Tag Archives: tony west

November 3, 2015 · 5:19 am

God is Opening Doors for Muraelle

What started as a horrific sight last week, has turned into a journey of faith for the Charles family. They came to our clinic last week desperately seeking help for their child, Muraelle, who suffers from a retinalblastoma.

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The horrific photo I posted last week drew lots of attention, and that was the intent. This boy needed attention FAST, and though I hesitated posting it, I decided that it was worth the risk to get him help. It worked. In a few hours, it had been shared 27 times and I was already receiving emails and messages from all over the United States, from California to Boston to Florida and lots of places in between. On our first day of seeking help, we were turned away from four hospitals and it was devastating.

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Muraelle wouldn’t take his medicines, and hospitals were unwilling to give him what he needed by IV. So we prayed…. We had to resist the temptation to panic and take things into our own hands. We decided to trust God even though advice was coming at us from thousands of different directions. God said, “Be still and know that I am God.” We decided to start fresh this morning with a new plan of action. The Charles family arrived at Hope Center promptly at 7:30 as I had asked and we began working with Muraelle to see how we could get him to take his medicine. We finally found that a sippy cup with grape Pedialyte made him willing to drink his medicine and even ask for more. We celebrated the first dose of antibiotics in his little body and loaded up in the truck. We had heard from someone at Bernard Mevs and found out that although Haiti had a holiday today, the CT lab was open! We arrived at the hospital and there was practically NO ONE in line.

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On an average day, people wait for hours and hours to be seen. All we had to wait for was for someone to come take the money for the scan! In no time we were in the CT truck and trying to figure out how to get this little spit fire to lay still. They decided he needed sedation. He’s a strong little guy! Even with sedation, his father had to hold him down, but we got the scan!!

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Next we headed to St. Damien’s hospital to ask for copies of his medical records. Within about 30 minutes, we had put in the request, paid, and were headed back to the truck. Both the CT results and the chart copies will be ready tomorrow.

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So we returned to Hope Center (after grabbing some YUMMY beans and rice on the street) and the new team from Hattiesburg, MS, was unpacking and preparing for the rest of the week. Within minutes, Tony introduced me to a Dr. Jim Brown….ophthalmologist. Yep! As usual, God provides what we need when we need it…this time WHO we need. Dr. Brown dilated and examined Muraelle’s good eye and said he doesn’t see any spreading of the tumor to the other eye. That’s good news! He did say that his first course of action would be to seek to remove the eye that has the tumor for palliative care. He also said that if he does not get help soon, he could die. I’m sure he thought that what he was telling me sounded grave, but actually I focused on the word “could” and held onto the hope that he COULD live! God is opening doors, and we will continue to walk and sometimes even push through them. We don’t know where we are going with all of this, but one thing is for sure…we are trusting HIM. Please continue to pray for Muraelle. Pray that he continues to take his antibiotics and pain meds. Pray that God leads us to the person who can remove the bad eye. Pray that IF he needs further care in the states, that God will walk us through that process and open more doors. Thank you for your prayers!!!

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August 22, 2015 · 8:51 pm

Child Sponsorships Coming Soon to Galette Chambon!!…EXCITED!

I am so excited to announce that possibly next week, people will have an opportunity to go to the BGM website and sponsor children from our village! Each sponsorship will not only pay all expenses for the child’s school, but once we reach 50 sponsorships in each of the two schools we support, we will be able to start a feeding program that will feed ALL of the kids in the school. In other words, one sponsorship pays one child’s school, but it FEEDS FOUR! EVERY DAY! THIS IS HUGE!!

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For those of you who don’t know, little rural villages like ours are full of bright children willing to learn, but their families struggle to provide food for them much less tuition for school. The average income in our little village is about $400 per year. Their annual tuition is only $25 per year, but they also have to purchase uniforms, books, school supplies, and they pay separately for all exams. It comes up to about a fourth of their annual income! The schools really need more than this to be able to pay their teachers and provide adequate classroom space for the children, but they also have to offer education at a price that more people in the village can afford or no one would go to school! Many of the schools just allow some kids to go to school without paying and their teachers go without being paid often as well. It’s just a very difficult situation.

All of the children gathered outside the school for the pledge and national anthem before school.

All of the children gathered outside the school for the pledge and national anthem before school.

BUT GOD….is making a way to change all of that! We have been doing the child sponsorship program up in Thoman now for a couple of years, and it is working out very well. They now have enough kids being sponsored that they are able to prepare a meal of rice and beans every day and feed every child in the school a good meal before they leave. For most of these kids, this is the only meal they will get all day! However, with a daily meal being served, these kids will not go hungry and they will be able to learn better! Praise the Lord!!

Students waiting for school to start

Students waiting for school to start

James 2:14-18 says, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith BY my works.” THIS is where we experience REAL faith. It is when we say with our mouths that we believe in the power of a living God and then we MOVE in faith to help care for someone in need. If God calls you to do it, He will also make a way for you to be able to do it. You will not only witness the miracle of provision every month, but you will also be able to see it taking place in a child’s life in our village as we post pictures of them throughout the year. You can even come visit them or send pictures or packages to them! It’s more than just a sponsorship program; it’s a relationship of ministry with a child in need. Please pray about it!

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I am going to post a slide show below previewing all of the kids we will post soon. I will also post a link here to the  BGM page so you can check periodically for the sponsorships to go live. We already have a link to Sponsorships in Thoman with pictures of the kids in the program there. However, soon you will be able to sponsor kids in our village of Galette Chambon – many of them you probably even know if you have visited Hope Center! After all 25 of these are sponsored, we will add 25 more. We are trusting that very soon, all 100 kids will be sponsored and we will be ready to start the feeding program!

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August 20, 2015 · 3:29 am

God’s Power Working Within Us…He is ABLE

This week we returned to the states because we are about to embark on a new and exciting adventure. We are not leaving our current role as missionaries at Hope Center, but rather God is leading us down a path that will enhance that role in a way. It is exciting to see how God has been planning and preparing us for this, and now it is about to happen!

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Today’s post is actually about my amazing husband, Tony. This trip to the states is about his future as a health care provider, and I am so excited about what God is planning for him next. As most of you know, he has a degree in Nursing and a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration. Since moving to Haiti, he has been called upon to perform a wide range of activities related to health care that pretty much run the full gamut of all things related to health care provision. He does everything from cleaning the clinics to delivering babies, and he does an amazing job! I have never met a doctor who has come to Hope Center that didn’t have full confidence in Tony’s ability to perform all of the things he does and who doesn’t respect him for doing what he does in the field. His ability to diagnose and treat illness and injury is truly a gift from God, the Master Physician. It is absolutely amazing to me to watch him at work, and the people he cares for – both young and old – absolutely love him.

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I have said before that whatever God calls us to do, He also equips us and provides for us so that we can do His work. It is a promise he gives in Philippians 1:6 where it says, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” He has definitely always done that for us so far, and we have no reason to believe He will not continue to do just that. God has been up to something big for a while now in our lives, and every day it just seems to get bigger!

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At this time, God has called Tony to continue his education through an online Nurse Practitioner program offered by Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Today he is sitting in a classroom for the first time in over ten years and he is beginning his journey to becoming a Nurse Practitioner. It will not be easy to add this to his very extensive list of responsibilities he already has at Hope Center, but we are confident that God will make a way and He will provide the resources, stamina, and capability to get it done. It is interesting how it has all come about.

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A couple of years ago, Tony met an instructor that was visiting Haiti who works in this exact program. She told Tony that he should consider getting into the program to enhance his skills as a medical provider as well as better qualify him to do the things he often finds himself doing in the clinic at Hope Center. He began to pray about it, and doors began to open. Recently he found out that he had been accepted into the program, and today is the day the journey begins!!

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If you are reading this blog post, then I know that you are a supporter of our ministry at Hope Center in Haiti. You either have served there personally, you pray for our ministry, and/or you support But God Ministries in one way or another. If you follow our work, I know that you see what a huge ministry we have there. Children are going to school, families are being fed, people are receiving routine health care that improves their quality of life, people are being healed daily, lives are being saved, and God is being glorified in the many souls that have come to know Him through the efforts of everyone that serves and supports Hope Center in Haiti through But God Ministries.

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I also know that through all of this, you know that Tony is one of the most gifted, dedicated, and hardest working individuals in both health care and on the mission field. He gives everything he’s got to glorify the Lord in service to Him. I think we are all pretty much amazed by the things God does through him.

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So now I am asking you to PRAY. Please pray that God will continue to guide Tony through this journey, equip him to accomplish what He has called him to do, provide the support he needs to help carry the load, as well as the support he needs to pay for this degree program, and the encouragement he needs to finish strong. This education will ultimately broaden the scope of Tony’s ministry as a provider and in turn allow him to help many, many more people in his call to serve our Lord in Haiti.

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We thank you so very much for following our ministry in Haiti, and we especially thank you for praying for us. We put all confidence in our Lord Jesus Christ to lead those He has chosen to support us in various ways to answer His call and do just that. So every time the Lord places us on your mind, please stop and pray for God to give us strength, peace, stamina and provision. If He prompts you to sign up for a mission trip to come help us carry the load of ministry in Haiti, then do not hesitate to get on a team that is coming down. If He prompts you to help support us financially in this endeavor, then we ask you to follow through with the instructions below. Whatever God asks you to do, please know that we value every form of support and we cherish the role you play in this ministry.

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God’s plan just keeps getting bigger and bigger and more and more exciting, and it is such an honor and blessing to be a part of it. It still just blows my mind that we are doing what we are doing and that we GET to serve in this way daily. We could never do it on our own though, and we certainly don’t want to. We give God ALL the Glory!! Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to HIM who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…” He has definitely exceeded our expectations in Haiti! It is ALL HIM, and we seek to Glorify Him in everything we do. We are all just body parts…allowing God’s power to “work within us.”

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If you are led to give towards helping us pay for Tony’s school, just go to the But God Ministries page and click DONATE and then create an account, and on the drop down menu click NURSING MINISTRY. In the ADDITIONAL COMMENTS line, put TONY SCHOOL. We are trusting and waiting on the Lord for provision. Tony made his first monthly payment to Samford this week and God provided EXACTLY what we needed to do that. It was actually more than we make in a month! Wow. The next day, we had to order books and received a text telling us that same amount was being deposited into our account! HOW ABOUT THAT FOR AN AMAZING GOD!! He is ABLE!!

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May 5, 2015 · 4:21 pm

Bondye Konnen

I am a bit delayed in posting the following post. I prepared it right after the Freedom Christian Fellowship team left, but there were a couple of things I had to add in before posting. Life never seems to slow down, however, around Hope Center, so days clicked by and they turned to weeks. So now that i have a few minutes to reflect and edit my post, I’m finally posting my recollections of the week Freedom Christian Fellowship came, and it makes me miss them all over again. We love you guys!!

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The Freedom Christian Fellowship team with some of our Hope Center Family: Brian, Jane, Tom, Bicly, Brenda, Johnny, Jonathan, Phillip, Matthew, Dean, Macey, Junior, Fedna, Rachel, and Anel.

It is never easy to say goodbye to our brothers and sisters in Christ. However, after a full week of more activities than I can count, the team from Freedom Christian Fellowship loaded the bus to head back home, leaving tear stains on my face as I hugged each one and watched them climb the steps of the bus. Telling them goodbye is like letting go of something that is precious to you, because you know you have no choice. All you can do is hold onto the memories and know that your prayers for one another keep you close until next time. Sounds like family right? Well they are indeed family to us. We always cherish their time here and this week was no different.

The pastors that attended the pastors' conference showing off their certificates at the end of the conference.

The pastors that attended the pastors’ conference showing off their certificates at the end of the conference.

Pastors Dean Smith, Brad Smith, and Brian Miller and their team hold a very special place in our hearts and we know Haiti holds a very special place in theirs. Pastor Dean Smith from Freedom Christian Fellowship in Gautier, MS, has been leading pastor’s conferences here in our area for three years now. When he comes, he always brings a team of amazing people with him who show the love of Jesus in many, many ways. The pastors here know he loves them not only because he tells them so, but because he comes back. Tony and I know he genuinely loves us too. He and his brother Brad and their dear friend Brian Miller and ALL of their team members will always hold a dear place in our hearts.

Alex & Rachel lead the Easter Week VBS with the orphanage kids and Rachel & Macey hang out with the kids.

Alex & Rachel lead the Easter Week VBS with the orphanage kids and Rachel & Macey hang out with the kids.

It was a crazy, busy week. Besides the pastor’s conference, the team was also busy with other things happening all over Hope Center. Dean and Brian brought their daughters, Rachel and Macy along this time, and their favorite activity was playing with the kids at the orphanage. Because it was the week before Easter, and the kids were out of school, our intern Rachel had daily activities planned for them leading up to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. Every day Alex would lead them in a Bible story, they would sing songs, and they would make a craft that held some sort of significance to the Easter story. While this was going on, Brenda and Jane were leading a Motherhood Seminar.

Jane & Barbara talk with the first mother to arrive at the motherhood seminar. Translator JuJu was a tremendous help at the seminar.

Jane & Barbara talk with the first mother to arrive at the motherhood seminar. Translator JuJu was a tremendous help at the seminar.

I have been planning and looking forward to starting these Motherhood Seminars for quite some time. It’s been a dream of mine for a long time to periodically have teams come and spend a week teaching expectant mothers about pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and newborn care. I mentioned the idea in an email to Brenda before they came, and as Dean said, she took the idea on with a vengeance. She put together an amazing week of loving on these mothers, stressing to them that they were chosen by God to be the mother of this child, and that He had equipped each one of them to be able to care for her baby. There were only five mothers who participated in the seminar this week, but I am sure that as teams come and continue the teaching, more and more will come and learn about how beautiful it is to be a mother. Thank you Brenda and Jane for taking this on! You have started something wonderful!

Tom & Jonathan take care of Esther in the clinic.

Tom & Jonathan take care of Esther in the clinic.

Throughout the week, two of the team members helped in the clinic. Tom and Jonathan were amazing help in the clinic. Unfortunately Tony came down with some sort of virus, so it was great to have someone so knowledgeable and equipped to stand in for him in the clinic. Tom and Jonathan took care of many medical needs in the clinic and Tony didn’t have a thing to worry about. He certainly wanted to be able to be in there working with them, but it was a relief knowing that God had provided capable hands during this time. We are so grateful for the love they showed to the people who entered the doors of our clinic this week.

Phillip & Matthew putting up fans in the breezeway.

Phillip & Matthew putting up fans in the breezeway.

It seems like with almost every team that comes, God provides a handy man in the group because He knows that we have so many needs here that just require the attention of someone who knows how to fix it. This week was no different. We have had fans sitting in the depot for several weeks. Al Subblefield from Pensacola gave them to us to put up in the breezeway to help keep the air moving and provide softer lighting at night. Among many other “fix-it things” that needed to get done, Phillip and Matthew jumped right on the fan installation and did a wonderful job. Throughout the week, they helped with other things as well. They helped Charles and Junior get the post holes dug for the garden fence; they worked on the generator; they helped with VBS for the village kids two days, and one night they even held a youth praise and worship event for teenagers in the village. They were some versatile and busy guys all week! We are grateful for their talents and servant’s heart.

Kelly, Leyna, and Macey with Marie Francis and Yvnante making plates for the pastors' conference.

Kelly, Leyna, and Macey with Marie Francis and Yvnante making plates for the pastors’ conference.

I certainly can’t talk about this week without also mentioning two very special people we had with us who were not a part of the FCF team, but they were definitely a VITAL part of our Hope Center team this week. We have had two short-term interns here with us in the last few weeks, and as always, they have been a HUGE help and made an amazing contribution to the ministry of Hope Center. Kelly Dukes and Leyna Hendley have been here before at different times, but it was definitely God’s plan for them to be here at the same time during this week. Again, God provided who we needed when we needed them, and Leyna and Kelly were right where God wanted them to be….Hope Center.

Kelly practicing her head-balancing skills while taking plates to the pastors' conference

Kelly practicing her head-balancing skills while taking plates to the pastors’ conference

Kelly’s expertise as a paralegal was extremely valuable this week in helping Tony with paperwork in the clinic. Tony has been working hard to get our clinic working under Haiti Ministry of Health standards, and with that comes a LOT of record keeping. Kelly took on the task of entering patient records into the computer and assigning dossier numbers to all of them. She spent HOURS on the papers, and she helped Tony find his way out of a mountain of paper work. Not only did she help with this, but she also took on registration in the pastor’s conference, made the coffee each day for the team and pastor’s conference, helped us prepare lunch plates for all the pastors, as well as many, many other odds and end things that she gladly took on to help out. It’s always good to have Kelly around, and we are so thankful to have had these few weeks with her at Hope Center.

Leyna visiting with Bicly's family in the village.

Leyna visiting with Bicly’s family in the village.

Leyna is one of those people who has a contagious, genuine love for Jesus, and every single person she comes in contact with can see it and feel it in her smile and her touch. I truly believe that she sees every moment she has interacting with people as an opportunity to show the love of Jesus and allow that person to introduce her to a new experience in life. Leyna spent her time here at Hope Center doing many things. She helped Hannah with the girls and homeschooling; she helped in the pharmacy; she helped Vierge and Marie Therese in the kitchen; she helped prepare the lunch plates for the pastor’s conference; and she absolutely LOVED it when she had opportunities to go into the village and connect with people. Leyna and I had three very special occasions when we were able to visit and love on people together. One was when we went to Bicly’s house because his mother had invited us to come eat pigeon! Leyna has an adventurous streak in her, and she loves to experience other cultures. Rachel and I went with her to Bicly’s and we all had a delicious meal of pigeon and bread and sauce sitting at Bicly’s dinner table and enjoying great company. Another special time was when we went back to Bicly’s and shared in worship with his family and neighbors at a revival service they were having. We prayed and sang with them and worshipped our Father together, and I am so thankful for this time she and I shared with these precious people. Lastly, Leyna and I had an opportunity to minister to a young woman on the way home from Bicly’s house, and I think this was probably a highlight in her time here at Hope Center. When we were walking back to Hope Center from Bicly’s house, we came upon a young woman walking on the main road. We began to initiate conversation with her and we found out that she had been to the clinic and needed to go get her husband and go to the hospital in Croix des Bouquets. She didn’t feel well and she had no money to pay for food or transportation to Croix des Bouquets, so she had a very long walk ahead of her. When Leyna and I arrived back at Hope Center, we grabbed up the keys to the truck and a got a little money from Tony and headed out looking for her on the road. We found her, pulled over the truck, and asked her if she wanted a ride. She climbed into the truck and immediately fell apart in tears. It was obvious that she was overwhelmed. I could tell that she had been praying for God to help her, and in minutes, He answered her prayer by sending us to give her a ride. As we rode, we talked about the love of Jesus and how God knows our needs. Along the way, Leyna and I realized we had rushed out of Hope Center without our passports and I didn’t even have my purse or driver’s license. We immediately prayed for protection and favor and trusted God to do just that as we went on our way to Croix des Bouquet. By the time we arrived at the house where her husband was working, she had a totally different countenance. She was smiling, happy, and grateful. Leyna and I had no doubt that God had used us to remind this lady of His love for her and that He provides for our needs.

Rachel playing with the kids at the orphanage

Rachel playing with the kids at the orphanage

To recount every exciting event that happened throughout the week would take forever, so I will spare you the reading. I do, however, want to thank each of you who pray for us and for those who come serve here with us. There is no telling how many lives are changed every single week around here as people share the love of Jesus with people who depend completely on God’s provision for their every single need. Oh that we could all come to that place when we realize that HE is Lord and Bondye Konnen!! (God knows).

The team at dinner sharing some love for Hannah on her birthday. This cookie is for you!! Happy Birthday Hannah!

The team at dinner sharing some love for Hannah on her birthday. This cookie is for you!! Happy Birthday Hannah!

We are thankful for another amazing week with the Freedom Christian Fellowship team and Leyna and Kelly. We look forward to the day you all return and share your love for Jesus with the people of our village.

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March 19, 2015 · 5:08 pm

Living Stones and Kingdom Work

Some weeks here at Hope Center are quiet. As I sit here writing on my blog, I hear a rooster call in the distance; the guineas in the yard are calling out to let us know that Jillian has arrived; a baby is crying in his mother’s lap while they wait to see the doctor; and Madame Marta is greeting people in the yard as she looks around for trash to pick up. “Ti cafe ak pen souple,” she asks as I step out onto my front door step to say hello. She’s asking for a little coffee and bread for breakfast before she commences with her work. At 85 years old, she comes to Hope Center every day with a bag in her hands, working to keep the place nice and clean to earn chicken feed for her chickens. She’s like the Hope Center Clinic cheerleader in that she walks around among the waiting patients in the morning, greeting them with a kiss on the cheek and asking them how they are doing. Her voice dances with the mountain fresh air and touches my heart. I glance out my front door and see the flower petals waving in the breeze and the empty chair swing spinning in a slow circle. It’s a quiet week here.

Sitting on the love seat in my house, looking out my front door, listening to the sounds of Hope Center

Sitting on the love seat in my house, looking out my front door, listening to the sounds of Hope Center

Other weeks are not so quiet. Last week, Hope Center was one of those not-so-quiet weeks. That’s not a bad thing at all. It’s actually a very good thing. When teams are here, every day begins with a buzz of anticipation as team members prepare for the tasks of ministry they have planned to do. As the day progresses, the team members gather back together for lunch and then dinner and share with one another about the things God did through them over the course of the day. At the end of the week, we are amazed at how God multiplied their efforts to do many great works that will carry on many months and years to come. It’s often too much to recount. This is the case with the Crystal Springs/MSU team. The group from New Zion Baptist Church, some students from Mississippi State University, and our Jacob and his girlfriend Madison all joined together for an amazing Spring Break of ministry at Hope Center in Haiti.

The Crystal Springs team in front of our church at sunset

The Crystal Springs team in front of our church at sunset

Their plans for the week included building benches for the church, hosting VBS, building a house for Johnny’s family, helping with clinic, and hosting a ladies Bible study. With God’s help and provision, they accomplished all of these things and more.

Jess tries out one of the benches during lunch break.
Alyssa and Patricia help with benches
The benches look beautiful in the church.
Lots of work going on!!
Charles, Randy, & James working on benches
Carl and James work on benches for the church.

On day one, the buzz of the saw in the yard cranked up early as half the team immediately got to work on making benches. Charles had created a design that is very sturdy and will allow for a hymnal tray to be added to the back of each bench later. These benches will allow us to pack in so many more people in our church as we grow in numbers every week.

Adam, Greg, and Rawls working hard on Johnny’s house
Johnny and his family in front of his new house
Johnny and team the guys from MSU passing block to be used on the walls of his house.
Team WORK!!
The whole team in front of Johnny’s new house with his family.
Johnny helped build his house and he was so proud to be working. He’s a hard worker!
Johnny’s mama helped the team work every day. She wasn’t too happy about taking a picture as dirty as she was, but she was very gracious.
Johnny’s siblings in front of his house.

Also on the first day, another group of team members loaded up and went into the village to begin work on building Johnny’s family a house. The house they have been living in had three rooms, but only one of the three rooms had a roof, and it was falling in. There was only one working door on the house, and inside was dark and dusty from the mud walls and heat. Their new house has two rooms with a vented roof for air flow and windows to allow for light to come in during the day. It has a locking front door and a concrete floor instead of dirt. It may not seem like much from American standards. but to this family that has endured many a muddy night as the rain poured through their tattered tin roof, it is a blessing from God that they have prayed for for a long time.

Sandi and Elizer show off their water bottles & sunglasses at the well.
Alex demonstrates how cool it looks to drink from the water bottle with his shades on. ha!
VBS in the church after all of the kids got their water bottles.
Walking to the well from the church
Jacob & Madison with baby Jacob and Ava during Bible school
Rivens and Marie Claire enjoying a fresh drink of water.

In VBS, the team loved on children throughout the village each afternoon, teaching them about the joys and benefits of knowing Jesus. They talked about how Jesus is the light and He shines through us when we let his light shine. They gave out little LED flashlights from Community Bank as a useful reminder of the light of Christ. They also gave out water bottles that said “Jezi se vivan” (Jesus is living water). On the last day, they walked the children down to the well that the team members had fixed in their “spare time” and let the kids fill their water bottles up with fresh, clean water. It was LOTS of fun!!

Madison washes Gina’s feet
Alyssa washing feet at Women’s Bible Study. This was huge because she had prayed for God to give her strength to overcome her fears and minister to others in this time of foot washing.
Junior washes Jess’s feet at the end of women’s Bible study
Jenny and Madison wash a child’s feet who came with his mom to Women’s Bible Study
Debbie washing Miliene’s feet at Women’s Bible Study
Jess washing the feet of a man who came with his wife to Women’s Bible Study.

Ladies Bible study was a huge blessing to the women of our village. They love spending time with the American women, discussing issues important to women and letting God minister to their hearts through song and sharing of the Word. On the last day, the leaders of the Bible study washed the ladies’ feet to demonstrate the love of Christ in us as we minister to one another. It was a touching moment. Even Jess got in on the special time as he washed the feet of a man that came to the bible study and then he and Junior washed one another’s feet. Such a precious time!

Alyssa and Madison entering patient files into the computer
Jacob and Madison counting pills
Pill Counting
Katie holding babies outside Hope Center Clinic
Robin, Debbie, & Madison counting pills for pharmacy
Jenny & Dru working pharmacy at Hope Center Clinic

Throughout each day and in between all of the planned activities, many team members helped with clinic by working triage, counting pills, and entering information into the computer from patient files. There is always an abundance of activity that goes on behind the scenes each week at Hope Center, and this team jumped to action whenever a need was seen.

I could talk about and post pics of all of the things this team did to minister to the people of our village last week, but time will not allow because it was MUCH. I will list other things below and post a slide show of all of the pics of the week below. Suffice it to say that we are so very thankful that people are willing to be led by God to come serve in our village at Hope Center, Galette Chambon. We do not take lightly the sacrifice it takes to come here and serve. However, we do know that God blesses people who trust in His provision and say YES when he calls them to come serve. And when people come, they allow God to use them in many amazing ways, and those works carry on for many years to come. It’s called KINGDOM work because as people come serve, they are building the Kingdom of God up in a way that has eternal impact in people’s lives.1 Peter 2:5 says, “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” When teams come here to work, they are like living stones that build up the kingdom of God. Their sacrifice is an offering that is acceptable and blessed by God. Long after a team leaves, the memories of laughter, prayer, worship, and hard work echo through our minds, and through the minds of the people they touch, and we are all blessed.

Other things the team did: (I’m sure I don’t have a complete list here either!)

  • Fixed the village well that has been broken
  • Worked on electrical issues within Hope Center
  • Installed an outlet in the ag missionary house
  • Worked on the ambulance and bus
  • Helped with ESL classes and Creole Literacy class
  • Fixed a door latch on the mission house
  • Fixed the deep freezer hinge
  • Changed oil in the skid steer
  • Visited people in the village
  • Watered trees in the village
  • Built a chicken coup
  • Special VBS at orphanage
  • Shared in song during worship service at church
  • Helped deliver a baby at 3:45 a.m.

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Video

Looking Back and Forward at Hope Center

Hello Everyone!

As we prepare to head back to Haiti after a LONG winter break, we are excited about all of the things God has planned for 2015. We already have many teams scheduled to serve at Hope Center over the coming year, and we look forward to meeting and serving with every single one. I prepared a newsletter this week that will be going out in the mail to those on our physical mailing list, but I wanted to add a link to it here too. Just click on the link below, and it will open in PDF format.

Newsletter February 2015

We also created a slide show of some highlights from 2014 at Hope Center. Hope you ENJOY!!

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Here are some people and things we would love for you to join us in praying for:

1. Mdm Anastasia Senatus: She is the elderly mother of one of our security guards. His name is Anel. We have been taking her to Mirebalais Hospital over the last few months trying to get help with a large tumor growing on her forehead. It has eaten through her skull now and is very large. This coming week, she will go to Mirebalais to meet with a neurosurgical team who will begin preparations for removing the tumor. Please pray for God’s protection and healing for Anastasia and guidance for the doctors who will be helping her.

2. A 20 year old young man named Louinel: We met Louinel a few months ago, and he begged us to help him. He is suffering from gynecomastia, and it is painful to him both physically and emotionally. He has met with doctors at Mirebalais and we have him on a 90 day trial run of tamoxifen, but if that medication does not help him, he will be looking at possible surgery.

3. A little boy named Franzil: A few months ago, Dr. Freddy Grant noticed that Franzil had an irregular heart beat and suggested we take him to see a cardiologist. Kathy Warren took him up to Mirebalais a couple of weeks ago, and they determined that he has a hole in his heart. They put him on medication and said they are optimistic he will grow out of it. Please pray that God will close up the hole and give Frantzil a long, healthy life.

4. Pray for us as we begin Creole Literacy classes and English as a Second Language classes in our village of Galette Chambon. We pray that starting the classes will go smoothly and many will come to know Christ and grow in their personal relationship with Him as well through these classes.

5. Construction projects: Please pray for us as we re-open the clinic at Hope Center, begin documenting and reporting patient records to the Ministry of Health, and look at clinic expansion in the near future.

6. Clinic: Please pray for every single person who enters the doors of our clinic that they may not only experience physical healing, but spiritual healing as well as we share the love of Christ with them.

7. Church: Please pray for our church and Pastor Mickenson Gilbrun as he leads and shepherds our congregation to a deeper understanding of the love, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ.

8. Agriculture: Pray for our community as we explore ways to irrigate gardens and grow our chicken program into a business that will lead our community one step closer to sustainability. Pray that our terrace gardens will prove to be a great education opportunity as well as provide food for our community.

9. Pray that God will lead us as we prepare to begin having monthly Motherhood seminars in our village that will educate new mothers on prenatal care, childbirth, post-partum care and breast feeding.

10. Pray for our orphanage as we prepare to take in seven more children bringing our total to 20. Pray for Ydalia and her staff as they adjust to the increase in children and pray for our new interns as they get settled in and help love and educate the children in the orphanage.

 

There are many more prayer needs, but these are just the first 10 I could think of tonight. I’ll blog more as the year progresses.

We love you all and are so very thankful that God has blessed us with YOU as our prayer partners in this ministry.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ABUNDANTLY!!

 

 

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January 31, 2015 · 5:42 am
December 1, 2014 · 2:37 am

Every Day is a Day to be Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

I apologize to all of my blog followers because It’s been a while since I have written on my blog. Our internet has been a bit sketchy, and time has been even more sketchy, but I decided today that I would try really hard to get a post out and be better about posting in the future. I post to Facebook all the time because it is easy to do with the internet on my phone, but we discovered that we can use a little Digicel thumb drive to get Internet on the laptop, and today I am trying it out. Hopefully it will work!

As the great Eucalyptus tree reaches towards the heavens, I want to lift my eyes towards my Father in heaven and rejoice in His love daily so that I too may give off a sweet aroma of his love and strength as I grow in Him and through Him.

As the great Eucalyptus tree reaches towards the heavens, I want to lift my eyes towards my Father in heaven and rejoice in His love daily so that I too may give off a sweet aroma of his love and strength as I grow in Him and through Him.

Today, God reminded me through Philippians 4:4 that in order to live a healthy life, we must learn to rejoice in all things so that we may be full of joy (“Always be full of joy in the Lord, I say it again – rejoice.” Philippians 4:4 NLT). It always amazes me how God sends just the right Word for things I am dealing with at particular times in my life. I don’t really think it’s worry that I deal with. God taught me to release worry to Him a long time ago. I think the biggest hindrance to joy I find that I deal with is gratitude. People who are ungrateful are miserable because nothing makes them happy. I don’t ever want to let daily frustrations wear down my gratitude to a point that I am ungrateful because it is at those times one can forget to be thankful. So first of all, I am thankful that He reminds me to have joy and rejoice in Him daily so that I don’t get bogged down in self pity or focus on the negative. When we focus on negative, it infects every part of our lives. Rick Warren calls it “stewing without doing.” He pointed out in my devotional today that we need to choose to think on the positive and on God’s Word.  So today I choose to be grateful and rejoice in ALL things and focus on His Word that tells me to be full of Joy in the Lord.

Thanksgiving in Haiti 2014: We are grateful to God for children who love Him with all their heart, and we are thankful to Him for bringing them to us safely for this amazing Thanksgiving week 2014!

Thanksgiving in Haiti 2014: We are grateful to God for children who love Him with all their heart, and we are thankful to Him for bringing them to us safely for this amazing Thanksgiving week 2014!

This week has been a very special week for Tony and me, and we are very thankful. It’s not an average week at Hope Center because there hasn’t been a team here, and we have had the blessing of having our children here with us. We have had an opportunity to refresh our minds, recharge our batteries, and enjoy many beautiful sights in Haiti that we normally don’t have the time to visit. It has been an absolute pleasure to enjoy the beauty of this country with our children. All week long we have been reminded of all the many blessings we have to be thankful for.

We did have a small glitch in our plans when the kids arrived at the Birmingham airport at 4 am to find out that Jonathan’s ticket had somehow been canceled. Tony and I worked feverishly to restore his flight, but we were not able to get anything that would get him here on Friday with Jacob and Katelyn. He ended up having to spend the night in the Miami airport and catch the first flight out to arrive early Saturday morning. It was frustrating at first, but we decided that since there was nothing else we could do about it, we would choose to rejoice anyway. Jacob and Katelyn were able to spend some quality brother-sister time, and Jonathan was able to catch up with some friends of ours from Birmingham and even get a few goodies for the orphanage kids while waiting for his flight. We were just thankful we were able to get him a flight at all on such short notice.

With all three kids finally under one roof on Saturday, Thanksgiving week started with an evening of celebration for Tony’s birthday. Jonathan, Katelyn, & Jacob gave him gifts that he has been in much need of, a new water bottle and a new Bible. Both of his have been falling apart. We had a great time on our first night together in Haiti. We have so much to be thankful for!

Tony with the kiddos after celebrating his birthday. They gave him a new Bible, water bottle, and a box of Reese's cookie mix! Yum!!!

Tony with the kiddos after celebrating his birthday. They gave him a new Bible, water bottle, and a box of Reese’s cookie mix! Yum!!!

I took a picture of our refrigerator because it’s an unusual sight. Most of the time it’s pretty empty, but with the kids coming, Tony & I filled it up with snacks for the week to make it more homey. There’s just something about opening the refrigerator and finding snacks that makes it feel like home, and there’s just something about seeing one of our youngun’s stand there with the door open looking for what might satisfy that craving they’re having that just feels right. Refrigerator searches, naps on the couch, movies in the dark, and late night card games are some of the many little pleasures we enjoy when the kids are home for a visit. We take it all in, and we are so grateful for these precious ones and their safe travel to Haiti to spend Thanksgiving holidays with us.

An unusual sight in our house. Normally this refrigerator is almost completely empty. However, when the kids come home, we fill it up with lots of goodies!!
Playing Phase 10 with the kiddos. One of our favorite pastimes while in Haiti

 

Saturday afternoon, we went on a walk through the village to tell everyone hello and let them visit with the kids. People have been asking about them for months now, so we knew they would be very happy to see Jonathan, Katelyn, & Jacob. We had a great time visiting with everyone. I love how everyone greets us with a hug and a kiss and calls our children by name when they see them. This village is home to us now, and I think everyone looks forward to our kids visits as much as we do. I think the one person the most excited to see us was “Manu.” He ran straight to Jacob and jumped in his arms. He absolutely loves Jacob.

Emmanuel was so happy to see Jacob again. Jacob is his favorite buddy and he knows Jacob loves him.

Emmanuel was so happy to see Jacob again. Jacob is his favorite buddy and he knows Jacob loves him.

As we went from house to house visiting with people in the village, we came across one house that had a new baby in the family. Jonathan quickly scooped him up and was loving on him when two more mamas came out with babies! Three new babies all in one family!! What fun we had cuddling with those precious babies. Their mamas enjoyed watching us love on them too. Our Haitian neighbors know we love new babies, and we are so thankful they enjoy sharing their sweet babies with us.

We went on a walk through the village and came across a family that had three new babies all under 2 months old. Jonathan scooped up one of them for some sweet baby lovin'

We went on a walk through the village and came across a family that had three new babies all under 2 months old. Jonathan scooped up one of them for some sweet baby lovin’

Tony, Jonathan, and Katelyn all loving on the new babies we found while on our walk through the village.

Tony, Jonathan, and Katelyn all loving on the new babies we found while on our walk through the village.

Sunday was an extra special day because we were celebrating Jonathan & Katelyn’s first anniversary. Pastor Mickenson led the congregation in song as they all sang “Happy Anniversary” to them. Jonathan & Katelyn just glowed with gratitude in the love and acceptance of our fellowship of believers. Of course, Jocelyn rotated between their laps and Jacob’s lap all through the service, and we all enjoyed a blessing of song as Jonathan & Katelyn sang praises together during praise and worship time.

Katelyn & Jonathan and Jocelyn at church after the entire congregation sang Happy Birthday to them for their anniversary. Not sure when they sang “Happy Birthday,” but it worked! Ha!
Jacob and Jocelyn at church
Jonathan & Katelyn sang at church Sunday. What a blessing it was to celebrate their first anniversary with them here in Haiti!!
A young man prayed to receive Christ at church Sunday and Tony, Mickenson, and Makil prayed with him after church.
Our family had a great day of worship at our church at Hope Center last Sunday. Pictured are Katelyn, Jonathan, Jacob, Pastor Mickenson, Odlin, Tony, and me. We are so grateful for our church family here at Hope Center.

After church, our family went down to the orphanage to see the children. Jessi & Warren Flynt (from Birmingham) had sent some goodies to give to the children, so it was lots of fun to pull surprises out of a bag and play with the kids. Visiting the orphanage is often times the highlight of our day, and being able to visit with our own children made it even more fun. We played on the playground and in the courtyard until it was almost dark. I watched all of the smiling faces and thanked God for the huge family we now have.

Jonathan & Katelyn playing with all the kids at the orphanage
Jacob hanging out with the kids at the orphanage
Jonathan playing soccer with Stephenson, Dana, & Gillot
Katelyn getting a little lovin’ from all the kids at the orphanage
Katelyn and the girls catching up

As the week went on, the fun seemed to get better and better. Monday was the day we made plans to go on a trip up to the National Pine Forest with Kathy and Terry Warren (our new missionaries at Hope Center, Thoman). I think this trip was probably the highlight of our week. There’s no way to describe it to someone and do it justice. It’s a long, bumpy ride, but the sights and blessings are immeasurable.

Our three precious ones. Jacob, Katelyn, & Jonathan. We could not be more blessed!!
Kathy & Terry Warren. Our new missionaries and friends from Arkansas who are living at Hope Center, Thoman. Tony & I have found such a kindred spirit with these two. Like us, they just love life, loving the Lord, and humbled by the fact that God would call us to minister to the beautiful people of Haiti. SO BLESSED! We are thankful for these two more than words can explain.
Our family visiting Haiti’s National Pine Forest over Thanksgiving 2014.
This precious lady found her Thanksgiving turkey!! Now the search was on to find ours!
The beautiful mountains above the Pine Forest where Miguelson’s family lives. Breathtaking….
The view from the top portion of Miguelson’s father’s land. You can see all the way to the DR and you are even with the clouds. Amazing….
Jonathan & Katelyn in the cabbage patch
Tony helping Grandma with the corn preparation.
Pastor Joel, Terry, & Tony hanging out at Grandpa’s house.
Jacob and Katelyn helping out with the corn cleaning
Everyone joined into the action of cleaning the corn off the cobs
We came across some baby goats at Miguelson’s grandparents’ farm and we had a great time playing with them. Here’s Jacob with a little cutie.
Jonathan and Katelyn loving on some baby goats we found Miguelson’s grandparents’ farm.
Katelyn & Jacob hanging out with Miguelson’s father, Pastor Joel.
Two great men, enjoying a fabulous day of fellowship in the Pine Forest of Haiti. Tony & Pastor Joel Charles
Alex and Jacob on top of the mountain cistern on Pastor Joel’s property. Alex is pointing over to the DR.
Jacob and Jonathan holding the two turkeys we purchased for Thanksgiving dinner.

Tuesday brought with it another adventure. We went from the mountain tops of Haiti to the beautiful sun-kissed seaside of Haiti. We spent one night at Club Indigo Beach Resort with the fam and the McCall’s for a much needed rest. We were excited to have an opportunity to go to the beach, but first things first, we had to stop to buy some new tires for the truck. As you can imagine, driving on these bumpy, rocky roads beats the tires to death, so in no time, they are worn down to nubs and simply must be replace. After one tire was chewed down to nothing on the drive down the mountain from the Pine Forest, we decided it was time to get them replaced before going to the beach. We were thankful to find a tire place that had NEW tires. Once that was done, we packed ourselves back into the the truck (girls with Vladimir inside and boys outside) and off to the beach we went. The trip on the way was an adventure in itself. We stopped along the road and bought a bunch of bread from a vendor so we could make PB&J sandwiches for lunch. The guys in the back decided to help themselves to a snack while enroute. We didn’t take many pictures while at the beach simply because we took a REAL break, but we did get a beautiful sunset and a picture of a boat out on the water. Rest assured, we did have some real quality down time together as a family. We are grateful…

All the guys in the back of the truck munchin’ on bread on the way to the beach.

After spending one night, we left the McCall’s at Indigo to spend a couple more nights, and we headed back to Hope Center in the truck.  Rested and ready to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner, we went through all of the preparation plans in our minds. As soon as we pulled in the gate, everyone got busy getting ready. Tony, Jonathan, Jacob, and Vladimir got busy with Woodnorder and Johnny preparing the pit for cooking the goat. (Junior had given a goat to Tony to cook for his birthday) Katelyn and I immediately got busy cutting carrots, potatoes, and other fresh veggies given to us by Miguelson’s family in the Pine Forest, and Bicly and Makil began the gruesome process of preparing the turkeys.  We went to bed late and got up early to start back to the process of cooking. The goat, prepared and wrapped up in banana leaves, cooked all night in the pit. When Jonathan and Tony lifted it out of the pit, we could smell the luscious aroma yards away. We put the turkeys in the oven at 6:30, and started mixing casseroles at 7. Katelyn was busy making desserts in our house while I worked on other dishes in the team kitchen. It was truly a team effort, and everyone was having a blast doing their part. The anticipation of having a huge feast together as a Hope Center family electrified the air, and smiles were on every face. Our friends from Hope Center, Thoman, Terry & Kathy Warren and Mathurin & Genese Merystal, arrived around 10 and we all visited in between timers going off and tables being prepared. By 12:30 all of the food was ready and we began sitting out plates and such to start serving lunch. We gathered together hand-in-hand and gave thanks to God for our Hope Center family and for the provision of food for this feast. We all ate in phases. Adults ate around 1, the orphanage kids and crew ate around 1:30, more friends showed up around 2, and we still had people coming to eat at 5. It was a full day of family, friends, and much, much thankfulness.

 

We had invited an army of people and yet we never worried once over how we would be able to afford to feed them all. We trusted God to provide and He did. Two weeks prior to Thanksgiving, the FBC Jackson team brought two suitcases full of food items to use in preparation for the meal. They also gave us money to purchase the turkeys! On our trip to the Pine Forest, God provided even more food as Miguelson’s father blessed us with several HUGE cabbages, a sack full of giant carrots, and another sack full of potatoes. All of it was used to prepare this enormous spread of food to celebrate our thankfulness to a Father who loves us and provides for our needs.

Friday was a lazy day for all of us. We slept late, hung out at the house and around Hope Center all day, and continued clean up after our huge day of feasting. We put decorations on the Christmas tree and hung lights around the room in anticipation of the season for celebrating Christ’s birth. We savored every last minute we had left together knowing that the next day our family week would be over and we would be headed back to the airport bright and early Saturday morning.

 

Katelyn, Jonathan, & Tony decorating the Christmas tree.
Estima stopped by for a visit, so we showed him how to put an ornament on the tree too!
Bicly and Johnny helped as well. They love the Christmas tree in our house.
Katelyn and Jonathan made cookies and we ate almost every single one of them in one day!
Jacob hung lights around the room to make it more festive.
Jonathan and Tony looked over photos on Jonathan’s phone from the week.
Jacob still hanging lights!
The final product after a wonderful day spent with the ones we love most. It’s not the same now that they are gone, but when I look at it, I am reminded of the glorious time we had together this week….and I am grateful.

As I have recounted events over this past week, I can’t think of one single moment that we can’t be thankful for. I’m sure there were some stressful or hard moments mixed in there somewhere, but I honestly cannot recall a single one. I guess that’s because God continues to teach me how to have an attitude of gratitude and find ways to be thankful even when times are hard. We are thankful for our children, thankful for our friends, thankful for our staff, thankful for our family back home that loves us and prays for us daily, thankful for others who support us both financially and prayerfully, and we are thankful that God has made us part of a community of people that has accepted us and loves us because they know that we love them. We are all learning to depend completely on God to give us strength and gratitude for both the good and the bad, and we are grateful to Him for our call to service in His name.  We….are….grateful.

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August 15, 2014 · 10:35 pm

Family Changes…again

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Fun times with the family at the beach. It was only two days, but they were two GLORIOUS days! 🙂

It’s been a pretty emotional week for our family. After spending a wonderful weekend at the beach together, we moved Jacob into the dorm at MC last Wednesday to begin his new life as a college student.

Over the last two days, Tony and I have been working to get everything he needs now to make the space more comfortable. You know, guys don’t think of all of those things ahead of time. Ha! I am sure that eventually he will have it set up just like he wants it.Tonight we will have dinner with Jonathan, Katelyn, Jacob, and Madison one last time before Tony heads back to Haiti. I will stay around for a few more days to help Jacob finish getting settled in, and next Saturday, Josh, his roommate will move in with him. It’s hard to believe that in a couple of weeks, Tony and I will be in Haiti, and our boys will be in the states, going about their lives, living life on their own, while we carry on with our busy lives at Hope Center.

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Jacob and Madison in his college dorm room at MC after getting moved in.

Where have the years gone? How did our baby grow up so fast? I haven’t really cried yet. I think I get so excited for them and the exciting time it is for them in their lives that I don’t stop to hurt until I am alone. I have a feeling I am going to do a lot of crying on the flight back to Haiti.  I am sure I am going to spend a lot of time on my knees praying over the next months as we try to get used to this new phase of our lives.

We are really excited about Jacob starting college at Mississippi College, and so is he. We are going to have to pray for God to give him patience through the next couple of weeks until he can actually practice with the team, but we know that God is going to continue to heal his ankle and prepare him for soccer as well as school. The athlete convocation last Wednesday night was pretty special. First we had dinner, then the parents stood and pledged to pray for and support our children, and then the athletes stood and pledged to be accountable and handle themselves with integrity.

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MC Athlete Convocation.

We were pleasantly surprised when President Lee Royce decided to move from his table to ours to eat and visit with our family. He even offered to take Jacob’s plate and put it away for him! Wow. What an amazing place where the president of the university chooses to visit with families and students and actually serve them! Jacob returned the favor after dinner and put away Dr. Royce’s glass from dinner. It was a real honor for him to sit with us and visit with Jacob. We told him that after he gets moved into his new house, Jacob would like to come hang out with him sometime. He told Jacob to come on over, that he was more than welcome. Ha!

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Jacob and Dr. Lee Royce, President of Mississippi College

So now we again covet your prayers as we enter into yet another major change in our lives. Instead of having an empty nest, sometimes it feels like our nest just sort of exploded! Ha! We know there will be days when our heart aches because we will want to be able to see Jacob’s games, or we will want to be able to meet Jonathan & Katelyn for dinner, but God knows our hearts, and He replaces these aches with many, many other blessings. We find ourselves praying for one another so much more than we normally would if we all lived in the same place. It’s a wonderful thing to know…even FEEL….that your children are praying for you while you are yet praying for them. We are a very close family, and although distance is hard, our love grows greater and greater through it all. We are so thankful for that. We will eagerly look forward to having all of them with us in Haiti for Thanksgiving, and we will look forward to being with them over the Christmas holidays. Time flies, so those two visits will be here before we know it.

We, once again, want to thank all of you who faithfully support us through prayer, through friendship, through ministry on short-term mission trips, and through financial support. God uses all of these things to sustain us, strengthen us, and carry on the mission that He sent us to accomplish. We recognize that, as a family, we were ALL called in one way or another to serve in this mission. It just happens in different ways and in different places. The absolute most important thing you can do for us is PRAY. Pray that God will give us strength, endurance, wisdom, protection, and patience as we serve the people of our village and carry on our separate lives as a family. We love you all so very much!! Thank you for your prayers!

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Our family on the steps of our house at Hope Center.

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August 8, 2014 · 6:07 pm

Getting Ready for School

But God Ministries is making plans again to sponsor over 200 Haitian children in school again this year, and we would love for you to pray about being used by God to bless the children of our village!!

Jacob walking the children to school on their first day of school in their new home.

Jacob walking the children to school on their first day of school in their new home.

 

There are several ways you can help:

(1) DONATE A BACKPACK – We have two churches in Pearl, MS, who are collecting backpacks to send to Haiti. You can drop off your donation at Park Place Baptist Church or Truitt Memorial Baptist Church. Stop by the church office to find out where they are collecting them. We have been told that Walmart and Fred’s have the best prices ($6-$10).

Johnny getting ready to head to school.

Johnny getting ready to head to school.

 

(2) DONATE MONEY to help send a child to school and/or pay for other expenses. Just go to http://www.butgodministries.com and click on “Make a Donation.” Once you get to the donation page, choose General Fund, IMPORTANT: in the comment box you MUST ENTER “SCHOOL NEEDS”. (Soon we will have a drop down choice for school) Here are the suggested amounts: $50 pays for a child’s tuition and fees for the year; $75 pays for tuition, fees, & uniform; $100 pays for everything including books. If you want to choose a different amount, just indicate that.

soloman's kids

 

*I’ve posted a screen shot of the donations page to see what that looks like.

BGM screenshot copy

 

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND YOUR SUPPORT AS WE CONTINUE TO ALLOW GOD TO MOVE IN OUR VILLAGE AND USE US TO BLESS OTHERS. YOU ARE JUST AS MUCH A PART OF THIS MINISTRY AS WE ARE, AND WE ARE HONORED TO PARTNER WITH YOU!!

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever.” (1 Peter 4:10-11)

Let’s Glorify our Savior TOGETHER!!

~Mickie

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June 11, 2014 · 7:49 am

Finally Heading Home…

Our bags are all packed….The house is cleaned out. We will make our final trip to the mini-storage tomorrow, finish up last minute errands, and around midnight Wednesday night, we will be headed to Birmingham to catch the first flight out to Haiti. Ahhhh…..my heart flutters just thinking about it!!

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Living room at the FBC mission house where we have spent a good part of the last year. We are so grateful to have had this place to stay while in the states. It has been so comfortable, and a comfort for Tony to know we were safe and secure. We will miss this place.

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Six very heavy suitcases ranging from about 55 to 70 pounds. Whew! Tomorrow is going to be interesting….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even while I type this post, Tony is texting me updates on a mother in the clinic in labor. She’s 19, it’s her first baby, and she is scared. I send a text, “Remind her to breathe slowly..respire dousman.” As if he needs me to remind him. “Okay,” he texts back. “Be sure to explain to her what to expect. It’s her first time. She’s scared,” I text. “Wi (yes)” he texts back. “Tell Vladimir to massage her feet with lotion and sing to her,” I text….nothing. I know good and well Vladimir isn’t going to massage her feet and sing to her. That’s my job! …and I can’t wait to be there to do it too. I can’t wait for the hugs and laughter of the children in the orphanage as they pile on one another wrapping their arms around me and pulling me down to their height. I can’t wait to walk around the village to each house saying, “Bon swa!” to all of my neighbors, exchanging kisses on the cheeks, and listening as they tell me the latest news. The children will all run into their houses to get their report cards to show me because the last time I was there they were taking final exams, and they will want to show me what their final grades were. Home….

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Our “front yard” in Haiti! Thanks to the McCall’s we have flowers!! Can’t wait to see them!

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Our livingroom in Haiti…it’s where we put our feet up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s where my heart is. It’s where I sink into my couch at the end of a full day of loving on people and sharing the love of Jesus. It’s where God has placed us for this time in our lives, and we are loving every minute of it.

These last 20 months have been both challenging and a blessing. It has not been easy to be away from my husband and the ministry we both were called to. It has not been easy moving from place to place, living out of suitcases and boxes, and being dependent on the generosity of others. It has not been easy flying back and forth to see my honey and all of our Haitian brothers and sisters in our little village. It always seemed like just about the time I would be getting settled back in and my Creole was flowing well, it was time to pack back up and leave. I have stared longingly at those mountains through tearful eyes many, many times as we rumble along the rock road to the airport. On the other hand, I have had special times too. Over these past 20 months I have spent such precious time with my Jacob, watching him develop and mature into a fine young man. I have been awed by my Jonathan watching him grow and become a godly husband and teacher.

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Oh how this mama loves her sweet boys.

I have worked feverishly on ministry needs as well as senior parent things while here and have enjoyed every hectic minute of it. It has been a full year, and God has held us when we’ve cried, He has picked us up when we have fallen, He has comforted us when we were afraid, He has protected us from danger, and He has provided for all of our needs. We have rejoiced over answered prayer for healing, gained a daughter, and celebrated a graduation. God has been so good, and my heart is completely full just thinking about it.

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Celebrating the marriage of Jonathan and Katelyn

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Tony praying over Jacob in the ER after his auto accident

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Celebrating Jacob’s high school graduation.

Now my mind turns to friends. I was just thinking last night, as Jonathan & Katelyn, Jacob &  Madison, and I went to eat and spend a wonderful evening with friends, that God has gifted us with so many absolutely amazing friends through this journey. Even while I type this, the faces of people dear to me begin to flash across my memory, and I cannot hold back the tears because I feel so richly blessed. We feel God’s love in such a powerful way through the love that is shown to us through each and every friendship He has placed in our lives. We could not have made it through these 20 months without God’s using you to support us in so many ways. There are just SO MANY of you, and I wish I could tell each and every one of you how very special you are to me and to Tony right now. Since that is not possible, I am asking God to speak to our friends as they read these words and let them know and FEEL the love we have for them. It is impossible for me to express in words how you all make us feel. Words are not adequate, but I ask my Father to bless you in return for your love, loyalty, and kindness, and I hope that you know how much we love you.  Thank you for praying for us. Thank you for checking on us. Thank you for helping us through difficult times and celebrating with us in joyful times. God has used you to bless us.

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Even though the boys are squinting, it’s one of my favorite pictures. It was taken on the mountain road to Thoman

Now, as Jacob and I return to Haiti for the summer, please pray for safe travels, continued rest and healing for Jacob’s ankle, protection from sickness, ease in settling back into our home, and precious, precious catch up time with Tony and our Hope Center family. Please pray for Jonathan and Katelyn as they continue to seek the Lord in growing their marriage and moving them down the path of service upon which He wants them to serve. Please pray for our families as they love and support us from afar. And please pray for our ministry, that GOD would be glorified, people would come to know the joy of knowing our Savior, and that our community would grow and thrive and prosper just as God has intended. We look forward to reporting many more exciting adventures and blessings in the days ahead. Thank you for being a part of this ministry with us. It is truly an honor to serve with you.

Blessings!

Mickie

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