ATTENTION!
My Yahoo email account was recently comprimised and some bogus messages sent to people on my email list. I have been told that others in mission work have had the same problem. Never respond in any way to such messages unless you are absolutely certain about the source. Pray that no harm comes as a result of this activity.

MOVING IN MANY DIRECTIONS

We moved!!

Our new address:

3017 N. Amidon Wichita, KS 67204

Since the beginning of the year, Jesse has suggested we move into his house. It's been a big decision and a time consuming project. But it helps him and us both, and we feel so blessed. His sleeping/studying headquarters are in someone else's basement, but he loves it. There is more to the story. No space here. Ask us sometime. And above all - send us your greetings!

The beautiful backyard view makes us wonder what God has in view for our future.

Like I said...there is more to the story.

SOME OF IT I WILL TELL YOU AT THE END OF THIS POST

WHILE JANET PACKED DURING TWO WEEKS IN AUGUST...

...I went to Haiti with World Renewal International Rep. Max Wright. to spend over a week with not just Luc and Rosanna Joseph and their (extended) family, but in the same house with most of the children of Christ's Compassion Orphanage. We did everything together, and it was one of the highlights of my work with World Renewal. There are lots of pics to follow because my time was so full and so rich. God is good. My brothers and sisters in Christ who live in poverty in Haiti would be the first to give hearty "Amen!!"

After much prayer over a long period of time, God supplied $10,000 for purchase of land for the orphanage the day we were to leave on our trip!! What a blessing to bring that good news and stand and rejoice on that ground with the children and Pastor Luc. We were also able to take down thousands of dollars given from a Methodist Church in Kansas to purchase a much needed generator. And towards the end of October a team from an Indiana Community Church is going down to begin the process of getting a building up in months to come. Praise the Lord, He is on the move in Gonaives, Haiti!
Below you can see children in the middle of the property, and several on the corners to the far right and left and to the road in the back. PRAISE GOD!!

This Haitian soil is already super-blessed, and so is this Haitian pastor!

Another privilege we had was to deliver gifts of all sorts, especially a much needed DVD player. Thanks to all who responded to my email request for funds. I cannot describe for you the delight and joy it brought. God bless you all.
At this point the children are gathered to watch The Gospel of John (spoken in English with French subtitles...none of them speak English...very few if any can read only simple French) and they hung on every scene.
Madam Luc is in the center describing the gospel story for them, although most know it very well by heart.
In one of the villages the DVD player was used to watch the Jesus Film in Creole. A young girl gave her life to Christ that night.

We also visited several churches. This tiny stick and branch structure is packed with people standing outside. They have been patiently waiting for some time for the Lord to supply the materials to build on the foundation you see.

Three of the youngest. The boy in the back (David) has a severe scar/catarac on his eye due to a scratch when he was younger. The girl (Island) suffers from paralysis on one side of her body from a childhood fever. Their warm smiles and beautiful spirits will literally melt your heart.

The girls spend a lot of their free time fixing each other's hair. I get smiles and puzzled faces when I suggest they try to do something similar with mine.

We waited several hours for a late tap-tap ride to one of the mountain churches. We needed to be on the road for our 3 hour trip, as the sun was setting fast.

Let's take pictures while we wait! Kids are ready to sing and play drums in their new tee-shirts from a small country church in Indiana - Thank you Rush Creek Friends.

How much equipment and how many people will a tap-tap hold??? Answer - as much and many as you can possibly load.

And believe it or not, MacDonald, the driver, Pastor Luc and Pastor Frank all got on/in, too!!

We traveled our 3 hours to Perou in the tap-tap (some after dark) and then after a 6 hour Christian variety show (supplying our own entertainment)/Evangelistic service/Worship service/Movie night (Jesus Film), we cleared out the benches, and slept on the dirt floor for 2 hours before getting up at 4:30 a.m. and heading home. What a night!!! The Pastor slept on two benches put together.

The church (main white building) AND parsonage (the structure to the side made of branches) where 7 people live. AND all the girls slept with them!!

Speaking of those girls - they do use the toothbrushes you send, even on an overnight trip to the mountains!On yet another trip over and into the mountains, we visited our newest church plant, made up of a core group of former cult members (a "Christianized" version of Voudoo) who have repented and already made new converts to Christ. They meet on the top of a high hill in a grass hut.

Max is the greatest! He used this little tree trunk that supports the whole structure as a sermon illustration of what it means to keep Christ as the center of everything else.

I actually sang Zacheus using my IHome (portable cordless one pound sound sytem) out here in the middle of nowhere. They had never heard or seen anything like it! Neither had I!!

After the meeting for worship, we headed down the trail to our tap-tap, and I jokingly tried to balance my bag on my head like the woman you see behind me. At the same time, some man handed me this baby to carry, even as I was slipping and sliding down the hillside. Talk about trust. I cannot tell you the joy I felt walking and holding that precious little Haitian girl. She faces a difficult life, but has the love and support of a new body of believers who love Jesus. I pray she will become a follower too, and trust in Jesus as much as her dad trusted me to carry her.

Four hours to that church and four hours back in an uncovered, sun-drenched tap-tap, and I had no hat!!! I think the dust kept me from getting sunburned. On the way home, though one of the boys offered me his. It is amazing to me how much relationship building can happen without a common language. I did tell Luc to ask him how much he wanted for it. He thought for a moment and said "$50." and then waived his hand to let me know he was just kidding.

An impromptu music class (again using the IHome - what a great tool), and such eager students.

We know you should not have favorites, but Island is a special girl with special needs, and such a sweetheart. God has blessed her to have the love and care of Christ as demonstrated through such servants of the Lord.

Everytime I got my camera out, I had willing subjects to pose. We had so much fun.

Everyone has daily chores, often in the garden. And they seem to be happy to do the work.

I had to get a picture of this girl. I will never forget her unspoken invitation to me to come join the circle of worshippers dancing their hearts out during an all night prayer meeting. And you wouldn't forget watching me dance with them!!

What's the name of this game with rocks and holes in the dirt?

Most of the motorycyles donated several years ago are still running well, and are a huge blessing to every church and ministry of World Renewal Haiti. Madame Luc prays for MacDonald and Rose Lucy as they head off to school. Everything these people do is bathed in prayer. What an example. Of course, when you live in a country where the local grocery store has this kind of a security guard outside, that makes sense!

I ended up nicknaming this boy "on time" because he was constantly looking at my watch, and then telling me how to say the time in Creole. I kept asking him, "do you have an appointment?" As you scroll down, you'll see his big beautiful grin. Speaking of grins...what's for dinner?.....

Fixing lots of special food for our last night in Haiti.

Can't help it - gotta share a few more amazing Haitian Jesus People smiles with you!

God be with you all. Thank you for your support. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

AND NOW FOR THE REST OF THE STORY...Sort of...

Janet quit her job and we moved to a new location on faith, believing it was what God wanted. We also recently went to Ohio together on faith, to do ministry with Gary Wright (World Renewal International President). One of the small blessings (among many big ones) was being given tickets by two strangers (as we approached the stadium) to a Kansas City Royals game on the way, and having someone else supply tickets to a Cardinals game in St. Louis on the way home.

In addition to all that, we were asked to sing a song over Labor Day at Quaker Ridge during MAYM Family Camp. That didn't take much faith, but...
...You put it all together, and we are now prayerfully considering doing fulltime ministry of various kinds, including World Renewal International and possible church planting adventures. That means we are moving out in faith to see what God wants to do. We don't yet have all the answers. But neither did another couple of old people named Abraham and Sarah when they took off to a land they did not know of to do what they never had done before and to watch God do something they didn't fully understand.

So, PLEASE PRAY with us as we look up to our Heavenly Father to supply all that we need to be all that He wants us to be. And, so the story will continue...