It has been a long six weeks, full of victories and difficulties. Keesha and I moved to Haiti knowing that we would face tough days. But we did not know it would be this tough this soon. We were only here two days before our vehicle broke down in the middle of Port Au Prince traffic. As I write this a month later, we are still without a vehicle. Praise the Lord for our friends Jim and Debbie Hambrick who have loaned us their second vehicle until ours is fixed. Praise the Lord for the body of believers who have helped us pay to have our vehicle fixed. But the vehicle was just the beginning. From electrical issues to plumbing nightmares, we’ve faced one tough day after another. Trying to help our kids get adjusted to this new pace of life (while trying to get adjusted ourselves) has been a challenge too. And yet we are not discouraged. There have been moments for sure. “What are we doing here?” we’ve asked ourselves several times. But overall the Lord has given us a peace. He continues to remind us that He’s doing something in all of this.

Last week I had the opportunity to sit down and pray with one of our Haitian pastors in my own home! We got to pray together, discuss future ministry plans, and pray about how we might partner together. It was in that moment that I remembered why the Lord brought us here in the first place. God, in His grace, is allowing us to do life in Haiti. I know it’s good to have a clear, polished mission strategy, but for us, it is more organic than that. We want to build relationships, partner with churches, encourage pastors, and live for Jesus just as we go about our day. Whether at a church service or in our home with our children, in a meeting with a pastor or in the Haitian market place, we want to honor Jesus. There will be days when survival is the only thing on our minds, but we want to honor Jesus even on those days. We are praying for patience and trusting Him to prepare us for the days ahead. Thank you for standing with us.

– Jacob

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In front of our new home!

 

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Our new friend, Lady.

 

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Dirty is the new norm with these kids.

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Keesha leading a teacher training seminar for a local Christian school.

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Jacob preaching at one of our local church plants.