I know not what awaits me,
God kindly veils my eyes,
And o'er each step of my onward way,
He makes new scenes to rise;
And every joy He sends me comes
A sweet and glad surprise.
One step I see before me,
'Tis all I need to see,
The light of heaven more brightly shines
When earth's illusions flee;
And sweetly through the silence comes,
His loving, "Trust in Me!"
Oh, blissful lack of wisdom,
'Tis blessed not to know;
He holds me with His own right hand,
And will not let me go,
And lulls my troubled soul to rest
In Him who loves me so.
So on I go not knowing;
I would not if I might;
I'd rather walk in the dark with God
Than go alone in the light;
I'd rather walk by faith with Him
Than go alone by sight.
It is so difficult to know how to begin to write about our life the last few months. This song is the feeling of our hearts!
Our time on the field can now be marked by before May 6th, and after May 6th. This was the day we lost our fellow missionary Janella Zimmerman in a car accident. Since then, her husband and 2 children have returned to the States. We miss her and her family here immensely! We miss their experience on the field, their example and the bond we shared as "Forrest" couples. May God continue to be with David, Orrin and Cassia as they transition back to life in the States and life without Janella.
After David (facilities director) moved back to the States, several electrical, plumbing and general maintenance issues came up. Lucas began working with these issues out of necessity and now will continue in that role. I will continue to work with our Central Supply Depot for the hospital and be home with the little boys. It is amazing how God provides during dark times. Sometimes, we just don't see it until we are on the other side. God is teaching us the true meaning of FAITH and "ALL-IN TRUSTING!" Satan definitely knew we were down, and threw many fiery darts from many angles...BUT God is faithful, over and over, again and again.
After an exhausting 2 months, we went back to the States for our first 6 week furlough. We were glad to see family, friends and church family again. It was a time of mixed feelings, but definitely felt at peace knowing that Haiti is where we are supposed to be. Thanks to all that supported us and encouraged us while we were back, may God bless you! We needed it!!
We hit the ground running coming back from furlough. We came in with a team to start our "relining of the reservoir" project. Lucas has been very busy keeping this project on schedule in spite of the rain and a few other setbacks. We are so thankful for 2 teams and over 30 Haitians from the community that helped work on this project!
The kids started into Freshman year and 6th grade in Missionary Kids School, so far it is going well! They use a DVD based curriculum and have a missionary teacher there also. Thanks Miss Kaitlin, for following the Lord's direction and lifting up our arms by teaching our children!!!
I have done some Pre-school days with the little boys too. The rest of their day is playing in their sandbox, riding their bikes inside/outside, going to Central Supply Depot with mom and going with Dad when they can!
"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." 3 John 1:4
On August 23rd, Alayna began repenting and her walk with the LORD!! It has been such a good reminder of our "first love" with Jesus. Please pray for her, that she can begin to build a firm foundation!! And pray for us also, that we can encourage and guide her in this. I am so thankful for our Bonne Fin church family and the sisters that have already come around her with encouragement and support!
In closing, I have been thinking a lot about how to go about doing God's work here on Earth. For me, it's a daily struggle. There are so many needs here, in this specific calling. So many people. I feel the burden to be fully surrendered in order to even be effective in the first place. To keep my spiritual armor on. As with anyone that is trying to do the Lord's work, satan is battling against what the Lord is trying to accomplish through you! So, this brings me to the poem someone shared with me recently...
WRECKERS or BUILDERS
I watched them tearing a building down,
A gang of men in a busy town.
With a ho-heave-ho and lusty yell,
They swung a beam and a sidewall fell.
I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled,
As the men you’d hire if you had to build?”
He gave me a laugh and said, “No indeed!
Just common labor is all I need.
I can easily wreck in a day or two
What builders have taken a year to do.”
And I tho’t to myself as I went my way,
Which of these two roles have I tried to play?
Am I a builder who works with care,
Measuring life by the rule and square?
Am I shaping my deeds by a well-made plan,
Patiently doing the best I can?
Or am I a wrecker who walks the town,
Content with the labor of tearing down?
A gang of men in a busy town.
With a ho-heave-ho and lusty yell,
They swung a beam and a sidewall fell.
I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled,
As the men you’d hire if you had to build?”
He gave me a laugh and said, “No indeed!
Just common labor is all I need.
I can easily wreck in a day or two
What builders have taken a year to do.”
And I tho’t to myself as I went my way,
Which of these two roles have I tried to play?
Am I a builder who works with care,
Measuring life by the rule and square?
Am I shaping my deeds by a well-made plan,
Patiently doing the best I can?
Or am I a wrecker who walks the town,
Content with the labor of tearing down?
— Carmelo Benvenga
So, we go on with the thought in mind, to be a builder to the Haitian people and to our fellow missionaries. Let's not help the devil do his work of tearing down, but help the LORD do His work of BUILDING. BUILDING lives living for Him and destined for HEAVEN!!
Mesi Sovè! Hallelujah!
In His love and ours, LUCAS & RAYA, ALAYNA, TUCKER, CY & HENRY
P.S. Thanks again Latty and Forrest VBS for the Sunshine boxes and bookbags!
