Thanksgiving Day

School in Terrel de Nigris

Today we give thanks to the Lord our God! All praise and glory go to Him. We all should be mindful of giving thanks to God for every aspect of our lives. Giving thanks to God in every situation will not necessarily make our troubles go away, but our attitude about them will be so much better!

Children getting notebooks and pencils

 

In the past week, Gail and I have made two trips to a little village called Terrel de Negrs. It’s about 1 ½ hour’s drive via ATV. We have been there in the past and were aware of the school situation. At one time there were 80+ children in this Christian school. Now they claim to have 40, but the day we were there, there were only 29 kids present. The school has lost over ½ of its pupils due to a lack of school materials, books, no uniforms and no daily meal given (not to mention that the building’s roof has started to come off). So another organization came to the families and told them they would give them uniforms and a meal every day if they dropped out of this Christian based school and attended theirs.

The school is in need of new chalk boards

Things are beginning to change! Living Water Ministries along with Global Compassion Ministries have started to deliver food to the village and to the school. The children that remain at the school now get a nutritious meal every day! We still are working on getting them materials, books, writing paper, chalk  boards, craft supplies, etc and sometime in the future, God willing, uniforms. Uniforms are highly regarded in Haiti. Basically, a school without uniforms is not a school at all. Helping this school is a work in progress. If anyone has connections to where to purchase inexpensive uniforms, please let us know!

The schools kitchen

For a reason we didn’t fully understand, the first day we showed up there was no school. While we sat in the shade across from the school, it wasn’t long before we had a number of ladies from the village around us. Seeing as our Haitian Creole isn’t very good (terrible at best) our conversation was limited to a few words and a lot of hand and foot signals! They brought a bunch of plantain and we purchased a few of them to cook up later. It was an interesting interaction between all of us! Within an hour, the director of the school, Sony George, arrived. His English was pretty good and we were able to get a tour of the school and of the village.

Fresh vegetables!

Ismita and daughter in front of what use to be her house

While in the village, Sony George showed us his house and gave us a couple papaya, a bag of peas and something that looks like a  round green vegetable, but I have no idea what it is! He then took us around and we stopped at a place where recently stood the house of Ismita Pierre. Her house had caught on fire and collapsed just a day before. It was still smoldering when we were there. She has 5 children and no husband. They are staying in her parent’s house for now. That’s a lot of people in a very small space. We left the area praying for this lady and her dilemma.

All that is left of Ismita's house and belongings

We returned to the school the following Tuesday to the joy of children learning. They are so happy to be in school! Because of the generosity of others, we were able to give each child a notebook, pencil, and tooth brush. There are four teachers, including the director, and each received a hygiene packet along with a couple bags of craft supplies to be used with the children. We stayed at the school for an hour or so then headed into the village to see how Ismita and her children were doing. We left Ismita some children’s clothes and hygiene packs. It’s so sad to see her house in shambles. She is a Christian and we pray our Lord will provide for her needs.

More on Thanksgiving…. There is an old Haitian saying (or, maybe I just made it up;). “Any day you have less than three flat tires, it’s a good day.” With that in mind, last Monday was a good day, we only had two flat tires!!!! One on the ATV and one on the car. Thankfully, we were not on the road when they went flat. We were able to get a moto (motorcycle taxi) here to take the tires to Ans Rouge to get fixed. Unfortunately, the flats didn’t occur at the same time. We didn’t notice the flat on the car until the moto had left with the ATV tire! So our taxi guy made two separate trips, about 45 minutes drive each way. On the plus side, we got to get to know this young gentleman. We look forward to working with him and getting to know him better in the future.  

‘Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.’  1 Chronicles 16:34, 2 Chronicles 5:13, Psalm 106:1, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 118:1, Psalm 118:29, Psalm 136:1

As we reflect and give thanks for how great and loving our God is, we also give a prayer of thanksgiving to all who have given to the people of Haiti through their prayers and support. God bless you and your families.

In His Service,

Chuck & Gail

Mt Pleasant Christian Church back in Haiti

Tom working on a school desk

Three men from Mt Pleasant Christian Church in Bedford, Indiana have been on the campus since last Friday afternoon. Tom Bishop, Toby Adams and Carey Deckard have spent their time looking at the various needs of the nearby villages. They spent a lot of time walking through the two nearest villages asking questions to many of the locals. As you may imagine, there is no lack of ‘needs’ for the people here in the northwest. Their task will be to determine what the Lord will have them take on.

Toby and Carey taking school pictures

Today, the guys worked on the desks and benches in the church at Ti Paradis and Ti Rivere. The churchs are also used as the school so the desks and benches get quite a work out every day! Even though today was a holiday and no school, the director of the school in Ti Paradis got all the kids (about 67) together for individual pictures and class pictures. Toby and Carey hope to put a year book together for them! What a great idea!


Student waiting for his picture to be taken

Tomorrow they guys will be headed back to Port au Prince. Gail and I have really enjoyed the time they have been here. We look forward to getting to know them better with future trips they will be making here to the northwest!

We pray they have safe travels back home to their families…

In His Service,

Chuck & Gail

Sleeping through the noise of power tools!

Gail's One Month Perspective



Palm Tree Seedlings and Vegetables Sprouting to Life

It is now ‘One Month’ on “Our Adventures with God” in Ti’Lagoon, Haiti

We give “Many Thanks and Praises” for the senders and faithful Prayer Warriors who daily take us to the foot of the Cross of Jesus!!

As Oswald Chamber writes in his book:        
So, I send You: “Our lives are the answers not only to the prayer of other people, but to the prayers the Holy Spirit is making for us, and to the prayer of Our Lord Himself”. The call of God is the call according to the nature of God; where we go in obedience to that call depends on the providential circumstances which God engineers. When we are rightly related to God, life is full of spontaneous joyful uncertainty and expectancy – we do not know what God is going to do next; and He packs our life with surprises all the time….. Readiness for God and His work means that we are ready to do the tiniest thing to the great big thing, it makes no difference. He is the One surrounding us, listening and sympathizing and encouraging. “Ye shall be My witnesses”. To be a witness of Jesus means that when any duty presents itself we hear His voice just as He heard His Father’s voice and we are ready for it with alertness of our love for Him. Be ready for sudden surprise visits of our Lord, and remember there is no such thing as prominent service and obscure service; it is all the same with God, and God knows better than ourselves what we are ready to do. No enthusiasm for humanity will ever stand the strain that Jesus Christ will put on His workers. Only one thing will stand the strain and that is a personal relationship to Jesus of a man or woman who has gone through the mill of God’s spring-cleaning until there is one purpose only---“I am here for God to use me as He wills.” 

If you build it they will come??

God Himself gave us the vision and out of obedience to His calling we have made our home in northwest Haiti. We wake up daily to God’s glorious sun rises in which He softly announces His mighty Presence in our ordinary daily lives.

The desert dust has settled here at LVM campus with the help of much needed rain most of last  two nights and frequent rain showers yesterday.  Also with our month long duration of various visitors, from four different states, the last group headed back to their families, homes and jobs in the states yesterday. As stated in preparing to leave, “We [Chuck & Gail] are now in the honeymoon phase of our new home in Haiti”. We are thankful for those who have come along side us to provide the much needed prayer, bible studies, help, and encouragement. May the ones who have gone before us find us faithful? It is a ‘blessing’ [meaning in Haitian Creole: ‘benediksyon’] to have had many who have come here before us to prepare this land and home for us to live. May we be faithful to their vision in service to Jesus Christ.


Karl giving a morning message

Teaching the Goats 'To Walk This Way'
Meet Abraham, Sarah and Hagar

The time so far has gone by quickly! We have established a comfortable home. We started a goat herd, with one Billy and two nannies, with the installation of a nice fenced pasture. The goats arrived on the campus via ‘moto’ a motorcycle with straw saddle-type bags. Chuck is just beside himself, in disbelief that he would be a goat-farmer, so probably with many reading this post. God’s garden in the shade houses has sprouted and is turning green with life and the promise of produce to be harvested. The trees and seedlings have sprouted as well and are growing. The flower beds near the house are not so fortunate and proving to be a challenge. The sheep from the neighboring village enjoy the tender little sprouts as they grow and get any leaves. Laundry can be a challenge as well as these same sheep along with a lone donkey can smell the water and need a drink. In fact, if they see a white bucket they are confident that there will be water in it.  We have a beautiful chicken coop built by Ken Challis anxiously awaiting the arrival of laying chickens. There seems to be conflicting stories on where chickens can be purchased. Therefore, we will patiently wait for chickens to arrive, along with the eggs...              


People of Ti Riviera coming for the food distribution



We have fed weary and hungry travelers that have come to the campus from several  hours away by donkey to receive the food provided by Global Compassion and Kids Against Hunger, as well as a truck with a group of stranded travelers broken down on the road all day on their way to Port Au Prince, still 6 to 8 hours of travel  yet to go.

As written in Matthew 25:35-40  -  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Our New Aloe Vera Landscaping

This past Sunday we all attended church in a neighboring village, Ti Paradis. Our pastor, Neal Schroeder, from Range Community Bible Church provided the message. Pastor Etienne translated for the church members and we were blessed to receive a message in English that we could understand. That being said, we are grateful to have the internet for the purpose of receiving sound biblical teaching in our native tongue. 

Much Deserved Fellowship & Relaxation
George, Chuck, Jerry and Daniel

So we have arrived in Haiti…. We have and are going into the hard places.. The places that God has called us to be and prepared for us in advance…. A place of great joy, suffering and hunger. Where there is a real need to serve God and His children. We do and will at times feel ill-equipped and inadequate because we are. But that is OK because throughout God’s Word He chose the least likely people to do His work.  In Haiti, we often do not know where the road is leading or if it is even a real road, but here is the great part, Courage is not about knowing the road. It was about us stepping out in faith and coming to Haiti. Just like Peter getting out of the boat, stepping out onto the water with complete faith that Jesus would not let him down. 


'For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.' Eph 2:10

In His Service;

Chuck & Gail



Range Community Bible Church in Haiti

Group headed to Ti Rivere

Thursday afternoon saw the arrival of 4 people from Range Community Bible Church in Hurley, WI, Neal and Lea Ann Schreoter, and Clint and Sydney Mabie. Accompanying them was Fred Chalker from Atlantis, FL and Pastor Etienne from Port au Prince. They were all in good shape even after the long and grueling ride from Port au Prince. Gail and Mary prepared a ‘Haitian’ meal of rice and beans for the evening, followed by a bible study in the book of Titus led by Pastor Neal.

We all awoke Friday to yet another beautiful sun rise! Pastor Etienne was working on the food distribution for the schools. Living Water Ministries help feed approx. 4,000 school children every day! There were Haitians loading up the dump truck to start a 2 day process of delivering the food to 27 different schools in the northwest. For about 40% of the children, it’s the only meal they get.

Meeting with the Pastor of Ti Rivere (orange shirt)

After the truck was sent on its way, most of the group loaded up into Pastor Etienne’s pickup and headed out for the day. The first stop was the village of Ti Rivere where we stopped and met with the pastor. School was out for some reason, so we weren’t able to make a visit to it. Next, a couple hours drive to where Living Water Ministries has built and supports a small clinic up into the mountains. There is one full time nurse working with very limited supplies. The building is in need of repair and some updating. Prayerfully, someone will come along side this project and do the needed repairs.

Friday was Mary Challis’s birthday! After a spaghetti meal, we had a ‘dump cake’ which Gail made earlier in the day. We topped off the evening with a continued bible study in Titus.

Meeting with new meal recipients

Saturday morning, Fred, Etienne, and I went to Anse Rouge to meet with a group of pastors and school directors that receive meals from Living Water Ministries and Feed My Starving Children. It was a great meeting and very informative for the attendees. It was mainly intended for new schools that have just come on board the feeding program. Expectations were shared and guidelines discussed. There were many schools that were there to share their experiences with the new recipients. Fred and I both got a chance to speak to the group and give encouragement and enlightenment about the program.  I will always remember one older gentleman that got up and looked us straight in the eye and said ‘you don’t understand the difference this food makes for the children that receive it’. He was very sincere.

This afternoon, Ken and Clint started on a shower project in the guest house, while the rest of us made a trip to see two pastors in two separate villages. These are 2 of the 4 pastors that Living Water Ministries have placed and have on payroll. They shared with us their joys, accomplishments and desires for the future. We had a great afternoon!

We appreciate your prayers and support! Please know that our prayers are with you, too!

In His Service,

Chuck & Gail  

Food Distribution

Loading the truck with meals

 The quarterly food distribution held last week went well. There were 7 villages that received 'Kids Against Hunger' meals. Each family got one case of food which consisted of 216 meals. It's intended to be a supplement to what they currently eat. Each meal also has added nutritional value to it.

Global Compassion Ministries delivered meals to three villages by truck. Three other villages came by boat, and one village by donkey. It took 2 days to get all the meals to the village that came by donkey. It was about a 4 hour, one way walk for them.

About 16 donkeys were used to carry food

As the food was delivered, Karl Leiber gave the Gospel message. Karl is a great speaker and loves to share Jesus with all!

The solar oven that Karl and Ken put together is about ready for it's first loaf of bread. We still need to build a stand for it, but once that's accomplished, in goes the dough!

Karl sharing the Gospel before food distribution

The guys from Global Compassion - Karl, Jerry, Danny, and Christopher their interpreter, left to go back to Port au Prince Thursday morning. George Truelove headed back further north to his home here in Haiti. It was great to be around such Godly men! By the Grace of God, they all have arrived back home safely and without a hitch. That leaves just the four of us here for now. Ken has been working on a chicken coop and I have been fencing a pasture area for the goats. I have a Haitian man working with me and it's been interesting! He's a great guy and one of the few from the village that can read. He has a very ripped up Haitian Creole NT Bible which we hope to replace soon.

We are awaiting the arrival of the two couples from our church back in Hurley, WI along with Fred Chalker, the head of Living Water Ministries, and Etienne, a solid Haitian pastor. They are scheduled to be in the northwest Thursday afternoon. We look forward to their arrival.

Working on the pedestal for the solar oven

We had a trial run of using Skype to speak with the Junior and Senior High Sunday School class at our church back home. It worked great! They had questions prepared and we were able to speak with them for about 20 minutes! I was glad to see that it didn't use a lot of data from our phone to do it either. We look forward to many more Skype conversations with them and any group or Sunday School class that would like to visit Haiti live.....via Skype.

Ti An and Gail (Ti An normally has a smile!)

We thank you for your prayers. Haiti can be a tough place and we appreciate all the prayer support you provide. May the Lord shine His light upon you always!

In His Service,
Chuck & Gail