MISSION:

     Haiti Comfort is dedicated to providing care and medicine for children that have been born of HIV/AIDS,  serving the community and teaching them all of God’s love and salvation through Jesus Christ.

THREE YEARS !

         We are now well into our fourth year here in Haiti.  It is with an enormous amount of gratitude to God that He allows us to do what we do.   Being a Christian though,  we often forget about the siege mentality of evil and lay aside prayer and the Word in the midst of our very busy world .  Of late, we have found our selves up to “our neck in alligators” as a friend used to tell me.  The lesson in all this is to press the attack by staying aggressive in prayer,  studying His Word regularly and “listening” for direction.

                    One of the six men we hired was skilled (tying rebar)-the rest are farmers and fathers and two are students.  We have taught them this trade, which has meant many tedious and sometimes frustrating hours.   They have learned to adapt to how I learned to build and the pride they have exhibited by doing good work has been worth the struggle.  We have spent a little over $11,000 US and have a ¼ mile road,  500 ft of steel re-enforced footers and foundation walls and all of the exterior block walls raised.  It is nothing short of a miracle.  We have also cemented some very good friendships. 

July 2008

Blessed are you

 

who weep now,

 

for you shall

 

laugh.

 

Luke 6:21

           “Rosy”, Rosemond smiles a lot these days.  He has and is overcoming large barriers.  He came two years ago and was very lethargic due to malnutrition, tuberculosis and dementia caused by aids.  At four he is just now beginning to speak. We are so excited and thankful to God.

          Elda, after a seemingly busy morning in the playroom.

       The baby is a baby no more!  Darlensky has proven himself to be a rapid learner!  He tries and accomplishes much of what his brothers and sisters do.  He can be so very comical at times!

  Gessica and Roodline washing breakfast dishes.

       Please check out our “new home” page to see our progress. We are doing so very little work now and need help.   We have let our entire staff go except for Marioli who cares for the toddlers.   Our operating budget is just over $30,000 a year.   We must continue our construction and vacate our present rental.  That will free up another $200 a month that can help us build more.   We presently have little play space, a small dining room and no living room…….that’s where Trisha and I sleep amidst 20 storage trunks!   Since Mardi Gras, the local night club, two doors away, has been blasting music well after midnight several days a week and is very disruptive to all, especially our children…...plus we are crowded!

 

 

    Eight of the 20 arches needed for the gallery  (wrap around “porch” around the main structure) are completed and we will try to get these installed soon as money permits.  They provide area for playing, when it is too hot or raining, our dining area, a place to dry clothes, park our van, and another barrier of security.  It also provides for the main building to be cool.

HOME  CONSTRUCTION 

                             The work is very hard, most everything is done by hand.  I have taken precious little time off all during this time.  We laid a road base of basketball size rocks, carting most by hand for about 100 x 16 feet of the entry road into our land.  We have about 6 local women that have hauled most of the river rock on their heads to piles about 50 yards up a steep embankment. The road was built during the heaviest part of the rainy season.  The market place at the head of the road is about 5 acres and when it rains,  it all empties into the road bed.  We hand built a catch basin and 100 ft. culvert to handle the water.  We cleared a 20 X 16 area of road which was literally 2 ft. of muck.   My self and 6 Haitian men dug over 500 ft. of footer trenches for the foundation for 2 solid weeks.   Some of the rock in the trenches to be removed was smashed by a 10 lb sledge hammer. 

EVANGELISM

 

          As a family, we are very stable and the health of our children makes it possible for us to “seek” what else the Lord wants from us.    We have more than settled in to the idea that because we are missionaries, our primary function and focus should be and will soon be expanding His kingdom.     When we are working on the new building, we usually have about 20 or more children, who hang around.    They are very poor and most all are not involved with any church at all.   Most of their parents are adherents of “Satan’s church” as they call it or voudou.   The area is loaded with “loas” or sacred stones, rocks or trees named for someone.   The road into our place is a loa named for me, Ray. (not my idea!)  Voudou is not only an affront to the Lord, it is very intimidating to grown adults.  Many people are scared of spells being cast and although many of these folks belong to a church, voudou holds them captive.   Last summer, a 14 year old brother of one of my workers died and all in the family believed he was cursed.  His older brother, Jenouwel, who is 23 has resigned himself to this fate as well.   He was very sad when he explained it to me.    I visited the family to pay my respects and asked if I could pray.   Praying with Vladimyr, my interpreter and good friend,  I made it loud and clear that this ground and this family belongs to God and by the intercession through Jesus Christ, He could and would maintain that protection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

               

 

 

           So we are in the fight!   My only neighbor is the local “hougan” or voudou priest and has three wives and a bunch of kids, all of which hang out at our place.  The three wives work for us bringing stone for us to build.  The northeast corner of our land is a small communal plot with a voudou tree, a very large breadfruit tree.  These trees are sacred to Haitians , who practice voudou.  At given times, especially market day, you can see people hanging around very quietly.   We have work and I mean “we”.   Trisha and I know all too well, the spiritual battleground we have taken a stake in.    We have struggled now for 1 1/2 years trying to build.   We have been beset with personal attacks on our ministry, a host of employee problems and equipment problems that can be very disheartening.  

 

           Some people who read this, find this to be without merit and may term us as being ridiculous.  Many, many Christians however, know and support of what I speak and know that we are biblically grounded.  To those who are skeptical, you need to live it as we do.  You also need to look for a deeper sense of what our God and the Word is about.   God has created a world for us that can be manipulated through His will and direction and has explained how in His Word.   It is all so powerful and comforting.