One YEAR

As I awoke at 4 am this morning to send Christi, Jordan, TK, and Vanah to America, floods of emotions rushed over me...

Has it really been one year since we said hello to the obedience God had for us in Haiti?

Has it really been one year, when we said our gut-wrenching goodbyes to friends and family?

Has it really been one year since we boarded a plane to our physical destination?

The last year has brought so many ups and downs.  We have had to say hello and goodbye to some very dear friends in Haiti.  For a moment in February I thought that I was going to see my wife pass on directly in front of my eyes.   We experienced some miracles in medical bills being paid for and a village of encouragers come alongside us.

There is so much to process when I think about the last year.  So instead of boring you with stories that I think are important and powerful only for you to think, "Why is he telling me this?"I will share what we have learned through the beauty of our Jesus on this journey we stepped out on one year ago today.

1.  God is sovereign (in control).
-  I tend to hold things tightly and to worry about stuff that are out of my control.  In the last year through physical and spiritual sickness, God has shown me that HE is powerfully in control.

2.  God answers prayers either way!
-  By saying either way, I mean HIS WILL be done.  Some of the prayers I offered desperately before Him turned out to be exactly opposite of my request.  Only for me to find out that in His answer was His perfect will.

3.  God is intimate.
-  To often we share the GREATNESS of GOD in the big things, but leave out how intimate HE is in love with us.

4.  Obedience brings blessing.
-  Through the sickness, goodbyes, trials, etc. we have seen a huge pour out of blessings.  If I had to pin it down to ONE, it is my TK and her ability to walk intimately with Christ through the Holy Spirit.  Decisions you make today do affect those that are following you.

5.  I am so deeply in love with my wife!
-  Christi amazes me.  She is truly favor from God on my life.  Her love and joy overwhelms those she comes in contact with.  I cannot imagine walking this journey with out her.

So as we walk into the new year as a family we give THANKS to GOD for the past year.

Would I change anything?

That is a loaded question, but my response is this...

If changing hurts, pains, etc. from the last year would remove even the slightest variance of where we are today, then I would say NO, I would change nothing!  

To HIM be the GLORY FOREVER!  


Check out one of the coolest stories that we have been able to be a part of at www.houseofmoses.tv

Refusing to stand is sitting with them

Cries of a little girl filled the rooms of the House of Moses.  The cries came from an 8 year old out in the street in front of our house.  I ran to see what the intense cries were about and I saw a mom with a switch beating her little girl.

Inside, my heart began to race and as quickly I ran down the stairs out in the street and stood between the girl and her mom.  A few minutes of talking revealed that the reason for the beating was because the mom

"didnt have money to send to school with the little girl." 

So out of anger, she beats her little girl with a group of people standing and watching.  

Poverty is ugly, but so is tolerating injustices.  I am no saint which many who will read this can attest to, but we have to stop the violence.  We have to stand up for those that have no voice.  If we do not, we are as worse as the ones doing the beatings.

Standing up is important but educating is just as important.  

Be a voice.

In agreeing to the manger He accepted the cross.

In a just a few days we are going to celebrate the birth of Christ.


At  Christmas time we tend to look at the birth of Jesus through our own eyes, but what if we take the perspective of what this "coming" to earth meant to Jesus.  Have you ever thought about this...

Paul in Philippians 2 gives us insight into this perspective of Jesus:


6Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8     he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
                                                   -Philippians 2 


As we all journey the upcoming weeks of celebrating the birth of Christ, let us remember to reflect upon the great reason for His birth.

In agreeing to the manager He accepted the cross.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  2 Corinthians 5:21

The Choices we make dictate the Life we live!

This past week in Haiti has been one that we could have had any given week in the U.S. over the past few decades in youth ministry.  Seeing devastating consequences of choices -
We can say that it has been heart breaking...
The week started with our first of the month family meeting.  We rejoiced as Vanah shared about her experience at the embassy with her student visa but also the realization of the seriousness life here needs, the confidence that only Christ can give and the purposeful moving forward in respect, honor and integrity but mostly the awareness of the blessings God has given us as a family in Haiti.
We looked at the cost of obedience, as well as the blessing and the HoM students were challenged to live a life worthy of the call.  To do their best as working unto the Lord AND that we all have CHOICES and the choices we make dictate the life we live.
 (Col.3:25) helped sum up the time of challenge as we reminded them that kingdom goals of leadership and discipleship are the focus for their hearts and lives in this home.
It was the end of their first trimester exams, and they all worked and studied hard hoping to find great success on their exams.  
     Then, one of our students earned his third strike in six months, which means they choose to relinquish their position in the leadership ministry.  This was emotionally hard for us as a family but it has revealed so much to us all.  We are walking with him as he transitions into his culture for the first time and we are still claiming victory for this young man as a leader in this culture through prayer and support.
     We lifted up friends in the U.S. who also struggled with choices and consequences this week.  It was once again painfully obvious that our choices don't only affect us but the ones that love us the most and our closest to us.  On the other hand, we have seen that what Satan means for harm, God can use for good.  (Rom.8:28)  As we pray for our friends in the states enduring things with their children, we have seen our other children grow stronger and our family's faith support one another in hard times.

     God has also encouraged us through choices of obedience in many other ways:
- We FINALLY got the bunk bed we ordered months ago for our students and now we have one of the two beds we needed fixed complete!  (It's the little victories in Haiti - LOL!)
-We got to see our friend Bruce and he helped us begin the process of our battery/inverter system for more electricity...(eventually)
-We went to Sonlight and got to visit with our sweet friends there and be encouraged by their education ministry!  It was refreshing to see kingdom excellence being lived out in Haiti!
-We got to see our employees and their children, friends (Niason), siblings of our students and our own students persevere through colds, allergies and sickness this week as God healed them!
- Thursday night Bible study was a packed house!!!  Students continue to invite friends, neighbors come and we grow as a community and Acts 2 church as we dig into God's Word!
-The HoM family officially has a "home" church that we have committed to and are excited to dive deep in as we serve!

Closing the week, Ognot attended the Saturday morning Sunrise club in our village that we do some English, education and teen advice with.  Dr. Tony (wonderful Haitian doctor) was there teaching about STD's and good sexual CHOICES which is abstinence.  Then, we did English and talked about faith and the unjust and just choices of the foundation of Haiti and choices of the foundation of America.  It was refreshing and entertaining as Ognot came home shaking his head in pleasure as he realized that they aren't the only ones we "preach" too!  I closed with a quote from my Mom, "It's okay to shoot for the stars and miss but it's not okay to aim for nothing and make it!"

John and I got a date for the first time in 2 1/2 months!  It was awesome! We soaked in the time basking in where God has brought us from and the complete unity he confirmed in us this week as an answer to prayer as to where we are going-continuing to believe God for great things as the gospel goes forth changing lives.  We are totally committed to the lives God has entrusted in the ministry of HoM.  We love what God is doing in our life and in Haiti all around us...

Our final blow and close of the week was to find out that one of the "brothers" of our students that came from the orphanage they grew up in got arrested.  Today was sobering as we traveled to the jail as a family to pray with and encourage him.  The vision of the tears streaming down this very young man's face as he waits for trial before the strong possibility of going to PdP Prison will be etched in my heart and mind for a while and I know that I'm not the only one.  I think as the HoM family prepares for our Sunday night Praise and Prayer service we are thankful for God's blessings and aware of the costs if we take our eyes off of Him.
To him be the glory as we daily seek his strength in every. single. choice.