Looking back..Looking forward

I find it hard to believe that Christmas is two weeks from Sunday.  Seems like last week we were celebrating Thanksgiving. And 2016…well…the year has gone by quickly. I have to say the most awesome, fulfilling experience for me was the mission trip to the Philippines. The time with the pastors and their wives, visiting the children in Squatter’s village, visiting in the pastor’s homes, visiting in members homes, speaking in two church services, speaking at a graduation ceremony, helping a man with his roof, providing medicine for families, and just making new friends combined for an awesome trip. Many Filipinos friended me before I even got there and many more after I left.

My goal for 2016 was to take two mission trips--to the Philippines and to Haiti. There were not enough funds for Haiti.  I am still hopeful that the two trips will materialize next year.  The missionaries from Haiti (Terry/Carolyn Routon) will be stateside January thru March. While in Haiti, they lead a Ladies Bible study on Monday and I think the church leadership teams meet on Wednesday while the children meet on Thursday. The pastors meet on Friday.

While Terry/Carolyn are stateside, several people will fill in the training spots. They have asked if I would Skype/train the church leadership teams while they are away. This will be a great way for me to stay in touch with the people.  While I was there in 2014-15, I saw how much they desired to learn and to be more effective in their God called positions. I saw human sponges soaking up every little bit of instruction and encouragement.

So, that is a little synopsis of this year and a prayerful desire for the coming year. I trust that your families will have a festive and joyful Christmas and you will be uplifted as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

Expressed Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. Family gatherings, a feast for everyone, all day parades and football, family games, lots of laughter, and making new memories. Thanksgiving falls between Halloween and Christmas…a great holiday to kick off the Christmas season. I have always wondered how many people give genuine thanks on the fourth Thursday of November. There are many who will open up the day with a time of family sharing—a time to truly express how God has blessed them. Sadly, there are many families who will only offer up a token prayer to somehow legitimize that they are thankful.

How will you spend your Thanksgiving? Will it just be another day or will you have some heartfelt moments of true thankfulness? I hope you will consider all of the good times you have experienced as moments of blessing to share with others. I hope you will consider the trying times you have experienced as moments of learning to savor for yourself. Paul said that “in ALL things we are to give thanks”…both the good and difficult.

I have much to be grateful for this year. As for this blog and its purpose of missions, I am so thankful beyond measure for the prayer partners that so faithfully pray for the funding, the planning, the times of travel, and the mission to Pastors/wives and the children. I am very thankful for those who have a heart for missions, who share my passion for people in other countries, and who have determined that they want to be a financial partner. Praying and giving are essential to the Mission of Instruction and Encouragement for these special people.

I have now been to Haiti twice and to the Philippines once. I greatly desire to go to both places in 2017. There is a list of opportunities had and needs that were met in another article on this blog. The looks on their faces, the hugs that they give, and the comments that they make are enough to melt one’s heart. But always, it seems that I come away being blessed by them and their gratefulness. I go to give but they give so much more to me. I go to help but they help me in more ways than they know. To all who pray and give I wish you could experience the personal touch of missions to these special people.

So, I ask you now to continue to pray and continue to give as God leads. You are a blessing to me. My words are so inadequate for what has been accomplished because of you. This coming week enjoy God’s bounty, His favor, and His unconditional love.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

More pics--lost houses/churches in mountains of Haiti

     

     

    

    

  

Goat/Pig Project-Short Life But Gave Life

October 7, 2016

This afternoon I was able to Skype with some of the pastors in the mountains of Haiti. There was 13 present. When I asked how many had lost their home or their church every hand went up. After some discussion of loss, I was told that the goats/pigs purchased for the orphanage had not survived. That's okay. God has other plans to provide their daily bread. From my standpoint, there was a short life to the completed project but for about two years life was given to the children of the orphanage.  Below is a short history of the project and pics of goats that that  had matured.

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As for the goats, that is a God thing and a success story. If you remember on my first trip in 2014, there was a need for food at the orphanage. I purchased a goat to ensure food for at least three days. Another supporter was providing on-going monies for food but had discontinued any more help. My little goat wasn’t much but that was much needed at that moment.

In August of 2014, when I left, I had given some money to be used for any orphanage needs. The director decided he wanted to build a herd of goats and sheep. Thus, a new mission project was established. I continued to stay in contact with the Routons and the director of the Orphanage. No more monies were coming in for goats. So in November I sent more money for 4 more goats/sheep. In February 2015, I sent more money.

Several times along the way I had shared with my church what was going on in Haiti and the herd project. I was to make another trip in September 2015 should the funds come in. In the meantime, the children of my church decided they wanted to be part of the project so they started putting back their monthly mission offering for that purpose. Then, as my trip got closer, members came up to me and said they wanted to buy a goat or two. Long story short, I went on the 2015 trip with the goal of completing the herd that the director of the Orphanage had envisioned for their needs. Mission accomplished! The orphans were elated and lavished me with hugs. I told them that this was a joint effort that included children and adults of my church as well as a few Facebook friends. God has planted a major mission seed in many hearts.

I thought some of you would be interested in seeing the goats that were purchased last year and see what they look like today. This is so fulfilling being in something God inspired.

Haiti Update

The news says that the death toll in Haiti is now approaching 600 and rising. I have talked to my interpreter in the mountains. Pastor's have lost churches, houses, animals, and gardens...their livelihood is gone. Rousier lost his house as well as another pastor's relative house.  Must more will probably be reported.
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Here is an update I just received from Rousier in the Mountains:

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  After talking to most of the pastors in Mare-rouge, Kapen, Mol, Atdjako, Bedeyen and Bonbad and Krev this is what I found so far: Churches need tins; 2/4; ciment; bars 20 Houses lost: 101 Animals lost: 500 (goats, pigs, donkey and mule) Schools: 20 Gardens: Several People that got hit: several Trees several

  
  

  The people would need food, water, clothes, shoes and love. As a group, it is God's will to have a heart to those that are in need. The government won't really do much for those people, but instead they would make more money when staff like that happened. So God is asking His people to help in every way they can. It is time to turn love into ACTION. Because we believe that Action speaks louder than words.

  This is just for some in our groups if I would give an account for the commune (Mole Saint Nicolas) it would be a lot. God is not a little god; He IS a Big God. If He's asking you or telling to give or help those that are in need, He will show you. But you should never forget that “It is more blessing to give than to receive” .

  Note: please share with others (churches, friends, supporters, and organizations).

This is Rousier's house.

A Blessing for the Routon's

When the Routon's, missionaries from Haiti, come stateside they usually stay with a daughter around the Clinton area. Then  they will go visit friends  in various places to get caught up on family and ministry news. Some close friends in Warsaw had an emptry house that was empty and they felt lead to give the house to the Routon's. What a definite need in their life. The house will need some work  since it has been empty for years. The plan is to gradually remodel and repair. The house will become Terry and Carolyn's stateside home and future retirement home. People have offered to be a part of the remodeling. A mission minded gentlemen from Crossroads Baptist Church in Buffalo recently went to visit and seee what could be done with a group of men from the Buffalo area churches. So glad for the Routons. Note: Thier daughter and husband recently went to China for a 1 1/2 yearrs of missions. Timing and God's plan are everything.




Note from Terry/Carolyn:
Picture of a house in Warsaw that was given to us personally by some very dear generous friends.   Both pics show there is a lot of work to be done inside and out as it has been vacant 10 years.  It is great to have a home on the state side to stay when back for R & R.

News From the Philipppines

I received the report below from a pastor I was with in the Philippines. He and his church has had a difficult time since the Typhoon last November but God has done some amazing things. Briefly, the typhoon took out MANY home, churches, and businesses. Since no one has insurance, everyone where on their own to get funds to rebuild dependent on contributions from anywhere.

This pastor lost his home and church building. The night of the typhoon his home was looted and set on  fire.  This family had to live in a another small house while kids were in a tent. The church began meeting under a big tent. Little by little the church has began to rebuild. The people have remained faithful and have grown in number. Churches tend to thrive under a crisis. His story is more detailed b below....really God's story.

I am looking forward to 2017 when I will be able to attend his new church and see how God has brought in new people into the kingdom.
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Our house was hit by typhoon Nona and was collapsed to the ground. However, we were still able to recover all the books, clothes documents, all the papers and all our things inside the collapsed house. But in the second night after the typhoon, while we were sleeping at the guest house that is far from our collapsed house, thieves came in and burned our house and we don’t save anything. When the neighbors awakened us and informed us what happened, the whole house was almost consumed. All the books, Bibles, important files, legal document, clothes, kitchen ware and all our things inside the house were all consumed by fire and became ashes. Nothing left to us.

                                  

The roof of the Church building of Bagong Buhay Christian Church, Bagong Buhay, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro,  blown out by typhoon Nona on Tuesday at 11:00 o’ clock in the morning December 15, 2015. Only the flooring left with the debris scattered inside and outside the building.

Despite of what happened in our church building caused by typhoon Nona and the pastors’ house was burned by the thieves, all these circumstances did not hinder the zealous members of Bagong Buhay Christian Church to celebrate our church anniversary yesterday December 20, 2015 even in just under the makeshift tent. Our fervent prayer is we could construct a new and durable church building and the house of Pastor Jun Falla be reconstruct as soon as possible. 

1st pic-Construction begins....           ..2nd pic-August 2016                3rd pic-Completion Fall 2016