Current thoughts and my fast approaching trip to the US

It's hard for me to think that a week from now I'll be on American soil. I'm looking forward to seeing my family and friends, but I know I'm going to miss my life here in Haiti--the precious kids, the great people I serve with, my wonderful girlfriend. I won't miss the dust, inescapable heat, or intermittent electricity :)  I trust and anticipate the month visit in the states will be fruitful. I have a feeling it's going to be very busy. 

While I am 'home' I need to take some CE courses and renew my license to sell insurance so it doesn't lapse (possibly selling/helping to sell some policies to supplement my support money), get some thorough training in Quickbooks so I can better serve Christian Light School, research a business idea I'd like to cultivate in Haiti, visit whoever will have me and share the needs of Christian Light School, and visit with my family, friends, and supporters. I've also decided that it's time to sell everything of significant value that I still have in the states. I know I'm going to need the money and there's no use having a car and other possessions a couple thousand miles away if I don't expect to be using them very often. 

I'm very happy serving in Haiti and I could see myself living here a long time if It be in God's will. With today being July 4th I must acknowledge that I'm proud to be an American. I'm so thankful for the opportunities I have had in my life. Now I want to help the Haitian people to have the same opportunities that I have/had. My wish is for Haiti to be a prosperous and God seeking country. I believe it can be. I will try my best to help the people of this nation rise up and tell Satan he is no longer worshipped or welcome here. 

As always, thank you all for supporting me and the kingdom work taking place here. I greatly appreciate it and couldn't do it without you. We are a team. You send and I go. I see some surprises and changes ahead. I'm not even sure how provisions will be made for all that is ahead, but I know The Lord knows! I love you all and Happy Independence Day!

Change, Transitions, and Additions

Hello everyone! It's been a month so I thought it would be nice to get out an update.

The last day of the regular school year was Monday, June 9th. Since then we have had a lot of visitors. Every week brings in another team and individuals coming to help with summer school (which starts June 30th). The teams have all been wonderful and I'm very thankful for their service to Haiti and Christian Light School!

The World Cup started last week so I've been watching quite a bit of soccer with the kids. It's been fun (especially watching team USA getting a nice win earlier this week). The chikungunya virus (a newly introduced virus to haiti, which is transmitted by mosquitos) has run through most of the kids at this point. I haven't gotten it....yet.

I no longer live at the school. I moved out about a week ago and live a couple blocks away in a house that another mission organization, Hope For My Sister, leases. For the first few days it was very strange not living on campus. Now that I've had almost a week to adjust I'm growing to like it. There are definitely some benefits to living at the school--clean drinking water piped to the rooms, meals prepared for you, staff cleaning on a nearly daily basis, a washing machine, etc. While I do miss some of these things, living off campus allows me some more independence and the ability to further integrate into Haiti. I experience life a little bit more like the Haitians do. I want to see the world through the eyes of the Haitian people and what they deal with every day.

Our Pastor John Meadth and his wife Jocie are leaving to go back to Australia. They will be greatly missed. I've really come to appreciate them. They are wonderful! We've had the opportunity to meet the new pastor and his wife and son over the past week. Pastor Dan and Liz seem like a great couple and I look forward to getting to know them better. We are thankful the Lord has called them to serve in Haiti and work in the important ministries at Port-au-Prince Fellowship.

Our full time staff is growing! Ashleigh Kruse arrived a little over two weeks ago and will be teaching biology. Katelyn Hollis arrived yesterday and she will be directing the baby feeding program and overseeing the girls in the Children's Home. It's exciting to have new faces around and more shoulders to share the load. I really believe God is preparing us for more growth.

Please pray for Christian Light School & Children's Home as more staff arrives. Pray for us to be unified and focused on improving this ministry. Pray that we are constantly striving to serve the Haitian people better. Pray that people see Jesus in all that we do. Pray as we transition and Sherrie hands over more of the responsibilities to those already here and those on their way.

I also ask for your prayers. I have some big decisions to make, mostly involving business opportunities. I really would like to get to a point where I can live in Haiti without financial support from home. It's going to take some time, but if it be in God's will, I believe it can be done. I'll be visiting the States for a month starting July 11th. Since that is less than a month away, I've decided that the earliest I will buy a car is in August when I return.

Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support! I couldn't be here without all of you! I look forward to seeing many of you in less than a month!

Another Month In The Books? That Was Fast!

Wow! I love it here in Haiti! I was talking to David (our paramedic) the other night. He said something along the lines of, "Isn't this the best job in the world? People dream of experiencing what we get to do every day." I have to say that I completely agree with him. Life is good. I'm thankful that God has placed me here. It's a great feeling being exactly where you are supposed to be.

It's going to be hard coming back to the States for a month. It will be great to see everyone and raise awareness for Christian Light School & Children's Home, but I'm sure I'll be eager to get back! I will be flying in on Friday, July 11th and flying out on Monday, August 11th. I will be staying in Pennsylvania, but I am willing to travel to surrounding states to present at churches, etc. I would like to make the most of the trip because I don't plan on visiting again until the summer of 2015. If anyone would like to have me please contact me about scheduling a date!

We have run out of classrooms at the school. We still don't have a permanent place for our kids. We need to build 2 more floors onto one wing of the school and build a home for the children that live with us. It's going to require a substantial amount of resources in order to accomplish these much needed building projects. Just think--each time we grow more children get a better life and an excellent Christian education!

I've been spending a lot of time on the sponsorship program. Working on our sponsorship program is the most rewarding job I have. I love it! I'm looking forward to seeing the fruit this program has the potential to bear. Hopefully within the next month we will have all of our unsponsored children on our website (christianlighthaiti.org) with their pictures and basic information. I plan (when time allows) to start going and visiting the places where our school children live. I want to see the hardships that they have to deal with on a daily basis. If you knew what some of these kids have been through or what their living conditions are like it would break your heart.

I'm constantly trying to network here. It's all about relationships. You can't do much in Haiti without a good support system. It's been great getting to know fellow missionaries and the people of Haiti. I think there are tremendous opportunities here for small business growth. I'm already dabbling in one small business. I'm anxious to see how it works out! I feel like I'm building lifelong relationships. I work with some great people!

With all the growth and more people coming to serve at CLSCH, a lot of us will have to find places to live off campus. There just isn't much room for people to stay long term at the school. I've been looking at places to rent. I'd like to move into my own place when I return from my trip to the States. Pray that I will find the right place, and that my living expenses won't go up significantly.

As always, thank you for your continued prayers and financial support! It is much appreciated and gives me the strength and resources to serve in Haiti. I hope some of you will come and see what is going on here at Christian Light School & Children's Home. It will touch your life. I guarantee it! God bless you all and keep up the good fight for Jesus!

Over A Month In Haiti

Wow! It doesn't even seem like it's been over a month since I arrived in Haiti. I do, however, feel like I've been able to do quite a bit since I got here. I'm really enjoying life! Sure it comes with some difficulties like not having electricity all the time, high temperatures, things not happening quite as quickly as you'd expect them to, etc. Life in Haiti does require adjustments, lifestyle changes, and extra doses of patience.

I love the various roles I have at Christian Light School. I have quite a number of responsibilities, but nothing has been completely overwhelming. I think this has a lot to do with the great people that work alongside me here. I can't begin to express how thankful I am for the people who serve at Christian Light School, both in short term and full time capacities. It's great getting to meet fellow workers in the faith from all sorts of different places.

One of the most difficult situations I've been in so far was last week when one of the 4 year old girls got her pinky finger smashed in a door. I felt helpless at the time because I wasn't sure what to do. Both of our vehicles weren't at the school. The two girls that were here with medical experience didn't know what to do either because the finger was so small. So they did their best to clean the finger and wrap up her hand. I really thought they might have to amputate at least a portion of the finger. That's how bad it looked. We were eventually able to get her to the hospital. Thankfully it looks like the finger is going to be fine.

On Easter I was invited to sing at a nearby Haitian church. I didn't understand much of the service because my Creole still has a ways to go, but I was honored to be a part of their service. I hope the song was a blessing to them. I look forward to getting more involved with music and singing. It appears as though God is opening up doors for me to use the gift He has given me. I'm very excited about the possibilities!

Monday I went with over half of our kids up to Gonaives so that they could visit with friends and family. Many of our kids in the orphanage are originally from Gonaives. I had a great time in Gonaives! I met a lot of really cool people, experienced some of the city, and learned about some of the work taking place there. I spent most of my time at Pastor Genada's. What an impressive ministry they have there! The Genada's have a bakery and water treatment center which helps to finance some of the work that they do. I really would like to start some small businesses in Port au Prince in time. It would be wonderful to create some good jobs and generate revenue to offset some of the ministry expenses of Christian Light School. The vision is there. We just have to wait on God's timing.

I really love our kids. Some of the younger ones can be quite the handful, but at the end of the day, I'm grateful that I get to be a part of their lives. I've established good connections with some of the kids, and after just a month I'm starting to be seen as a father figure, especially with the girls. It's such a privilege to be involved with so many lives on a daily basis. My hope is that we can have more openness going forward and talk about the big (and little) things of life. I want their trust and feel like they are starting to understand that I'm here to help them succeed in life.

I think that's about all I'm going to write for now. Thank you for your prayers and continued financial support! I believe I'm meant to serve in Haiti for a long time. I'm prepared to stay as long as the Lord wants me here. If anyone would like to know more about living in Haiti, short and full time mission work, sponsoring a child, and/or any other ways you can get involved please contact me!

March Support Update

I'm going to start out by giving some details about things that have happened this week. 

Sunday was a great day! My day began with worship at Port au Prince Fellowship. I'm so thankful that I have such a great church to go to! The praise time ushered me into the presence of our Lord and Pastor John shared a great message with us on lust. After church, I went with Rachel and Micah to visit their niece and nephew at an adoption orphanage not too far from CLS. Rachel's sister is in the process of adopting them. I enjoyed my time there. I believe the director said he currently has 83 children. I went into an area where a lot of the younger kids were and they all started saying a phrase with Papa in it. I'm pretty certain they were all coming to me and asking me if I was their Papa. Those who are in the process of adopting children normally come to visit from time to time, so when a foreigner walks in they probably assume it could be their future parent. It was very sweet. It's comforting to know that many of those children will end up in a good home with loving parents in time. 

The rest of the week sort of blurs together. I really need to start keeping a daily journal. I'm still working on Creole nearly every day. I went out into the country with our driver, Edmond, on Tuesday to get our monthly food pickup from Love A Child. Love A Child receives the food from Feed My Starving Children and then distributes it to ministries like CLS. It was nice to see the countryside and breathe some fresher air. 

Today I went with Edmond to get some more money. We don't go to a bank to get money because it is not very safe. People who leave a bank with large sums of money generally end up getting robbed, and in some cases killed. I also had the opportunity to go to Ken and Andrea's, friends of mine, who are hosting medical training with Dr. Ed. Dr. Ed is soon retiring to the States after serving in Haiti for many years. I really enjoyed the class! It was extremely informative and I hope I can attend the rest of the training sessions. 

I added up my support recently and I was amazed that I nearly have $14,000 in support so far! Praise the Lord!!! I also have somewhere between $600-700 in recurring monthly support. I feel very blessed! God is meeting my needs. I never doubted. I know He will provide for me as long as I'm living for Him and fulfilling the work that He has for me. Thank you for your support!

Please pray for the missionaries currently working at CLS. Tammy is going back to the States tomorrow for 3 weeks. Samantha arrived on Tuesday and will be staying with us for the month of April. Samantha will be helping by doing some of what Tammy does while she is away. Micah, Rachel, and I make up the rest of the current American leadership. Pray that we can continue to make improvements at the school, and we will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in all that we do!

My First Week

I've had a great first week! I love serving at Christian Light School in Haiti! The first few days were a little rough as I got adjusted to being here again. Now I'm settling in.

One of my favorite parts of my first week has been learning Creole. Emmanuella, one of the older girls, has been doing a great job teaching me! I don't think it will be long before I'm speaking Creole with confidence. I've also really enjoyed getting to know some of the kids better. We have so many great kids! I'm blessed to be able to work with them and work toward improving their lives. I hope I can bless them as much as they bless me each and every day.

This week I taught a 7th grade class some math and science in the mornings. I definitely wasn't expecting to be teaching this early on, but we had some voids to fill so I volunteered to help. I will probably be filling in for some other classes from time to time until the end of the semester. I've also made myself available to tutor students if they would like my help.

So far I'm tackling one thing at a time with the financial work. I'm really focused on the management side at the moment. It feels good to know that I'm here for the long haul, so I have no reason to rush anything. It gives me a chance to implement changes at a reasonable pace. There are so many things I'd like to do. There are a number of improvements I believe we can see realized in the coming weeks and months. I'm very excited!

I'm so glad to be here! I know I'm right where I need to be. Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support! It's awesome to know that so many people are praying for me and this ministry! Thank you for being a part of what God is doing here! Your sacrifices allow me to have the best job a man could ask for! Thank you Lord for giving me the opportunity to serve you in full time ministry!

February Support Update!

Wow! What an incredible past few weeks I've had! It has been great visiting churches and having the opportunity to meet and fellowship with other brothers and sisters at home and in Florida. What a blessing!

I loved spending a week in Florida with my grandparents. Not only was I able to spend some quality time with them, I was also given the opportunity to share my testimony at Plant City Church of God. The support I received there was amazing! The people of Plant City Church of God were very generous and welcoming. I know that many of them are praying for me, and some have been led to support me financially. Thank you Plant City Church of God for your support and love for missions!

On Sunday I had a concert at New Life Church with my good friend and brother Matt Riggins. The concert far exceeded our expectations! Over $3,800 in support was raised for my work in Haiti! But that's not the best part - several children are going to be sponsored at Christian Light School, some people would like to visit Haiti, and most importantly, at least one person prayed to receive Jesus as their Savior!!! What an awesome night! Thank you God!!!

God has been doing some other amazing things lately. Things that are almost hard to comprehend. So many people have been touched by what He's doing at Christian Light School. The support and increase of people wanting to help has been overwhelming! I'm so thankful that God has chosen me to be apart of His work at Christian Light School! What a privilege it is to serve the Lord!

As of the end of February (with the addition of the concert on March 2nd), I have received at least $8,590 in support! My recurring monthly support is at least $440/month, and there are a number of other people who are about to start supporting me monthly, so that number should be on the rise soon. Thank you so much for supporting me and the work the Lord has called me to! You have all been a blessing in my life and may God bless you for the sacrifices you are making for His Kingdom!