February 17, 2011 Update

Dear friends, family, and supporters,
The Lord is gracious and knows all of our needs and hears our requests. Zachary has just finished having a successful indirect inguinal hernia surgery. He will be staying in Michigan to heal for a while. Zach’s surgeon instructed that for the next two weeks he is not supposed to lift more than 16 pounds because this lifting will indeed cause internal damage. Zach wants to come back to see his wife and kids in Haiti next week. However, he needs to see the surgeon next week for a follow-up visit and at that time he hopes to gain clarity as to when he is allowed to come back to Haiti.
Sharon remains in Haiti with the four kids. They are all doing okay. Sharon is balancing family and work needs. After struggling with illness for a bit, our baby Esther woke up without a fever this morning. I think God heard all of your prayers and lightened our burden by healing Esther and having Zach have a successful surgery. Thanks for your continued prayers. Please keep Zach in prayer during this time of recovery. Also keep Sharon in your prayers especially as next week she is supposed to be a part of a week-long training on trauma and resilience. Zach was originally planning on being with the kids more next week while Sharon is at this training, but it is not possible for Zach to do this.

Update on Zach's Health Situation

Thanks for your prayers for Zach’s health situation. Since arriving in Michigan late Sunday night, he has been seeing many doctors and doing many tests. Zach is scheduled for hernia surgery on Thursday (Feb. 16) and will have a CT scan on Wednesday (Feb. 15). If there are no other complications, Zach may be able to return to Haiti late next week. We hope that the surgery will be a remedy to the abdominal pain Zach has had for the last three months. We give thanks that Sharon is managing in Haiti by herself. Despite Zach’s absence, she took advantage of an opportunity to acquaint the women’s ministry leaders of the CRC of Haiti with a bead/jewelry making project run by one of our friends. We hope that this project or others like it will enable the women of the CRC of Haiti to make a living.

Urgent Prayer Request for Feb. 13

Please join us in prayer for our family as Zach will be returning to Michigan for health reasons while Sharon and the children will remain in Haiti. After unsuccessfully seeking treatment in the Dominican Republic and in Haiti, it seemed wise to go back to the US for treatment. It seems increasingly likely that a hernia that Zach had since November is becoming obstructed and causing much of the pain and GI symptoms Zach has been having for the last few months. In addition to praying for Zach, please remember to pray for Sharon and the kids as it will be a challenge to manage in Zach's absence. Pray also for our coworkers as were already understaffed before Zach's departure.

Update to Prayer Request

Good news! The government of Haiti bowed to international and internal pressure by dismissing the candidate whose party was accused of rigging the election and putting the two most popular candidates into the run-off election. This announcement was received with calm on the streets of Haiti. A run-off election is scheduled for March 20, 2010. The other date which we expected could be trouble was Feb. 7, the date when the current president, Preval, is supposed to relinquish his position. Preval insisted on staying in power until a new president was elected. Many in Haiti rejected his claim and must unrest was expected. Feb. 7 passed more or less peacefully. We give thanks to God for restoring peace to Haiti!

A Sweet Sound

Living in the middle of a city of over two and half million people crammed into a precious few square miles, the sweet sound of silence is a rare commodity. Thanks to the hard work of a visiting team from 1st CRC of Fremont and the assistance of the Haitian staff of Perspectives Reformees (PR), silence has become a tool for ministry. Last week, we put the finishing touches on a soundproof recording studio where new radio programs can be created for PR ministry. CRWRC Disaster Response has funded this project to develop radio messages of encouragement for earthquake survivors to be broadcasted on Perspectives Reformees' network of radio stations throughout Haiti. Pastor Paul Mpindi has recorded some of the radio messages already. Other programs which will be recorded in the new studio will address topics like grief management, getting past fear, helping children struggling with trauma, etc. Since its inception, Zach has been working closely with Perspectives Reformees, an organization dedicated to using sound media to spread the Word of God in Haiti. Pastor Gregory Brutus (far right) has joined the staff of PR to provide pastoral counseling for listeners who come to PR's follow-up center in Port-au-Prince. We hope that Gregory will record some of the messages and arrange for other experts to record as well. As you can imagine, it was a real challenge to build a studio in Haiti. Since no soundproofing treatment is available, we carpeted the entire studio--floor, walls, and ceiling. Foam insulation for the doors came from three old matresses. Dual pane windows were custom cut and installed as well. The next step will be assembling the sound system which will be based on a Apple iMac computer platform, a premium audio USB hub, a studio mixer, and a set of two professional microphones. Pray that the studio can be finished and the programs can start being recorded. Pray also that God would send hurting people to Pastor Gregory for counseling.

Special Prayer Request

Dear Friends and Family:

We hope and pray that you are doing well and staying warm (we heard that a huge blizzard has hit the mid-west and Great Lakes area). We are writing to ask for your prayers for the political situation in Haiti. Today (Feb. 2) we are expecting that the winners of the Nov. 28, 2010 presidential and legislative election will be announced. There is threat of disturbance as some will be dissatisfied no matter what the announcement holds. Please pray for calm and peace in Haiti as they are essential for the ongoing rebuilding effort. We remain convinced that God, through Christ Jesus, can do more than we ask or imagine according to the power of his Spirit.

Please join us in giving thanks for:

1. A safe and productive visit for two teams in January: Goshen/Sussex CRCs and 1st CRC of Fremont. The first stage of the Ministry for Christian Development office building is nearly complete.
2. The completion of a new recording studio for our partner, Perspectives Réformées, built with the help of the team from 1st CRC of Fremont. Soon messages of hope will be recorded in the studio and broadcast to the Haitian people.
3. Graduation of a group of pastors and church leaders from the Thomassique area who have completed three years of theological and ministry training with our partner the CRC of Haiti
4. Our team member, Lesley Toussaint, and her husband, Diego, had a baby girl, Julianna, (born January 15). They hope to return to Haiti from Canada in February.

Please join us in praying for:

1. A dispute with the taxing-authority of the Haitian government. Pray that governmental authorities will rethink the wisdom of harassing the non-profit sector which is making extreme efforts to assist the Haitian people.
2. Perseverance for our team who is struggling with the absence of two key team members.
3. Zach’s health. He has not been able to find the cause of abdominal pain that continues to trouble him.