path to the church outside

of Jacmel.

Things are moving along on the house for the widows. The block is laid for the walls

and they should be starting the framing for the roof soon. The younger of the two that's able to go out and sit and watch is so joyful to see this home being built. I am eager to see her moved in with a good roof over her head. May God be glorified through all of this!

If there are details of our stay here that you'd like to read about on the blog, let us know! We're again so thankful for all the letters and cards of encouragement that were sent down with the last group. They are being read and enjoyed slowly, and we're doing our best to savor the physical provisions and treats as well. Thanks for checking in with us!

Bondye bon tout ton!