Hello All,
It has been a very busy month for us, but God is faithful and He has taken good care of us. When we are weak, He gives us strength. When we are tired, He gives us energy. When we are frustrated, He gives us clarity and when we are weary, He gives us hope. He has been our Rock and we are completely in awe of what He has been doing for us.
Lance is leaving for Haiti tomorrow. He needs to do an assessment on the ground of how we are doing and what is happening on the ground in Haiti. He has the task of meeting with some missionaries to find out what is working and what we need to do better. He will make a quick turn around and be back here to re-organize/re-define the system so we can make it work in the most effective way. We have increased our deliveries past what we normally do in one year so we know there are areas we need to re-assess. Please pray for him as he travels. We are uncertain as to where he will be staying and what conditions he will encounter, but we know he goes with God's covering and protection.
Here is a detailed account from our newsletter of what we have been doing in the Haiti relief efforts. Also, our prayer requests and praises are included. We cherish the many faithful saints who pray for us and thank God for you daily. Thanks for all of your encouragement and support. We love you.
Earthquake in Haiti
On January 12, life in Haiti changed dramatically as the earth shook and building collapsed from the 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Life for most Haitians will never be the same. Well, it is safe to say that life at Agape changed dramatically that day too. Although we didn’t feel the earth shake, we did feel our hearts break as the people we love and serve were encountering a disaster of unbelievable destruction. The missionaries we serve and have linked arms with were in trouble and we devoted ourselves to doing everything we could to help them.
The day after the quake, our King Air 90 was scheduled to fly out with regular cargo and mail, but that trip was cancelled and relief efforts began immediately. The plane was off loaded and relief supplies were packed in. On Thursday, just over 36 hours after the quake, our plane left Venice to land in Port au Prince with relief supplies. Since then the relief flights and efforts have been in high gear. We have flown 54 flights into Haiti, delivered 120,000 pounds of supplies, transported 24 medical personnel, and returned 8 orphans to their US parents. It has been a buzz of activity at the hangar as everyone has played a vital part in making these flights possible.
Supplies are being donated everyday in truckloads, food has been donated by the cases, medical supplies are coming in by the packs and volunteers are working tirelessly to sort, organize and pack boxes to be loaded and delivered. The Agape staff is working endless hours to dispatch planes, fill out customs forms, answer emails and phone messages and make the flights happen. We are swamped but we are determined to make a difference in the lives of the people of Haiti. We are working hard to be His hands and feet and bring comfort and support to the people in need.
As for Lance and I, we have been working 10-12 hours days since the earthquake. Lance has had many shifts in responsibilities. He has gone from IT work to logisitics to fundraising and everything in between. One of his projects was to arrange the transport of 25,000 pounds of supplies via a savage ship that was going to PAP to rebuild the port. The shipping company offered to take a sea container for us if we could get it loaded and to Miami by the next day. Lance worked in quick fashion to locate and purchase a container, get it transported to Venice, fill it with supplies and head it off on a truck to the dock in Miami. The project was completed in 24 hours. The container was offloaded in PAP one week later. God worked quite a few miracles in that story but it is sufficient to say His hands were all over that project as Agape has never sent anything by sea to Haiti. Next, Lance started working on renting a DC6 aircraft so another 25,000 pounds of supplies could be delivered quickly. That plane and cargo arrived in PAP on Saturday and he is now working on the second DC6 to do the same time of mission. God is showing favor to every project that Agape is undertaking and we have been very blessed to watch Him work for us and for Agape.
My responsibilies at Agape have also changed daily. I was working on the transport of medical teams for a few days. We are not in the business of transporting passengers but some of the donated aircraft we received were better suited for passengers than cargo we in those cases, we used to planes to transport medical teams to PAP. It was all very unfamiliar territory for me but God gave me wisdom and understanding of the system to help make it happen. We transported 24 medical personnel and were able to use those same planes to bring back children to their adoptive parents in the US. My duties have been very fluid. I’ve done webpage updating, clearing messages from the voice mail systems, working on moving 50 special needs orphans to a new orphanage in DR, Lance’s personal assistant and various other jobs. It has been challenging but God has been faithful to fill us with the energy and the understanding we need. The girls have come to work with us every day. They play in the office and stay busy on the floor while Lance and I run in and out. They have been wonderful. A few days they even got to play with Grandma Sharon in the flight lounge for a change of pace. We are very blessed to have flexible children who respond to the need with open hearts.
God has been our rock in all of this. We have been trusting Him every step of the way and we know we are only able to do what He empowers us to do. He is leading us and guiding us in every way. We are grateful that we serve such a big God.
Prayer requests
Please pray for the hurting people of Haiti. Pray that they will turn to Jesus in their crisis and trust Him with their lives.
Pray for the staff at Agape. Pray for God’s supernatural strength to fill us up and keep us moving.
Pray for the replacement of the King Air aircraft. Pray that God will replace that plane with an aircraft seven times bigger and better for His service.
Pray for the girls. Pray for patience as mom and dad continue to work lots of hours and spend lots of time at work.
Pray for my mom and dad. Mom’s struggle with cancer is very difficult. We are praying for God’s healing touch and peace to fill their lives.
Praises
God has been working in big ways at Agape. Praise Him for every staff member, volunteer, donor and pilot who has been involved in the relief efforts. He created each of us for "such a time as this."
Praise God for the safety of the pilots in the landing incident of the King Air. Satan tried to bring Agape down but God was in control. Praise the Lord.
Praise God for the donations of pilots and planes. God has continued to bring in the planes we need and can use.
Praise God for the hearts of all those who are serving in the relief efforts. The missonaries in Haiti are the reason we do what we do. They are the real heroes.
How great is God-beyond our understanding! Job 36:26
Living Victoriously in Christ,Lance and Lynn Anderson
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Agape updates
Well, yesterday was another busy day at Agape. To give you a full picture I have copied from the Agape website. We are happy to report that my brother in law Paul is back in route to his family in Green Bay. We were very blessed to have him join us and have him serve with us in Haiti and DR. He flew the King Air on several trips each day as a ferry between DR and Haiti allowing the supplies to be brought to the most needed areas. We are extremely proud of him, his family and his church for borrowing Paul to us for the week. We hope he can come fly with us again. We love you, Paul!! Thank you for your service!!
Here's the Agape news from yesterday:
January 23, 2010
Since the Haiti earthquake disaster on Tuesday, January 12
Agape Flights has:
Made 54 flights
Delivered 120,000 pounds of emergency supplies
Transported 24 medical personnel to Haiti
Evacuated 1 orphan and arranged to evacuate 30 more.
Agape Flights’ King Air 90 experienced a landing incident in Jacmel , Haiti while delivering emergency supplies in response to the Haiti earthquake disaster.
The two pilots are safe and in route to the U.S.
Information is limited at this time; the damage to the plane is being assessed, but it is clear Agape Flights’ King Air 90 will not be in service for a significant time.
Since the earthquake disaster, Agape Flights has been making multiple flights each day with the use of donated and leased planes. Agape Flights continues to make Haiti relief flights to the 130 missionary families we serve in Port au Prince and regular deliveries to the other 200 missionary families we serve in Haiti , the Bahamas , and the Dominican Republic .
Friday Update, January 22
DC-6
The aircraft has had some mechanical problems so the flight has been delayed 12 hours. It is intended to load and depart before midnight on Friday.
Donated funds have allowed Agape Flights to charter this aircraft for a one time trip from Miami into Port au Prince. It will carry emergency supplies – medical, food, water.
Aztec
This plane has been donated for our use for a week. It is ferrying supplies from the Dominican Republic to Port au Prince. It is scheduled to make two flights on Friday with relief supplies.
King Air 90
This airplane is ferrying donated relief supplies from the Dominican Republic to Port au Prince. It is owned by Agape Flights.
C414
The plane did multiple runs between the Dominican Republic and Port au Prince with relief supplies. This plane has been donated for our use for a number of days.
This aircraft will be used to ferry orphans back to Florida
B-55 Baron
This donated plane will be returning from Haiti to Sarasota with a load of orphans.
Medical Teams
Arrangements have been made to fly in two medical teams of 4 and 5 persons on Saturday and one 5 person team on Sunday from Venice to Haiti . These medical personnel will replace teams currently there who are coming out after serving for the last week. The plane has been donated for use.
Significant Incoming Goods
Downs Food Group has donated 50,000 pounds of canned chicken. These recipient are coming in on skids in very large cans and will arrive in 2 to 3 days
Thanks to Our Agape Missionary Network
Dominican Republic Missionaries served by Agape are gathering food and medical supplies for the missionaries in Haiti .
On the ground in Port au Prince Agape missionaries are meeting the planes, and unloading and dispersing the incoming supplies.
Thank you for all your prayers. One day I will sit down and write down all the projects Lance and I have been working on and the specifics of what we are doing each day, but for now it is sufficient to say that everyone has a part to play in each project. It is God that is doing all the work. He is our ALL IN ALL! (this is the song I sing when it gets rough)
Have a blessed day.
Living victoriously in Christ, Lynn for the Anderson crew
Here's the Agape news from yesterday:
January 23, 2010
Since the Haiti earthquake disaster on Tuesday, January 12
Agape Flights has:
Made 54 flights
Delivered 120,000 pounds of emergency supplies
Transported 24 medical personnel to Haiti
Evacuated 1 orphan and arranged to evacuate 30 more.
Agape Flights’ King Air 90 experienced a landing incident in Jacmel , Haiti while delivering emergency supplies in response to the Haiti earthquake disaster.
The two pilots are safe and in route to the U.S.
Information is limited at this time; the damage to the plane is being assessed, but it is clear Agape Flights’ King Air 90 will not be in service for a significant time.
Since the earthquake disaster, Agape Flights has been making multiple flights each day with the use of donated and leased planes. Agape Flights continues to make Haiti relief flights to the 130 missionary families we serve in Port au Prince and regular deliveries to the other 200 missionary families we serve in Haiti , the Bahamas , and the Dominican Republic .
Friday Update, January 22
DC-6
The aircraft has had some mechanical problems so the flight has been delayed 12 hours. It is intended to load and depart before midnight on Friday.
Donated funds have allowed Agape Flights to charter this aircraft for a one time trip from Miami into Port au Prince. It will carry emergency supplies – medical, food, water.
Aztec
This plane has been donated for our use for a week. It is ferrying supplies from the Dominican Republic to Port au Prince. It is scheduled to make two flights on Friday with relief supplies.
King Air 90
This airplane is ferrying donated relief supplies from the Dominican Republic to Port au Prince. It is owned by Agape Flights.
C414
The plane did multiple runs between the Dominican Republic and Port au Prince with relief supplies. This plane has been donated for our use for a number of days.
This aircraft will be used to ferry orphans back to Florida
B-55 Baron
This donated plane will be returning from Haiti to Sarasota with a load of orphans.
Medical Teams
Arrangements have been made to fly in two medical teams of 4 and 5 persons on Saturday and one 5 person team on Sunday from Venice to Haiti . These medical personnel will replace teams currently there who are coming out after serving for the last week. The plane has been donated for use.
Significant Incoming Goods
Downs Food Group has donated 50,000 pounds of canned chicken. These recipient are coming in on skids in very large cans and will arrive in 2 to 3 days
Thanks to Our Agape Missionary Network
Dominican Republic Missionaries served by Agape are gathering food and medical supplies for the missionaries in Haiti .
On the ground in Port au Prince Agape missionaries are meeting the planes, and unloading and dispersing the incoming supplies.
Thank you for all your prayers. One day I will sit down and write down all the projects Lance and I have been working on and the specifics of what we are doing each day, but for now it is sufficient to say that everyone has a part to play in each project. It is God that is doing all the work. He is our ALL IN ALL! (this is the song I sing when it gets rough)
You are my strength when I am weak,
you are the treasure that I seek,
you are my ALL IN ALL!
Seeking you like a precious jewel,
Lord, to give up I'd be a fool
You are my ALL in ALL!
Taking my sin, my cross, my shame
Rising again, I bless Your name,
You are my ALL in ALL!
When I fall down you pick me up
when I am dry you fill my cup
You are my ALL in ALL!
Jesus, Lamb of God
Worth is your name.
Jesus, Lamb of God
Worth is your name.
Living victoriously in Christ, Lynn for the Anderson crew
Thursday, January 21, 2010
A Message from the ground in Haiti from Pilot Paul
Here is an email from my brother in law Paul who is flying for us in Haiti. I am so proud of him and extremely grateful for his servant's heart.
This is in response to the local newspaper asking for information.
My wife Marie mentioned you wanted to talk to me about the conditions in Haiti.I am flying a King Air 90 for Agape Flight which is based in Venice FL
Arrived on Monday we are basing operation out of Santiago Dominican Republic
we make 3-4 flights a day to various airports in Haiti there are 3 airplanes and 6 pilots in our group right now
An amazing couple , Jim and Theresa White, have opened there home here in Santiago and feed us over night
US air force is controlling Port Prince airport doing great job
Haitians are leaving the city of Port Prince because of no food or water and returning to small cities in the country.These cities don't have the supplies to handle them so we are shifting our flights to small cities and letting the big aircraft go into Port Prince
Flew a team of doctors to Jacmel today, traveled into the city with the docs, parts of hospital collapsed patients on cots in the grass in the compound18 day old girl was found alive after 8 days buried. Mother was there also. soccer field with thousands of refugees waiting for more help.
they have basic food (rice and beans) and water but desperately need shelter because they can't go into their homes. plain tarps are needed!!!!!
food and water we buy here in Dominican repub and fly in medical supplies also needed.
Haitian people very friendly, thankful for the help
cash donations to Agape Flight will also help, check their credentials online,
A 13 year old girl at the soccer field in Jacmal who saw my pilot uniform asked me if I could giver her a job because her parents and siblings are all dead.had to tell her no but I would try to bring supplies tomorrow,
hard to get the supplies from the airport to the people.almost no Haitian authorities in control.
I will post more as we receive more information. The front page of the Agape site tells the story of all that we are doing at work. Please stop by the Agape site to see what God is doing.
As Lance left the house this morning, he was on his cell phone arranging for a donated semi to help transport the supplies we have to the DC6 in Miami which we have leased. That load of supplies should arrive on Friday in PAP.
Please keep praying for our strength and for the safety of our pilots and for the people of Haiti.
Thanks
Living victoriously in Christ, Lynn
This is in response to the local newspaper asking for information.
My wife Marie mentioned you wanted to talk to me about the conditions in Haiti.I am flying a King Air 90 for Agape Flight which is based in Venice FL
Arrived on Monday we are basing operation out of Santiago Dominican Republic
we make 3-4 flights a day to various airports in Haiti there are 3 airplanes and 6 pilots in our group right now
An amazing couple , Jim and Theresa White, have opened there home here in Santiago and feed us over night
US air force is controlling Port Prince airport doing great job
Haitians are leaving the city of Port Prince because of no food or water and returning to small cities in the country.These cities don't have the supplies to handle them so we are shifting our flights to small cities and letting the big aircraft go into Port Prince
Flew a team of doctors to Jacmel today, traveled into the city with the docs, parts of hospital collapsed patients on cots in the grass in the compound18 day old girl was found alive after 8 days buried. Mother was there also. soccer field with thousands of refugees waiting for more help.
they have basic food (rice and beans) and water but desperately need shelter because they can't go into their homes. plain tarps are needed!!!!!
food and water we buy here in Dominican repub and fly in medical supplies also needed.
Haitian people very friendly, thankful for the help
cash donations to Agape Flight will also help, check their credentials online,
A 13 year old girl at the soccer field in Jacmal who saw my pilot uniform asked me if I could giver her a job because her parents and siblings are all dead.had to tell her no but I would try to bring supplies tomorrow,
hard to get the supplies from the airport to the people.almost no Haitian authorities in control.
I will post more as we receive more information. The front page of the Agape site tells the story of all that we are doing at work. Please stop by the Agape site to see what God is doing.
As Lance left the house this morning, he was on his cell phone arranging for a donated semi to help transport the supplies we have to the DC6 in Miami which we have leased. That load of supplies should arrive on Friday in PAP.
Please keep praying for our strength and for the safety of our pilots and for the people of Haiti.
Thanks
Living victoriously in Christ, Lynn
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Picts from Agape
Here are some picts of our plane getting ready to go off with supplies on Monday at 7am. The pilot is my brother in law, Paul Sauvey from Green Bay. He came down to help. Thank you to Spring Lake Church in Green Bay for supporting his trip to help us. We really appreciate Paul's heart to serve. He is currently in the Domincan Republic flying supply flights to Haiti. They stay in Santiago and fly over to PAP each day. This is easier than sending things from US to PAP. We are sending more supplies every day. We have a sea container in route with 25,000 pounds of supplies and are working on acquiring a DC 6 for Friday to bring in 25,000 pounds more. We have also sent smaller planes with supplies and a few passenger planes with medical teams. One team is leaving today with a donated plane and pilot. I am working on another team to depart on Sat with more medical teams. God is working in HUGE ways and hearts are responding.
Lance is working on logistics of cargo, planes, and pilots. We are all busy but God provides the strength we need. Please keep praying and if you are moved to help, please consider a donation to Agape to help fly all these planes over to get the supplies on the ground in Haiti.
Thanks much.
Grace and Hope help Uncle Paul load the plane on Sunday night.
The plane is ready to go and we are getting ready to send them off. Check out all the donated supplies filling the hangar. Volunteers have been sorting, organizing and boxing all of these for delivery.
Thank you for all your prayers and support.
Living victoriously in Christ, Lynn, Lance, Grace and Hope
Monday, January 18, 2010
Agape Haiti Relief efforts
Just a quick note to let everyone know what is going on at Agape. We are working very long days (10-12 hours) at the airport. We have been doing so many jobs it would be hard to list them all, but it is easy to say we are being used by God in ways we never imagined. I am going to just refer you to the Agape website for details on what is going on at the hangar. The executive director has us post to the Agape website every day to let people know what is going on. The girls have been troopers and come with us each day to play at the office. They are getting loved on by all the staff and volunteers and have been very flexible so both Lance and I can be productive and useful.
Here are some picts of the plane being loaded (with Grace and Hope's help) on Sunday night and leaving this morning. The pilot on the left is my brother-in-law, Paul Sauvey. He has come from Green Bay, WI to fly the King Air for the week in Haiti. I am so honored to have him flying for us. It was a match only God could provide. Praise the Lord that His plans are so much greater than ours.
Please continue to pray for strength for us, patience for our girls, help and peace for the families in Haiti and God's hands to hold us up when we feel like falling over. No one could ever have prepared us for this but God is preparing us every moment to respond where we are needed. He is our rock.
Sorry I can not get the picts to post so please look at the photos through the Shutterfly link on our the Agape website. That was my morning project.
Thank you for the prayers.
Please consider a donation through Agape Flights if you would like to help the relief efforts.
Living victoriously through Christ, Lynn and Lance and Grace and Hope
Here are some picts of the plane being loaded (with Grace and Hope's help) on Sunday night and leaving this morning. The pilot on the left is my brother-in-law, Paul Sauvey. He has come from Green Bay, WI to fly the King Air for the week in Haiti. I am so honored to have him flying for us. It was a match only God could provide. Praise the Lord that His plans are so much greater than ours.
Please continue to pray for strength for us, patience for our girls, help and peace for the families in Haiti and God's hands to hold us up when we feel like falling over. No one could ever have prepared us for this but God is preparing us every moment to respond where we are needed. He is our rock.
Sorry I can not get the picts to post so please look at the photos through the Shutterfly link on our the Agape website. That was my morning project.
Thank you for the prayers.
Please consider a donation through Agape Flights if you would like to help the relief efforts.
Living victoriously through Christ, Lynn and Lance and Grace and Hope
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Earthquake in Haiti
Please pray for the people of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The earthquake which hit yesterday was devastating to this impoverished island. We are currently receiving reports from our missionaries and gathering a supply list of items they need. We are also trying to locate extra planes and pilots to make extra trips in the next weeks. We are doing all we can to try and meet the needs of the missionaries and the people they will help. If you are interested in helping support these efforts please go the the Agape Flights website and make a donation. It cost is $4 per pound for the cargo. We will also have a list on the Agape site of materials that can be donated. www.agapeflights.com
Lance is currently taking the reports from the missionaries and posting them on the Agape site. If you would like to read more about the missionaries and how they are doing, please visit the Agape website.
That is all the info we have for now. We will post more as we receive further details.
Living victoriously in Christ,
Lynn for the Anderson crew.
PS. One of our pilots, Micheal Labady is in Haiti with his parents and has posted some picts of the earthquake on Facebook. You can view the picts through my FB page. Praise God, Mike and his family are safe. Please pray for Mike and his family as they are ministering to the people of Haiti.
Lance is currently taking the reports from the missionaries and posting them on the Agape site. If you would like to read more about the missionaries and how they are doing, please visit the Agape website.
That is all the info we have for now. We will post more as we receive further details.
Living victoriously in Christ,
Lynn for the Anderson crew.
PS. One of our pilots, Micheal Labady is in Haiti with his parents and has posted some picts of the earthquake on Facebook. You can view the picts through my FB page. Praise God, Mike and his family are safe. Please pray for Mike and his family as they are ministering to the people of Haiti.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year and Welcome 2010!
Happy New Year!
This month has again been filled with lots of exciting action and happenings for us and I again have to apologize for not updating the blog more often. We have been so busy and time has been very limited on my computer. So, I apologize and I will try this month to do better.
So what have we been up to???
1. All 3 of the girls (Lynn, Grace and Hope) sang in the Christmas cantata at our church. It took a lot of practice time, plus time to memorize the 6 songs but we all really enjoyed it. We got to meet more of the people from church on a personal basis and that alone was very rewarding. We also had the opportunity to sing with all our hearts for the Lord. The girls did a great job and I am amazed that they knew all the words to all the songs and often corrected me when we would practice. It was a really neat cantata, directed and written by a member of our church. The story aimed straight to the heart of Christmas (Jesus' birth) and very beautifully displayed the birth of the Savior. We were blessed by being part of it. For the next few days, the girls reenacted the story at home, taking turns being Joseph and Mary. Very cute to watch.
2. We experienced a huge busy season at Agape, with cargo exceeding the amount our plane could carry. Every day at work was very busy and full of things to do. The excess cargo was estimated at 15,000 pounds beyond our normal deliveries. The back up plan had to be used for 15 pallets of cargo at 1,000 pounds per pallet. In this case, we had Air Haiti deliver the pallets and then our plane helped distribute the loads once they were over to the island. It made for extra long work days and extra tired workers but it was all good and we know the missionaries were blessed with lots of Christmas love. They deserve every bit of that love and care.
3. We have also been making progress at the house on our tile job. Of the 1200 square foot we are going to tile we think we are about 1/2 way. That is amazing considering we only have the time after Lance gets home from work until bedtime to work on it. We are very excited about how it is turning out.
4. Lance had a great opportunity to speak at the monthly men's breakfast at church. We love these opportunities to share what God has done. We know it is all about Him and we love to tell of His faithfulness and provisions.
5. We spent time celebrating Jesus' birth with our church family, Lance's parents and work family this month. Each were times of great fellowship, fun and laughter.
So, you can see it was a busy month. We thank God for all He has done for us this month and we look forward to seeing what next month brings. He is good, always!!
Here are this month's prayer requests and praises. Thank you for your faithful prayers.
Prayer requests
Please pray for Lynn’s mom(Rita). She is fighting another round against cancer and is starting chemotherapy this month. Pray for strength for Rita and Dale through this battle.
Please pray for the closing of our house is Iowa. We are trusting God’s timing on this deal and know He is in control.
Please pray for the weekly flights to Haiti and Dominican Republic. Pray for God’s protection over the plane and the pilots. Also pray for the missionaries we serve.
Please pray for our search for a new Executive Director. We know God already had this person picked out.
Please pray with us for the Liborio family. They are missionaries we serve in D.R. with SCORE ministries. Hugo, the father of the family, died unexpectedly when they were in the US for the birth of their baby girl. Sarah, his wife, would like prayer that God uses this example to energize His servants to serve more fervently with the life they have been given.
Praises
Praise God for strength and energy He gave all the workers during this very busy holiday season at Agape.
Praise God that He is our provider of all things. He has blessed us in amazing ways this year and we are so grateful.
Praise the Lord for our financial partners. We could not be here without you and we are blessed to have you walking alongside us. You are the fuel that allows us to keep working.
Praise the Father for the birth of His Son, which we still celebrate 2000+ years later. He IS the reason for the season and the reason we have hope.
Thank you all for your faithful prayers. Please let us know if you have prayer requests so we can be praying for you as well.
Our most precious Bible verse for this month has been Psalm 150. It tells us how praise Him with all we have. We hope you are living your life to praise Him.
This month has again been filled with lots of exciting action and happenings for us and I again have to apologize for not updating the blog more often. We have been so busy and time has been very limited on my computer. So, I apologize and I will try this month to do better.
So what have we been up to???
1. All 3 of the girls (Lynn, Grace and Hope) sang in the Christmas cantata at our church. It took a lot of practice time, plus time to memorize the 6 songs but we all really enjoyed it. We got to meet more of the people from church on a personal basis and that alone was very rewarding. We also had the opportunity to sing with all our hearts for the Lord. The girls did a great job and I am amazed that they knew all the words to all the songs and often corrected me when we would practice. It was a really neat cantata, directed and written by a member of our church. The story aimed straight to the heart of Christmas (Jesus' birth) and very beautifully displayed the birth of the Savior. We were blessed by being part of it. For the next few days, the girls reenacted the story at home, taking turns being Joseph and Mary. Very cute to watch.
2. We experienced a huge busy season at Agape, with cargo exceeding the amount our plane could carry. Every day at work was very busy and full of things to do. The excess cargo was estimated at 15,000 pounds beyond our normal deliveries. The back up plan had to be used for 15 pallets of cargo at 1,000 pounds per pallet. In this case, we had Air Haiti deliver the pallets and then our plane helped distribute the loads once they were over to the island. It made for extra long work days and extra tired workers but it was all good and we know the missionaries were blessed with lots of Christmas love. They deserve every bit of that love and care.
3. We have also been making progress at the house on our tile job. Of the 1200 square foot we are going to tile we think we are about 1/2 way. That is amazing considering we only have the time after Lance gets home from work until bedtime to work on it. We are very excited about how it is turning out.
4. Lance had a great opportunity to speak at the monthly men's breakfast at church. We love these opportunities to share what God has done. We know it is all about Him and we love to tell of His faithfulness and provisions.
5. We spent time celebrating Jesus' birth with our church family, Lance's parents and work family this month. Each were times of great fellowship, fun and laughter.
So, you can see it was a busy month. We thank God for all He has done for us this month and we look forward to seeing what next month brings. He is good, always!!
Here are this month's prayer requests and praises. Thank you for your faithful prayers.
Prayer requests
Please pray for Lynn’s mom(Rita). She is fighting another round against cancer and is starting chemotherapy this month. Pray for strength for Rita and Dale through this battle.
Please pray for the closing of our house is Iowa. We are trusting God’s timing on this deal and know He is in control.
Please pray for the weekly flights to Haiti and Dominican Republic. Pray for God’s protection over the plane and the pilots. Also pray for the missionaries we serve.
Please pray for our search for a new Executive Director. We know God already had this person picked out.
Please pray with us for the Liborio family. They are missionaries we serve in D.R. with SCORE ministries. Hugo, the father of the family, died unexpectedly when they were in the US for the birth of their baby girl. Sarah, his wife, would like prayer that God uses this example to energize His servants to serve more fervently with the life they have been given.
Praises
Praise God for strength and energy He gave all the workers during this very busy holiday season at Agape.
Praise God that He is our provider of all things. He has blessed us in amazing ways this year and we are so grateful.
Praise the Lord for our financial partners. We could not be here without you and we are blessed to have you walking alongside us. You are the fuel that allows us to keep working.
Praise the Father for the birth of His Son, which we still celebrate 2000+ years later. He IS the reason for the season and the reason we have hope.
Thank you all for your faithful prayers. Please let us know if you have prayer requests so we can be praying for you as well.
Our most precious Bible verse for this month has been Psalm 150. It tells us how praise Him with all we have. We hope you are living your life to praise Him.
Psalm 150
Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD.
May this be a year full of high praise and thanksgiving to God for His many blessings.
Have a great 2010!
Living victoriously in Christ,
Lance, Lynn, Grace and Hope
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