Friday, May 20, 2011

One month until...

... we begin our first official summer in Haiti.  Personally I can not wait to return.  I miss so much about Haiti when I am not there.  I miss the people (especially the Arris family-  "my" family just as much as if we were related by blood).  I miss waking up on the roof in the morning to the sound of singing/praying and just laying there praising God along with them- especially when the songs are ones I know in English but they are singing in Creole!  I miss sleeping on the roof with the breeze, the sounds of the city, the goats, the chickens, etc...and waking to watch the sun rise over the ocean with the palm trees framing my view.   I miss taking walks in Chaveneau and enjoying the beauty (especially the hibiscus flowers) of His creation.  I miss living simply with few distractions to keep me focused on other things than God.  It is good to get away and focus on Him and share in the lives of His people in Haiti.  And to have them share my life as well.  It is a like going on a spiritual life retreat every day! 

Soon I will live there again for the summer.  NINE weeks!  Some of those weeks I will have my family with me (my husband and my middle daughter will join me at different times during that stay) but other times I will be "alone" with my summer staff and the Arris family and my friends (both old and new).  But God will be with me each day- and beyond.  I pray I see Him at all times.  That I follow His lead and not get caught up in my ideas for the summer, but instead look for where He is at work so I can join Him there (and lead the teams to do the same).  I pray for unity within the summer staff we will have serving with us.  Their names are Jordan, Michelle, Emily, Alexis and Nikki (please pray for them too).  I pray that the name of the Lord will be glorified and honored by all we do and that when people think of Hearts United with Haiti that they immediately think of Jesus- not us as individuals or a group.  That above all we are used by God to bring His people closer to Him, to learn more about Him and to become more and more like Him themselves. 

As people call and e-mail about coming with us this summer, I ask for your prayers as well.  That God will honor these requests.  That I will stay firm and that I will use this time in Haiti this summer to grow as well.  He has so much more to teach me.  I have so much more to learn.  :-)    Amen!  -Crystal


SOME of the things I miss:
                                                      (Haitian worship- nothing like it)
                                                      (my "son"- how I miss this family)
                                              (the mountains of Chaveneau)
                                              (my tent on the roof- sleeping under the stars)

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

It's Official-

I just found out Monday that I will not have a job to return to next school (2011/2012) year!  They did manage to find another job to offer me (which was VERY nice of the district) but it is in elementary school and I can not be guaranteed the age/grade I will work with.  Plus, by me taking that position another person with less seniority (who really wants her job) will lose hers and she is a friend of mine.  I can not do that to someone- especially since I have been praying for God to make it clear whether or not I am to stay in the Middle School position I have held for the last 12 years.  So... this was His answer- time to move on and step off that cliff and wait to see where I will "land".  It is an exciting time but also a bit stressful cause finances are tight (for everyone- certainly not just us) and jobs are hard to find.  I feel sooo peaceful about this decision though and next week I will submit my name on the substitute list for next year.  That way the school can call me if they need a "sub" for a day, a week, or longer and I can decide whether that works with my mission work in Haiti or not.  This will REALLY free me up to spend more time on Hearts United with Haiti, but also will not guarantee me any regular income.  So... pray for Ron and I as we follow where we believe God is leading- more and more.   And THANK YOU for those of you who have been praying for us!  Your prayers are felt (as evidenced by the peace my heart feels) and appreciated greatly. 

As for summer plans and Hearts United with Haiti.  After much prayer Ron and I decided to send out prayer letters to our family/friends/relatives.  This is always a tough decision but one that needed to be made.  Again, we had planned to use our savings for the summer - to pay for our trips to Haiti, but now we really want to try to save some of that for "emergency fund" in case we need it this fall or later.  So... if anyone would like to give to the ministry or to our expenses for this summer, you can gladly do so by just sending a donation to Hearts United with Haiti  PO Box 55  Morgantown, PA 19543  Donations will be tax deductible.  :-)  Ron still has to get shots, all three of us (Ron, Emily and myself) have to get malaria medicine, we have to pay for expenses (food, transportation, etc..) when in Haiti, and more... so any/all would be appreciated.  If not, I am sure God will provide in other ways!  He is calling us there- He will make the way clear. 

Only three more weeks until we leave (June 11th) to build the outhouses and other things in Chaveneau.  Our creole is getting better (thanks to Pimsler CD's) and our hearts are just bursting with excitement with the idea of living in Chaveneau (and Carrefour a bit).  Please continue to follow this blog to see photos of our ministry this summer and hear stories as well.  It is such an honor to be used by God to do His work in Haiti and to know you are praying for us and supporting our work there!  Thank you soooo much! 

Blessings- Crystal

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Praise God!

Well... first of all, for those of you who follow my facebook, YES- I have a hurt ankle.  I hurt it the day before I left Haiti the last time I was there and it has been painful ever since.  I keep thinking, "next week it will be better" but that doesn't happen.  So... I finally went to the doctor, they ordered an MRI and that showed a severe bone bruise and ligament damage.  Don't know exact details but I do know they want me to see an orthopedist.  Luckily I know some good ones in my area (helps to have that Physical Therapy background at times like this) so I will have an appointment soon.  Will keep you posted.  But God is the great physician and He will help me heal from this so I can serve Him this summer in Haiti! 

But.. the reason for writing this is to praise Him!  I got a call last night from a young woman who was considering going on one of our summer trips.  After much prayer she feels He is not calling her to actually come to Haiti at this time (she has been before with her college) but instead to help the people of Chaveneau and the surrounding mountains in a more "concrete" way... She has offered to collect, sort and package medical supplies into little "kits" which can then be handed out around the community.  Each kit will contain something like band aids, gauze pads, antiseptic/antibacterial wipes for cleaning, medical tape, pain reliever, etc...  and will be put into quart sized baggies to distribute by our summer team.  How exciting is that?? They really have NO medical care there and no way to get some of these supplies unless they travel miles into town, so this will be a real blessing. 

We are still in need of someone to collect items and assemble hygiene kits (wash cloth, bar of soap, small hand sanitizer, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, etc...) and school kits (stickers, wooden pencils/hand sharpener, eraser, post-it notes, index cards, etc...).  These items would need to be shipped to MY home or someone who is coming to Haiti so we can "mule" them down with us.  We suggest that if you collect these items that you also collect a dollar or two from each person donating items.  The money will be used for shipping items to the Hearts United with Haiti office/base here in my home and also for the extra baggage fee to get them to Haiti. 

Thank you God for the way you are providing for the people of Chaveneau through others- even if they are not physically coming to Haiti this summer!  What a blessing it is!!!  :)

Saturday, May 7, 2011

YARD SALE/CHICKEN BAR-B-QUE & TREE RAFFLE-

Today we had our fundraising yard sale/chicken bar-b-que and tree raffle at my friend's house.  The development they live in was having a community sale and she asked if Hearts United with Haiti would like to join in and raise money for the ministry we have in Chaveneau and Haiti in general.  We are still in need of funds to help build the outhouses and upgrade the property for teams to serve there this summer. We had a skype meeting with Pastor Duval and Michael (and my husband/myself) this past week and talked about the needs, specifications, etc. for the summer projects.  I informed them that we were having this event and they were very excited.  We all prayed together for the event- that God would not only bless us financially, but that He would help us make contacts with people who are interested in Haiti, in serving there and in potentially coming alongside Pastor Duval and his ministry.  And that DID happen.  We are pleased to report that we earned a good amount of money toward our summer expenses in Chaveneau but also that I was able to meet and network with quite a few people who God surely sent to the event.  I was able to meet a couple from Mirogane who are home on furlough right now (for 5 weeks) and are interested in possibly talking more with us.  God also sent many people who have been to Haiti and had a real heart for the country and the people.  In particular was a young girl who was there last summer and is traveling back this summer, a man whose daughter is married to a Haitian and they travel there regularly, a few people who have recently served in Carrefour and have "ties" to that community, etc... How encouraging it was to hear all their stories and hear how God is at work in sooooo many areas of Haiti and in sooooo many people who have gone to serve the Haitians.  It was proof that He is reclaiming this country and establishing His Kingdom more and more among the Haitian people.  Please pray with me for the many I met (too many to list) and their various ministries/outreaches in Haiti!  Pray also for those I spoke with who are interested in taking teams to Haiti either this summer or another time and/or individuals interested in coming on a mission trip with us!

All told, we sold 150 chicken dinners (chicken leg/thigh, chips, roll, pasta salad, dessert and drink), lots of yard sale items (which were all given to us), etc... Part of what we did today was have a tree raffle.  We had a local nursery generously donate a large )October Glory maple tree that we set up at the event and raffled off at the end of the yard sale.  We are pleased to announce that ANETTE MANSKER from Lebanon, PA won the tree (valued at $250).  Ron will deliver it later this week to her home.  CONGRATULATIONS Anette!  Enjoy your tree and think of Haiti as it matures and grows.

Thanks again for all who generously donated items to the yard sale, tree raffle and chicken bar-b-que------ we could not have done it without you and we are so very blessed that we will be able to now afford the cinder blocks for the outhouses as well as some other supplies.  We will pray as an organization that God will show us how best to spend any remaining funds. 

Now- off to rest and put my feet up- it has been a BUSY week!   God bless- Crystal