Jim Speaks at NVM Pastor’s Conference

Pastor Pierre has a desire to reach out to local pastors in the communities around NVM.  All too often the pastors in Haiti work hard and long with no fellowship and with no one building into their lives. To serve these men and women, NVM has scheduled a monthly pastor’s conference. The fourth Saturday morning from 7 to 11 pastors in the area will be invited to come for a hot breakfast, a time of worship, to have some fun, to hear from God’s Word and to build relationships by interacting with each another.

The first session was recently held and 55 pastors from the area attended.  The theme of this session was Nehemiah rebuilding the wall and gates of Jerusalem. Jim had the opportunity to do the teaching. His goal was to draw leadership principles from Nehemiah’s life and challenge the pastors to apply them to their lives and ministries. Everyone seemed to enjoy the morning and Jim feels they were actively engaged.

Please remember to pray for these wonderful pastors. They work hard with little encouragement or support. Pray that these sessions will be helpful to each of them in the months to come.  In February we will draw principles of ministry from the life of Moses.

Jim, Cheryl and the Girls

Kids Around the World Builds Playgrounds in Haiti

Kids Around the World is an organization that receives donated playgrounds, refurbishes them, ships them around the world and sends teams out to construct them.  They bless kids where ever they go. Last July, they came to NVM to build a playground for us. The kids in the school and community love it.

Well, they have returned in force to continue their work in Haiti. On Saturday, 53 team members arrived on the NVM compound. This large team has been splitting into three smaller teams this week and have constructed 3 playgrounds in the local area.

Blessing kids is important to God, and that is what this organization is all about! Let’s pray that 100’s of kids are blessed by these playgrounds and drawn to Christ.

Jim, Cheryl and the Girls

GAiN Mission in Haiti–Final Day!

Well, the week has gone by quickly. The GAiN team this week has been great and they have worked hard.  We are so grateful that they were here.

It rained last night. This was the first real rain we have received since early December and we woke up early this morning to beautiful sunrise.

This morning we conducted our final vision clinic. It was held on the NVM compound for folks living in Chambrun.  We served 50 people this morning and 2 of them prayed to receive Jesus into their lives. Also pictured below are team members with our interpreters (left) and the Jesus Film team (right.)  We could not have done the job without their help.

Throughout the week three guys on our team joined a group of electricians who were wiring the new hospital on the NVM compound.  That group didn’t expect to complete the job. But with the help of our guys and the Lord they got it all finish.  They are ready to turn on the electricity. This means that the finishing work can begin. We are praying about opening the hospital by the fall of this year.

This afternoon the team did some last minute work in the warehouse this and then we headed for the scenic view on the mountain near the compound. From that point you can see clear across Haiti.

We want to say a special thank you to this great group from Hanson Baptist Church from Hanson, Kentucky.  And also on the team are our dear friends Jaye Grattan and Sandy Stageberg.  They were a fantastic team. And thanks to all of you for praying.  Over the week we ministered to 255 people and 35 people prayed to receive Christ. We know that you were praying.

Jim, Cheryl and the Girls

GAiN Haiti Mission Team in Full Stride

It is Tuesday on the NVM mission compound and the GAiN mission team is hard at work.  The team is involved in a variety of projects today. Here is quick look.

Three of our guys are helping another team wire the new hospital.  Don Bradley is the architect of the hospital and he is here directing the project.  He is very pleased with the progress. Because of our guys they are ahead of schedule!

As we have previously reported, NVM is starting a large-scale agriculture project. We are currently fencing in just over 10 acres and our team is helping with the project.  At the pace we are going, the project will be completed soon.

On the NVM compound there is always work to do in the warehouse.  And just a few days ago a 40-foot container arrived. Both yesterday and today our team has been involved in sorting items and putting things in their place. One of the other projects today was taking down the large tent that was put up for the church’s 3rd anniversary celebration last Sunday.  Many hands make light work.

And finally today a number of the ladies are helping Cheryl with her weekly sewing and jewelry making classes. It is always special to work closely with these dear Haitian ladies.

Again, thank you for your prayers. It makes such a huge difference. Tomorrow we start three days of vision clinics. The first two days we will return to Onaville. This is the largest displacement camp in Haiti. And on Friday the clinic will be on the NVM compound.  We will check in with you again soon.

Jim, Cheryl and the Girls

First GAiN team of 2012 leaves and the second arrives

Last week we had a GAiN mission team made up of groups from two churches: Messiah Lutheran from Texas and Hillside Lutheran from New Jersey.  They had a great week!  They finished strong and saw God do many things.  They distributed water filter systems to 120 families and in the process saw 13 people come to Christ. They also did a wide variety of other projects on the NVM compound. A big thanks to all of them.  Here you see them with their interpreters and being thanked by the pastor of the church plant in Onaville.

 

On Saturday, our second team of 2012 arrived.  Yes, they were back to back.  This team is comprised of 22 team members from Hanson Baptist Church in Kentucky and two other dear friends.  Jaye Grattan, who is on the GAiN staff and Sandy Stageburg, who is one of Cheryl’s life-long friends.

This team was put to work immediately. Sunday was the third anniversary of the NVM church. So Saturday evening we put them to work getting ready for the big day. They put up a big tent to handle the overflow of people and constructed temporary showers for a large group staying overnight.

And today (Monday) they are hard at work.  A few of the ladies are helping Cheryl redesign the work area she uses to manage the sewing and jewelry training and business. They are also preparing for the sewing class this week.

And the rest of them team is helping in the warehouse today. NVM just received a 40-foot container of supplies and things need to be sorted and stored away.  And 2 of our guys are helping another crew who are here this week doing the electrical wiring in the new hospital.

This is a great group and they will be working on other projects this week. We will keep you informed so stand by.  And please be in prayer for the team that they will remain safe and healthy and that God will work through them to do wonderful things for his kingdom.

Jim, Cheryl and the Girls

GAiN mission in Haiti is going great!

We are having a great time in Haiti with our water filter distribution team. However, we are doing more than just distributing filters. Let me fill you in on our activities.

The distribution of water filters is the central focus of our time together this week.  This morning we conducted our second distribution in the Onaville displacement camp. We had the privilege of providing water filter systems to 40 families. And the exciting part is that 10 people prayed to receive Jesus Christ into their lives.  They not only have clean water, they now have clean hearts.

NVM has begun a significant agricultural project. They are preparing over 10 acres to be planted with a variety of crops in May.  The purpose of the project is to train Haitians how to farm and also to produce crops to provide income for them. One of the requirements is to put a fence around the field. This is required to keep the livestock out. They will eat everything as it is growing. Our team is helping a great deal to make this fence a reality.

There has been a small garden on the NVM compound for a long time. And it never has produced any significant food. So, a decision was made recently to convert it into a prayer garden.  With that said, our team went into action. It was converted from a small overgrown jungle to the start of a wonderful garden. All that is left is the final landscaping. Thanks so much team!

As we have reported, Cheryl has been working with a growing number of Haitian ladies teaching them how to make beaded jewelry and how to sew.  Many of them are now making extra income to support their families.  Yesterday many of the ladies on our team helped with the jewelry class. And today they helped Cheryl sort through the jewelry that was turned in and tagged each piece preparing it to be sold. They saved Cheryl 2 days work!

The team members from Hillside Lutheran from New Jersey did a picture exchange. They brought 100 pictures of young people in their church to be handed out to Haitian young people who were asked to pray for the person on their picture. We then took photos of 100 Haitian kids and printed them on a photo printer. These photos will be taken back and given to the kids at Hillside. What a great idea!

Thank you for your prayers. The team has felt your prayers. Tomorrow is their final day of ministry.  I will keep you posted.

Jim, Cheryl and the girls

GAiN Team Arrives at NVM

Sorry for not posting for awhile.  Our family was in Minnesota for the holidays. But I want to bring you up-to-date on what is happening now.

On Saturday our first GAiN team of 2012 arrived in Haiti. The team is made of up folks from two churches: Messiah Lutheran from Texas and Hillside Lutheran from New Jersey. This team has raised the funds to purchase and distribute 113 water filter systems to people living in Onaville. As you may recall, Onaville is the largest displacement camp in Haiti. Nearly 220,000 people live there as a result of the earthquake. They are a great group with a heart to serve!

Here are some photos of the team. They are getting a great view from the top of the pre-school building, working with water filters, playing with kids at the NVM sponsored children’s home and riding to the ministry site in the taptap (the Haitian mode of transporting people!)

Please be praying for this team this week as they continue their good work. Thanks so much!