Hello from hot and humid Florida! Our area of Florida has felt almost as hot as Haiti all summer long! The heat and humidity have not taken a break this summer. We are looking forward to the Fall season and a drop in the temperatures.
The hot weather has not slowed down all the work we are doing in Haiti! There is a new daycare in Ti Goave that is undergoing renovations with plans to open this Fall. We have celebrated children and staff at our annual Village Values weekend, and the summer Vacation Bible School was held on both of our residential campuses. And more great news…we have 5 children and 1 member of our Haitian staff that were recently baptized! It’s encouraging to see them step out and confess their faith in public.
As we add support for more children and families, and also add new daycares, the challenges of managing people and finances grows. We are standardizing our processes and streamlining procedures in order to handle the increased work load due to the growth in our programs. We are working together to manage the rigors of the financial reporting rhythm as we expand the regions where we work and increase the number of families we are helping. Please keep us all in your prayers.
Rochester Visit
We are sorry to say that Denise and Randy have been separated in their travels this fall. Randy will be in Rochester, New York for a week and a half at the end of October, and Denise will be in Shreveport, Louisiana to spend time with her mom and family during that same time frame.
Randy will be at the grand opening of the Davis Sports Facility and 5K at LeTourneau Christian Center on Saturday, 10/25. If you are in the area, feel free to come out and enjoy the festivities around the opening of this great new facility at LeTourneau. This has been in the planning stages for many years, and it’s exciting to see it come to fruition.
If you would like to get together to hear a more personal update about the ongoing work in Haiti, please contact us and we will set up a time to get together.
Haiti Big Picture
The gangs continue to ravage the Port au Prince area, expand their sphere of influence, and force another hospital to close. The UN has committed more support to address the gang problem in Haiti. So far no clear plans have been laid out for improvements to that region. However there is plenty of other positive news that gives us all hope for improvements outside of that region.
Outside of the capital region, Haiti has been relatively stable. Our Haitian and US staff have been seeking God’s guidance on next steps to grow, and have been able to travel to explore new ministry partnerships. Please continue to pray for peace in Haiti, for the children and families we help, and for the many families who continue to struggle during these challenging times. As Matthew West sings, “Don’t Stop Praying.”
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. – Romans 5:5 (NIV)