Here are a few of the praises:
4 people from the team were saved
We were able to get to know some of the locals and start to develop some good relationships with the people in Atrel.
Even in the intense heat the group was able to build a large 3 classroom school that will be used as a highschool. Right now when children want to continue their education beyond grade 6 they have to leave their families and travel about 3 hours away. Now they can stay at home and continue their education.
Our children really enjoyed playing with the local children and even developed some friendships.
Everyone stayed healthy
If you want to read more of the details of our time in Atrel, here is my journal from the time we were there. It is long, but I put it here for those who wanted to know more.
July 27
We left home at 6 am and after a great, but long and bumpy ride we arrived in Atrel at 4 pm. The bus with the group arrived at 5pm. When we all arrived it was like the circus had arrived in town. Many people came to the school yard to see what was happening. After a lot of set up work we had made a large classroom into a kitchen and ate supper by 7pm. Then we still needed to set up our bedroom in a classroom, but everything went smoothly and we all slept well.
July 28
Today I met Madam Pepe. She is one of the 6 ladies from the church who has volunteered to help us. She seems willing to do anything and has faithfully carried water for us and washed our clothes. After talking with her I learned that she has 12 children. She has a garden behind the school yard where she grows millet.
After talking with her for a few minutes, she invited me to come visit her house some time. Hopefully we will be able to go within the time that we are here.
Madam Pepe washing clothes.
July 30
Wow it is hot!!!
Our afternoons are spent just trying to stay cool. We have quickly discovered that it is very difficult to do anything in the afternoon since it is too hot. The group has started to get up at 5 am and they are working by 6am. They take it easy in the afternoon just because it is so hot.
Things are going well with the group. We are continuing to pray that God would us this experience, the people here and us to either deepen their faith or bring them to faith.
July 31
Dinner tonight was goat head and foot sauce over rice. This was the first time I had ever had this and it was interesting. She boiled the whole head and feet, which meant that there was the tongue, eyes, and the other meat off the feet and head in the sauce. We think that it was from the feet, but the sauce had a very strong (billy) goat smell. It is definitely something that I don’t want to eat anytime soon again.
Here is a picture of the building so far.
Aug 1
It rained yesterday and that was a huge treat. Most people decided to wash their hair in the rain. Kyrk even took the opportunity to wash the very dirty truck.
It has been so hot and many people are very exhausted. Nobody worked yesterday so they could regain their strength.
Kyrk had a chance to share with the group last night and we are praying that God will use what he said.
Many people are really wondering why Kyrk and I want to move here. Every time people ask it is an opportunity to share about God and how we need to be obedient to Him even when it isn’t easy.
The people from the group went to visit several families from the church. It was such an encouragement to see the hospitality of the Christians in this community. They are so generous and give out of the little that they have. This is very convicting and it challenges me to really consider how much I give to God.
Today I had a chance to talk with 2 other ladies. They are both working in the kitchen with the great cook that we brought with us from Fermathe. Madam Chrisen and Mis Mimos work very diligently each day in the very hot kitchen without complaining. There is so much that we can learn from these people.
Aug 2
This morning the church was completely full. They made some children move from their seats so that our family could have a place to sit down. There was about 700 people in church and almost half of them were children.
This afternoon Kyrk and I went for a walk up to the property which we hope to build our home on. It was great to get out and meet some people in the area.
The property is the hill behind the house in this picture.
Tonight I sat and talked with madame Pepe. I really enjoy learning from here. She has such a simple faith and she is a wonderful sister in Christ. As we were talking she said “It doesn’t matter who we are, I am poor, You are rich. I am haitian, you are a foreigner. But we have the same value in God’s eyes.”
Often the white person is seen as being more important and sadly the poor people here can be looked down upon but God used a poor mother of 12 to remind me of His love for everyone equally.
Aug 3
Happy Birthday Jonathan!
This morning Kyrk had to pass by Bruce and Deb Robinson’s house, so I decided to go along and the kids and I spent a couple of hours with Bruce and Deb. It was wonderful to visit with them. It is always so refreshing and encouraging to spend time with them.
When we got back we heard some wonderful news. In the last 24 hours 2 people have accepted Christ as their Saviour. That is why we are here. Going through these challenging times is all worth it when we hear what God is doing. We pray that God continues to work in these people’s hearts and that more people come to know Him.
Aug 4
Happy Birthday Mom!
Today started off very challenging. Mariloude (our cook from Fermathe) and Madam Pepe were not getting along and they are having a big disagreement right now.
We talked with both of them this morning, but it wasn’t until Pastor Frtiz (the pastor of the church in Atrel) came, that it was resolved.
He came with 2 deacons from the church and we all sat together under a tree. It was SO encouraging to see these godly men share with us and after listening to the problem from Madame Pepe, they gave her good godly advice.
God definitely used an ugly situation to show Kyrk and I how Godly these church leaders are and how they really desire to work together with us and they are diligently praying that a missionary family would come live here and help this community develop. Their faith is so simple, but they have a lot that they can teach us and hopefully God will also use us to teach them more about Him.
While we were talking with Pastor Fritz and the others he turned to the 2 deacons and said, “I’m sorry if I hurt you by what I am about to say, but this area is very poor and many people are very hungry.” For a pastor to admit this emphasized the point that there is a huge problem of poverty here. It really is our prayer that as we begin to focus on training the teachers and preachers in this area, they will be better equipped and as they grow in Christ they will share that with others. We are also praying that God would give us wisdom to demonstrate new gardening methods that would allow the people to grow better crops allowing them to make a better income and eat better food.
Aug. 6
Today we went to visit the home of Madame Pepe. Her home is a small mud hut and we were very surprised when she told us that 15 people sleep there. One good thing about the thatch roof was that it was nice and cool in her house.
This is a picture of her and her husband in front of their house.
Aug. 8
They are finished building. When they first came they thought there was not enough work for them. But they soon realized that with the extreme heat here it was going to be challenging to finish it. They ended up building all the walls and only putting the soothe cement on the walls of 1 room. Today they poured the floor with the help of 25 people from the community. It was a great experience to see the willingness of the community to come out and help and to work along side of them. Things have went much better these past few days with the helpers and kitchen staff.
All the people that worked together to pour the floor.
Aug. 9
Today was a very relaxing day. There are many people from the group that play soccer in the Netherlands. They wanted to play against a local team. It was a great game and the community all came out to watch. The final score was Haiti 2 Holland 0.
Aug. 10
We leave tomorrow morning and it is going to be hard to leave. I have really enjoyed being here. The people are wonderful and have welcomed us into their community with open arms. Even though it has been very hot, there is still something about these people that makes me want to come back. Yes life is easier in Fermathe, but I think I would rather live here.
Here is a picture of the dedication ceremony that they had for the new building.
Aug. 11
After 8 1/2 hours of driving we arrived back home safely. It was a great trip and it is good to be back where it is cool and in our own house. This evening after dinner one of the leaders shared with us that 2 more people were saved on Sunday night. God sure did a great work in the lives of the group from Holland. We will definitely continue to pray for the 4 people who were saved during these past 2 weeks. Join us praying that they will find a good church and good Godly friends who can come along side them and disciple and encourage them.
