Thanks For Your Support in 2010-11

We give thanks to God for your prayers and support in 2010-11. In order to live and work in Haiti, we depend on your prayers and financial support. In our last fiscal year (ending June 30, 2011), you provided $97,402.08 for our support, which is $25,237 above our minimum fund raising goal of $72,165 (the total needed amount is $120,275). THANK YOU! We are encouraged and humbled by your support of our ministry in Haiti. In addition, you funded a number of other ministry projects including the Reformed Bible Training Institute ($6,200), the purchase of a new inverter for our home ($2,900), Timothy Leadership Training ($4,363.26), and the CRC of Haiti Library ($2,163). Through SON-BEAM International, $41,164 was given for the reconstruction of two churches. In addition, donated construction funds given by individuals and visiting service teams completed the first phase of the Ministry for Christian Development Center and built a service building (see picture on the top right). We also appreciate all the funds given for the purchase of a mission vehicle when we were visiting the back in 2008-09 (see lower right picture). In 2011-12, we have a number of projects for which we are seeking funding. Please see the link in the upper left portion of our blog page which will explain some of those projects or click here https://docs.google.com/a/crcna.org/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B_UDAfU6Nj3fYzkwNTdkNDktYTBmZS00NjE5LThmNWEtNzRmZDZlZTYwZGVk&hl=en_US. Thanks!

The Finishing Touches

It took only 35 seconds to destroy the Cayes Jacmel church (the duration of the 2010 earthquake), but it took about three months to rebuild it. We give thanks for the partnership with SONBEAM International that allowed the Christian Reformed Church of Haiti to rebuild this church building. The Cayes Jacmel church construction project was fairly complex because it was the first roof we have built with pressure-treated wood trusses (until now, the roofs have been poured cement). When we first looked at the truss plans drawn up by SONBEAM, Zach and the two project foreman were a little concerned. These plans called for over 8,500 self-drilling wood screws to assemble the trusses and several thousand more to install the sheet metal roofing on the trusses. These screws arrived in Haiti in about six fifty-pound suitcases carried as checked luggage by a team from Calvary CRC of Holland. For those of you who are builders, 8,500 screws might not seem like much. But with no one in the congregation who was familiar with electric drills and no electricity on site, this was a significant challenge. In one of Zach's trips to the work-site, he taught a few of the church members how to use the drills. Assembling the trusses was slow at first, but it time the church volunteers got the hang of it with the help of the two foreman. Today, the Cayes Jacmel church can worship in a safe structure which will give their congregation space to grow for years to come. What makes this project even more exciting is that in addition to a new church building, the community of Cayes Jacmel around the church has received grants from the CRC of Haiti (funded by CRWRC Disaster Response) to repair many of the houses which were damaged in the 2010 earthquake. This whole process of construction has been an excellent witness of the Gospel to the community which sees not only the "household of faith" being rebuilt, but also community members unaffiliated with the church receiving benefits. Please pray that more community members will begin a relationship with the Cayes Jacmel church and that Christ would be praised through these rebuilding projects.

On the Road Again

Many people often wonder what we are up to when we are in the United States for our "home service." One of the biggest things we do is "get caught up." We "catch up" with churches and individuals that support us by sharing with them what God is doing in Haiti. We "catch up" on our continuing education by taking classes and working on projects. Sharon is taking a class on Old Testament at Calvin Seminary and Zach is working on a study project in the theology of missions in the New Testament. Finally, we "catch up" on many years worth of medical appointments for us and our children. This is what Sharon and Vivian were doing when they were rear-ended at the end of September. Vivian was returning home with Sharon from a doctor's visit for an ear infection. By God's grace, Sharon and Vivian were not seriously hurt. But, both Sharon and Vivian have needed physical therapy to deal with some pain from whiplash. Please pray for Sharon as she has a painful neck and some numbness in her arms and face from muscle strains and a pinched nerve. We give thanks to God that from the insurance settlement on our totaled blue van, we were able to by the same model of van, only in "titanium." Also, pray for safety as we have a lot of travel in the next few months. Here is our schedule for church visits:

Fall 2011 and Winter 2012
Church Visit Schedule

9/25 (a.m.) Fuller Ave CRC, Grand Rapids, MI
10/2 (a.m.) Jamestown CRC, Hudsonville, MI and (p.m.) 2nd CRC of Allendale, MI
10/9 (a.m.) 1st CRC of Muskegon, MI and (p.m.) Calvin CRC of Grand Rapids, MI
10/16 (a.m.) 12th Ave. CRC of Jenison, MI
10/23 (a.m.) Brookside CRC of Grand Rapids, MI
10/30 (a.m.) Eastern Avenue CRC of Grand Rapids, MI
11/6 (a.m.) First CRC of Fremont, MI
11/13 (a.m.) Ferrysberg Comm. Church, MI
11/20 (a.m.) Lakeside CRC of Alto, MI
11/27 (a.m.) Brooten Comm. Church of Brooten, MN
12/4 (a.m.) Bethany CRC of Muskegon, MI
12/11 (a.m.) Three Rivers CRC of Three Rivers, MI
12/18 (a.m.) Elm Grove UMC, IL
1/8/12 (a.m.) Faith CRC of Holland
1/15 (a.m.) Calvary Assem. of God, Lansing, MI
1/22 (a.m.) Calvin CRC, Holland, MI.
1/29 (a.m.) Peace Comm. Church, Frankfort, Il.

Thanks for your prayers, encouragement and financial support of our ministry!