.... from now Ron and I will be on our way to the airport to go to Haiti- me for nine weeks and he for almost three. It's crazy getting ready to go for that long- making sure the bills will be paid, medications are filled, all necessary items are packed, etc... There has been SO MUCH on my mind and I am always found with my notebook- making lists and lists and lists of "things to do/people to call". But in it all, I have such a sense of peace and excitement because I KNOW this is where God has placed me- this is where He is leading our family- this is exactly what I am to be doing this summer. And that is a great feeling. :) :) Thank you, God!!
So.... for now this is "goodbye" on this blog- next post will be from Haiti. Please continue to follow us. We pray we are able to post photos and stories from the field pretty regularly. Pray for those who are called to join us this summer- as staff and as participants. Pray that God would use us/them to bless Haiti and the people there and pray as well that He would use this time to teach us much about ourselves and about Him. Pray for our safety, for our health, for our relationships with one another (we will all be together a LONG time), our relationships with the community, for opportunities to share God and His love with others, etc... Just pray as you feel led- The prayers of those at home are essential in this ministry.
Also, there will continue to be "needs" (financial and physical) while we are away.
For our family: Ron will be missing almost 3 weeks of work at the most busy season/time of year (he is a landscaper) so please pray that we will be fine financially- the bills will continue to come in even when we are away. Pray for the girls who are at home while we are away. Again, I have people "in place" to check on them, to provide them with needed things, etc.. but they will still be "alone" here at home taking care of things that come up. Then, when I return I do not have a job to go back to so pray that God would begin to work already to provide some income this fall/winter through me. :)
For the Arris family: Even though school is ending and teacher salaries will not need to be paid, there will be expenses that Pastor Duval has this summer. Pray that he receives the needed support for this and he not have to continue to use his savings. Pray also for Obed as he will need to have some medical care this summer. Pray for Michael as he decides where to go to college this fall- he is thinking of changing his major and going to seminary. He wants to become a pastor.
For the ministry: We still have openings on the summer trips (July 17 to 23 and July 24 to Aug. 2) that we hope to fill. See the website if you are interested or know someone who may be. We are also still praying for a vehicle. The cost of rental for summer trips is going to drain our finances drastically. It is at least $100 per trip to the airport to pick up people (this weekend alone we have three trips to the airport). The drive to Chaveneau is much more than that. This is not bad if we have 10 people, but when we only have one or two the price still stays the same but can not be passed on to them. So... we absorb it. This takes money away from ministry- which is where we would MUCH rather spend it. We are still praying someone will donate a 4 x 4 to the ministry (used is fine- one that can hold at least 7 people would be ideal) and that we will be able to ship it to Haiti which is another $2000 to $3000.
The board also decided to set up a "Justine fund" within the ministry so people can send money which will be designated to be used to see that children in need of medical attention have enough money to get there. We will also use some of this money for medications, etc. for these children. If you would care to donate to this, please include a note with your donation indicating that.
Anyway- those are some things to be praying about. We will continue to update you as we go through the summer. And as always- thanks for the prayers!! They are needed and appreciated.
Blessings- Crystal
PS- The Arris family just had a team from Colorado staying with them this past week. They have their own ministry and are not associated with Hearts United with Haiti, but their coordinator and I worked together to arrange their use of the home/location as a base for the week they were in Haiti. From what I hear it was an amazing trip - the family was thrilled to have them. They are looking to send a team down every few months and "share" the housing location with us. This would be a blessing to all It would give them a location. It would give the Arris family someone to be at the house when our teams are not. (which will bless them with a little income from "lodging" expenses to that team) And it will give us the blessing of knowing that when we are not there, someone else is pouring into the community/family. :) :) It is a "win-win" situation so we pray for a long partnership with them! God bless you and your ministry- glad we could "share" the family/location with you! :) :)
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