Yesterday, we learned that Haiti has grounded flights for 30 days due to gang violence, with bullets striking three different airlines. This usually wouldn’t impact us directly, but Jose and Gabe just flew to the U.S. for the Missionary Convention and Board meeting.
When I opened this blog to ask for your prayers, I realized it’s been a while since I shared any updates here.
So, along with requesting prayers for their safe journey back to Haiti next week, I’m also including some recent Facebook posts I’ve shared.
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST
Missionary crisis management:
Step 1 – Pray.
Step 2 – Call for backup.
Step 3 – Remember that EVERY good story starts with – ‘So, there was this one time…’”
Several people have reached out after hearing the news about flights being grounded into Haiti for the next 30 days.
Jose & Gabe, along with my parents, left Haiti this past Saturday for the Missionary Christian Convention in Lexington, KY, where our board’s annual meeting is also being held.
Since that short time, Spirit Airlines was shot at when it tried to land in PAP. Jet Blue and AA also took a bullet on their planes as well.
Now, in addition to no flights coming into Haiti from the U.S. – the Dominican Republic has also stopped allowing Americans to cross into Haiti (though you can still leave Haiti through the border).
Please pray with us as Jose looks for an alternative route to return home next week as planned. We’re exploring flights from the Bahamas to Haiti, hoping other countries don’t follow suit in suspending flights.
Thanks for your prayers and support!
#neveradullmoment #CrisisAndChill #WhenFlightsSayNoButGodSaysGo
#HeLeftAndIKeptTheChaos
#ThisIsFineButNotReally
For more info on the current situation in Haiti, you can read here:
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NOVEMBER 4th
Building Bridges for Better Futures
Our Therapy Team is thrilled to launch a new weekly program for kindergarten through 3rd graders and their teachers! Every Wednesday and Thursday, we’ll be visiting three local schools, spending an hour with the kids to discuss character building, body safety, and hygiene. We’re bringing our projector along so we can share the same stories and lessons that have been a hit at our Princess and Superhero camps.
This past weekend, we held our first Teacher Seminar with 23 educators from these schools, focusing on ways to connect with children who have experienced trauma. We covered strategies for managing challenging behaviors, recognizing signs of abuse, and nurturing each child’s well-being. This was just the beginning—we have three more seminars planned during school breaks!
Please keep this new initiative in your prayers. We’re starting with three schools and around 200 children, but our goal is to expand to additional schools by spring.
Here’s a glimpse of the teacher seminar we hosted this past weekend!
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NOVEMBER 1st
We’re celebrating Halloween a day late with a campus-wide all-night movie marathon for 40 kids! There’s snacks, candy, drinks, and tons of laughter!
I’m already tired, but I made a bet with Angela that she’ll fall asleep before me—so now I’m stuck here! At least Aria and Amia just zonked out. They ran around like wild women all evening…stealing candy!
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NOVEMBER 1st
When this popped up on my wall, it made me both chuckle and sad. There is NOTHING more stressful than traveling as a family! Rosie just had scoliosis surgery and I just had shoulder surgery. So we were useless. Covid had just broken out and it was our first time traveling with masks.
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Since then….
The President was assassinated and my Haitian children have never been able to obtain an embassy appointment to renew their visas since.
Sophie (14-years old) passed away last month. She was Gabe’s favorite dog. They both grew up together.
Malaya is now a sophomore in college and we only see her a few times a year. And… next summer Gabriel will be living with Malaya to do his senior year of high school. (Don’t even get me started about Asher/Levi leaving the following year).
After all these years… I’ve realized the best times I’ve ever had are the most chaotic ones.
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October 5th
This weekend is our big fall kick-off for Children’s Church!
Jose and I have spent countless hours/days decorating. I really wish Malaya was here. Tonight we didn’t come home until midnight -AND we still need to put in a few more hours before 6pm.
Tomorrow night, we’re hosting a community movie night to launch our new theme, and of course, you know our family and leaders will be in costumes!
THEME:
There’s nothing quite like the excitement of the circus! The performers and incredible acts under the big tent keep us on the edge of our seats, leaving us amazed and saying, “Wow! Did you see that?”
In a similar way, when we open God’s word, we can experience that same sense of wonder. The Bible is filled with fascinating, powerful stories that reveal who God is and lead us to the most important person to ever live—Jesus.
Memory Verse Theme: “His signs are great. His wonders are mighty. His kingdom will last forever. His rule will never end.” Daniel 4:3.
With all the hardship and sadness around, it’s the perfect time to bring some fun and excitement to the kids.… and give them a memorable experience!
Please remember to keep this ministry and the children we serve in your prayers.
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September 23rd
Now that mom and dad are back in Haiti, Mikela & Rosie are off to Port-de-Paix to spend time with them! Mikela is actually registered for the Cosmetology School in Pdp which starts on Thursday. She will be living with them for 2 months. Rosie is just there to visit.
It rained nonstop last night. The roads are a mess, but it’s expected to keep raining over the next few days. So they decided to leave anyways.
Here is their “before” picture. I have no doubt that after 4 hours on these roads – their “after” picture will look a lot different!
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September 9th
Sometimes it’s hard to know whether God is closing the door OR if the enemy is just blocking the entrance. We have some big decisions to make this week, and we are struggling to decipher who is standing at the door.
Please pray for wisdom and guidance as we beseech the Lord for direction.
I made this comment a few days later:
Thank you all for your continued prayers and encouragement. While we’re still unsure of the way forward, we have peace knowing that God has closed a door that wasn’t part of His plan for us. I used to say that I may not know the best way to do something, but I’ve definitely learned all the wrong ways. We try and fail all the time. But we also learn a lot. Now that we’ve made an important decision about what we won’t do, our hearts are still troubled as we seek guidance on what we should do.
We hold on to the promise of Isaiah 30:21, which says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”We appreciate your continued prayers as we search for His guidance on next steps.
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MOLE MINISTRY BLOGS
Though I haven’t been keeping up with our personal blog as much as I should be – I have been making posts on our ministry blog.
Here are links to the last few posts
COMPASSION IN ACTION: Bus Tragedy
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GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN!
https://molehaiti.org/2024/08/26/our-mission-navigation-boat-is-here/
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