Well we are off. Writing to you from 39000 feet somewhere above Virginia. We are blessed to be returning to Haiti after a long 23 months. This trip is different as we are not  traveling with our ususal team but have been invited to join a team led by Dan Woolston. Dan has always gone with us as our providerr.  When we made the decision in November that we would not be able to lead to take a team in Febraury due to multiple reasons. Da n asked us to join a team of nursing students he was taking. So this trip is bitter sweet as we are missing some of our usual team. To Carlton, Becky, Heaher, Missy, Donna and Hannah, although you are not with us physically you are still a part of this trip. Even in your disaapoinment of not being able to go you have been so supportive and we appreciate that. We would also like to thank Genesis Bible church for suppling over 4000 doses of pedialyte. Also to the people at Avoca Baptist who have donated money so we can take some much needed tools thank you. This year there was an additional cost of $3000 for medicine. A special thanks to those who donated to off set that cost. To the foundation again thank you for the transportation it is truly a blessing. Also thank you to those who help to defray some of our incidental cost. A special thank you to the ladies who sewed hats and dresses for us to take. And a special thank you to a 5 year old who cleaned out his toy box and piggy bank ($35).  To Katie thank you for the doll house.   Thank you for all of those that ar upholding us and this trip in prayer. That is the most important part. To our kids and grandkids thank you again for your unending support, love and a for sharing us with Haiti. In a few hours we will be home in Haiti. Thank you to all of you. As you can see there are really many of you involved in this venture.  And most of all thank you Lord for allowing us to once again shine your light to the people of Haiti. We will try to blof if I can get it to work.

Thoughts on being servants and prisoners.


While we were in the final preparation phase for this trip, God put the chorus "Make Me a Servant" on my heart and in my mind nearly continuously. It says, "Make me a servant, humble and meek. Lord let me lift up those who are weak. And may the prayer of my heart always be, make me a servant, make me a servant, make me a servant today." I sang, hummed and thought of that chorus multiple times a day, for weeks. It really was, and still is,  the prayer of my heart.

 My goal in every day is to be a servant to/for my Saviour. I fail miserably. A lot. But occasionally, I have a day when I feel like I actually got it right. I had a couple of those days on this particular trip. Days that I felt God's presence with me(yes I know He's ALWAYS there), and I noted the 'Well done'. I think that I can attribute that to my heart's prayer of being a servant. To being open to His will and willing to do it, no matter WHAT it was.  I yearn for that in my daily life at home, BUT, I too often get caught up in the day to day craziness that is life here in the States. I neglect to slow down and listen for His voice to direct me. Yes, I serve Him, but is it His will, or mine? I need to keep singing this chorus, but with a small change in the words. Not "make me A servant", but "make me YOUR servant, today".  Every day.



When we are in Haiti, we joke about the tap-tap being like a prison bus. We are locked into it until we get to our destination. We can see where we are going, but have no control over how we get there. We are dependent on the driver getting us there, and safely. I've thought about this quite a bit lately. How we need to have this same kind of relationship with Christ. To be His prisoner, locked in to His will, and letting Him control where we go, how we get there, and letting Him direct where we step next. Allowing Him to control our safety, as we do His will.(A dear friend once said to me " We are safest when we are doing God's will, NO MATTER WHERE THAT MAY BE.")
So, my thought is this: am I willing to be a prisoner of Christ? Am I willing to be locked into a place/situation/event/life that is beyond any control I could put on it?  I'm working on it. And He's still working on me.

Cindy

So What’s Next:

                That has been the question that we have asked ourselves over and over since returning from Haiti. We went to Haiti this time questioning if God still wanted us there and if He still wanted us involved with Nehemiah Vision Ministries. Those questions and doubts had surfaced over the last 12 months. As God cleared the way for this trip to go forward it was obvious that He had His hands on this trip and that it was in His control. While in Haiti the resounding answer that we got as we prayed was YES you are stilled called to Haiti and Yes NVM is the organization for you to be involved with. That answer has been solidified even further since we have returned home.  It is always difficult to come home but this time our hearts were pulled even more to the people of Haiti. So new questions have arisen and we wait on God’s timing and leading.

 

                One of the difficult areas is maintaining our burden for Haiti while going back to our lives here. Cindy calls it the crazy wheel and it is so easy to get on. It is vital that we see the world in our own back door as a mission field as well. We need to direct the love and compassion that is so easily given in Haiti to those here that we come into contact with each day. God uses that to deepen our love of Him and our desire to share that love with not only the people of Haiti but our neighbors as well. So one of our goals for this year is to deepen our love of Christ and allow His love to be demonstrated to all that we come into contact with. That means seeking new opportunities to do that and hearts that are receptive to his leading.

 

                We are also seeking guidance in how to be more involved in the ministries and outreach of NVM from here in the states. We are looking at a couple of projects this year to help the ongoing ministries at NVM and will have details as we move forward.  One of these projects is an industrial washing machine for on campus.  We are also seeking opportunities to share with other churches and organizations the vision of NVM and the work that they are doing in Haiti. It appears that God is opening the doors for us to do this through some new contacts.

 

                Cindy and I are seeking the Lord’s guidance on a trip to Haiti in the late summer or early fall. We are not sure what the extent or even the purpose of the trip will be at this time. We have some ideas but really are asking the Lord for His direction. We do believe that His purpose is for us to return this year. We will also be planning a medical trip for next February as well. Our hearts truly are in Haiti but we know that God has called us to serve Him full time here and in Haiti as He gives us opportunity.

 

                This past trip was one of the best we have made. We had great team unity and a team that really was seeking God’s guidance and teaching. We talked many times before we left and even after arrival that the most important part of giving medical care was to demonstrate Christ's love even in the little things. I had the opportunity to witness that from all of our team members. (That includes our two nurses from the Genesis team). This love was demonstrated not only to the Haitians but in several ways to the American staff there as well. We also got to watch several new team members fall in love with Haiti. It is exciting to see Melissa fall in love with the people of Haiti and to understand our heart for Haiti. Lee and AJ would like to join us in the future.

 

 

                There is so much more we could share but it would take pages. As we move forward, pray that we will be patient and wait for God’s leading. Also pray that we will be ready to hear the messages and the plan that he has for us and then be willing to take the steps as he leads.

Ephesians 3:16-20

¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

                                                        Sunset from inside the tap-tap.

New Garden in Onaville

Progress in Haiti We are often asked when we talk about Haiti if there is any improvement. The answer, YES! There are many new things here on campus with many more new things planned. New buildings, new gardens, new grades in the school, new health center to open in the next year, 2 new children’s homes and many opportunities to for Haitians to work and support themselves. In Onaville which has a population of several hundred thousand we are seeing new roads and buildings as well as more structure to the society. There are schools, medical clinics, churches and gardens. The people themselves appear healthier and have a renewed interest in life. From the roof tops on campus we can see a lot of new construction and industry. Just up the road there is a new housing complex that should house several thousand people when complete. The roads are being paved and every home will have a water source. There are also several new factories in the area. These are just a few of the improvements that we are excited about. We are very excited about the spiritual changes that are taking place. The church in Onaville is growing very rapidly. The Jesus film is shown here in the medical clinic at least twice a week to those that are waiting to be seen. There have been several baptisms and the youth ministry on campus is growing. There are also pastor’s conferences being held on a regular basis and the gospel of Christ is being spread throughout Haiti. These are only a few of the changes in Haiti that we are excited about. This week is only reaffirming for us that God is continuing to call us to be involved in Haiti and to continue to do it in partnership with NVM. We hope to be able to share many more exciting things with you when we get home.

LOVE: That is what we did today. Today was our first day in Onaville. We were thrilled to see all of the progress that has been made there. So much organization as well as buildings going up. As we reflected on the day the same theme kept coming thru. We spent the day loving on people. It seemed that for many of the people that we saw that was the thing they were seeking the most. Praising God that we were able to demonstrate his love thru smiles, talk, touch and prayer. We lost count of how many pregnant bellies that Cindy rubbed. Also a lot of teaching and reassuring. We had two nurses join us from one of the other teams today. They were fantastic. They fit right in just like they had been a part of the group forever. It was the best first day that we have ever had as far as organization and flow. We did have a sad case today. A mother came to be seen for an earache. While she was waiting on of the gentleman helping us asked Brooke if she had seen the baby. We said no because she had not asked us to see the baby. As is typical in Haiti the baby was all covered up. Upon close inspection it became obvious that the baby was very malnourished. Brooke felt that the baby probably only had a few short days to live. The team was able to not only give the mom instructions and support but to pray with her. All we can do is leave it in the Lords hands. I keep coming back to Ephesians 3:20 this week and the question what have I not asked the Lord for. Today it is wisdom!

But God!

I don't know why I am continually amazed when God reveals his AWESOME power...by now I should expect it and anticipate it. But yet, I'm amazed. And my being in Haiti for this trip is no exception. As of a week ago I had no intention of being in Haiti. I have been here twice before, loved EVERY second of it, but wasn't a part of this team...a week ago. BUT GOD! While I had no intention of being here, I had every desire to be here. But I am the stubborn sort and I told God quite some time ago that as a result of having a new job, I couldn't possibly take the time to come down this trip. BUT GOD! In spite of myself, God had different plans, for which I am very thankful. As the trip grew closer, my heart grew heavier knowing that I would not be joining my team in Haiti. But GOD! Last Sunday our church commissioned the team to go in both church services. In the first service, I joined my church in praying for those going. But about half way through the prayer time I "melted down", and had to leave the service to pull myself together. Then, when the church gathered around the team to pray in the second service, I decided that I couldn't bear to be outside that team circle, and joined them instead. I went home from church very heavy hearted that day, and had a conversation with God about it. I told him that I knew it was a long shot, and that I had made this decision, but if there was ANY possible way that I could go, I would really LOVE for that to happen. BUT GOD! Monday, while at work, I got a text from Tim telling me that one of the team members had to withdraw from the trip, and "did I know anyone interested in going?" SERIOUSLY! (That was my reply) Well I immediately started praying, talked to my husband, and replied to Tim that I might be interested. What I didn't know was that he had texted several other people as well. One of them had just made plans for a trip to Florida just hours earlier. One had said she wasn't interested, and one received blank texts. The only catch at this point, was that I didn't know if I even had any vacation time for the year. But, I decided the only thing I could do was ask. So, on the way home from work I called my boss and asked. He didn't know if I had vacation time either, due to some recent company changes and had to check with his partner. The next morning I received affirmation from my boss that I did have vacation time and, with my husband's blessing, received permission to go to Haiti just 3 work days later! So here I am, back in this place with a heart overflowing with gratitude to a GREAT GOD who continually does even more than we could ever think or imagine...and I can't wait to see what He has in store for us this week! ~Heather Meade

More Than We Can Think!

So we are on the plane enroute to Haiti. Finally time to sit and reflect on the last 8 weeks. Our verse for the day and the trip is Ephesians 3:20-21 “ Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. AMEN This trip is totally beyond anything that we could think or comprehend.



As usual Cindy and I started working on this trip several months ago. One of the great difficulties is the flight arrangements. This year was the most difficult. We started looking at flight options back in early November and just kept running into road blocks and obstacles. A friend of ours who flies a private charter approached us in November and said that he had been burdened to ask the owner of the plane to consider flying us down to Haiti. He said that he would pursue it but not to get our hopes up. About this time we discovered that I needed spine surgery again so things went into slow motion.



God was gracious and allowed me to have the surgery very quickly and with no complications. To God’s glory that told me that I could probably resume running March 1st. I have been running for over 4 weeks with no problems. So mid December we went back into planning mode. At this time we had not heard back on the charter and were working on the assumption that we would be flying commercial. As we progressed into early January things became even more difficult with the flights. On January 3rd I told Cindy that at the team meeting we would tell the team to really pray and that it would require the Lord’s intervention for us to go. Late that night Caleb texted me and said that the private charter was still an option. He requested that I send an email the following morning. So Sunday the 4th I sent an email to the owner of the plane explaining what we do in Haiti and why we go. Late that day we met with the team and filled them in. We told them that we needed to clarify flight arrangements by January 12th or we would not be going. On Thursday that week Caleb called and wanted to know if I wanted the good news. Upon receiving our email on Wednesday the plane owner immediately said we can do that and have their family foundation sponsor it. ROUND TRIP. Our God is amazing, I am not sure why I continue not to trust. There are several other stories by team members about how God worked amazingly to get them here and we will let them share them as the week goes on.