I have been home from Haiti for a few weeks, but realized that I did not send a final update out. First…just wanted to clarify that I only sent 3 updates out…this makes number 4! I numbered the updates wrong. So if you thought you missed one…you did not!
The last day was very significant…worth still sending this to you. The last day we saw the worst devastation of the whole week. We walked up on a hill inbetween buildings and arrived to a very disheartening site. Just about every home was damaged or destroyed. We stood next to a “grave” where 6 people are still buried. There was another family still digging for 7 of their family members. At the church, the pastor lost 2 of his daughters. I spent time ministering to the sister who came back to help the family. Our other team also had opportunity to pray in 3 different houses where church members had died and were still in the rubble. They ministered to a very elderly man dying in the back of a van. Yet in the midst of such loss there was such a sense of hope in Christ. They grieve but with hope.
Our last day was also very encouraging as we finished out our week of service. We had a lot of time to just be with friends we had made that week. Just before dinner, I was walking past the kitchen and one of the young girls, Esther, stopped me. She said, “Can you teach me some sign language?” It was such a precious half an hour that we spent together. She had been standing by when I was teaching one of our interpreters…quietly observing. She was just beaming while we shared together!
We also had a special treat. The ladies in the kitchen came and sang a song to us in Haitian! It was beautiful! One of the DR workers from New York, Dan has had a ministry here in Haiti for the past 10 years. He is fluent in Creole. He has been ministering to the kitchen workers…and has earned their respect. He encouraged them to sing for us tonight. They also spent about 15 minutes praising God in the kitchen after singing to us in the dining room. It was a moving, powerful moment.
The past few weeks since I have returned home have been days of reflection. I have been processing through all that God has shown me through this opportunity. I have had the opportunity to speak in 5 churches since returning home about this experience. The message was simple but powerful…God sent us to Haiti to tell the people He loves them. We had 30 people accept Jesus as their Lord & Savior in the 9 days while were there. May we be as bold & simple for Jesus now that we have returned home.
One of the churches I spoke in last week was Dove Christian Ministries in Oxnard. After services that day we ended up in a Starbucks. After talking about being bold for Christ, I shouldn’t have been too surprised at how God confirmed that message! There it was, a sign that said, “Try something BOLD”… now for Starbucks, it was advertising their BOLD coffees. Last week it was for their African coffee! Yet we all smiled as we are being challenged with the Word He has given us! So I put that question out to you… “Will you try something BOLD…for Jesus?!”
Prayer Requests:
1. Pray for the continued follow-up on those who received Christ since the earthquake.
2. For the people of Haiti that need continued prayer. Many are experiencing symptoms of post traumatic stress. Many are asking for prayers that they do not “loose their minds.” They are having many physical symptoms such as headaches and racing hearts.
3. The current and future Disaster Relief teams that continue to serve in Haiti.
4. Pray for a sense of peace.
5. Pray for Brian, one of my team members that will be leaving for Chile on April 4th. Pray for his friend, Andrew who will be joining him as they will help in the building of shelters.
Thank you for your prayers. I am sending out a separate email regarding Raining Hope and our Uganda ministry
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