Thursday, July 27, 2006

Smiling faces


Smiling faces
Originally uploaded by House of Hope.
The smiling happy faces that greet me every morning (like Lala here), make me feel so happy to be back among them. We are well into summer vacation here the House of Hope, and as you can imagine there is much activity going on all the time. Some of the older boys has begun running several miles every morning, and playing as much basketball as they possibly can. Some of the older girls are starting to make uniforms for the coming school year, as well is helping us with the numerous visitors, we have during the months of July and August. All of the younger kids are making the most of every day just playing as many games as they can in a day. Our two short-term ladies have been spending a lot of time with different groups of kids loving them, and sharing Christ's love with them through their actions. They've also been helping to decorate the HOH by painting on the walls. Linda and I are just trying to keep it all together, we've got up on most of the work that didn't get done while I was gone, and are now pressing on with the new things.



We've enjoyed having various members of Linda's family from the US come to spend time with us during the month of July. Presently, we have her three nephews here, as well as her sister, brother-in-law and their daughter. It has been very good for Linda to catch up with family members she has not seen for a long time. So her days lately have been filled with taking care of their needs and enjoying their company.



I've been working on a new prayer letter and also on Bible studies for the coming school year. I've also been serving as the local taxi service for missionaries and visitors alike, as Ronel, our oldest boy and helping chauffeur, is not here right now.



We feel very blessed to be experiencing calm and peace in our area of Haiti, but that is not the case in other areas, especially in certain places in Port-au-Prince. We would ask you to please pray for all of our missionary and Haitian colleagues who live and work in Port-au-Prince. It is a very stressful environment of the moment, and they could really use your prayers. We have been hearing reports, however, that in the midst of very difficult times there, the Gospel is being preached and lived out daily, and people are coming to know the Lord. So please keep praying for this very needy country, that God would be glorified and many would come to know him.



Please continue to pray as well, for God's provision for our daily needs. As always, when there's trouble in the country. It becomes difficult getting supplies into the outlying areas, and the already escalated prices continue to rise. We appreciate you all, have a great day!

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Back in Haiti!


Back in Haiti!
Originally uploaded by House of Hope.
Greetings once again from Haiti! Sorry I did not get a chance to update the blog while I was traveling. It was a very busy, 10 weeks. I enjoyed visiting with everyone that I had a chance to see, which turned out to be quite a lot of people. I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to travel with my sister, we had a great time together, and it made the miles pass by quickly as we drove across the country. We ended up putting on 5,400 miles onto our rental car in just four weeks!



Needless to say I'm thrilled to be back in Haiti. It was so good to see everybody again. Linda and the kids fared quite well during my absence, although it was a busy and difficult time for them all. Everyone is finally finished with their exams, some just finished last week. They are now getting full swing into summer vacation, starting with a basketball tournament this afternoon. Several of the "Our Hope" kids have gone to their homes to visit their families, please pray for safety as they travel, and also that they would have the chance to be a witness for the Lord during their time at home.



It was great to travel back into Haiti with two young ladies who are here to spend several weeks with us. Heather and McKenzie (in the picture) come from Oklahoma and Texas and are here to help out at the House of Hope. Today they have enjoyed getting to know some of the kids and spending time playing with them. Please pray for them as they are here, pray for health and safety, patience and endurance as they share God's love with the House of Hope family.



We appreciate your prayers and support of the HOH, and hope to be able to get back to our regular updates.

Please pray for John Widly, and Oldina two recent arrivals of the House of Hope, as they are on the road to recovery. Please pray also for the many visitors that we have coming during the next couple of weeks. Pray for safety, and Linda and I as we work out the final details.



We are excited to have reliable cell phone service in our area now. If you ever need to get in touch with us write us an e-mail and find out our numbers. Have a great week!