The Ever Enlarging Tapestry
The Paraysons
Gama, Angela and Nathan will be heading back to the States next month for a well-deserved break. I was really concerned about Angela being gone for an extended time, knowing how much her absence would be felt by the hundreds served in the clinic each month. I put the word out to some different organizations and medical professionals that we needed someone to cover for Angela, but had not received any response. It became a point of prayer, “Lord. I don’t want to see the clinic shut down! I believe this ministry is YOUR will and, as such I know that YOU have a plan come this August! Thank You for Your guidance and for providing for every need.”
Leah Fuller and a few friends
Little did I know that Leah Fuller was praying, too. Leah was coming to the end of a 6 month term of service with our good friend and fellow missionary, Ed Locket at the “Happy House” in the neighboring city of Petit-Goâve. She was seeking direction, as she was certain she would be returning to Haiti soon. Ed stopped by MOHI with a small group, just a few days before Leah would be heading home. While he and Lex sat down to talk inside, Leah and another nurse sat in the yard. I suggested that they go up to the clinic to chat with Angela. When they were done with Angela, Leah approached me about coming to serve at MOHI. Everything fell into place quickly, including Ed’s blessing for her to come to us.
Don’t you love seeing such a clear answer to prayer? None of us knew what God’s provision was, but we knew He had one. A couple more threads were woven into this beautiful tapestry of His! Oh, and here’s the bonus (another thread, too!), Jackie Scarello…
Jackie and Alexis
Jackie will be spending another month and a half with us this summer. She is training with Angela for a few days on our Electronic Medical Record system, so that she fully understands it and is able to teach others. The timing is perfect for everyone involved. Jackie particularly enjoyed working in the clinic when she was here earlier this summer. Now she will be an integral part of that ministry for the next month.
My family will be heading to the States in September. Again, God’s provision is always just right. Kevin and Tammy Groder (a couple more brilliant and vibrant threads in the tapestry!) will be making their move to Haiti in just a couple of weeks. This allows a couple of weeks for them to transition into their place here before we leave. It also enables Leah to be able to stay after we’re gone, as we would not have left a young woman here without a strong authority figure present. Now we can leave, knowing that long-term missionaries are still at work here in our absence.
Pastor Kevin & Tammy Groder after a swim at Cayes Mirliton
In case you’re wondering about Kevin and Tammy, they are officially “homeless” for the next couple of weeks. They closed on their house a few days ago and are now preparing the internet connections (and all the other things they do) for SoulFest this week. Very soon they will be calling Cayes Mirliton (our missionary compound) their home. Yay!
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Teamless
It has been quite a while since we’ve been “teamless” at MOHI. Lex and I both had lots of work to catch up on, so we are grateful for the extra time we had available this week. My work is pretty unexciting – bookkeeping, responding to emails, bookkeeping, staff meetings, bookkeeping, responding to emails, setting up team schedules, bookkeeping, updating the blog, bookkeeping, processing photos, bookkeeping, responding to emails, bookkeeping, dreaming of how to do all the things I’d like to do if only I could wrap up this bookkeeping and catch up on these emails… You get the picture? 🙂
Staff and Students painting school benches
Lex, on the other hand, has much more variety in his life. For starters, I’m pretty certain he has a minimum of twelve different meetings on any given days. People, often unknown to him, come looking for help (hunger, medical need, death in the family, clothing need, a dispute that needs a mediator, counseling…) or wanting to sell him something (an animal, land, a vehicle, seafood). He also meets with staff, construction workers, area/foreign ministers, foreign security personnel, local police… The list goes on and on. There are projects that require his presence several times a day, such as building maintenance, construction sites, vehicle repairs, gardens… He helps to match prospective employees and employers in the area. Oh, and then there’s the “prospective” projects that require a zillion planning meetings. They may or may not come through, but his presence is required if we are to even be considered for them. In the midst of it all, there is the need for prayer and study – making sure he is filled to overflowing, so there is plenty to share with others.
Catching up on some maintenance at Cayes Mirliton
This is what our lives look like when we are not interacting with teams. Often times when we go back to the States we see people “wowed” by the title “missionary.” Well, the cat’s out of the bag, now. “Missionary” is not a glorious position where we walk on water every day. It is a rewarding position, where we do what’s necessary to meet the needs of others. You don’t need to live in a mud hut in a foreign country to do the work of a missionary. On the contrary, it’s God’s desire that we do this work where ever He has us.
What’s Next
One week without a team was good for playing catch up. Now, we’re preparing to receive a small team from World Wide Lighthouse Missions (an outreach of the Full Gospel Interdenominational Church in Manchester, CT). Whenever I talk about WWLM or FGIC I tell people, “You’ve never seen a more organized ministry in your life!” They are truly gifted in this area. As such, we requested their help with our donations room in the new school building. Rev. Lautenbach, Adrienne, Rod and Kim will be joining us for ten days of building and organizing. I’m really excited to see how their plan unfolds. In Connecticut, they accept donations of clothing and other goods that can benefit people in need. Their experience will be a great benefit to MOHI as we establish a system for receiving and distributing donations.
We are expecting Sora and James to be joining us this week. They are volunteers with One Laptop Per Child. They will spend four days working with our computer club kids, with the hopes of moving them toward becoming bloggers and investigative reporters. Our hope is to get to the point where our kids will be publishing a school newspaper.
Future Bloggers!
We are pleased to be welcoming John Armour back to Grand-Goâve tomorrow. You may recall that John created an amazing water filtration system that we use here at MOHI. This system utilizes nano-technology, is very low maintenance and filters at high speed. Branches of the Vine donated one of these units to us after the earthquake. The Chapel purchased a second unit for the missionary compound this past Winter. John also worked hand in hand with our Haitian construction crew, laying the foundation for the new school. We couldn’t have built this building without his help, for sure. John is an incredible problem solver. We are rarely short of problems, so he’s sure to keep busy around here.
I’ve been telling you about the mobile medical clinic being prepared for us at the Chapel in Akron. Here’s a sneak preview…
This school bus is being converted into a mobile medical clinic!
No Alter Call
This morning in Thozin we had a lively service and a powerful message. No alter call was given, but the Lord brought people forward anyway. A long time friend of MOHI came to Jesus this morning, along with a very influential business man from the area. Rich or poor, beautiful or homely, Jesus sacrificed His life for ALL. What a joy to see people drawn to Him, determined to lay down their own lives, take up their cross and follow Jesus!
Here are some pictures from this morning’s service:
Pastors Clement and Edon
A Lesson in Colors
Father and Son
Sleeping on Michelle
Mme. St. Fort and a little friend
Pastor Lex
Prayer
Mother and Daughter
Glory Sutton