Friday, I got some rare girl-time as some of our friends and I went to see the home Gertha (Lily's nanny and my best friend here in Haiti) is building. We had a blast...
Then, last night we had the weekend students over (guys who live too far away to go home on the weekends) for supper and a movie. They picked "Castaway", which they found totally enthralling. It was fun for Matt and I to watch with them, too, and listen to the guys promise NEVER to fly in a plane, yell to Tom Hanks 13 better ways to start fire, and heartily commend Tom's ex-fiance for her moral decision to stay with her new husband. It was really fun...
Then this morning...The Saccanville church has been really struggling these last few months after their pastor, a truly godly man in love with them and the Lord, took a job with OMS's church planting arm. While the church plant he has been working with has been going really well, and we are thrilled to see Janiel be better able to support his family while doing ministry at the same time, the Saccanville church has obviously declined in many ways in his absence.
Without a strong leader and a consistent pastor, some morality issues have crept in, and the preaching has been spotty, inconsistent and sometimes one week's preacher will completely contradict the next, and frequently both will completely contradict the Bible...Matt's been struggling to stay in his seat a few times.
We've been praying about this heavily, and also praying that the Lord would show us and other EBS leaders and students clear ways to help in a healthy, glorifying way. Just like I don't think it is any mistake that there is a seminary smack in the middle of a famously Voodoo area, I also don't think that the Lord "coincidentally" brought 60 Haitian Bible scholars, teachers, pastors, evangelists and missionaries next door to the Saccanville church during a difficult time.
So, just as EBS is working hard to plant the Of the Mangoes church alongside of the Saccanville church, the church has asked EBS to work hard to help them in this time of need, while they continue to wait on a new pastoral assignment. This morning, Pastor Janiel came for a special service, and 4 of the seminary guys led the service and worship. It went really well, and I could see that the congregation was excited to have people excited about the Lord. Two of the EBS community afterwards said they feel very led to get involved however they can...teaching, preaching, committing to going each Sunday, whatever.
Tomorrow, the church leadership will meet again with the Seminary leadership and work on temporarily filling some of their biggest gaps...someone to teach the youth, Biblically-based preaching, and even just the presence of more young godly men. (Like many churches in Haiti (and elsewhere?) there are a lot of women, elderly people and children in the church, but almost NO men in their 20's-40's.)
Next Sunday Matt will be preaching with an Emmaus team leading the service, and next Sunday afternoon, Saccanville church is walking to Of the Mangoes for a special kick-off service there.
All that to say that it was GREAT to be in church this morning, and to see another clear calling seem to open for the Emmaus community. I am always so proud to watch the students obey when they hear the Lord's voice, even in situations that will give them no money, no power, no fame...
God broke the mold when He made this one! Please continue to pray for her and for wisdom as we seek to raise this beautiful, hilarious, ornery and stubborn flower into a woman after God's own heart. (Thank you, Gladys, for her dress! She picked it this morning for church and for some reason has chosen it to be her "dancing" dress :)
Final praise, the McCluskey's! After almost a full year (next month) of trying to work at the Seminary, in the community, be a family AND be fully responsible for the transportation, cooking, cleaning, entertainment, etc. involved for all EBS visitors (some for months at a time), we finally told Bryan last Spring that we would be unable to continue at such a pace this school year. While we love each element, all of it together was just too much (even for someone who HATES to admit that!), and we weren't giving our family the priority that we strongly desired.
I bumped into John and Dorothy on the beach once last year, (they have been in and out of Haiti for years for short and longer term trips) and said, "We miss having you guys!"
"Well, what could we do if we came back?" Dorothy said.
We drove home from the beach that day excited that maybe help was on the way! And so this Friday, they arrived! John and Dorothy came for this school year with tons of stuff to make the empty house next door a home, and they began yesterday turning it into a kind of Bed and Breakfast for all the visitors EBS has throughout the year.
They'll be keeping visitors, cooking for them, transporting them, caring for them, laundry, weekends, etc....making our Visiting Professors' experiences so much better, helping out the EBS community, and MOST (is that selfish?) will be providing Matt and Lily and I with some down/family time once the day is done and during the weekends! You have no idea what a huge answer to prayer this is, just to have some help!
Lily is also loving having someone next door, and loves to venture over to Do-Do and Bubba's house and be pleasantly surprised to find friends there...over and over :)
So, news flash:
The God of the Universe is in control of it, and the God who answers prayers answers prayers! Always blessed to always find Him faithful...
What prayers, however long-standing, is He clearly answering in your life? As ALWAYS, we would LOVE to hear from you!
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