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thank you for your partnership
Move in day!
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It was quite a day in Haiti on Friday, January 9. Thanks to God, our wonderful donors, Lifeline’s staff, many work teams, and our hard working Haitian construction crews, the work
on the Children’s Home is now complete! Our women’s team of 57 ladies put the final touches on the Children’s Home in the morning: they cleaned, washed windows, made beds, scrubbed floors and more. All of the amazing things that were sent on containers from Canada were put in place; we are in awe and overwhelmed by the beautiful and appropriate, much-needed things that were sent: the appliances, lamps, the pillows, the sheets, blankets, dishes, glasses, pots, pans, silverware, shower curtains, sofas, rockers, picnic tables, mattresses and the list goes on and on!
So many people poured themselves into this Home, and not just in Haiti. Jolie Bua, from Florida, monogrammed towels for each child, which were hung on the foot of the children’s bunk beds to identify where they would sleep. Jan Lefebvre and her group from Oregon worked tirelessly the past 4 years making quilts for each bed, woven floor rugs to put between beds, and pillow covers. And we had these amazing, used wardrobes that were donated and the kids love them. We had to work hard taking all the tape off them and cleaning them.
Earlier in the week, other preparations took place. On Wednesday, it took 2 hours to sweep just the boys and girls dorms and bathroom/shower areas. And that afternoon, the 3 new cleaning staff and 3 new cooking gals were taught how to use the sinks, ice machine, freezer, propane stoves, etc. Most of these women have never worked in such a beautiful environment and definitely were in awe of all the equipment. The new cooks have experience cooking for groups: one worked in the Dominican Republic with a mission before returning to Grand Goave, another worked with a relief organization that came into town temporarily after the earthquake, and yet another one actually went to cooking school. So they have some good experience!
After everything was ready on Friday, the kids arrived in the bus and as they walked up to the Home, we couldn’t keep the tears back…our dream of over 34 years to have a Children’s Home in Grand Goave became a reality today!! God is good.
After the kids gave everyone hugs, Gretchen went out on the swingset to show the kids how to use it and they followed willingly; even the big teens and college kids got on and there were no instructions needed…the playground was filled and the kids went down the slides almost on top of each other! Happy smiles were everywhere!
One thing we have been very sensitive to is that the children who remain back in Port au Prince at the Mahotiere Children’s Home do not feel left out. So we had monogrammed towels and goodies for them too to take back with them! The Mahotiere Children’s Home is now home to our junior, senior, and university students, while the younger children will be at the Grand Goave Children’s Home (grade 10 and down).
The directors of the new Children’s Home have 3 children of their own (the youngest being a 3 year old boy) and 4 foster children that we included in the dorms. 46 children are now safe and secure in this wonderful facility, which God and our wonderful supporters have provided. With a capacity of 70 children, that leaves room for an additional 24 children in the months to come. Please continue to pray for the children and staff as new routines are being learned.
Photos from move in day:
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Haiti
- Women’s trip is going fantastic; about half of the ladies are first timers. Homes are being built, the children moved into the Children’s Home, gift distribution in Grand Goave, fitting little feet with shoes, and so much more!
- Catherine Marto Busel, women’s team member, was baptized by Audra Norman at the beach Sunday (she is Audra’s aunt); a wonderful experience and blessing for the women.
- The entire Grand Goave gift distribution was completed.
Honduras
- Praise the Lord!! God has provided a couple who will be the caretakers at CaryHill: Jose & Cindy and their children Antony(7) and Natalia (4). The family was living in Choloma, and Jose is the musician at our church in Choloma, and Cindy helped with children too.
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- Pray for the school staff in Haiti, that their strength and direction each day comes from the Lord, and that they see their students as God sees them: unique, special, loved, and wonderfully made.
- Pray for safety and effective ministry of the Education Task Force members, Martha & Julia, as they work with the Haitian teachers this month. Pray that their work and time there will be fruitful and encouraging.
- We ask for prayers for our aging vehicle fleet in Haiti, that we will have the funds to keep them going as we work on replacing them.
- Please keep all who will be coming on a Lifeline mission trip in 2015 in your prayers. We are thankful for the hundreds of team members who partner with us on our ministry fields. Team members take time off work, some have to line up child care for while they are gone, some are leaving behind loved ones with health issues, and other daily life “stuff” to come and serve. Please pray for them and for the things they are leaving at home (God knows what they are), so that they will have a sense of peace as they minister on the mission field.
- The family of Cleatis “Chuck” McCoy who passed away unexpectedly this week from an apparent heart attack; he is Gretchen and Bertie’s brother-in-law.
- The family of Richard Cady who also passed away this week from cancer. He and his family are members of Westerville Christian Church.
- The family of Raynald Chery, a little boy in Haiti who burned badly and died on Christmas Eve.
- The upcoming winter work teams to Haiti and Honduras; lots of exciting ministries for them.
- Rob DeVoe, Lifeline’s Database Manager, who is struggling with cancer.
- Women’s work team departs Haiti on Friday.
- Jose’ (Lifeline’s Administrator in El Salvador) asks for prayers for:
- The Christian Evangelistic Crusades this week and next in El Salvador. The idea is that God will bring more people to his church.
- Pastor Lisandro and his family as well by Pastor Daniel and his family. They are doing a great job for God’s work in El Salvador.
- The house churches in Panama and their leaders.
- The new projects planned for this year’s evangelistic work in Panama.
- Jose’s son, Christopher, who began his third year of medical school in Panama.
- Deybee and Yoselin, who are leading the church in Guatemala. They have had some tests and the church has had a little less than average assistance but the church is stable. Jose will be traveling this weekend with a support group and a couple of our Bible Institute students to help Deybee and encourage the church.
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Like everyone else, I have my fair share of idiosyncrasies. I don’t know why, but I always set my alarm clock to an even number. An odd number would totally mess me up. I always start shaving on the right side of my face. I never drive off after pumping gas without checking my left-hand rearview mirror because the last time I did that, I pulled the gas hose that was still in my gas tank right off the gas pump. And I always take my shoes off while I write.
Even Jesus had idiosyncrasies. He loved to pray early in the morning, even after a late night of ministry. And He must have felt a special closeness to His Father when He hiked mountains and walked beaches. He gravitated to those places because proximity is an important part of prayer, but it goes beyond geography; I think it also has to do with genealogy.
One of my idiosyncrasies is that I occasionally do devotions out of my grandfather’s Bible. In fact, I started this year in the book of Daniel because I was doing a Daniel fast. Toward the end of his life, my grandfather suffered from a medical condition that caused his hands to tremble so that his writing was virtually indiscernible. But based on the number of underlinings, Daniel was one of his favorite books. I actually know it was because I’ve heard stories of him and his brothers and cousins sitting around the table for hours on end talking about prophecies in Daniel. They were long thinkers and long talkers.
Seeing the verses that my grandfather underlined is powerful and meaningful because it helps me get into his mind and his spirit. I hope that the promises I have circled in my Bible will help my grandchildren do the same thing.
One important dimension of prayer is finding your own ritual, your own routines. Just like Daniel, you need to find your open window toward Jerusalem.
Where do you dream big? Where do you prayer hard? What helps you think long?
You need to identify the times, places, and practices that help you dream big, pray hard, and think long. When I want to dream big, I hang out at the National Gallery of Art. When I want to pray hard, I climb the ladder to the rooftop of Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse. When I need to think long, I take the elevator up to the sixth-floor observation gallery at the National Cathedral.
It takes time to discover the rhythms and routines that work for you. What works for others might not work for you, and what works for you might not work for others. I’ve always subscribed to a sentiment shared by Oswald Chambers: “Let God be as original with other people as He is with you.”
excerpt from The Circle Maker, by Mark Batterson
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