Answered Prayer and Completed Tasks

It is a pretty calm day here at the Haitian Queen, aside from our director forgetting his passport and wallet on the floor when he left for the airport early this morning and people having to go catch up to him at the Airport. Thankfully it all worked out. I am taking advantage of the slow time, to catch up on a few things and to take it easy as I am on day 9 or 10 of being sick.

I did manage to get the bunk houses set up for the 8 people arriving this afternoon, hanging bed nets and moving air mattresses out. Here are some pictures of how great the bunk houses are looking right now...





The addition of the bunk houses continues to draw the attention of the neighbors, one newly wed couple have even stopped by to get the directions, and find out what supplies they would need to make their own. We have more roofers coming on Sunday so we hope to get the tarp roof on the girls replaced with a metal one soon! But with the addition of the window tarps that Rick conjured up and the tar to patch the leaks in the tin they have stayed dry!

Other good things is that our 3 day kids club was a success, the first day there were 4 of us leading 75 or so kids and the rest of the time it was 3 of us and more kids. But even with a huge language barrier, limited equipment, i.e. a few balls, a bit of sidewalk chalk and a rope, and bandannas we managed to keep them not only entertained but share the love of Jesus with them and they with us.

I never ever want to hear someone complain about a VBS program, or budget or lack of staff. 75-85 kids 6months-15years in one room and under a tiny tarp for 2-3hours a day in 3 languages, with no budget means with the same goal accomplished as any other VBS except after and during Earthquakes and aftershocks, means I am pretty sure we make life much more complicated than it needs to be at home.

Thank you for all your prayers and support! Looking forward to coming home on Tuesday and sharing with you more in person about life and God here in Haiti.

Joy in the midst of Suffering

It is a popular phrase, "Joy in the midst of Suffering" but until you see it I don't think you can fully understand the power of God to bring peace to us. (at least that is true for me)

On Friday night I was asked to put together a 2 hour kids club for about 50 kids in a room that is smaller than most American living rooms for Saturday morning. Ok, I can do that, I have run kids clubs, camps, I was a Children's Ministry Director, and a Youth Pastor. Not a problem. And to tell you the truth it was not a problem. We made a ball out of a t-shirt and duck tape, balled up my socks for smaller balls, brought along a clothes line and a key chain ring for another game. I found a Bible story that was simple and relevant and we made a game plan. I was confident that we (my team of 5 and I) could pull this off.

But on the way to the club my emotions crept up to the surface and I found my self overwhelmed with tears as I thought about the kids we were going to minister to. Kids who have lost EVERYTHING, kids who have not had enough to eat in weeks, if not their whole lives, kids who have witnessed more death and destruction in their short lives than most adults ever will. My heart broke, even now as I type my heart breaks and the tears well up.

I lost my confidence, that I could hold it together. But God is faithful, we hit traffic, and by the time we reached Delmas 19 I had been comforted by my team and had managed to pull it together again.

When we arrived, things were already in full swing. Chairs in rows, filled with children 3-15 years old singing praises to God. My heart was truly blessed. We listened, and tried to sing along. Then kids took turns reciting scripture verses from memory! With such pride they stood up to share!

Then it was my turn to take the reigns. I took the stage, with my interpreter, Orange and retold the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. Then Linda (one of my teammates) wisely shared how we too had seen God meet our needs in a similar way this week. It was great. Then we sang, played games and sang and prayed. It was a beautiful morning! Filled with Joy and Peace that ONLY God can provide.

We spent the next hour or so taking pictures with kids, which they could not get enough of. We exchanged, smiles, hugs and love.

After the kids had been picked up we headed out into the Neighborhood of Delmas 19 to take a tour with the Pastor Absalom and his brother Orange of the neighbor hood they and the kids call home. They wanted us to see that this area had been missed by the distribution maps. Which means they have not gotten food or tents. It was once again heartbreaking. We were so devastated that we could not meet their physical needs, but we are making efforts to get them connected.

I promise you that I will always remain heartbroken when I hear a child from America complain their room, their meal, the latest toy. The kids we met, have nothing. And yet they have more joy and smiles, than any kids I have ever met.

PRAY for the people of Delmas 19!!! Who are sleeping under sticks and sheets, who have not had food to fill their bellies. PRAY that God will provide for them like he did for the 5000.

After our tour we were welcomed into Pastor Absalom's home, to visit with him and his pregnant beautiful wife. They fed us a wonderful lunch even though they have nothing. Our conversation was sweet.

Now I am off to church, to worship with people who once again have nothing but God, who realize that and love Him even more because of it! What a blessing. May you too be blessed today!

All I Want For Christmas

It is this time of year when we start to make Christmas lists in our heads if not on paper of all the things we would love to get. Well, this Christmas all I really want is to be in Rome, serving along side my team. I don't want stuff, I don't want more clothes, or even cool gadgets, all I want is to be able to say I have finished raising all my support and that I can pack my bags and begin this ministry in Rome.

So if you want to get me something this Christmas that I really want, don't head to the store, or pick up your knitting needles, just join my financial support team and make my Christmas wish come true!

I need $6295 a month pledged for my Christmas Wish to come true. Right now I have $2465. How sweet would it be to have my Support raised by Christmas and be able to point to Jesus on the day we celebrate His birth and thank Him for the lovely gift of love in His great provision, and then to spend the rest of my year serving him in Rome as a thank you for all they ways He has blessed me again and again!

Jesus is after all the Reason for the Season, and if my only gift was what made it possible for me to serve Him all year long doing what He has called me to do it would just be soooo cool!

If you want to give towards my best Christmas Present Ever and the work of God in Rome, just click the link below!

Trinity's Christmas Gift

A Heart That Is Full

It has been my hearts desire through this whole process that as God prepares me to go to the mission field He will also invite others to join me in the process. Not everyone is called or even able to pick up and head to Rome, but God has equipped His people to be involved in His Kingdom Building around the world in other important ways like supporting missionaries through prayer and financial even sometimes sacrificial giving.

Today was one of my happiest days thus far in my support raising!(Thanks to all of you who were praying today, God answered your prayer!!!) Today was a crazy day...it should have been a super smooth day, but nothing timing wise seemed to be working the way I thought it should. However when I finally got to sit down spend sometime with Jesus and rest in Him things seemed to get less stressful. (go figure) Then I turned on my computer and found I had a Facebook message from one of my High School Students letting me know that they would like to support me monthly! I almost cried, joyfully, but still tears! (I am my mother's daughter)I have longed for people from my church, my community, my past of all generations and church backgrounds to join my support team. Not because I want their money, but because I really want them to be involved in the work that I will get to be a part of in Rome, I want them to feel connected to God's Kingdom work around the world! More than any other people group I had prayed for was that my students past and present would one day join my support team, and that we would get to join in ministry together! God started to answer that prayer today! And I was truly blesses by it. It was such an affirmation and joy to have them join my team!

On top of that I also got a lot more new supporters this week and a few the week before. I also get to go to Felton Presbyterian on Sunday and invite even more people to catch the vision God has laid on my heart for the people of Rome.

I go to bed tonight with a heart that is full of joy and a life that is blessed to be on this amazing adventure with God! I am struck again and again just how cool it is to live the life God created me to live, and that He desires for me to be part of His plan to redeem His creation. Friends God IS GOOD!

Excitment in the Air

{Pardon the randomness of this blog, I have been constructing it to be my news letter, and have been adding it to each day, but I decided that it is not the newsletter I want to put out so I thought I would share it with you now in the form of a somewhat rambling blog...}

My plane to Minnesota was full of anticipation as we lifted off the Chicago runway during the final minutes of the Minnesota Twins Game. There had been an audible groan when the flight crew made the announcement that all electronic devices needed to be off so we could be on our way, and 10 minutes later the plane erupted in cheers of joy as the announcement came over the speakers that the Twins had won the game! I found out later in the night that not only did the Twins win, the Vikings (that is football for those of you who don't do sports) and as I sat with my plate of French fries at Denny's the Minnesota Wild (hockey) also took home a win. Not a bad week to be in Minnesota.

You may be wondering why I am in Minnesota. Well if you have been following me on this Road to Rome you will recall that I have taken all sorts of online courses to prepare to live in Rome as a long term missionary. Those online classes are culminating this week in a class here in the Minneapolis. I will be here learning from today till next Thursday. Then Sunday the 18th I have been invited to return to my old home in Cokato, Elim Mission Church to share about my calling and ministry in Rome with the people there. This may be the part of the trip that I am most excited for, as I have not been to Cokato since 1989 age 9. I am excited to return to this little town that holds so many happy memories for me. The church where I first discovered my heart for those around the world who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as I watched a Compassion Video along with the Youth Group there at the time.

There is a sense of anticipation in the air as I enter into ReachGlobal more completely, now that I have finished up serving at Felton Bible Church. It is like when you know you are going to Disneyland and you just cannot sleep or think of anything else.

Did you know, that in Rome there is a desperate need for the Gospel? There is. Our Director of ReachGlobal told us yesterday that, "Europe is Less than 1% of the population has a relationship with Jesus. My friends that is why I am so excited to go to Italy, so ready to move forward on this Road to Rome. I am so excited to be here in Minnesota this week learning how best to serve as a missionary in Rome. It is so encouraging to be with other people who are learning along side me. To share this part of my journey with others who have also been called to be missionaries around the globe.

There are 16 of us here this week and every Continent represented. Though we are all headed in different directions, all share a passion for sharing the good news of the hope we have in Christ Jesus and the forgiveness he offers to those who have not encountered this truth yet. This common purpose and passion ties us together. One of our assignments this week is to work together as a team to create an event that will allow people to engage with The Great Commission.

We had this event last night, the 16 of us set up an evening that allowed people to move from one continent to another to experience the need in each area of the world, as well as hear some stories of what God is doing in each area. This is the video we shared at our Europe area before sharing a personal story. Then we came together for a time of corporate prayer and of course cookies and ice cream.

That was the end of the day, at the beginning of the day we all got sent to various churches throughout the Minneapolis area, most with an emphasis on one culture or another. The church I got to go to however, was a combination of almost every race and culture. The Sanctuary Covenant Church is a beautiful picture of the variety of people in the Kingdom of God, all coming together to worship. It was a blessing and joy to worship at The Sanctuary.

This morning in Minnesota it looks like this:

Brokenness of Roma

In the online course I am taking we are discussing the poor, what it means to be poor in light of scripture and who are the poor in the cities we are going to. My heart is once again beginning to break as I look afresh and anew at the poverty both spiritually and physically in Roma.

In my research I came across this blog Here is a small section that I think really highlights why I am desiring to go and be used by God...

The eternal city of Rome is a city full of life, a city rich in culture and history. Tourists flood the city every day huddling around the great triumphs of history: the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and Vatican city to name a few. Behind the glamor of fashion and the awe of ages past lies a city in poverty and spiritual emptiness. Latest estimates say that 25% of Italians are in poverty, and the government has few social programs and no long term answers. Spiritually the reality is worse. Much less than .01% are evangelical Christian. On the other hand immigrants see Italy as the land of opportunity, a place to start over, a place to raise a family and find work. When they arrive after risking everything they are met with the reality of a nation without jobs and severe discrimination. Because of this reality many turn to crime and prostitution to survive.


Though they are prejudiced against the immigrant population that streams into Italy from Eastern Europe and Bangladesh, they share the common struggle of poverty and hopelessness. We believe that the hope and love of Jesus is a cool drink of water that these people need. But at the same time they don't need just words, they need physical help.click here to see more images taken by a fantasic photographer that capture the other side of Roma

Friends it is so clear that the need is great in this city. Please continue to join me in prayer for the hearts of those living on the streets and in the hard parts of Roma.