Hello From The Mole…

We do not have internet at our house but we found a small little cyber cafe!!

We arrived in the Mole around noon on Friday. We brought with us a carpenter to put shelves in our rented house. We also brought with us a steelworker so that he could put bars on some of our windows and make a stand for our solar panels.

The two trucks with all our furniture arrived around 7pm. I had a few sad moments when I realized that the trip here: broke the headboard to our bed, rubbed the wood and part of the paint off a dozen other pieces of furniture, our conference table cracked, a few of the kids toys bent in half, and two glass stands beyond repair (the glass made it fine packed separately). UGH…..I wasn’t happy at all.

Somehow in the midst of all our last minute packing we forgot to bring any fans. Smart – right?? The heat here can take your breath away. I’ve actually never been in the Mole with this sort of heat. Being close to the ocean there’s normally a breeze. Since Friday the heat has been horrid and the breeze non-existent. I would have cried but I sweated out all my tears! You cannot buy a cold drink in this town. Everything is warm. You know it’s sweaty-hot when you drink 7 bottles of water and still don’t go to restroom. Wisley (who is Haitian) told me last night that only Hell is hotter than it is right now! So I know it’s not just me!! I started to worry for Asher and Malaya – both of them breakout really bad with heat rashes. I imagined how miserable the children would be and I began to doubt what we had just signed up for.

On Saturday we had a group of 8 join us.  They were AWESOME!! Brent Bramer and Barb Enata who are new NWHCM staff were apart of the group. It was great to share our heart and vision for the Mole with them.

We also had one of the members from the group Seabird. They have opened for Switchfoot and have written music for a few TV programs. We had a special concert Friday night followed by a movie. Jose and I used to have Friday night movies in St. Louis. It was a way to reach the youth. There is nothing to do here in Haiti. Offering something on a Friday – ANYTHING on a Friday – just keeps the teens from getting into trouble and offers them a safe place to hang out. We are really excited about our Friday Outreach Program.

Some of the surrounding “Pastors” heard about our Friday evening event. They told our Pastor that they wanted to meet with him at 6pm – right in the middle of our concert. He told me to pray for him because this is the first time they have reached out a hand to him.  However – it was a fake meeting. They thought if they called for him to come for a meeting in the middle of the concert he would cancel it. It broke his heart and ours as well. We have met much resistance here with the other churches. They do not do anything for the community and they don’t like it they we are reaching out to the people. They have already made a few threats.

But let me tell you about this past Friday night – it was so beautiful. Children and youth from the street poured into the church as Seabird performed. The church isn’t very big but it was standing room only. It was truly a light in the middle of darkness. It really hit me – the reality has set in. God has called us to be the light in a dark, sweaty community!! He never told me it would be easy. I knew we would have problems but I think God left a few things out of the fine print! 🙂

Church was packed Sunday morning. There weren’t enough chairs for everyone. We brought a sound system and a keyboard. They were so excited. There were at least 4 specials, they sang several songs together, and hands were in the air. It was a nice contrast to last Sunday and definitely a change in the right direction.

The sermon was about laying your fears at His feet. If we really believe in Jesus and His power – we should never be afraid for anything. No matter how difficult life gets – never let fear be apart of it. Our homework was to search out our hearts for the insecurities and fears we carry and lay it at His feet. AMEN.  I had given the Pastor several ideas and topics for the church. Never did I dream he would be speaking right to me. I had laid my insecurities at His feet when we left St. Louis and then picked them back up once we felt the heat. God spoke right to my heart in that very moment  – in a little stick church – in Mole St Nicholas.

The St. Louis campus is a little bit of Heaven in a 3^rd world country. I am realizing that more and more. But let me tell you what God did for me. Maybe you will disagree and say that He didn’t really do it for “me” but I will always believe He did. He made it rain the last two days. Not a hard rain – but just enough to cool the air. It has given us a chance to catch our breath. Just when you think it’s more than you can handle – God proves that He will NEVER give us more than we can take.

I believe God is trying to show me another world. It’s been a hard but eye-opening lesson. He’s not finished with me yet! 🙂

We continue to seek Victory – In His Name.