Questions Continue….But Our God is Faithful.

It has been almost six weeks since our last update, and we really don’t have many more answers about Haiti now, than we did then. Here in Les Cayes, we continue with life as usual. Last week we even had the Annual Convention of MEBSH (the church organization that we work under) here in the community of Simon, where we live. During Annual Convention, thousands of people move into our small community and participate in church services, meetings, and activities over a five day period. There is festival-type of atmosphere in which vendors line the street selling all kinds of products from food, to clothes, to housewares; and there are parades going into church services and special events several times a day. Prayer services started at 5am every morning with services scattered throughout the day and ended around 9:30pm in the evening. There were some concerns before Convention started about safety with so many people coming during this uncertain time in Haiti, but the week went well. It was a time of encouragement for everyone; to reconnect with friends and relatives as they gathered for fellowship and worship together.

Over the past six weeks, the missionary community here has dwindled to only eight (including us). Many have left when they could on available flights to go back to their home countries due to the requests of their organizations or because they had business that needed to be attended to in the coming months. With the current uncertainty, many made the decision to go while they could. Some flights have resumed from Cayes to Cap Haitian over the last few weeks, but the airport in Port-au-Prince continues to be closed due to gang activity in that area. All of us know that once we leave Haiti, there is no certainty on when we will be able to return to our ministries and work here.

During these weeks of uncertainty, we have been able to continue with our normal school schedule at Centre Lumiere. Students have persevered with their classes, exams, and participated in a seminar on gardening with our agronomist. Many of them enjoyed getting their hands dirty in the garden a couple weeks ago, as they put their lessons into practice by planting spinach, green peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Fortunately, the rains have begun on a pretty regular basis, so they are not needing to do a lot of watering and they are seeing their plants peek through the dirt. Now, if we can only keep the guard dogs out of their newly planted garden areas….

Students have also been busy in their classrooms with projects in cooking, table setting, sewing, and embroidery. In the next month or so they will be modeling some of their finished projects during fashion shows that we will be holding here for each of the classes, so that everyone can see their progress.

As we wait to see what will come of the Haitian government and resulting situations across the country, we appreciate continued prayers for the people. Many are having difficulty finding medications and medical supplies that they need for daily healthy living, and being able to put food on the table is a challenge with the continual rise in prices. We are hearing of many who are concerned with their high blood pressure and trouble controlling their diabetes due to the daily stresses of the current situation. These issues are daily struggles in Haiti on a good day, but they have become even more challenging in these current days. There is also the added stress of family members who continue to be in harms way in Port-au-Prince because they can’t leave their jobs.

So, very few questions have been answered for us over the last six weeks, but the Lord continues to give us grace and all that we need for the days before us. For that, we are very thankful.

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Philippians 4:19-20 (ESV)

Prayers for Haiti

Many of you have reached out to us to see how we are doing with the crisis in Haiti hitting the international news. Haiti is in desperate need of our prayers. We appreciate your concern for those of us who continue to minister here, as well as the Hatian people all around us who are concerned about what the next hour or day might look like for them.

Here in Cayes (where we live), things have been mostly quiet and operating normally, but we all realize and are prepared for that to change at a moment’s notice. The news that you have been seeing of Haiti is most likely from the capital city of Port au Prince, which is about a five hour drive, or 120 miles from us (that drive has not been possible for about five years due to the gang activity). Currently, flights are not coming in or out of the regional airport in Cayes, or anywhere else in the country, because of the state of emergency in Port au Prince.

Although there are many rumors and reports of what is happening in Port, we know that two prisons have been attacked and prisoners have fled; the actual numbers of prisoners on the run is not clear, but we have seen numbers all over the place. We also know that the situation around the international and the national airports in Port au Prince have been extremely tense, to say the least.

So, we do ask you to pray for everyone in and around Port au Prince, first and foremost; and the rest of the country, as we wait to see what the consequences for the rest of us will be in the coming days and weeks. We continue to rest in the promises of our all-knowing God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He knows our todays, as well as our tomorrows, and we know that regardless of the victories or the defeats before us, He has gone ahead and prepared the way.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26 (CEV)

Challenges Abound

I have told you this, so that you might have peace in your hearts because of me (Jesus). While you are in the world, you will have to suffer. But cheer up! I have defeated the world. – – John 16:33 (CEV)

The first week of this year started off strong with classes at the Centre starting on January 8. That first week of classes went smoothly, and then the second week started with rumors of protests and most schools being closed. The majority of our students continued to attend class that week, but by the middle of the week, the staff asked them to come without their uniforms so as not to call attention to themselves or the Centre. By the fourth week of January fewer students were attending classes because the political situation was getting more intense. It was also more challenging for people to travel because public transportation was hard to find due to a lack of gas and road blocks. About this time we asked the ladies in the kitchen to stop using the propane to cook, but to use charcoal because propane was not easily found for sale, and we needed to conserve what we had for the students to use in their cooking classes. Fortunately, we have plenty of charcoal because of all the tree trimming that we did over the Christmas vacation, and the hard work of our faithful gardener who spent weeks overseeing the charcoal making process. Through these weeks of school, the students that came to the campus worked on strengthening their crochet and sewing skills with some special seminar projects (dresses, skirts, hot pads, etc.) instead of having the normal class schedule with so many students missing. A bright spot through all of this was watching the two hummingbird babies (pictured above) develop and grow on a lower branch of the mango tree in the front of our campus.

After very deliberately stacking branches and covering them with dirt and leaves, a small fire is started which then continues to smolder up to a week. Then, when everything is finished burning, it’s uncovered, and all the pieces of charcoal are picked up and bagged.

By the first week of February, all of life in Haiti came to a screeching halt for most people. Most roads were blocked with burning tires or large barricades, even concrete walls were constructed overnight to close off access on the main roads. All of this was a call from the opposition groups for the Prime Minister to step down. So, everyone stayed home for safety. The second week of February many schools and businesses continued to be closed because of ongoing rumors of more protests, as well as the Catholic/Voodoo holiday of Karnival (Mardi Gras). Most schools and businesses planned to be closed the beginning of this week because of the national holiday, but many places remained closed throughout the week because of continued fear of whether protests would start again following the holiday. Last week, we finally got back to the routine of having students on campus. Not everyone returned to class, but the majority of students returned by the end of the week. They continued to work on those seminar projects through last week, and we are returning to our normal school schedule this week. Last week was also the first week in five weeks that school children were seen in their school uniforms again. All of the schools were closed for five weeks because of concern for student safety.

Additionally during the last month or so, several of our students have been effected by tragedies in their families. One student returned home one day to find that her family’s home had been ransacked and many of their belongings stolen. Another student woke up during the night because her feet were hot and found her room to be engulfed in flames. Fortunately, she and her young child were able to escape safely, but they lost most of their belongings. They had a coil burning in the room to ward off the mosquitos so that they could sleep, and a piece of clothing fell onto the coil and caught the rest of the room on fire. Amazingly, she was at school the following morning in spite of a forty-five minute, or so, walk/ride to school. A third student has been sick for over a month. She has gone to see doctors, but they can not find the source of her health challenges. She is feeling better, but is still very weak. So, the challenges of Haiti life continue. It has been hard to see the stress and exhaustion on the faces of our staff, students, and others that we come in contact with on a daily basis. We are thankful for the time to breathe a little easier this past week, but the stress and concerns are not far from anyone’s minds.

Although the first part of the year has certainly had it’s challenges, we have been encouraged by being able to focus on the garden while students and staff were unable to attend classes. The garden project at the Centre continues to grow and we have started to harvest some of the produce to be used in the kitchen, which is a huge help with the sharp rise in prices for absolutely everything in the markets. We have been able to pick quite a bit of the okra which was planted at the end of last year and we have even gotten a few cucumbers off the plants that are planted in buckets. Carrots seem to be flourishing in the garden. We also now have pepper and tomato plants that are just beginning to produce some fruit, and the leeks have been moved from the nursery and transplanted into the main garden. As long as we can keep the guard dogs out of the garden (they love to sneak in to play in the soft dirt), we should have some good produce coming in the next few weeks and months.

Personally, when we were stuck at home during the peak of the protesting, we were able to get multiple things fixed around the house and lawn, and even did some repairs on the gate and had it painted. There was a lot of work done around the yard, and the vehicles received some additional upgrades and maintenance. In the midst of all of it, we were even able to watch the Super Bowl with some friends. It was fun to have friends from Pennsylvania, Oregon, Florida, Germany, Indiana, and Haiti, all join us for the game. Everyone headed home before the game was finished, but Lee endured to the end (which is unusual, since he is normally early to bed).

The needs in Haiti continue to be more challenging. In the past couple of weeks, we have been asked for help for food for families, help to buy blood that was needed for someone who was very sick, help for a woman who had to be brought a long distance to deliver her baby by caesarean, and then later died due to loss of blood because the bad roads on her return trip home caused her stitches to come undone. A friend has spent the last week and a half in the hospital with his father who is struggling with health issues. Another friend and co-worker is concerned about an aunt that is in the hospital facing another amputation due to a diabetic infection. We also heard of the death of a young mother during surgery to correct a problem she was having with her leg that was amputated after the earthquake in 2010. The needs continue to be great and it is hard to have to say no, when the funds just are not there to help another person in need. But in the midst of all the hard and challenging, we continue to see the blessings of the Lord in each an every day.

And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” Mark 4: 39-40 (ESV)

Would you be willing to contribute to the needs of the many? If so, please click here.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year

It’s so hard to believe that the the end of 2023 is so close. The days, weeks, and months fly by so quickly, it is hard to keep on top of it all. These past two weeks at Centre Lumiere we have been busy with exams, Christmas celebrations, and all the preparations that go into both of them. 

We could clearly see the relief in the faces of the students as their exams came to an end. Their hard work had paid off, or at least the stress of studying was behind them. Then their focus turned to finishing up projects and preparing for the Christmas celebration before leaving for a two and a half week break from their studies. 

Monday afternoon we had the privilege of spending the afternoon with some of the staff, in the midst of a major rain storm, to celebrate Christmas with them. We spent time playing a large scale Jenga game, along with a devotion about the need for each of us to build a strong foundation for the ministry of Centre Lumiere. Without each of us being grounded in the truth of the gospel as individuals, we will not be effective in ministering to the hearts and lives of our students. It was a blessing to share with them in some treats and fellowship before everyone made their way home in the rain. Some shared the next morning that they were not able to find moto-taxis to their homes because of all the rain; so they had to walk the whole way, or wait out the rain in shelters along the way. 

Tuesday and Wednesday of this week were days to finish up the last of exams and prepare for Thursday morning’s Christmas celebration with the students. Each celebration includes the beauty of songs of praise, a meditation, and no celebration at Centre Lumiere is complete without students modeling some of their most recent sewing projects. Today’s devotion was on placing our hope in Christ, first. Any hope that we place on the things of this world will be lost in disappointment, but hope placed in Christ will always enable us to see God’s goodness in our lives. We are thankful for the lives that are impacted by our staff as they share their love of the Lord with our students, and in turn for those students who then share the truth of the gospel with their families, churches, and communities. 

This Christmas, our hope is that each of our students will see the truth of the gospel in a new and especially real way. Our prayer is that each of you would be especially impacted by the truth of the gospel message, as well. May our Savior’s sacrifice give you peace and joy like it never has before. 

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

Merry Christmas and may you see God’s abundant blessings in the year 2024. Thank you so much for being a part of the ministry of Centre Lumiere!!

Ending the Year

Christmas and the end of the year are quickly approaching and we are so very thankful for every one of you who has partnered with us over this past year so that we could see the lives of the women at Centre Lumiere changed. Each one who has invested in this ministry through prayers, financial gifts, or purchasing product has been a part of those changed lives.

As you know, we have our funding set up through Friends of the Great Commission and they have asked us to pass the following information on to our supporters, as you plan for your giving in these final weeks of 2023.

For a gift to qualify for a 2023 tax receipt, a donation must meet the following criteria:

• Donations made online must be received on or before 11:59 pm MST December 29, 2023
• Credit card donations by phone (Toll Free: 1-855-573-8483) will be received until 4:00 pm MST on Friday, December 29, 2023
• Check or money orders must be dated no later than December 31, 2023 (Please ensure all checks are made payable to Friends of the Great Commission, or Centre Lumiere)
• Donations mailed by the donor directly to the FGC office must bear a postmark date on the envelope no later than December 31, 2023 (donors should have the post office physically stamp the envelope if sending on or just before December 31, 2023, to avoid a January postmark date)

May you have a blessed Christmas season in which you are able to take the time to reflect on the greatest gift that we could have ever received, a Savior, born in a manger to forgive us from our sins.

On The Move

Our trip to the states this summer was another busy one as we visited a number of churches and many of our supporters to update them on our new ministry and share how God has continued to lead and guide us over this past year. In addition to spending some much needed time with family and friends, we were blessed to be a part of Josiah (our second son) and Lindsay’s marriage in September. The days and weeks were full of meetings, doctor appointments, and all the things that we miss while in Haiti. It was so good touch base with so many and experience the support and encouragement that so many of you blessed us with.

We made it back to Haiti just two days before classes started at Centre Lumiere, on September 25. We were excited to be able to be here for the first day of class for our forty students; 18 second year students, and 22 new students. We are so very thankful for the competent staff that make sure that the school is running at full capacity all of the time. It is no lie that without them, we would be lost. Their level of commitment to this ministry is incredible to see and experience on a daily basis. We are so very blessed to have each of them as a part of the ministry.

It has been fun for us to see the first year students pick up sewing needles, crochet needles, and cooking equipment for the first time, and try their hands at some new experiences and projects. They have already finished some small hand-sewn projects and we see them in their hair on a regular basis. Currently, they are working on their first skirt. They are also working on their first crochet projects, and they have made some delicious food in the kitchen.

Second year students have finished their first big sewing project for the year, which was a women’s suit jacket and skirt, and they have started working on a new dress pattern. They have finished a small crocheted purse, and have started a more challenging crochet project. Second year students have also spent several days in the kitchen where they have made some delicious meals and snacks. We always look forward to class days in the kitchen, because there is delicious food to be shared with all the staff.

Each morning, we meet for devotions, and at this point and time, each staff person and second year student is taking a turn to share their testimony with the rest of us. It is a blessing to hear how God has provided for so many of them in the midst of incredible challenges and sorrows. We have heard of how staff and students have been saved from the clutches of voodoo, how they have walked through the painful loss of parents, children, or siblings. They have shared how they have weathered the storms of health crises, natural disasters, and devastating accidents. The Haiti life is a challenging one for sure, and each day that we have to live on this earth (whether we are in Haiti or somewhere else in the world) is a privilege. We have received this gift in order for us to do all that we can for the purposes of the Lord who created us. We are reminded of this everyday that we meet together in devotions.

Another exciting project that we have started here at the Centre is a plan to make better use of our garden space for the benefit of the Centre. We have a nice sized garden and we desire to use the space better in order to be able to provide more fruits, vegetables, and spices to the kitchen so that we can decrease the funds spent for the daily lunch program. We are so thankful for those who have come alongside of us to hire an agronomist to oversee this project. This week, she came to work alongside our gardening staff to clean the front half of the garden out in preparation for planting in the coming weeks. We are excited to see what this space will look like in a few weeks. The cost of food has continued to increase in price at a pace that most people just can’t keep up with. The more that we are able to grow ourselves, the better prepared the school will be in the coming months. We also hope that we will be able to provide some seminars with our students so that they can learn how they can plant gardens, even with limited space at home, to help with the costs of feeding their families.

On a personal level, it has been a busy couple of months as we have not only jumped into life at the Centre, but have moved to our new home, and are trying to carve out time to get things settled there, as well. Within the first week or so of moving in to our new home, we also added a new puppy (Rosco) to our lives, since Lily passed away over the summer, and Buster needed a new friend. We also added a parakeet (Budgie) to the family, since missionary friends of ours had to return to the states so that their 13 year old son could receive treatment for leukemia. This parakeet is his pet, so Isaac decided that he would be happy to care for him while his friends’ family needs to be away. We also continue to be very busy with our involvement with Agape Flights, the ministry that flies our mail and cargo into Haiti, as well as, the roles that we hold in the missionary community here. We are so grateful for the energy and health that the Lord continues to give us so that we can continue the work that He has placed before us.

We are so very grateful for each of you who have come alongside of us in prayer, financial support, and through your words of encouragement. We really could not continue to do what God has called us to do without everyone of you and the sacrifices that you make to be a part of our ministry. If you have not already partnered with us and God’s ministry, would you consider doing so now by clicking here to support Centre Lumiere and/or our family?

A Season of Transition

The past couple of weeks were a flurry of planning, sickness, and preparations for those of us at Centre Lumiere. In the coming month, Caleb, Olga and Irene who have been serving at Centre Lumiere for over four decades combined, are all preparing to leave the ministry and are seeking the Lord’s direction for their futures. Transitions are hard for everyone involved. They are hard for those who are leaving and they are hard for those who have worked with them and learned under their leadership over the years. We are so very grateful for the passion and commitment in which they have served over the time that they gave of themselves for the glory of the Lord here at Centre Lumiere, and our hope is that the legacy that they have been so much a part of will continue to grow in the time ahead of us.

The celebration of their service was planned for three weeks in a row and for different reasons, it needed to be changed twice. This past Tuesday, July 4, we were finally able to pull all of the plans together for a beautiful afternoon of celebrating the past and looking forward to the future of the Centre and the ministry that we have to the women of Haiti. It was a time of remembering the history of the Centre and the changes that have come to the ministry over the years, as well as looking forward with faith that God will continue to meet the needs of the students and staff as we face more changes ahead. We also had the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful voices of the students and the staff as their combined voices lifted praises to the Lord. During the celebration, there was a time of handing over the keys of leadership, as Caleb and Olga prepare for their departure and we take up the role of leadership. Time was taken before closing for prayer over Caleb and Olga by Pastor Alneve Emile (former MEBSH president), Irene Unruh by Johannes and Luise Schurer (founders of Centre Lumiere), and Lee and I, by Pastor Napoleon Lusson (current MEBSH president). It was a meaningful time of reflecting on what God has done here, and looking forward and trusting for what He will continue to do in this ministry. Following the celebration time, there were refreshments that had been prepared by the staff and students. (Which were absolutely delicious I [Lee] may add).

In less than two weeks, school will be drawing to a close, our third year students will be graduating, and we will be heading to the states for our home assignment (and Josiah’s wedding!). There is a lot to pack into these next couple of weeks before we head out to meet up with some of you to share what God is doing in our lives and the life of the Centre. We look forward to seeing many of you very soon!

In addition, we have been very blessed by those of you who take time to read about what’s happening in our lives as well as those of you have have partnered with us on this journey. It’s such a humbling feeling and an honor to have you encourage us, pray for us, write to us, and support us reminding us we are not alone! If you have not yet joined our team, we’d love to have you start. Or maybe you desire to help out the ministry directly? With the start of a new school year only months away, you can make a direct impact on the lives of those God entrusts to our care! CLICK HERE now!

A Time for Everything

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV

This passage seems quite fitting for this season of our lives, both in ministry, and personally. This past year has been a time of loss, hard decisions, transitions, and living in a state of flux, and unsettledness. Yet, we have continued to see God’s blessings in every aspect of this journey, called life. I (Tina) recently read back over some of our blogs from last spring (a year ago) and was reminded of all of the emotions and struggles that we faced then. When we look back over the past year (which has passed far too quickly), we are reminded of the goodness of God, over, and over, and over again. No, the road is not always easy, but it is a blessing to look back and sometimes see the reasons that God took us on the journey that we have had to travel.

We have been so blessed to get to know more of the staff and students here at Centre Lumiere over the past few months. It is hard to believe that the school year will be wrapping up at the end of July and our eleven, third year students will be graduating next month. We had hoped to be here for their graduation, but with the need to get back to the states for our second son, Josiah’s marriage to Lindsay in September, and the need to do fundraising for the Centre throughout our time in the states, we will not be able to remain here for their graduation day. We are so thankful for the competent staff that we have, who can carry on the school schedule and graduation in our absence.

The last month has been full of English class preparations, yard work, sewing machine repair and maintenance, and general upkeep to the Centre Lumiere campus. With the closing of most of the production part of the Centre’s ministry, there has been a lot of cleaning and clearing out of items that will not need to be kept here for the future ministry. We were blessed to have Mike and his son, Ethan, here in May for a week to service and repair all of the sewing machines on campus and help us know which ones are worth keeping on hand, and which ones needed to be sold and moved on to other ministries or individuals in need of them. Mike has been here several times over the years to service the machines, and we enjoyed getting to know him and Ethan this year.

The students have been busy finishing up final projects for the year, working on their Bible and English lessons, and are growing in their relationship with the Lord and one another. The last couple of months they had exams on cake decorating skills and we learned a lot of new recipes during mango season, since we have a number of mango trees on campus. A favorite was mango salad dressing. The days are not always easy when sewing or cooking projects just don’t go the way that was planned, but the challenge of continuing to persevere and see the projects through to completion is a good lesson in the realities of life.

Haitian Flag Day celebration.

May 18 was Haitian Flag Day, and Lee and the boys happened to see several men on horseback, who were heading to a local parade in celebration of the holiday that afternoon. We have also been kept busy the last two months with nine puppies who have been a lot of fun, but a lot of work. They are now nine weeks old and the first has gone to her new home. Still eight more to move on to their new homes and we are hoping that can happen in the next two weeks.

We plan to fly out of Haiti in mid-July so that we can get to work on our appointments, visiting churches, and individuals that are interested in knowing more about our new ministry here at Centre Lumiere. So, if you have not already gotten in touch with us about a time to meet, please contact us to schedule a time that works for you and/or your group.

Again, we appreciate each of you who have partnered with us through prayers and finances. Know that you are helping to make a difference in Haiti! If you have not done so, and would like to join our journey, please do so now by clicking here!

A Lot of Activity

Life has been quite busy here the last month or so. The ministry has been a-buzz with all kinds of changes in this time of leadership transition. Easter is one of the most largely celebrated holidays here in Haiti, so there were many community activities during that time, and as soon as Easter was over, our little community of Simon started cleaning up and preparing for the annual MEBSH convention. This meant three weeks of juggling multiple responsibilities and activities with the normal workload and family life.

On the ministry front, there continue to be so many things to learn and consider as we move forward in these new roles and continue to better understand the ministry that we have been called to lead. Sometimes I (Tina) am amazed at how little we understand about something that we have lived and worked alongside for so many years. For many who live here and have visited, the first thought we have when we think of Centre Lumiere is the sewing aspect of the school. In fact, I have heard many refer to Centre Lumiere as “the sewing school.” This is understandable since the products that have been sewn and crocheted have been available for sale through our boutique here in country, as well as at shows in Germany and the U.S. for years. Secondly, we think of the cooking aspect of the school. Last week, the students spent an entire day baking goodies to be served at the meals at Convention. Certainly, sewing and cooking are large parts of a typical week at the Centre, however, we have learned in the past few months that there are so many more aspects to the ministry of the school.

Centre Lumiere has been a flurry of activities and learning. In the two weeks before Easter we had four seminars on first aid, strokes and high blood pressure, child development, and on the last day before Easter break, we walked to the local hospital to experience what happens in the physical therapy room. We are so grateful to Ulrike Schaller and her team of staff and interns at Centre Lumiere Clinic, that provided us with incredible hands-on information over the four seminars that they provided for us. The Centre Lumiere staff and students were so grateful for the information that they received and the experiences that they were able to have over those two weeks.

In the past few weeks the third year students have also finished some sewing projects and have worked on floral creations and decorating. First year students have been busy with their own sewing projects and have spent a good bit of time in the kitchen making some delicious meals, and baking delicious treats to be shared at MEBSH Convention. All of this in addition to their Bible, English, and other classes throughout the week.

Each morning we spend about thirty minutes in devotions where we sing praises, read scripture, hear testimonies, and have prayer together. Have I said anything before about the beauty of hearing these women sing? Some recent prayer requests have included prayers for family members who have been involved in accidents, family members who have been kidnapped and continue to be held, a student who lost her unborn baby, and the insecurity and uncertainty of daily life in Haiti. Life in Haiti is full of all kinds of challenges these days, and some days the weight of it is evident on the faces of our staff and students. Your prayers for Haiti are much appreciated, every day provides new challenges to those who live here.

Easter weekend there were lots of extra services and activities at the Haitian churches all around us. Our missionary community also had a sunrise service at 6:30am Easter morning with a wonderful breakfast to follow. It was a cloudy and rainy morning that sent us inside halfway through the outdoor sunrise service, but it was good to be together to be reminded of the sacrifice of a loving Heavenly Father and his Son for sinful people like you and I.

Convention started just a few days after Easter, and this year Lee and I spent more time than usual in some of the services and meetings as we were introduced to the MEBSH leadership as the new directors of Centre Lumiere. Lee was even surprised to arrive at the missionary service on Thursday evening to find his name in the program as having prayer before the crowd of 1,000 plus people, just a few minutes before he was called to the front. A good friend of ours always said that we always need to be ready to “preach, pray, or die”. Thursday evening was Lee’s time to pray…..in Haitian Creole….with little time to prepare himself…. MEBSH Convention happens for about a week in the spring each year. Last week we had thousands of additional people, from MEBSH churches all over the country of Haiti, join in the activities. So, our little community was full of vendors selling food, crafts, clothes, and other items. Church services were happening at the Simon Tabernacle several times a day with multiple choirs singing and visiting pastors sharing the truth of the Gospel at each service. The services started at 5 am every morning and the evening service often finished around 10 pm. So, you could say that there was a sense of excitement, and exhaustion in the air of Simon.

So, it has been a busy, but very good couple of months. A lot has been learned, and there is still much to be learned. We have been blessed to get to know more of our staff and students, but there is still so much for us to learn about them, and from them. We have worked hard, and there is still so much to do. At the end of each day, I believe we can say we are extremely tired, but also feeling extremely blessed by seeing all that God has done, and continues to do.

If you have not already partnered with us in making a difference in the lives of these wonderful ladies, as well as many others, would you prayerfully consider doing so now? To support us personally, please click here. To support the work of Centre Lumiere, please click here. THANK YOU!!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead“– I Peter 1:3-5 (ESV)

….and to add to the excitement….Lily, just had nine puppies to add to the mix. Fortunately, mom (although exhausted) and puppies are doing well. They currently range from 7 oz. – 21 oz., but are growing by the day.