July updates and Prayer requests

     It is hard to believe another month has passed by.  We have been very busy this month with many activities both as a family and in the ministry.

     We have spent a lot of time this month preparing for our trip to the Midwest.  We have several stops to make on the way so we are working to coordinate all of the details. We will start the trip by dropping off several hundred dresses with a ministry in northern FL that is filling a container for Haiti.  And on another part of the trip, we will be sending diapers to West Virginia to be loaded in a container for another ministry.  The best part of these partnerships is that they take the items and ship them for free for us.  These are amazing partnerships from God and we are blessed to be in a relationship with these organizations.

      We are very excited that we will be picking up close to 2000 items for the mission during the trip.  Sewing groups in Iowa and Illinois have been waiting for us to come and receive these items.  We are really looking forward to meeting these hard working groups and thanking them in person.

    We also look forward to meeting with our support team.  We have many pictures and stories from Haiti to share with all of you.  We hope you will make the effort to come see us in Iowa City for an open house or call us so we can get together in either Green Bay or Clear Lake.

     Between packing and planning, we have been busy preparing a dress sizing guide.  During our trip in April, we realized that we had a very inadequate method of sizing the dresses.  When we were in the field trying to distribute the dresses, it was hard to organize the dresses and distribute them efficiently, so we have developed a much simpler method of sizing.  We hope this will make the distribution easier for the missionaries and for ourselves when we are back in Haiti. 

     As a family, we have been busy as well.  We  all took part in Vacation Bible School at our church.  Grace and Hope did an amazing job as worship leaders.  They had a blast singing and dancing.  It is a joy to see them in their “zone” praising God.  Lance served as our “back up” man who was there to fill in the gaps.  I (Lynn) helped in the leadership of the week.  As a way to motivate the kids to learn their Bible verses, I allowed the kids who memorized all 5 verses to throw water balloons at me on the last day. They took it very seriously and I got soaked.  It was a very fun and eventful week. Praise God!  

     We have also been busy enjoying summer vacation from school.   It is quite an adjustment having the whole family here in our office/home.  We are very grateful that our girls understand the mission and embrace it.  We enjoy having them work by our sides.

Prayer request and Praises

Praise God for the response to the need for backpacks.  We have 2 groups already started on the project.

Praise the Lord for His provision. He is always providing for us. We are constantly amazed at His ways.

Please pray for us as we travel this month.  We will be working on raising funds and developing new sewing groups. Pray for open doors and hearts to respond to God’s call.

Please pray for our sewing groups. Join us as we pray for the blessings of the Lord to be poured out in their lives for all the work they do for the children.

We are grateful for all those who faithfully pray for our ministry.  We hope to many of you soon in the Midwest.  Thank you for partnering with us.

Living victoriously in Christ, The Andersons

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Romans 15:13 NLT

June updates

     This month we have been working hard to process all the new information we received during our trip to Haiti.  We learned so much and we are spending time finding the best way to meet some of the new needs that were shared with us.

     One of the new needs is that of shorts for boys.  While it was wonderful to give dresses to the little girls and share with them,  it was very hard to see the boys and not have much to give them.  We did share some candy and stuffed animals with them so no one went home empty handed but it was made evident to us that there are needs for boys shorts as well as dresses for the girls.

    We took down a few pairs of homemade shorts for the boys to check for proper sizes and styles.  In the future we want to be able to bring something significant for every child, so we are now starting to open up the sewing groups to start making boys shorts.  The boys shorts will mainly be for play since they wear pants to school and church, so the style needs to be relaxed and comfortable.  Anything that resembles a type of athletic short will work well.  If you are interested in making boys shorts let us know so we can have an idea of how many are being made.

     We also found that we have a need for dresses in larger sizes.  The pillowcase dresses are a good fit for most school children, but, in Haiti, some children start school later than 5 years old.  Therefore, when they reach 6th grade they can be as old as 15 years old.  We need dresses that will fit young women, not just the school girls.  The girls in the schools and churches we visited were very happy to receive the new dresses we had for them but some will be wearing them as long-style shirts instead of dresses.  They were happy to receive the items but next time we want to be able to give them something they will be able to feel comfortable wearing.

     The third need that was revealed to us was a need for drawstring backpacks.  With school starting in the fall, we received a request from one missionary for 600 backpacks.  We really hope we can find some sewing groups that would take on this project.  The children need something very simple to take their things back and forth to school.  They do not carry much to school but it would be great to share the love of Jesus with them in a very practical and tangible item.   If you would like to take on this project, please give us a call.  We would really love to see each child at this school receive a backpack to start their school year.

   With the growth of Haiti Care Mission, we expect to see changes in the needs on a regular basis.  It is our desire to meet the needs in whatever way we can.  If you are interested in helping make these new items, please give us a call so we can give you more specifics.

June Praise and Prayer request....

Praise God for His hand on this ministry.  He is leading the way for us to serve more children.

Praise the Lord for new sewing groups.  We added 3 more sewing groups to the ministry this month.

Please pray for us as we prepare to travel this summer to promote Haiti Care Mission and raise funds. Pray for doors to open and hearts to be willing to respond to the needs.

Please pray for the people of Haiti. Pray that they will hear and receive the message of Jesus.

Thank you for your faithful prayers. Please let us know how we can be praying for you.

 More pictures from the trip.

 

 

Blessings and happy summer, Lynn for the Anderson Ministry team

Our Blessed and Productive Trip to Haiti--Thank you God!

   This month has been amazing for us.  We spent the first part of the month preparing our luggage, our itinerary and our hearts for our first family trip to Haiti.  We prayed, packed and planned.  Every moment of preparation paid off as we experienced a very blessed and productive trip.

    From the time we arrived in Port au Prince to the minute we left, we submitted ourselves to God’s plan.  Our main objective of the trip was to bring in Haiti Care Mission items and share the love of Jesus with the children of Haiti, but God had plans to bless us as much as we could  bless others. 

    Our hosts, Rev. Tom and Bev Brumbley and Pastor Lamartine and Patricia Liberus gave us several opportunities to do just what we planned to do. We traveled to 5 churches/schools in their ministries.  It was a huge blessing to distribute the items to the children and tell them that Jesus loves them.  They helped us learn a little Creole and translated for us so we could communicate with the children.  It was wonderful to see the joy on their faces when they received a dress, toy, pair of shorts or candy.  They were very grateful and we shared many smiles.

    During our trip we traveled extensively throughout Port au Prince and surrounding areas.  We went to Ti Goave, Meyer, Fort Parisen, Fort Dieu, Las Cahobas and Fort Jacques.  As we traveled, we saw the beautiful countryside, the in town traffic, the enormous amounts of people, and the devastating poverty.  We feel blessed to have had wonderful hosts who patiently answered all our questions and gave us feedback about our mission and how we can serve more effectively.

     In addition to focusing on Haiti Care distribution, we also were able to help with a few small projects.  We helped to deliver a generator to a brush arbor church.  This will be the first time the church and pastor’s house will have any source of power. Lance loved the opportunity to work with a “man toy”.  He also helped on Saturday to get the construction team started on pouring a floor of the new kitchen at the EWO headquarters school.  Since the earthquake, a small car-port has been the school kitchen and the children have been eating in the classrooms or play yard.

      On Sunday, we traveled to a church in the mountains where Lance had the privilege of sharing from God’s Word.  It was an honor to speak to the church. They are a very faithful group of believers and they have endured so much.  Our prayer is that they will continue to walk in faith and share their hope with others.

    We were very blessed to have our girls travel with us.  Grace and Hope really enjoyed the trip.  They commented quite a lot about how beautiful Haiti is.  They never complained about the living conditions of the people, they did not look down on them and they were never afraid.  They lovingly embraced the chances they had to interact and spend time with the Haitian people.  When we started our trip home, they both agreed that they would like to stay longer and return soon.

  We have much more to share but we will save that for when we are with you personally. 

This month's praises and prayer requests....

Praise God for His protection during our trip.  He watched over us and took very good care of us.

Praise the Lord for the missionaries we stayed with in Haiti.  They taught us so much.  God really blessed us with their friendship and partnership. Please pray for increase in their ministries.

Praise the Lord for clear vision.  He showed us many things while in Haiti that will help us improve Haiti Care Mission.

Please pray for us as we lead Haiti Care.  There is so much to be done.  Pray that we will stay focused on the important things.

Please pray for the people of Haiti.  They are very strong people but they live in extreme poverty. Most of the tents they are living in are worn out. Pray for protection during the rainy season.

Please pray for the missionaries we partner with.  They are serving in a difficult country.  Pray for strength and God’s favor in everything they do.

Thank you for your faithful prayers. Please let us know how we can be praying for you.

Thank you for partnering with us.  

Blessings, The Anderson Ministry team



April updates, praises and prayer request

March was a very busy month of planning, packing and preparing. Early in March, we decided that it was time for us to make a trip to Haiti as a family to build connections, bring items to the children and investigate new shipping avenues.

Now, the plans are set and our trip is all scheduled. Here is a snapshot of what we will be doing. We will be in Haiti for 6 days at the end of April. We will be staying with two different missionary friends in Port au Prince. One missionary will be taking us to two of their schools to distribute dresses and meet the children. The other missionary will be taking us to the villages near his home/church to share the love of Jesus with the children we meet. We will also meet with the families after church to fellowship with them.

We are very excited about this trip. This trip will be the first time to Haiti for Lynn and the girls. We are eager to visit the country and the people we have a God-given love for. The girls have been working to find stuffed animals, toys and books that they would like to bring for the Haitian children. Their hearts are bursting with joy as they look forward to “blessing” the children as they have been blessed by so many generous people. We are very anxious to get our feet on the ground and see how God is working in Haiti.

As we prepare for this trip, there are many details to consider and Lance has been working diligently to make sure that everything is covered. He is a great planner and leader. Since he has taken several teams in the past, we are confident that he will have everything well planned.
We are preparing to take over 700 items in with us to distribute. It will be a very rewarding experience to see the hard work of the sewing ladies, the tireless work of the ironing teams, and the difficult task of planning/packing come together in a moment of sharing the love of Jesus with the children of Haiti. Please pray for us as we travel.

Update from the past- Many of you that have been reading our newsletters in the past may remember the story of how Lance helped to get an Army truck over to Les Cayes, Haiti for a missionary friend. This month we received pictures of the truck being used in Haiti(see back page) and an open invitation for Lance to come drive it. Unfortunately, we will not get to Les Cayes this time but hopefully on our next trip we will.

Praises and prayer request

Praise God for His provision and guidance. Through divine connections we have processed all 5000 dresses from Atlanta and they are on their way to the children.

Praise the Lord for helping hands who are sewing and ironing for Haiti Care. They are a blessing to us and the children of Haiti.
Please pray for us to hear God’s voice as we lead. We do not want to be one step ahead or one step behind where God wants Haiti Care Mission to be.

Please pray for us as we travel to Haiti at the end of April. Pray for travel mercies, divine health and favor as we travel. Also pray for our hearts to be prepared for the opportunities God brings us.

Please pray for Haiti Care Mission. Pray for God’s protection and provision to continue.

Thank you for your faithful prayers. We appreciate you.

March prayer request/praises

February was a very busy month for us. We were blessed by many visitors and had the help of many work groups. We were very productive on preparing many, many items for delivery. Thank you to all the workers who helped lend a hand last month. We are very grateful for your service.
It was also a very busy month for making connections. This month God brought us into many new relationships and partnerships for Haiti Care Mission. We have secured new avenues of shipping and made several new missionary connections. We prepared and send several shipments. The total number of items we have sent to the mission field is 3000+ items in 2012. We are so excited because we feel like this is just the beginning. There is so much more yet to come.

Thank you for partnerning with us and for praying for us. We are very thankful for all the prayer lifted on our behalf.

Praise God for the way He takes care of all of our needs. He is working mightily to provide for our medical expenses.
Praise the Lord for the wonderful servants who helped us this month. They have blessed us immensely.
Praise God for new connections and relationships. Every relationship is helping lift Haiti Care to a new level of reaching people for Christ.
Please pray for our family as we continue to serve. Pray for wisdom and favor as we take this mission into new relationships and stretch to meet more needs.
Please remember the children of Haiti in your prayers. Pray that God will meet every physical, emotional and spiritual need.
Please pray for walls of protection around Haiti Care Mission. The enemy would like to stop our efforts but we know our God is bigger.

Here are a few picts of last months fun work groups and items being distributed by our missionary partners.

February Updates and prayer requests

Hello All,
Last month was very busy starting off the new year and we are blessed to see all the ways God is making connections for us.
Here is what we have been up to....
January has been a month of divine connections for us and Haiti Care Mission. God has brought some amazing connections into our path lately and it is really exciting to see how He is directing our steps.
Over the last month, we have had several opportunities to share about Haiti Care Mission within our daily lives. We have met people at church, at garage sales and via phone calls. Each connection is a relationship brought together by the Lord.
Over the weekend, while we were shopping at some garage sales, people heard us talking Haiti and how we could use some luggage to carry items into the country. As we told them more about Haiti Care, they donated their luggage to help us out. This happened over and over. Who knew God even uses garage sales to do His business?
Earlier this month, we heard from several ladies from our church in Iowa who have called to let us know they have begun sewing for Haiti Care. We also have been informed by several ladies in our home church in Florida that they are sewing for us as well. We are honored to link arms with our churches and blessed to know they are investing in Kingdom work with us.
Each connection and each interaction is an opportunity to bring more people into awareness of this mission and what God is doing for the children of Haiti. We are blessed to see more people get involved and there is more work to be done. Thank God for His amazing connections.

Praises and Prayer requests
Praise God for the connections He is making for us. He is constantly bringing us into new relationships which are building up Haiti Care Mission.

Praise the Lord for His provision and protection. He is constantly showing ways that He is taking care of us.

Please join us as we pray for all the missionaries we serve. They have left the comforts of home to follow God’s call. Please pray for protection over their lives.

Please pray for our family as we serve. We are always being stretched and we are grateful that God loves us enough to keep us growing. Pray that our hearts will stay open to how God is leading us.

Please pray for the financial needs of Haiti Care Mission. We need operating expenses to send the many items we have in stock over to the children.

Thank you for the prayers lifted to the King on our behalf. We would love to pray for you as well. Please send us your prayer request so we can be praying for you.

Here are some pictures of sleeping mats being distributed...





(Even the gardener wanted a sleeping mat in the third pict)

Thanks for following our adventures.
Living victoriously in Christ, Lynn for the Anderson ministry team

Looking back and looking ahead

The lessons we have learned in 2011
As 2011 comes to a close, we are awed at God’s faithfulness in our lives. From January to December, we have seen His hands at work in our lives and in the ministry He has called us to. This year has been filled with trials and triumphs, times of great joy and times of sadness, but through it all, God has captured our hearts and drawn us closer to Him. With every trial and every victory, there have been lessons to learn.

Our first lesson of faith this year was our transition from Agape Flights to Haiti Care Mission. We know without a doubt that God has orchestrated every step of this change. His divine timing placed key people in our lives at critical moments. Unexpected visits and unforeseen connections filled us with wisdom and insight. He directed every interaction and every appointment which lead us to know what He was calling us to do. He proved to us once again that He has a plan for us and He is leading the way before we even know where He is calling us.
Our second lesson of faith has been the launching of Haiti Care Mission. When we assumed the leadership of Haiti Care Mission, we were given very little resources and limited information on how things were previously organized. With God’s leading, we are in the process of reorganizing and redefining how the mission operates. When we feel we are inadequate for such a task, God gently reminds us that He is the real director and we are only His servants. He has been giving us insight and wisdom for every step of the way. We are constantly reminded of how God is using our previous contacts and experiences in Haiti to propel this mission forward. The lesson of trusting Him and His ways is one we are reminded of daily.

Our third lesson of faith has been one of trusting God with our health and healing. In mid-December, we experienced our first health crisis. Lance was hospitalized with complications of a bowel obstruction. After corrective surgery, he is recuperating well. Long days in the hospital and separation from our girls have made us dependent on the care of others but God took care of EVERYTHING.

We know God has provided for our every need. We trust God for complete healing of Lance’s body. We have felt His strength when we felt we could not go another minute. He has covered us with a peace that transcends all understanding. And most importantly, He has taken care of our girls.

Loving caregivers have showered the girls with attention and patience. It is really overwhelming when I think about how many times, while I was trying to plan the next day’s activities for the girls that someone would call and offer to take care of them before I even had to ask. Knowing that God coordinated every person and every call brought us unconceivable
peace. We are humbled by the kindness of others and the love of our great God.

Yes, we have learned many lessons this year and we are constantly being stretched to learn more. Even though we may not know why or how things happen, we know God goes before us and is with us. He has never forsaken us or left us. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

We are grateful to that He never stops teaching us and using us. As you step into the New Year, we pray that you will be open to the lessons He has for you. In the midst of trials, joy, and frustrations, He is there. He will never leave your side and He will gently take you through the storms, if you lean on Him.

Prayer requests and praises

Praise God for the faithful supporters of our ministry. We are blessed to have many faithful financial partners who encourage us and allow us to have the best job in the world.

Praise the Lord for His healing promises and the way He is healing Lance’s body.

Praise the Father for the work of many helping hands who are serving with us on the Haiti Care Mission projects. Even though we have just begun, we have volunteers already starting new sewing groups and ironing for the mission.

Please join us as we pray for divine health and protection for our bodies as we serve Him.

Please pray for our financial needs. We had a great response to the transition but we are still behind on our monthly budget.

Please pray for the people of Haiti. While we celebrated Christmas with all the extravagant gifts and spending of the season, they still live with very little. Pray that God would meet all their needs according to His glorious riches.

Thank you for all your faithful prayers. We are blessed through the relationships we have with you.

Blessings, Lynn for the Anderson ministry team