I am sitting here needing to pack my personal carry on, but am choosing to enter something before the busy-ness of the mission trip gets going.  We have not even begun our trip and the blessing that we have received continue to come in.  I am blessed that my husband's cousin's wife Barbie and two of her friends will be joining us this year.  We have asked for and received backpack, medicine for children, money for mosquito nets, money to start a rabbit project there.  I continue to receive calls from members informing me, " You are not going to believe this"  Oh yes I will.  God has proven and continues to prove that is is at work among us.  We are taking 14 bags of 50 lbs each full of all of the items donates.  If you have nothing better to do at 2am, wanna help load the vehicles?  :)

Our Bible study while on this mission trip is two fold, Forgotten God, reversing our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit and When God's Spirit Moves.  Need to get to packing.  Stay tuned to more post as internet availability allows.  God Bless you all        Sue

Blessed to be a Blessing

       One thing I am becoming more and more aware of is where I belong and what I should be doing in this grand scheme of life.  I was raised knowing that if someone asked for your help, you rolled your sleeves up and got in their and helped.  There are a lot of things we can do, with our talents for the church, but what is our gift that God has given each one of us?  So many of us struggle with this thought.  In doing this Study, Experiencing the Holy Spirit"by Larry Keefauver, I have gotten a much better picture of how it all works. 
     I always knew and had no problem with speaking in front of people, no matter how large of group, yet my personality and popularity of my middle and high school years limited the things I did.  I was not in any plays, yea I know, for all of you who have know me for the past 20 years are shocked.  Theater is so much of who I am now, but back then no.  The only thing I did take part in was speech contest through school and 4-H.   Living in a small community we didn't experience mission trips, most of us were high on the social economic scale anyway, and would not have been able to afford to do trips like that. 
      Since getting married I have been afforded the opportunity to serve in mission type of work in various capacities. Since living overseas all of them have also included a Bible study, which I have continued with the teams I take to Haiti.  In this last study I have realized that natural talent does not necessarily equate spiritual gifting.  While the Holy Spirit may use a natural talent you have in ministry, you many not necessarily have natural skills for your gifts.  But we will receive supernatural power from the Spirit to minister in the gifts(s) He gives us.  One scripture that was highlighted was,

1 Peter 4:11       Do you have the gift of speaking?  Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you.  Do you have the gift of helping others?  Do it will all the strength and energy that God supplies.  Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ.  All Glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

    It is funny how you can do studies and then all of a sudden, you see things you have never seen before.  I feel as if I now understand that I am to share what God has done in my life to help other see what the possibilities are in theirs.  I have been blessed with this gift so I can in turn be a blessing to others.  He calls us out of our security and comfort to go out to bless others so that  "all nations" can receive His blessing.  May God place someone in your path today that is to be a blessing for you.

 

Change of Plans

         The statement “there is going to be a change of plans”, is normal for us here is Haiti.  We have just learned to go with the flow.  Our group was scheduled to sort uniforms for the kids at school and get it ready for distribution day of Friday.  We got so much work done in a short period of time that one of the Life Connection Mission guys decided to have all the pre-school kids to come in and get their uniforms today.  One of the younger boys that helped at the mission, went around town on the four wheeler with a bullhorn announcing that pre-school could come in and get their uniforms.  Before you knew it kids filled the school ground and we were off.  It was so exciting to see Claudson come through the line to get his khaki pants and his two shirts for school.  You can tell he was so excited.    It wasn’t long before older kids started coming through.  We worked steady from 9am to 1:30.  I could not believe what time it was.  We were so busy.  Tomorrow we will finish with the rest of the kids in the school.  We were able to tie a few loose ends up with items for our families before returning back to the compound.  We got back in time for our evening meal. 

I have so enjoyed the Bible Study that we have been doing.  Are we living in the Holy Spirit?  It has been amazing to see how we have been blessed with the gifts of the spirit for build up the body.  We so witness down here every day, what the Spirit is doing in our lives.  I will write more if time and internet and power allow.

We have had so many problems with the internet and having powe that this will be my last post before stepping back on US soil tomorrow .  We will leave the compound tomorrow morning at 5:30.  Our flight leaves at 9am.  A glass of milk sounds really good right about now.  It is funny the things you crave when you don't have access to them.   Will sign out before I lose internet.

God Bless you All

Happiness is not about things...

Wednesday, was one of those hurry to wait days.  We all needed to be ready right after breakfast so we could go and start working on the kid’s school uniforms for distribution day on Friday.  It seems like all of Haiti is run on the fact that there is only one key for every door and the person who has the one key is always off to some meeting or getting supplies in Port-au-Prince.  So we wait for a while and then readjust the morning or day. 

The little church that I grew up in Hubbard, Nebraska has been actively following my mission work the last few years.  I have shared with them my experiences and they felt moved to help this year with sewing kits.  Marian Painter, whose daughter goes to the same church we do in Chillicothe, heads it up.  I was so proud of my little church; they got together 15 sewing kits for me to give to her for distribution.  She gives them to the second years girls.  They have proven that they are serious about the class and have completed enough work to even begin little private jobs or altering their own clothes themselves.  These kits allow them to have the items to do this.  When we went to Marians only 4 of the girls/ladies were there and today they were working on little dresses that they were embroidering some pretties on the collars of the dresses.  When they are done with those, they will be donated to one of the orphanages there in town.  When Marian donates the fabric that is what they do.  If they pay for the fabric themselves they can do them for their family or to sell.  We had a wonderful visit while we were there. 

Then we were off to our family.  We had decided as a team what and how we were going to tell them about Claudson.  We arrived to find most of the family there.  We told them that we would love to sit and talk with them./  Papa immediately started going from neighbor to neighbor to borrow a chair to have enough for all of us to sit on.  Once that was completed we shared with them how sick Claudson was.  We did not share that he was not going to make it to be an adult.  Just that he was very, very sick.  We did describe in great detail what was actually wrong with his heart.  They shared with us that momma Adalene was very sick during her pregnancy with him and afterwards.  So who knows what may have caused this condition. I then went on to explain how excited we all were that all the boys were now going to be in school, that momma had a job and then we told papa that he as of Sept. 1^st was going to be employed also.  He was so excited and so happy and started praising God.  I had shared that his last prayer need from his last year was for him to find a job and that God always hears our prayers, but out of obedience we wait for his answers.  One of our translators asked if they plan on having any more children, because that could altar him hours able to work.  He shook both hands in the air, and in said, NO, NO, NO...We all smiled and laughed.  Then papa shared something that none of us knew.  That papa and mamma we not married yet.  I said “WHAT”, you need to make her an honest woman, all of us laughing together.  Alex, who is the same age of my boys, said we need a wedding.  So before God and all of us, a slew of neighborhood children and a group of curious neighbors, Alex had papa get on one knee and he repeated the vows to her as Alex had said.  I think momma Adalene was blushing.  Then the proclamation was made, and now before the eyes of God and these witnesses, you are now man and wife.  Cheers came from everywhere.  What fun.  Then I said, you may now kiss your bride and he did. Momma blushed more.  We were all smiles.  We again thanked God for all he had done in this family’s life.  Just before leaving, I asked papa and the translator to come in off the porch and I shared how proud and touched I was to see his devotion to his children and to momma. We shared hat because his job would not start until Sept 1^st I knew he would need a little cash to get him by.  I gave him $40 to get food to keep them until his first paycheck.  We hugged me and in English said, “We love you.”  After going back out we all circled with hands and I prayed for God to continue in their lives.  After my prayer, we asked papa if he wanted to pray for us.  He was slow to begin, but them my word, the words just flowed from him with praise and thanksgiving as to what God had done for them.  He thanks God for his American family and asked God to watch over us.  His prayer went on for some time, it was so touching.  Then just before leaving I asked what we could be praying for them.  He looked at me and said that they had everything they needed.  I have thought about that for some time now.  They have 5 of the 9 children still at home, they live in a 12x12 space, their meals are mostly rice and beans, they do their laundry in the river and they have a son that will not become an adult.  I praise God for all the things he shows me while I am here.  Happiness is not about things. 

Just got to compound and we have power, so quickly posting.  Just found out one of the vehicles has a flat, actually a split on the side wall.  It cost $200 for one new tire, prayers for that to become available. 

Love and the Peace of God be with you all

sue

Two Trips, Two Directions, One Spirit

       Our team will divide today to accomplish what is needed this morning.  We have added a new family that we have found and have secured sponsors for the two children.  They live in a small one room structure that is made of woven wood strips and covered in mud.  Her floor is made of dirt, and when it rains, water seeps into her home.  Tomorrow morning, we will be delivering two goats to them to have for their own.  Both are females and one is ready for milking.  The hopes are that she will raise the babies to sell or butcher to heat to help support her family.  The momma, Rose Mary is expecting a baby in three months.  Most mothers get none or next to no prenatal care.  She two children, Brenel (boy) age 5, and Julie (2 ½).  Julie has orange hair, which is a sign of malnutrition.   Momma Rose Mary is also suffering with severe tooth pain.

    I will go with a translator and Papa with Claudson  to a cardiologist in Port-au-Prince.  During a clinic he was found to have a substantial heat in his heart.  It has been confirmed and  we have made an appointment for 9:30 in the morning.  We need to leave here at 7:30 to get there on time.  Claudson has no birth certificate or any other legal documentation proving who he is.  The office said we did not need anything,  We are grateful for that.  But if for some reason  they decide that he will need surgery, the states is the best place for that and he will have to get some legal documents to apply for a medical visa.  But that is a bridge that does not need to be crossed.

We have been doing a Bible Study about the Holy Spirit and how we are empowered.  Yesterday was empowered praying and today was empowered healing.  The healing is not about us or the person needs the healing, it is about the Healer.  God the Healer performs miracles of healing by His Spirit throughout history.  We ask that you lift these people up in pray.  To God be the Glory.

God Bless

Momma Rose Mary (lady who lives in mud hut) had the goats delivered by  other part of team.  Both of them were expecting and she understands that if males are born they can be sold, they have no provisions for keeping anything.  She may butcher one, and then sell the meat to others, but it goes bad fast down here. 

I got Claudson to the specialist and he did an echo on him.  He then said that he felt better if we went to this other doctor.  He could better do what we needed.  We were so worried, got to one location, then another.  This is not the easiest thing to do here.  We called and “thanks be to God”, the doctor told us to come right over, that he could get us in.  We finally found the place.  How they drive here is beyond me.  There are next to no street signs, hardly anyone has a number of their building.  We are grateful for the signs that are hung outside.  We found it in a short time and was inside the building.  This building was full of all types of special doctors.  Baby, teeth, eyes, internal medicine, heart and a pharmacy were are located in this compound.  Then we waited for a short time and then got in.  Thank God, the doctor was from Egypt and spoke wonderful English.  We had to pay up front.  Even before I sat in the chair to speak with him, the cash was in his hands.  Claudson was such a good boy and did everything he was told.  Thank you all for your prayers, but the news is not good.  His hold should have been repaired in his first month of life.  Would not have been a big deal, but now that he is almost 5; it has done a lot of damage to his heart.  At the point surgery is not an option anymore.  He doesn’t think he could even survive the surgery.  He said that he would not make it to adulthood and that making it to his teenage year is a stretch.  It broke my heart.  So many things that we take for granted that would have been noticed even in a prenatal check are what add to the mortality rate here in Haiti.  We will still take all the information back with us and give it to the doctor who has agreed to help us, we pray.  At this point it is out of our hands and in God’s. 

   We will meet with the family today.  We will tell them that he is very sick, but that is all.  The rest is not for us.  I think Papa knew after the exam, but none of us spoke.  I have lost a son, I know the pain.  It was all I could do to keep the tears I felt inside. 

Tropical Storm Emily

     Many of us were unaware that a tropical storm was building out in the ocea.  We had lost internet, but another local missionary who flies down here has a weather tracker on his phone and he and his wife had joined us for our afternoon meal.  He explained what they were reporting at the time.  then between various calls to home we were able to be aware of it's path.  One day it was projected to hit our village as a direct hit.  I called a childhood friend and she posted on the internet for prayers for us here in Haiti on Facebook.  The storm changed it's path further north and when the rain bands went over the mopuntains they were all broken up.  We never even got a drop of water out of it.  Just heavy winds and choppy seas.  Thank you to all those who have prayed for us.

    I am also trying to upload some new pictures.  Just be patient, here in Haiti, things are a little slower.

God Bless you all

Impossible is not a word!

Impossible is not a word, it’s just a reason for someone not to try.  I've seen miracles just happen.  these are words to a song by Kutless, but it is what we experience day in and day out down here.

Mwen Bouke, That is Creole for I’m tired.  We really don’t put in long days in total hours, but it is constant when we do.  We start all jobs 9am and work until 4pm or the last person was seen.  We take two breaks of 15 mins each during the day.  Today was another clinic day.  We saw 156 people.  One station check blood pressure, got their name and age and then came to my station where I (through a translator) found out their symptoms or what was wrong with them and then sent them off to the Doctor for further evaluation.  A group of sick  kids from an orphanage were brought in, most had malaria or worms.  We ran the gambit of illnesses from, flu to pregnancy and scabies to congestive heart failure.  When you are down here and something is happening, everything rolls up their sleeves and pitches in.  You will never hear, “ I can’t do that”, we just do it.  We learn along the way.

Will enter more later, have things to do to get ready for tomorrow.

God Bless