Update! The end of Ministry in Haiti is near

Well, today is our last full day of ministry. In light of that, we had a great team meeting last night where we began to be open about so much that has been flooding our minds lately. The impact that Haiti will have on our team, our families, our friends and our church will be so much more than the impact we have on Haiti. But we are making a difference. At today's VBS, about 25 kids raised their hands to accept Jesus into their life. It's pretty amazing what a little love and living in the power of the Holy Spirit can do!

The past couple days have been filled with VBS and prayer walks, visiting the church member's houses to pray with them and bring them a blessing. It has been so cool to watch from my vantage point because so many students are stepping up and reaching out to those less fortunate than them without much prompting or push. I have been pretty amazed at who, how and the frequency to which I am surprised by team members!

Unfortunately, because of our connection here at Open Door, I will not be able to post pictures until we get back to Florida. I may be able to post one more post in Haiti, however, in case I cannot, here is our timetable and how you can best pray.

Today:
VBS finishes up and we do a youth service tonight. The Decision Time drama will be presenting in about an hour or so and the Everything drama presents tonight. Kaleigh and Mallory will be sharing their testimonies this morning and Kim and Adam or Ryan will be sharing theirs tonight at the service. You can pray that the message is clear and that hearts would be open to the message of hope that God brings to all of these elements.

Tomorrow (Thursday):
We will be heading out on a 10 mile hike to a local waterfall. This will be a trek but we are confident that this could be a very memorable moment for students. We depart about 8:00am and will return about 4:00pm. Pray for strength and endurance for each of us as we make this trek! Our last few hours of ministry with the kids will then take place that night. Pray that we can be confident in God's work in each of these kids. I know that it is going to be hard for many on our team to leave such hopeful spirits behind as we leave this place and return to the comfort of our homes and lifestyles.

Friday:
We will be leaving Open Door about 7:30am and travelling to Cap Haitian to visit the Tourist Market that is there for a bout 45 minutes before heading to the airport to depart for Florida. Our flight is scheduled to leave at 10:30am and arrive in Florida around 1:30 (FL time). We will begin our major debrief time on Friday afternoon and need so many prayers for this. It is very easy for teams to begin to shut down when we get on the first flight. Pray that we can continue to process through everything that we have seen and heard so we can allow this experience to make an impact on our lives.

I'll be able to post pictures and many other things once we get to Florida! Until then, keep praying for our team, but also, pray for the people of Haiti. As I look into the eyes of these kids, I see such hope for their future and the opportunities that they might be able to have. It breaks my heart to think that the dreams that they have right now, will most likely fade given their circumstances. So pray that the kids and people we have interacted with and prayed over will soon see a "break in the heat" and be able to rest in the coolness of Christ's presence. He can do all things!

Keep Praying!!

GC