Hello friends and family
Well, it is getting hotter, here in Haiti and the rain is becoming more violent. But that is not stopping God from moving and doing some amazing things with our team and the people of Haiti.
This was our final week to work with YWAM Port au Prince. We stayed in Carrefour which is about a two hour drive from YWAM PaP´s base, it was our second week with Pastor Dezahm who I mentioned in my last email. On Tuesday when we started working he got half of the team out to the job site and then said "Well thank you for everything that you have done for me and my church, US Aid is coming to tear everything down and taking it away." We put our blood and sweat into breaking this place down for a week, only to put a dent in the whole project them to be told that an organization decided to come in and do it all in one afternoon instead of for the next year teams coming and only doing it little by little. So we dug out some books, and saved some musical equipment instead. It was still a huge blessing to the students that they got to see all of the rubble cleared out and now the pastor can begin to rebuild right away, God really provided in a huge way for his partner!
The other half of our team went back to the orphanage every day to work unloading containers of clothes, medical supplies and food for the Haitian people. There were six completely full containers, and it took us the entire week to unload and sort them. The amazing part of getting to work on sorting these containers was two fold.
First the people were so incredibly blessed by the items Americans send to Haiti, and this orphanage gives it all 100 percent to the people minus the peanut butter that they said our team could have for unloading. We missed good peanut butter they actually make it spicy here!
The second blessing of working on the containers is that we were able to restore relationship with the orphanage, we got out there and worked our little butts off for them, served them and meet a need that they had. The payoff is that the person who was causing all of the dissension was incredibly blessed to get all of her supplies off of the containers, and saw our team´s heart to serve Haiti and not just see us when we come home and want to unwind from a hard day.
Thank you, God for that. On Friday morning we got up early and left the pastor`s home for the last time, he gave us a heart felt good bye but what was really amazing is that all of the women who took care of us for the two weeks, were crying when we left. It was so incredible their hearts for hospitality and for us that they were moved enough to cry as we waved good bye. Then we went to the orphanage and said our good byes to all of the YWAM Port au Prince staff there were some incredible relationships built in our time with them and I hope that many of the students do keep in touch with these people because we really got to share our lives with them.
Now we are here safe and sound in Saint Marc. It is a huge change for us as a team, we are going from working with a smaller pioneering YWAM base in the middle of a disaster torn city, to a well established, very large ministry in a smaller town that has taken in thousands of refugees from Port au Prince. Here we can walk the streets and talk to the people without translators, even. Many speak English and are very excited to have us here, they carry on conversations with us. Others only see us as the source of a dollar and when we do not give money on the street they call us Shesh or in English selfish. This is becoming a bit of a discouragement for the students but they still press on. and fight for God´s heart on this outreach.
We also got to hear from Terry Snow the director of YWAM Haiti today and that was a real honor, he has been through so much here and has so much respect with the people. In the last twenty years he has endured the embargoes, civil war, hurricanes and the earthquake. Still he is here, still this ministry grows, and still the people of Haiti are coming to know God. Terry belives that Haiti is destined to be a nation that is a blessing to the world, and I believe that God is moving the people in that direction. Church this evening was called on a count of rain, quite possibly the biggest rainstorm I have ever been in. The area we had our tents flooded despite the trenches that we dug and so we are sleeping in under construction apartments tonight. Starting this week half of the team is going down the street to live in a tent city and facilitate everything that goes on, it will be very exciting. The other half of the team will be doing projects around the base and city. A few of the guys are getting to go on a scouting trip with Terry Snow to look for land to help some men start farming coffee beans.
There is never a slow week in Haiti, God always has something lined up for us. Please pray for us we are feeling the forth quarter last of the trip blues but fighting to finish strong. >We really want our time in the tent city to be fruit full as well, and that God would lead and guide us as all of the students are coming with at least one idea of something to do with the people in the tent city. Finally for unity as we are splitting for ministry again the last two weeks. Pray for Kelsey too she twisted her knee a bit jumping off a cliff at a waterfall, we went to with some orphans last weekend.
God Bless
Foster and the Haiti Team
*Thanks to the YWAM Haiti website for both photos & thanks for praying for my brother and his team. I love you all!
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