The Time Has Come!

September 26, 2015

Mission Haiti 2015 is now history. The days went by so fast.  I set up a busy schedule before I left. Almost too much. There were some things I wanted to do but the time filled up quickly. The pastors/wives conference was well attended and they did well participating in the discussions.  Healthy marriages are an issue everywhere…a worldwide issue. They share the same concerns as all of us.

I haven’t totaled up the number of pastors who wanted a one-on-one visit time with me. All of them are in need of encouragement and the affirmation they are headed in the right direction. A difficult element in leading the churches is the power of tradition. “We have always done it that way before”….scripturally or not. In most of the churches tradition trumps scripture and the pastors realize that. They also realize that this will take generations to change but it must start with them.

They love the people in their churches and want them to grow spiritually. Almost all have building needs. One pastor doesn’t have a building. His church meets under a tent the year round. They have purchased a piece of property and hope one day groups will come in and help him with a new church building…made of concrete blocks/mortar. Haiti is in need of many churches from USA to come and help with construction.

One of the pastors did not have a mattress for his children. They slept on the dirt floor with rocks protruding upward. A blanket was laid down on the floor and that’s where they slept. That situation was taken care. The children slept on a mattress for the first time. During the Wednesday break at the workshop, a lady came up to me and gave me a BIG hug. I had no clue who she was but found out quickly she was the mother of the children. Great feeling to be able to help.

The goats and pigs were bought to finish up the herd of each. This has been a project in process for a year. People at Crossroads, kids in the church, and a few outside the church gave so this project could be finished this year. There is now another project in the works to get two goats per pastor so they can build a herd for their church/orphanage. This has been a God sent idea.

Some fun events happened beyond those mentioned: We did a Lord’s Supper American style although I don’t think it was not much different than theirs. I did a wedding for a couple who were living together, were convicted of it being wrong, and wanted to get back their close relationship with God. The pastors/wives were elated at these events. When I passed out the oven mitts to the ladies and the concordances to the pastors the responses was that of children at Christmas time. These were Items they would never buy for themselves. Thank God for touching lives that are so hungry for help, friendship, and education, and for further relationship building.

Thursday, August 13
Only one and a half weeks till the Haiti trip begins. I am anxious to renew relationships with the pastors and the orphans. Again, I will be lodging with Terry and Carolyn Routon. They are great folks and have a heart for the Haitian peo30, 2015ple. I believe they are living out their calling. This couple has a deep passion for their various ministries to men, women, and children. God has truly put them where He desires for them to be.

This year's workshops will be directed towards the pastors and their wives.  Other than a relationship with God, this is the primary relationship in the church...the pastor and his wife.  I have seen several churches become sidetracked, get off mission, and experience turmoil because the church's first family was in conflict. Like all men and their wives, pastors/wives must  build a marriage that honors Jesus and edifies the church.   Good marriages don't just happen. They must work to have a good marriage. Pastors/wives face many pressures that the members are unaware of and these pressures need to be addressed maybe in a non-threatening conference setting.  The pastors/wives in Haiti face difficult circumstances because of their culture and, with direction/brainstorming, they can work together to find solutions. We will address "Marriage for a Lifetime". 

Another element this year will be spending one-on-one time with pastors.  Sometimes pastors need  to talk to another pastor. Sometimes they just need someone to listen and sometimes they need some suggestions. I will enjoy this part of the trip. I love pastors. I know what pastors go through. I want to help as I can.

Another new element is to gift the pastors/wives. They live in a survival mode daily. There are things they could buy for themselves but will not because they need to put clothes on their backs and food on the table. I want to encourage them with items that they can use.  (Note: I would put the name of the items on here but some may be reading this post. LOL)

Since last year, I have seen several pics of the children and heard some good reports of great happenings as well as needs. One of the joys of last year's trip was spending time with them.  I plan to do the same this trip. They are hungry for love and attention and they are just hungry.  Food is not abundant. With God's provisions and the help of others, since last August I have been able to provide 4 goats and 3 pigs. The pastor who directs the orphanage has a vision of having 6-8 goats and 6-8 pigs for the purpose of continually raising animals for food.  I am hoping to make that a reality this trip.  One goat will provide food for about 3 days.  Add rice to that and there is food for everyone.  

A wonderful surprise came this year when I found out that our Church's Teamkids, that meet on Wednesday nights, had decided to begin collecting mission money to buy a goat.  On their behalf I will be purchasing five goats.  They have had many projects in the past.  They have heard me talk about the orphans need for food and they decided to do their part by purchasing one goat. Glory be to God one goat has grown to five.  The love of children for other children.

There around 40-50 pastors in the area. Terry and Carolyn have set a goal of providing 2 goats for each church. Donations have come in and each pastor has been provided with one goat.  If possible, I want to be able to add more.

Well, I need to get back to workshop preparations. Please pray for: trip safety, the workshops, the children, and Terry/Carolyn. Trusting God for a rewarding, fruitful trip.