July 8, 2010
Last week, we had a medical clinic that consisted of one main doctor, four nurses, one pharmacist, Sharon Fairchild (my mom and Brentwood Baptist Missionary in Residence), Kim Cox (Brentwood Baptist Associate Missions Minister), and myself. It was successful and ground-breaking for both the pastor and our team. We learned quite a bit, and the next time a medical team comes to Petit Goave it should be an even greater success.

Most amazingly is that we have new brothers and sisters in Christ. Medical missions has so many opportunities to sit one-on-one with people and allow them to talk to people personally. One of the girls who came to know Christ was introduced to the church. She is new person in Christ. All of you who've been praying, please share in the celebration of her new life in God!

This week has been phenomenal. I'm not sure exactly where to start, but there was a bit of a task ahead of this team. I'm glad they were up to the challenge. Kim and I worked together to decide how to orchestrate the time each group has when they're here so each member can do as much work as possible. The decision was made to build two houses in one week.

On Monday, we began our first house. Ceemone is the name of the young lady who's going to own this house. She lives with her father and brother and have struggled much since there house was destroyed by the earthquake.

The first two days were the most productive and efficient days because we were able to build all the walls and install the window blocks in two days. We had five guys and four ladies on this trip, and each one of them worked hard in their own way. God used each of them in a special way to minister to the people surrounding us.

This house carried with it some added pressure because it was a house on the street. Needless to say, we drew a very large crowd because they don't expect Americans to do manual labor. We broke that stereotype. The ladies on our team were especially fond of the children, and hundreds of stickers and candies were passed out each day. Hugs, kisses, and laughter was the beat or tune we worked to.

A group of five men arrived on Wednesday from Morrison Heights Baptist Church in Clinton, Mississippi to finish work on the roof. They're still here and we've a had a great time sharing and serving together.

Wednesday began the second leg of our work. Our home was about 100 yards away from the main highway. We had to carry the block and sand to the house, but the blessing was that it wasn't at all uphill. Praise God.

We worked with a new Haitian boss who led the construction of the house. His name is JeanVier. He's a great guy and has a good sense of humor. Once again, each of our gifts and talents were put to good use. Our ladies pulled double duty, working on the house and ministering to the children by playing games and giving the children so much attention.

This week has been so much fun. Isaiah 56:7 and Matt 21:13 both say the house of the Lord shall be called a House of Prayer, which leads me to think of Joshua 24:15. We're to serve the Lord constantly and pray at all times.

At the beginning of the week, I spoke with the the team and offered them the same verses to think about. Then, I asked if they would be willing to pray for the homes and the people every 30 minutes. Since then, we've prayed at the top and bottom of the hour.

As we've prayed, it's truly humbled us. One specific thing God has shown us is that He always provides and knows our needs. God has provided in many ways. I can't even count them all. 

We've seen a lot this week. The children have encouraged us, the members of the team have encouraged one another, and we've relied on prayer and the provision of God to make it through. If you ever look at your watch and it's close to the top or bottom of the hour, please pray and know we'll be praying at the same time."