April 2013 prayer & praise

Praise

• We made it through a very busy start to the year!

• The new house is still a JOY & we absolutely LOVE the neighborhood.

• Tynan had a friend come to visit, Joel Elam, it was especially an encouragement to him, and blessed the rest of us as well.

• Another visitor was here in March, Jerilyn Cochran. While she was here on work business for World Vision, we got to enjoy her company & hugs!

• This year has brought a lot of return teams and dear friends that have been fun to see again, fellowship with and minister alongside.

• The chicken farm finished their second batch of chicks & didn’t lose any!

• After a long year, Olivia will graduate from her program this month.

Prayer

• Continued wisdom & guidance into our next phase of ministry here.

• Health issues – we’ve all been fighting viruses the past couple of weeks

• A trustworthy housesitter to watch over things (& animals) while we are in the US at the end of the month.

• For our kids as they continue on into early adulthood with all of its opportunities & challenging decisions.

• That God would begin to move in the hearts of Haitian Christians to adopt.

• Provision and stability for families and single moms caring for young children when they have little to no income or jobs.

• Two little girls that Rebecca is seeking advanced medical care for: one has bilateral cataracts, the other suffers with kyphosis (hunchback spine).

• Our friend, Rosalee, one of the guest house cooks, who has a very high risk pregnancy – for a safe delivery for both mom & baby next month.

February 2013 – Ministry Team Update

Praise –

• January and most of February flew by with back to back teams & all went well!

• WO expanded to a total of 14 partner church communities here in Haiti last year.

• Meetings with ladies that attended the Safe Birth training have shown that the time Jessica & I spent with them before and the skills that they learned are stimulating them to take action in beginning to develop small healthcare ministries in their communities.

• The chicken farm project that Ted has been providing supervision finished & sold their first set of chicks & has just started their second batch. So, it’s off to a decent start.

• Our intern, Callie, has accepted a staff position here in Haiti for another 12 months!

• The new house is FABULOUS! It is so close & convenient to the current guest house. Despite the work it is taking to get it up & functional – we LOVE it.

• We are making slow, steady progress with our broken Kreyol, but they understand us!

Prayer -

• The new house still has a lot of cosmetic work to be done. (painting, scraping, cleaning, tile & kitchen cupboards)

• Ted is working to resolve city power issues (again) – pray for patience, wisdom & provision!

• WO leadership is arriving to meet all next week for program evaluation & planning.

• As we gather all of the Haitian pastors together to join us in discussions around moving from relief to development and how to implement microfinance programs.

• We continue to be burdened by the orphanage situation everywhere around us and the need for transitional programs that move children on or back to permanent families.

• Rebecca has quite a lot before her in regards to coming alongside our church communities and seeking to help them develop much needed maternity & medical care.

• The two little ones that we have been called to care for @ Diakonos orphanage – for their continued healthy growth & development in a somewhat unstable situation. For God’s intervention & miraculous provision if He desires for
•  them to join our family.

• Pray for Olivia & Emma as they prepare for their GED exams, Tynan as he finishes his last semester for his Associates Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies & each of them as they seek God’s guidance & direction for the next step in their lives!

 Ministry Needs & Opportunities

• Monthly financial support still needed: $400/mo

• Household Items:

o    reliable 2000-4000 watt generator

o    small front load washer

o    small a/c unit to replace broken one (& fill hole in wall)

o    couch & chairs

o    4 local metal clothing racks

o    microfiber towels

• Medical Supplies:
  • blood pressure cuffs
  • basic stethoscopes
  • thermometers
  • thermometer covers
  • hanging child/infant scale(s)
  • adult scales
  • fetal doppler
  • blood glucose monitors & test strips
  • postpartum medications (pitocin, methergine, cytotec)
  • iv start kits, tubing & bags
  • sterile gloves
  • prenatal vitamins

• Child Development:
  • puzzles
  • manipulative educational toys
  • art & craft sets (older kids)
  • pool float items

• Visitors!! Seriously, we would be greatly encouraged by having company from home. Come and serve or come and vacation with us. We can use both! There are breathtaking beaches, waterfalls, and mountains nearby to explore. Or come and spend time alongside us in ministry, house renovations, prayer & worship, or whatever else comes along.

• We are also looking for miraculous provision or a creative way to finance a large transportation vehicle & 2 delivery trucks for the guest house. This is an opportunity to lend or give resources that will multiply to further self-sustainability of the OVC ministries here.

• Household Items:

o    reliable 2000-4000 watt generator

o    small front load washer

o    small a/c unit to replace broken one (& fill hole in wall)

o    couch & chairs

o    4 local metal clothing racks

o    microfiber towels

Housing, Repairs, Monthly and specific needs

In a spirit of transparency we wanted to lay out the particulars for our end of year and monthly needs.

End of Year**

$3000 to repay advance for difference in rent (due to owner delays & cancelling planned income from housing Jan team overflow)

$3000 - 5000 or whatever comes in...to cover finishing house repairs & set up

**anything that comes in above & beyond these needs will be automatically applied to monthly support

Monthly support 

Our bare bones monthly budget is $2500, 

that roughly covers-

$800 rent

$800 food & water

$200 diesel

$250 health insurance

$250 travel savings

$200 household/misc

Like most of you, there is no "wiggle room" for us. Miraculously we have managed to get by for the past several months at a deficit of nearly $1000. It meant that Rebecca had to leave Haiti and work every other week in FL for the entire fall. While that worked for a short season, she cannot stay on staff with World Orphans and continue to keep up that schedule! 

We need ministry partners to step in and provide that amount in order for us to remain on the field.

World Orphans has given us until April to show consistent full support or when we come stateside for Emma & Olivia's graduations, we will not be able to return unless we are at 100% again! 

If you would like to provide a specifically designated gift these are a few "wished for" items:

• queen or king sized memory foam mattress cover
• 2 twin mattresses
• a simple faux-leather (vinyl) couch
• washing machine
• 2 deep cycle marine batteries
• Kindle or Nook "lendable" books
• granola/protein bars (sent in with team)
• nuts - almonds, cashews or pistachios
• diesel generator
• solar panel(s)

December update

Wow, November flew right by...

Praise –

• We hit the one year mark a few weeks ago & lived to tell about it!

• WO is adding two new church partnerships in Haiti before the end of this year.

• The October conference went fantastic, despite Hurricane Sandy!

• Sixty five women attended Safe Birth training the last week of October. It was awesome! They left excited about their new skills and committed to praying for the women of their communities and how they might better minister to them.

• Rebecca’s FL nursing contract is done! She will miss new friendships made with co-workers there, but hit the ground running with her refreshed skills. She couldn’t have asked for more, it was an excellent hospital experience!

• We are speaking in sentences now...broken Kreyol, but they understand us - progress

• Thankful that God is bigger than any of our current concerns and burdens.

Prayer -

• The new house that we were SO excited about still isn't finished.

• If we don't have a place to live by the end of the month, we'll have to return to the states, to free up the guest house for...guests!

• Returning to the states means using part of our rent money, which means that we won't be able to return until we can find another place or the resources to make the difference. 

• We have had waves of bad news about Haitian friends and acquaintances that we've interacted with having died tragic deaths recently.

• We are burdened by the orphanage situation everywhere around us and the need for transitional programs that move children on or back to permanent families.

• The levels of corruption that we've come across lately in various venues has us reeling, the realities of the complexity of the culture are heavy. 

• The director of the orphanage where we have been helping with food distribution for Haiti's Hope & helping with medical needs for two little ones that we feel called to adopt, told us today that she doesn't want any of the kids to be adopted. 

• Fresh eyes, strong hearts, and steady guidance in all that we do, especially now in this time of transition & reflection over the past year & what God is laying out for each of us here in the coming year.

Financial Support

Finances have become an issue over the past several months. Our support has dwindled over 40% since summer, and forced Rebecca to take a nursing contract to help us be able to function fully. Without full monthly support by the beginning of the year, she will have to return to the US for another contract.

We'll be honest. Not only do we need an influx of monthly support to stay on the field, we would really love to see partners come along side us with some big opportunities that lie ahead for next year. 

Rebecca is currently working on developing plans for a midwifery training school. Ted would love to get the rest of our families out of tents and create programs that stabilize the households with jobs. Both of us have an ever increasing desire to help create a program that moves kids with families out of orphanages and back into homes.

Please contact us by email if you are interested in coming alongside us in ministry: ted@worldorphans.org

and/or click here for donation information.

October prayer update

PRAISE: 

• We have found a new house to move to next month, that is only a few blocks from the guest house. It is still below our original housing budget AND will be much more convenient -win, win. We trust that God has great plans for the additional space that comes with it!

• Ted got to take a much needed 3 day retreat in Florida AND renewed his exit visa at the same time - another win, win.

• Rebecca & Jessica had great success in the 9 forums that they were able to hold last month. They gathered local maternity care data, met women in each community that are willing to be leaders in this area of need, and were encouraged by their enlistment to pray for God's provision.

• We are feeling more and more settled here & are starting to make some initial headway with our language skills.

• Rebecca's contract is nearing an end - it was so successful that she was even asked to extend! She has been grateful for the opportunity to refresh & update her skills in such a positive environment, but is looking forward to being back in Haiti full-time next month.

PRAYER:

• October 24 - 30th we will have World Orphans stateside staff, T4A (Together for Adoption) leaders & Carol Denny, CPM here for a pastor's/teacher's conference & also Safe Birth training for women in each community.

• That all of the logistics for the above fall into place seamlessly.

• Lift up all those involved to be filled with God's spirit as they prepare to minister to these community leaders.

• Pray for the hearts of the pastors & teachers to be strengthened and encouraged regarding the work that God has called them to on behalf of orphans.

• Pray for the women that will be trained in maternity care to have His guidance and provision as they learn & then return to minister with these new skills in their communities.

• Pray for the children in the OVC programs as they begin school this month and as they continue to be nourished & nurtured in the knowledge of Christ.

• Our finalization of the details for our next year's rental contract & preparation for the big job of moving, again...!

• We are working on receiving our permanent residency cards (Permis Sejour) here - it can be a complicated paperwork process, pray that it goes smoothly!

• Continued growth in language acquisition.

• Family that we are away from...especially as we enter the holiday season soon.

• Guidance & provision towards the adoption of two little ones that God has laid on our hearts.

• As always...PRAY for God's clear & continued guidance in all that we do.

• Additional ministry partners to rise up as needed throughout the year to help us continue the work God has laid out for us here.

• Pray for each other - as ministry partners - for the furthering of your ministry alongside us in ways above and beyond all that any of us could ever ask or imagine.

RESOURCES/Ministry opportunities:

• Maternity care grant proposals - we are currently searching both for opportunities & individuals (with more experience than we have) to help Rebecca with grant writing over the next 6 months. 

• Barnabus teams & team leaders - we need regional (CA, TX, New England) leaders to form ongoing monthly prayer & encouragement groups that will meet on our behalf and cover our ministry in prayer. 

• Individuals interested in organizing & promoting orders for Haitian craftsmanship items - we are offering holiday items from our Guest House gift shop for delivery in the US - all proceeds will be used to move families out of tents and back into permanent homes. 

• Monthly financial ministry partners - our monthly support took a significant drop over the summer and fall months. We are currently at 80% and in need of $500/mo additional support in order to continue our ministry here in 2013. 

• For anyone traveling down the next few months - we are always in need of rehydrating/ electrolyte powdered drink packets like Propel or Great Value fitness drink (Walmart) as well as protein or granola bars. Both are extremely hard to find items that we need to keep on hand.