kek louanj....

Praises!

We have so much to be thankful for, and despite hardships that are common here in Haiti, it continues to be our JOY to be here. Thank you for standing with us!

We praise the Lord for our continued good health! Stacey experienced a lot of sickness in the previous 14 months, and has not been sick at all since coming (despite the fact that every other missionary on the compound has been dealing with colds or "Haitian Happiness"...you don't want to know."

We praise the Lord for the seminary! Admist all the struggles and problems we see in Haiti, the seminary continues to be one of the few things that seems like it is, and could be, generating change. While things like hospitals and feeding programs help make day to day life better (and are truly important!), the seminary is in the business of changing mindsets, changing traditions and transforming darkness into light throughout Haiti. It is a blessing to be working alongside of the other staff and the students and to work in the midst of HOPE for Haiti.

We praise the Lord for the other missionaries! We cannot IMAGINE doing all this on our own...having other missionaries who help us keep things running, help us find places, encourage us and are working alongside us is SUCH a blessing. While we work at the Seminary all day, they are working in 6 other ministry capacities, and at the end of the day we realize that our small compound has accomplished quite a bit for the Lord.

We praise the Lord for our supporters! We are aware every single day that we are here by His grace and by your giving. Each relationship we build, each conversation we have, each person we help, each class we teach, each Bible study we give is possible because of your sacrificial giving. Because you continue to send in your one time and monthly support, we get to DO all this ministry, without having to worry about if we have the money to help a friend pay for his son's eye surgery, the money to pay for gas to go to churches where our students are preaching, the money to pay for our food and home and supplies. THANK YOU for being here with us, for your prayers, and for enabling us to do these things.

We praise the Lord for friends and family! Although we haven't seen anyone from home (and won't for a while!), we never forget that you carry us in your hearts and in your prayers. We are so grateful for everyone's letters and emails and packages and love! We continue to pray for you in your daily ministry, and WE LOVE YOU!

"Surely our griefs
He Himself bore,
and our sorrows
He carried.

Yet we ourselves
Esteemed Him as stricken,
Smitten of God,
and afflicted.

But He was pierced through
for our transgressions,
He was crushed
for our iniquities;

The chastening for our well-being
fell upon Him,
And by His scourging
We Are Healed."

Amen!
Isaiah 53:4