Ministry Team

February Stateside Update & Immediate needs

barlowfamily — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:00:33 +0000

Praise:

-Olivia has miraculously had a full medical recovery.

-The blessing of friends in Haiti that stepped in with short notice to care for our house & our cat.

-The wonderful people of Calvary Chapel Sawgrass, who have provided support and a place to crash!

Pray for:

-God’s guidance as we continue to process and work through Olivia’s recent hospitalization.

-Our physical and emotional needs to be met while away from home.

-Adjustment to this unexpected change & the interruption of our acclimation/language acquisition.

-Olivia’s timely admission to a residential treatment program.

-Several World Orphans teams that will be working in Haiti throughout the month of March.

-The people, especially the orphans, of Haiti to continually receive His healing mercy & daily provision.

-Work that God is already preparing for us upon our return.

-That we will continue to walk in and be sensitive to the work of His Spirit in our lives.

Financial needs:

-We had about 35% of our initial support not carry through for this year.

-After reworking our budget based on actual costs in-country, we still have a deficit of $600/mo in 2012.

-Please consider a monthly or annual donation to help us be able to go back with full support.

IMMEDIATE NEEDS:

-Housing for another 6-8 weeks in the US

-A vehicle to drive if housing is not in FL.

-Airline miles and/or one time gifts to help cover unexpected travel.

Week 10 - prayer & praise

barlowfamily — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:43:59 +0000

- HUGE Praise! We finally moved into our house on the 28th.

- Praise! We are very proud of our kids...they are doing a super job at aclimating and totally enjoyed a holiday without many personal gifts, visiting a local orphanage instead and were Rebecca's biggest supporters of going to the US to work 5 days in order to start our "adoption fund".

- Ana, our second to oldest, is due with baby #1 on Jan 25th, pray for a healthy end of her pregnancy, a smooth, safe, delivery and peaceful transition into the new role of parenthood.

- Rebecca will be traveling again for an extended stay with Ana to help with her delivery and provide new mom recovery care. Pray for safe journeys as well as a blessed time with Ana & Ishai as they all welcome our new grandson!

- Keep everyone else in your prayers as they have to be far away for this special event. As much as we all ADORE babies it is a very difficult thing to be unable to attend our new family member's birth.

- Continue to lift us all up for resilience, ongoing transition, language acquisition, safety and joy in our new lifestyle here.

- Pray for the teams arriving this month to have pure hearts, servants attitudes and to be the hands and feet of Jesus as they serve their local partner churches and the children. One is a large team of teens, so pray for a deep and life changing experience for each of them and for them to fully embrace their time in the Haitian culture.

- As our roles expand, lift us up to always rely on God's strength rather than our own, to seek him in all that we do, to be humble, loving, and forgiving servants both within our own family and among those we minister with and to.

- We are preparing to add a young woman to our household to help the girls with their schoolwork. Pray for wisdom and guidance in developing that relationship and for the girls to thrive in their education.

- Tynan plans to return to FL on Jan16th, pray that God will provide good living arrangements, an awesome job and a reliable vehicle. He is also starting online courses next week. So, lift him up as he returns to both being away from home and hitting the books again. We'll sure miss him!

Week 6 - praise & prayer

barlowfamily — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:27:56 +0000

- Praise! We are still here...6 weeks in safe, content and adjusting pretty well to our very new life, so far!

- Praise! We acquired a new kitten this week, she is a sweet distraction and a normalcy for the kids, as we have always been a "pet" family. Pray for her health & adjustment to a new family.

- We are still not in our house yet, but planning to move over by the end of the week with or without power, as we have backto back teams coming - pray that we can get everything we need set up to live there comfortably & that it won't be much longer until we have electricity.

- Praise! There is a plus in not living in our house this week - the entrance to our road was very damaged & a sharp drop off from concrete to dirt, tough to maneuver even with our small 4wd vehicle. This week they completely have the road blocked off, but are doing a stellar job repairing it and it will be much easier to turn into our neighborhood once they are done.

- Please lift Tynan up as he begins teaching ESL classes for all ages two days a week at one of our partner church schools. They really wanted someone for the rest of the year, but he leaves in mid-Jan, so also pray for a replacement to continue.

- Remember each of our Haitian partner churches, the children they serve, and the caregiver families that they are in. Pray for God's continued provision in each of their lives and for Him to be REALand near, as they enter the holiday season.

- Our first WO team arrives on Saturday, pray for a blessed time with their partner church and for God's will in the relationship as they seek to come alongside as well as learn from each other and team up to care for the OVC in that community.

- One of the Haitian churches has lost the lease on their land. They had found land to purchase for a permaneny facility, and together with their partner raised the money needed, but now he owner is demanding a much higher price. Lift them up as they seek God in faith over the matter & that He will provide the perfect place for them before they must move out.

- Pray for all of us as well as our two older daughters, parents and extended family as we all prepare for a long-distance holiday, and that it will be meaningful, even though it does not "feel" like Christmas to us.

- Our older daughter Ana is in the last 6-7 weeks of pregnancy, pray that all continues to go well as she prepares for delivery in January.

We thank our Lord for you! Please let us know how we can pray for you in return!

Week 5 - praise & prayer requests:

barlowfamily — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:54:43 +0000

- Praise! We had our first personal visitors this past week - a pastor from our FL church connection - it was an absolutely blessed time!

- Praise! We were able to gather our staff together at the guest house for an appreciation/thanksgiving dinner, which was well received & a good time of fellowship.

- Ron mentioned that he thinks we may be able to move into our house this week. we are trying not to get our hopes up, but would love that to be true!

- In the meantime we will be working to get the house ready this week. Cleaning & some painting, shopping for a few pieces of furniture. Pray for blessed deals on the furniture & appliances - trying to stay at or below budget means that we have to haggle for Haitian prices on the streets, where sometimes we get charged (a LOT) more bc we are American.

- We are meeting with a couple of the Haitian church partners this week pray that our time will be profitable & meaningful as we develop stronger long-term relationships and gather information.

- Tynan as he goes to Pastor Abner's church this week to see about teaching English to the students there. That he will be comfortable in this new leadership role & enjoy it immeasurably!

- Lift up 2 children that we met at the orphanage that our friends help support last week (non- World Orphans related). They both have HIV & the orphanage wants to move them because it is hard to keep up precautions there. So far no one knows of a better place for them to go. Pray for wisdom as we try to research it further and assist in finding a good location, or for God's direction otherwise.

- Also please lift up anther non-WO pastor that has an orphanage outside of the city. We visited a couple of days ago for our second time & in the weeks between he had received a baby dropped off by his 18 yo mom. We are trying to see if there is a desire & means to put them back together and support them as a family unit. Pray for wisdom for the pastor & provision. Even the orphanage didn't have any more formula for him, so was making a pasty baby food to feed him. We would like wisdom also as to how most effectively & non-dependency oriented we can assist.

- Our hearts are quickly filling with the need that we find here on every turn. The sheer number of orphans is more real to us each day & can be overwhelming.

Week 3 prayer requests:

barlowfamily — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:38:30 +0000

For our ministry teammates...this weeks' requests:

- Praise! we found an English speaking congregation this week & had the refreshment of worship with them - it looks like a great place to plug in on the weeks that we are not fellowshipping with our Haitian partner churches.

- Continued adjustment & language acquisition

- Rebecca & Emma as they travel to CA tomorrow for a week, bringing more of our needed household items in upon their return.

- Huge prayers needed for the electricity to our house to get turned on soon, so that we can move in!

- Preparations for our first personal house guests, friends coming on Thanksgiving day to visit their 2 daughters that are in process of adoption.

- We are still trying to find & piece together our household: some basic furniture & appliances, inverter, mosquito netting...etc. pray for God's guidance as shopping is difficult here. Finding larger items seems to take a lot of time & travel around the city. Also trying to keep within our budget!

- November is the month for guesthouse renovations as well! Pray that we can get everything accomplished both with our household & the guesthouse before the December teams start to arrive.

thank you all for the blessing of your prayers!!

Help Wanted in Haiti:

barlowfamily — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:50:03 +0000

Seeking schoolteacher/governess for twin sisters.

(ministry-based position*)

Olivia and Emma

We are moving to Haiti next month and are looking for a mature young woman to serve alongside us in ministry as a school teacher and companion for our daughters, who have minor learning differences.

Duties would include:

- Supervising schooling

- Tutoring or assisting with coursework as needed

- Spiritual discipleship

- General life skills training

- Encouragement

May accompany them in ministry work at local orphanage if desired, or seek own ministry experiences or interests outside of learning hours.

Position details:

Hours are flexible, Monday-Friday, weekends free.

MUST relocate to Port au Prince, Haiti.

Requires a minimum 6 MONTH commitment, we would prefer ONE YEAR.

Desired start date - no later than January 1, 2012 (may begin as early as Nov 22, 2011)

Provided:

- Full Room & Board

- Roundtrip Airfare

- International Health Insurance

*This is a volunteer or ministry-based position. (You may want to bring your own spending money or choose to raise support to cover a salary or any other personal expenses that may be needed.)

A couple may be considered if husband has other ministry in the area.

In this case provision details would be negotiable.

Support Update - the "countdown" begins!

barlowfamily — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 22:34:09 +0000

14 days x 14 supporters = departure!

TWO WEEK countdown!! As our departure date of November 1st draws near, we must complete the last 12% or $420 of our monthly support commitments by Oct 16th, in order to leave on time. While we have what we need for the rest of this year, we cannot leave without 100% commitment for next year as well.

SO, in doing the math...that leaves us with 14 days to add 14 new supporters at $30 a month!

It has been a humbling, yet encouraging experience to have so many generously come alongside us in ministry with their time, resources, "hugs", friendship and prayer!! We truly take each one of you with us as we make preparations for the final move...

If you are not yet, and would like to support us financially, either:

Contact us personally (ted@worldorphans.org) or,
Go to our support page @ World Orphans.org

NOTE: If you have already said that you would support us, but have not started yet or have had a recent gap, we are already counting on you in our current estimates!

If you could, please contact us to confirm details!!

ALSO, if you would rather, or are "planning" to provide a one time end of year donation to World Orphans on our behalf, please contact us NOW!

We CAN add that pledge to our annual commitment for next year and count it toward our monthly support requirements. Which means that you can help us get there Nov 1st, but still donate anytime between now and the end of the year!

If you are currently partnered in ministry with us, we look forward to sharing the work you are allowing God to do in our lives, for the orphans and for the people of Haiti...may He bless you richly.

-

barlowfamily — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:51:24 +0000

The 2^nd most frequently asked question since announcing our move has been…

“So, HOW MUCH do you need to raise, to live in Haiti?”

Right behind it usually comes…

“How are you going to do it?”

While the FIRST question asked the most is…

“When are you planning to go?”

We hope this answers them all!

First of all, we are needed in Haiti as soon as we can get there, probably even earlier than that, but it’s equally important to go prepared. There will be more than enough stress moving, learning a new language & living in a “4^th world” country… without worrying about our funds. Bringing those two elements together helped us in developing our approach:

100% in 100 days!

We are embarking on a campaign to try and raise 100% of our monthly support AND (at least) 100 prayer partners in 100 days. That means that if we raise 1% each and every day between now and the 20th of December, we are done! There are probably more than 100 ways to do this, but here are just a few…

1000 commitments of $3.50/month (avg: 10 per day)

100 commitments of $35/month (avg: 1 per day)

10 commitments of $350/month (avg: 1 every 10 days)

More important than any financial support though is our need for prayer. Haiti is an amazing, but challenging place. As we endeavor to come alongside the burdened there, we will need your spiritual & emotional support as well. It is our desire to have a base of at least 100 individuals committed to pray for us, our ministry & the people of Haiti on a regular basis.

DETAILS: while things are constantly changing in Haiti, this is what we estimate that we will need:

$3,500/monthly support needed

Includes: next year’s rent, food/water, travel, transportation, health insurance, taxes, a small emergency fund and miscellaneous household expenses.

$30,000/moving expenses

Includes: 3 week cross-cultural transition training @ MTI in Colorado, 1 year lease (required up front in Haiti), a reliable vehicle, a generator and travel costs.

While we are fundraising, Rebecca will continue to work and provide for our current needs. Ted will be involved with managing the Guest House from a distance. So, the great news is that every dollar given in monthly support up until our departure, will go directly into the "moving expense/setup" fund! Watch the thermometers on the right for progress towards our goals ->

Why 100 days? In addition to being needed on the field in a timely manner, we are impressed by the fact that others are willing to share their resources with us! Our desire is to be good stewards with that and to put it all into direct ministry in Haiti, rather than towards a lengthy period of “supporting” us while we are raising more support.

SCHEDULE:

September 10^th – December 20^th a 100 day campaign*

*(Watch for dates on upcoming local fundraising events for our moving expense fund.)

WHAT YOU CAN DO…DURING THE NEXT 100 DAYS:

- Schedule time to meet with us so we can personally share about Haiti & our ministry with you

- Pray and consider how best you can help

- Attend or help out with local fundraising events to support our ministry

- Go online to World Orphans & donate or sign up to support us monthly**

- Donate airline miles on American (only carrier) to help defray our travel costs to Haiti.

**(all funds are to be donated directly to World Orphans for tax purposes & designated "for the ministry of Ted & Rebecca Barlow".)

CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION:

thebarlows@mac.com

(972)635-9757